The Duchess

I had to wait for the Duchess until after her 10 o'clock news Thursday night. By the time we got home, it was about 1:00 a.m. Friday. She had me up and running at full speed Friday morning . We took soundbites for her news package, visited a mother who was flying an American flag in honor of her son who is serving in Iraq. Apparently two National Guardsmen took it upon themselves to trespass and took the tattered American Flag down. As an American fighting man (once) myself, I know what it means for the mother to fly the flag tattered and all. She promised her son that she will fly it day and night until he comes home. I helped rig the flag and had her raise it by herself.

It was amazing that a simple act of kindness and patriotism would go a long way. SSgt. Kelso, the son serving in Iraq, called the Duchess early Saturday morning to personally thank her and I for what we did for her Mom. It meant a lot to him. How fitting that this Memorial Day weekend, a soldier in the battlefield took some time off to thank the Duchess rather than the other way around.

Saturday, was definitely a long day. Think of the movie Silkwood. We had to hike half a mile in a jungle hacking tall grass, bushes and thorns to get to the contaminated creek at the bottom of the mountain. The creek was being polluted by the landfill above the other side of the mountain. The landfill was built without a liner and the seepage runs down the creek. Had to rush late in the afternoon to try to come up with soundbites about a single engine plane crash. Of course, I didn't expect to get something from the family in grief and in shock. Home past 6 p.m. I was given a day off today (Sunday) and I believe that I will be off tomorrow too.