Bari, Italy, December 2, 1943

I had never heard of Bari, Italy until George Maule told me about a night raid that he had been in that occurred there during World War II.

His ship, one of 21, was docked in the harbor in Bari to either load or unload.

He told the story so well that I was right there with him in that lighted harbor, standing next to him on the ship as he looked up in the night sky to see German planes flying in towards them, making a sound that would cause the hair to stand up on the back of your neck. But they had a real good gunner, he said. Perhaps that's why the next morning, his was one of only three ships that remained.

He told me that he had began to think that he had dreamed the whole thing until one of his daughters found a book that had been written about the maraud years later.

So, today I want to solemnly remember those that died in Bari that night, and to be thankful for the ones that survived.

May 14, 2009 issue of the Roby Star Record / Rotan Advance:

-County Road System voted down
-Rivas & Carrion make Roby City Council, Sepeda re-elected as Roby Mayor
-Commissioners Meeting: Red Cross to help establish safety shelter; County Agent Barnett proposes renovations to County Show Barns
-Roby Kindergarten registration
-Rotan softball girls win first prize (photo)
-Monroe Moore tours Cotton, Inc. headquarters in North Carolina (photo)
-Obituary for Gary Dale Eaton (photo)
-Roby School Board meeting: catastrophic leave approved for Kristi Adkisson; ag teacher Judson Oppeguard resigns
-Pastor's Column: Pastor Charles Glidewell, Cross Roads Baptist Church
-News Briefs: Flags for Veterans donations being accepted at Anson VFW, c/o Leon West, 600 Forrest St., Rotan TX 79546; Clear Fork Crime Stoppers launches text messaging tip service
-Recipe Corner: Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
-Brittan & Brinlie Webb take titles at USA Gymnastics Region III Championship (photo)
-Engagement announcement for Lindsay Marie West & Byron Fielding Kennedy (photo)
-Marriage announcement for John Marvin Clark & Denim Rich (photo)
-Rotan School Board Meeting: Girls Softball program voted in; Baccalaureate to be held May 24 at 7 p.m.; Connie Early resigns
-Many 4-H students participate in District & State contests, nine Sr. 4-H members to represent Fisher County in state competition
-Joy Walker's Fisher County Roundup: Annie Mae McKinney celebrates 90th birthday; Linda Martin Thurman still in Arlington with sister
-Historical Commission: Roland Graham presented a report on early days in Colorado City; next meeting to be held June 2 at 7 p.m. in the Roby museum building
-Courtney Ann Patterson graduates from Angelo State (photo)
-Neugebauer's Newsletter: working to reduce wasteful Washington spending; cap and tax; National Police Week; Armed Forces Day
-Birth announcement for Tucker Glen McWilliams (photo)
-Rotan Honor Roll

May 7, 2009 issue:

-No Swine Flu in Fisher County
-Rotan represented at Texas Midwest Community Network luncheon (photo)
-Dustin Altmiller hired as new Rotan Athletic Director
- Rotan Freshman Ramya Sunku qualifies at State UIL (photo)
-Burn ban lifted
-Hospital Board: Dr. Carreon signs two-year contract; looking at new complex computer systems; closed session discussing Infection Control
-Joy Walker's Fisher County Roundup: babies, baseball and Youth fellowship
-Recipe Corner: Sweet Cornbread Cake
-Pastor's Column, Roby UMC Minister Bill Fitzgerald: Emerging Generations
-Rotan Gin Co. Annual Stockholders: audit report presented; Blackwelder and Nowlin re-elected to board; bale count of 40,478 for 2008
-Brittany Carr receives Josie Baird Grant-in-Aid (photo)
-Many 4-H members participate in District competitions (photos)
-Rotan Junior High Volleyball (photos)
-Sheriff's report, seven in jail
-Rotan Jr. High & Elementary honor rolls
-Jared Cave selected to 3-A All State Academic Basketball team (photo)
-Relay for Life (photos)
-Abilene Road Riders meet at Casa Morales in Rotan (photos)
-Tumbleweed Smith: Elementary Kids Learn to Garden
-Deadline for articles and photos to be turned in to the newspaper is Tues. at noon
-60 attend Rotan School Board special meeting to discuss Girls Softball Program
-Letter to the editor from Rotan Jr. High staffers commending parents on support during TAKS
-Letter to the editor from Nancy Sparks thanking those who attended the special Rotan School Board meeting discussing the Girls Softball Program
-Birth announcement for Cason Ray Ballard (photo)
-Neugebauer's Newsletter: Supreme Court selection; National Teachers Appreciation Week; District Wrap-Up

If you would like to read the factual account of the air raid at Bari instead of the botched one that I pulled from my faulty memory, you can order "Disaster at Bari", written by Glenn Infield, or "Nightmare in Bari", written by Gerald Reminick, from Amazon.com.

The photo is from The Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association website.