One of the dirtiest jobs, but for some, it is one of the most rewarding jobs out there!!

I thought that since this is our last blog for the class (and it is Veteran's Day) that I would finish my blos postings by thanking all of those men and women who did one of the most dirtiest jobs but one of the most rewarding jobs out there. First I want to recap or refresh as to what a "veteran" is- I found a statement given by Father Denis Edward O'Brien/USMC, to me that sums it all up.

"Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity.
Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking. He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel. She - or he - is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang. He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL. He is the Quantico drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs. He is the parade - riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by. He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.
He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come. He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known. "

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.

When I read this posting on the web site of www.forcerecon.com/veteran.htm, I realized that there are so many people who have served our country in various ways and provided "we" the people with the ability to have freedom and to feel safe. It has not been the government, it has not been our President. It has been your mother, brother, father, friend, daughter or son that has made the choice to fight for freedom, to protect the land that they love, in hopes that their service will allow us to be proud as Americans. Many of us do not even realized how close we are to one of those people listed above as to the "job" that they contributed to that allowed each and everyone one of us to continue on with our lives.

Each job that a veteran, solider, cop, firefighter, nurses, POW, Marines, Civilians, and various other members did was a "dirty" job in some form. But these jobs affected other people as to doing their jobs, as like a chain of commands. Just think, when Delphi or GM closed their doors, the trickling down effect that they had on millions of other people and businesses that played a part in providing the goods that they did to millions of people around the world.

The men and women who served as a veteran did not think twice as to the job that they were doing, they just did it for they each had their own personal reasons. So, we all should take the time to just simply say thank you, and to those millions of men and women who died or are permanently disabled for their contribution, God bless you!!

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, Who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who has given us the
freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protestor to burn the flag."

To find out more about the VA, check out the web site of www4.va.gov, this web page provides information as to job opportunities and much much more.

They are delicious!

It's always been where I can't just have one; it's more like a hand full at a time. I love potato chips as so many of us do and it is hard to just eat one or two. So, I decided to do my blog on one of the largest selling potato chip companies who is a local company here in Dayton, Ohio. Mike-sell's Potato Chip Company.

The story of the Mike-sell's Potato Chip Company began in 1910 when Daniel W. Mikesell went into business selling dried beef and sausage. Shortly after starting the business, Mikesell purchased equipment for making potato chips, which were then known as "Saratoga Chips" named for the place they were discovered.

As business grew, Mikesell enlarged equipment, hired help outside the family, and established delivery routes to furnish chips to local grocery stores. In 1925, the Mikesell Company saw a need for a unique logo. It was decided that a "play on words" using the Mikesell name should be used and the trademark "Mike-sell's" remains today.

Leslie C. Mapp became associated with Mike-sell's Potato Chip Company in 1947 and became Executive Vice President in 1952. He became President and Chief Executive Officer in 1965, following the death of Daniel W. Mikesell.

In 1955, Mr. Mapp oversaw the building of new production facilities and offices at 333 Leo Street in Dayton. Since that time, the plant has had a series of additions and remodeling, which doubled the size of the original structure.

A second plant was opened in 1987 located in Indianapolis. This technologically advanced plant produces Mike-sell's Puffcorn Delites, Baked Cheese Curls, and Pretzels.

Although many things have changed since 1910, one thing has not - the quality of Mike-sell's products. We believe this dedication to quality set by Daniel Mikesell has helped us remain a leader in the industry and now the oldest potato chip manufacturer in the United States. Thus our motto will remain: They are Delicious!

I am impartial to Mikesell's for my husband has worked for the Dayton plant for over 9 years (but actually for a total of 14 years). He has seen a lot of changes within the business, the closing of the Indianapolis Plant that was opened in 1987. This plant was closed 2008 due to the economy and the Dayton plant received one of the machines and the right to produce the chips that the plant made. My husband operates the Kettle cooker, which is the machine they received.

The Dayton plant has no more than about 60 employees and still is one of the leading potato chip companies!! The plant has both women and men working there and the women do the packing. The men normally are the ones who operate the machines themselves. As we all know with the economy it has hit so many little businesses besides the big. There are hardly any businesses left here in the Dayton area. Mike-sell's has also been effected by the economy, they have had to modify their health insurance plans and place a freeze as to hiring due to the economy. They have also reduced the hours for their employees. There is no overtime being offered and most of the women are only working as needed with the men working just enough hours to produce what is needed to fill orders to ship out.

Crime Scene Cleaner

Just when you thought you cleaned it all, there is another thing to clean up. The police investigators do their job as to gathering evidence at the scene of a crime or murder. The coroner gathers the initial evidence as the scene before the evidence is removed. But did you ever wonder who cleaned up after all these people and scenes to make it look "normal" somewhat?

There are not a lot of people who jump at the opportunity to clean up and be a crime scene cleaner. After the media and the police have moved on, crime scene cleaners come in to do the dirty work. This job is not for the faint hearted and anyone who is prone to getting queasy or emotional. Most of these workers even develop stress disorders from this form of work. Not only do they have to make sure that clean up after a scene or murder, they have to worry about not getting an infectious disease from the body fluids or hazardous materials. So they all must comply with wearing the proper protection gear.

Depending on how bad the mess is, the cleanup could take a few hours to a few days. But you won't hear these crime scene cleaners complaining too much -- they charge by the hour. With a little experience under your belt and flexibility with your work hours, you can easily make approximately $75,000 a year. Although you don't need a college degree to get a crime scene cleaning job, it definitely can boost your salary into six figures.

"It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it." So, when you hear about a murder or crime scene, stop to think a minute, there are a lot of things involved with cleaning up the scene to make it seem as if it never happened to the naked eye.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/