Georgia Magazine - January 2012 - (Page 5)

www.georgiamagazine.org (800) 544-4362, in Georgia; (770) 270-6500 GEORGIA Magazine, the largest-circulation monthly magazine in the state, is published by Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (GEMC), the trade association for Georgia’s 42 consumer-owned electric utilities. On average, more than 500,000 members welcome the magazine into their homes each month. Georgia’s notfor-profit electric cooperatives provide reliable, safe and affordable electric service to more than 73 percent of the state’s land area serving 4.5 million residents. For more information, visit www.georgiaemc.com. EDITOR Ann Orowski, CCC ManagIng EDITOR Jennifer Hewett, CCC assOcIaTE EDITOR Victoria Scharf DeCastro PRODucTIOn cOORDInaTOR Steve Jacobs assIsTanT EDITOR Kevin Braun assIsTanT EDITOR Jim Jess EDITORIal InTERn Nikki Stephens cOnTRIbuTIng WRITERs Jane F. Garvey, Deborah Geering, Stephanie Green, Vonda Harris, Kathleen Walls cOnTRIbuTIng PhOTOgRaPhERs Casey Braun, Jennifer Doran, Basil M. Gravanis, Stephanie Green, Kelly Hester, Jennifer Hewett, Dean Jackson, Ashley Kramer, Leroy Mundy, Ed Selby, Kathleen Walls, Martin Walls aDvERTIsIng REPREsEnTaTIvEs Hardships of homecoming A Laurel George, (404) 541-0628; Laine Kirby Wood, (770) 289-5700 Country Market, (800) 626-1181 National naTIOnal aDvERTIsIng REPREsEnTaTIvE DEsIgnERs Trudie Thibodeaux, Kerstin Weis Mary Wellman, (770) 270-6981 subscRIPTIOns 2012 aDvIsORy bOaRD Matthew Akins, Sonya Aldridge, Stacey Chastain, Ren Davis, Gale Cutler, Brenda Green, Steve Mullice, Amy Orr, Jane Perfect, Rodney Reese, Angela Shipp, Brad Thomas gEORgIa EMc OffIcERs chaIRMan Alice Mallory, Coweta-Fayette EMC vIcE chaIRMan G. Anthony Norton, Snapping sEc.-TREasuRER Randy Crenshaw, Irwin PREsIDEnT/cEO, gEMc A. Paul Wood Shoals EMC EMC GEORGIA Magazine (USPS-473120, ISSN 10615822) is published monthly by Georgia Electric Membership Corp., P.O. Box 1707, 2100 East Exchange Place, Tucker, GA 30085. Periodicals postage paid at Thomaston, GA, and additional mailing offices. POsTMasTER: Send address changes to GEORGIA Magazine, P.O. Box 1707, Tucker, GA 30085. Printed in Georgia by Quad/ Graphics. Acceptance of advertising by GEORGIA Magazine does not imply endorsement by the publisher or Georgia’s electric membership corporations of the product or services advertised. GEORGIA Magazine’s LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN, OR OMISSIONS OF, ADVERTISEMENTS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES TO THE ADVERTISER’S BUSINESS, SHALL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF CHARGES FOR THE ADVERTISEMENT THAT WAS OMITTED OR IN WHICH THE ERROR OCCURRED. merica has lost 5,000 warriors killed in Iraq since the war began in that country nine years ago. At least 33,000 more have returned home wounded in body and spirit. The wounded deserve our attention now that the troops are coming home. Very few of us will ever understand the challenges they face as they attempt to re-enter the civilian world. I had an opportunity to share time with several of these veterans recently when Georgia’s electric membership corporations sponsored a Heroes Invitational golf tournament to benefit the Wounded Warriors Foundation. Four wounded veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts joined us and played in our first-ever tournament. They ranged in age from upper 20s to mid-40s. All had sustained some form of head trauma. The night before the tournament I had the honor of sharing dinner with them and listening to their stories. One told of how he had pulled a badly wounded Iraqi soldier from a burning vehicle when another explosion sent both of them high into the air. By the time he regained consciousness, a medic was giving him a shot of morphine, and he was being loaded into a helicopter for a fast trip back to the Green Zone. After he was stabilized, he was airlifted to Germany for urgent surgery and then to the states where another team of physicians took over at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. His six tours had come to an abrupt end, and he spent the next two years in rehab for the physical and mental injuries he sustained. More online at www.georgiamagazine.org By Paul Wood President/CEO, Georgia Electric Membership Corporation The second warrior said a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle, killing his buddy. He sustained a severe head injury, including the loss of sight in one eye. He, too, was whisked away for treatment in a well-rehearsed procedure for taking care of the wounded as fast as possible. For both of them, our dinner and the golf tournament the next day were their first public appearances since their injuries. Just being there was quite an achievement for them. They are not bitter about their experiences. Far from it. The soldier sitting next to me said, “I have the best life in the world. My wife takes good care of me, and I consider myself blessed. But I do have short-term memory loss, which means I probably won’t remember you in the morning. When we play tomorrow, remind me of who you are and how much I enjoyed being with you tonight.” I did, and we had a great day together. If you had a chance to spend some time with these courageous young men, your life would be changed, as mine was, and you would never stop giving thanks for soldiers such as these who are willing to put their lives on the line for all of us. I hope you will urge your member of Congress to make sure our government never turns its back on these warriors—ever. They need us now as we have needed them for the past nine years. 5 January 2012 http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org http://www.georgiaemc.com http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - January 2012

Georgia Magazine - January 2012
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Georgia News
Picture This?
Calendar of Events
Currents
Special Energy Report
What It Takes to Be a Roller Girl
A Nation Reunited
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
More “big” eateries and recipes
Snapshot
Bonus Snapshot submissions
Gardens plant of the month; Liberty notes
More roller derby photos
Festivals in Fitzgerald and Washington
January energy-effi ciency tips

Georgia Magazine - January 2012