Community appreciates and honors veteran

Command Sgt. Major Henry Armstrong turned 96 this month. His friends in Cincinnati, Ohio, honored him with a parade. Neighbors and first responders drove by his house to wish him a happy birthday. He said it meant a lot to him. 

Armstrong served in the U.S. Army for 41 years, from 1943 to 1984. He served in Europe during WWII and his greatest memory is helping to liberate Gunskirchen Lager, a concentration camp in Austria. In the past few years, he's met three of the men he helped to liberate. Later, he served in the Korean War and Vietnam War before retiring.

 

Teenage checkmater!

 Jessica Hyatt, a chess champion from Brooklyn, New York, was just awarded a $40,000 college scholarship, and intends to be the first black woman chess master in the world. The 15-year-old is currently in the group of top 10 black women chess players in the nation, and spends five to seven hours each day playing the game.

She is a sophomore at Success Academy, known for its elite chess program, and her coaches, David Mbonu and Tyrell Harriott, took a liking to her when they first met her five years ago. "The first thing she did when class was over," remembers Mbonu, is she walked up to me and asked, 'Can I play you?' There has never been a black woman player to break the master ranking, and that's what Jessica is going for."

Dunkin dropped Donuts from its name, but...

 Even though the name was changed in 2019, when a store manager is named Sugar Good, you can expect a sweet story. Good manages a Dunkin in Oklahoma City, and she got enamored with a regular who ordered coffee with a sausage-egg-and-cheese sandwich in the mornings. "I could never forget his smile," she said. "When he smiles, his eyes sparkle." His name was John Thompson, and when he finally worked up the nerve to order a date, she gave him her phone number.

The couple knew from the first date that their love was the real thing. Three weeks later Thompson popped the question in the Dunkin parking lot. After a seven-month engagement, the couple exchanged vows in a donut-themed wedding ceremony at the same drive-thru where they first saw each other.

A crumb found on Facebook

 Waiting in line to pay for groceries while maintaining a 6 ft. distance, I saw the man shown here cut in line. He didn't appear to notice what he'd done. The person he skipped didn't say anything. When it was time for the man to pay, he reached in his back pocked and realized he'd forgotten his wallet. He looked a bit disappointed and embarrassed. 

The person he skipped stepped up and told the cashier they'd pay for his groceries, which only consisted of milk and cookies. He was more than grateful. He kindly thanked them, and went on his way. Upon arrival at the register, the cashier asked, "He cut you off and you paid for his groceries. Why?" The person who had been cut off smiled and said, "I hope that if one day my Dad forgets his wallet, someone will step up and buy his milk and cookies."

What does it mean to be a neighbor?

 Washington County, Wisconsin, is a Republican stronghold. There were only two Biden signs displayed, and one belonged to Tim Chase. Within a few days it was stolen. But a few days later, Tim received an unexpected gift from his Republican neighbor, Josh Schoemann. Josh lives a few doors down from Tim and had a Trump sign on his lawn.

Seeing that his neighbor's sign had been stolen didn't bring him any joy. He thought, "that's just not right. We're Trump supporters but we love our neighbors and want them to have freedom of speech like everybody else." So Josh took his son and walked down to Tim's house, bringing a Biden sign to replace the stolen one. It was the first time the pair had ever met. Tim was amazed by the kind gesture. He told Josh he would do the same for him. 

Life is good when you're happy, but...

 

"That's how my parents raised me"

 High school runner Ben Boardley didn't realize his sportsmanship could have resulted in disqualification, but it wouldn't have mattered. In a recent Indiana state cross-country run at Terre Haute, the Penn High School runner saw Brebeuf Jesuit's Faizan Khan fall as both approached the finish. Boardley stopped to help, pulling on Khan's left arm to riase him to his feet before both continued running.

"I just kind of saw it and did it," Boardley said later. "I guess that's how my parents raised me. They taught me to treat others how I'd want to be treated, and to be helpful when I can." By rule, a runner can be disqualified for assisting another. But an Indian High School Athletic Association official reviewed the incident and decided no violation had occurred.