Tuesday, November 11, 2025 Issue #197

From Dubois County

Hey Reader,

Maybe it isn’t the best story about my service, but I thought Ella might enjoy it.

She had invited me to the Veterans Day observance at Ireland Elementary today, and as we sat eating a doughnut together, I decided to tell her about it.

It was a story about an experience I had in boot camp.

After waiting about two weeks to get into a company at RTC Orlando, Florida, my first action (other than cleaning while I waited) was to teach my entire company how to wear their dixie cup hats.

My company commander pulled me out of line and gave me some brief instructions on how to wear the hat properly.

“Put your fingers like this,” he said, placing his index finger and adjacent finger together, making a little pew, pew gun motion.

“Then do this,” he said as he had me place those fingers with my thumb down and my index finger on the bridge of my nose, right between my eyes.

“The bottom of your hat should touch this finger,” he ordered, waggling that second finger touching his index finger. "Always wear it that way."

“Now, tell the rest of the company.”

So, I stood there as an 18-year-old telling 95 people from all ages and walks of life how to wear the iconic Navy hat. "Put your fingers like this. Put them here like this. Pull your hat down to here. Always wear it that way."

Ella laughed.

I don’t think people really ever understand military service unless they have been through these somewhat redundant and seemingly asinine moments designed to shape you into soldiers, sailors and marines.

In a way, that moment teaching everyone how to wear a hat epitomizes the service. You are told you are going to do something, someone demonstrates how to do it, and then you do it over and over and over without question, building a muscle memory that works immediately on command.

For example, before ever shooting a pistol in my military police tactical weapons course, we spent a day simply pulling it out of our holsters, chambering a round (on the old 1911 .45-calibre pistols) and pointing it at a target in a classroom. Once we got out on the range, we then practiced the same thing, adding two pulls of the trigger. Over and over and over again until we could do it in less than two seconds and hit a target accurately with both shots.

It is such a part of me that when I take a photo, I usually automatically hit the camera shutter button twice.

These things stick with you.

Like placing your index finger and thumb lightly together and lining them up with the seam of your pants when you stand at attention.

I usually look around when the National Anthem is played to see who does it.

So I can see who else has shared my experiences.

Thank you for your service.

From Dubois County with love.

Matthew and Amy Crane

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​Multi-vehicle crash closes U.S. 231​

​Residents demand moratorium on proposed solar and battery storage project​

​Thanksgiving food drive to assist Community Food Bank​

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​Wilma Jean Wuchner, 90, Jasper​

​Mark Richard Weissling, 75, Tell City​

​Leo F. “Fuzzy” Klueh, 81, Orange City, Fla.​

​Precision Stoneworks seeking Templater​

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