European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 17, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse                                The people of knew All about elaborate monuments like the one in but they hit on something different to keep alive the memory of their War theirs is a living a Community Experiment in by Bill Davidson yank staff writer the men of the 5th division smashed into Verdun last one of the first patriots to Greet them was old Louis caretaker of the world famous Doumont memorial to the French dead of the last Cornet took some of the 5ths men through the impressive Structure on the Battlefield just outside the he showed them the Marble corridors and the Golden win the Chapel and then Cornet came out with a remark that sounded coming from this is the most Beautiful memorial in the he said but what Good is the Beautiful Marble today to the hungry and homeless descendants of these dead they can not even live the Marble is too this was a Frenchman but the thought seems to be confined to no one in the so the Wisconsin legislature has passed a Resolution urging practical War memorials this time instead of the occasionally handsome but useless Stone ones so common after the last William Mather president of Lafayette College in Calls for memorials like Hospital medical research perpetual scholarships in institutions of higher Community crippled childrens Musk foundation Sand others which will properly immortalize the country some american towns have already built play ground and recreation centers in the name of their dead of the second world in there will be a War memorial hos cities in Britain and Russia Are building memorial colleges and but it remained for the people of this Small Arkansas town to think up one of the most human and moving tributes of Blytheville tribute is to the memory of Jake killed last Winter in Luxem Bourg during the Battle of the Jake Privett was a 37yearold infantryman who had a Little garage on division Street before the War and at one time or another had fixed a car for nearly everybody in he had a wife and eight Billy is now in a rickety old fou room when he was he worried plenty about his Jake worried even More when he came Home on his last furlough in August he went Over to see his old Jodie a thin faced Veteran of the last who ran a grocery store in Jakes neighbor Jodie was just about ready to close for the Day when Jake drove drive downtown with Privett i want to talk to sure Jodie and he got into Privetts in leaving Jake said after a and i wonder if youll make me a what is Jake Jodie said if my allotment checks come in will you give my wife the groceries pm credit for a while and if they need a mans will you do what you can for them sure Jodie Page 16 then Jake said you made me this maybe you dont know what i it May be for a Long it May be i know what you Jodie but take it dont you go away feel ing like i cant make Privett i know i cant make six months on february the Telegram the idea stuck in his and he mentioned it in the Glencoe Barber shop in Blytheville when he got Back the next there were 10 other men in the shop at the Jodie that we took the Money we were All going to give to raise a Monument for the War heroes of Blytheville and bought a House for Jake Privetts family instead without his saying another the 10 men dug Down into their each handed Jodie a Bill from the Barber shop Jodie went to the Blytheville courier news office and talked about his idea to and Samuel editor and City editor of the local Sam Norris wrote out a Check for then called in to the composing were going Jodie also talked to the Lions club at a regu Lar luncheon meeting at the hotel the Lions have a strict Rule against collections at their but after the meeting was and every member of the club came up to Jodie in the hotel lobby to give him one afternoon Jodie started at one end of main Street and walked All the Way to the stopping in at every Jodie has a bad leg and cant climb but when word got round that he was people in offices on upper floors were waiting for him with checks in the ground floor Jake collected More than that the same Day Jodie went into a Pool room for the first time in his he walked up to the Cigar counter to speak to the before he had a Chance to say a All the men in the place left the Pool tables and filed silently past dropping their Money on the their contributions came to a Church turned Over All of a sunday service collection to the Privett memorial wherever Jodie Nabers people gave him Money for the poor Farmers in the swamps sent their kids walking 15 or 20 Miles to his store to turn in 25cent Money poured in by mail to the at the end of 10 More than had come and Sam Norris tried to put a Stop to the but newspapers All Over became a committee of two to find a suitable House to in War congested Blytheville they faced quite a but on West Ash Street they found a pleasant White Frame House that haunt been occupied in some there was plenty of ground around the House and plenty of room inside for the the House was in a Nice neighbourhood Only a Block from the Baptist and a school for the children was Only two blocks Privett could live Here quite comfortably on the a month she received from the government in pension and insurance Jodie and Norris made Max a a third member of the and he closed the Sale of the became the committees fourth completely redesigning the bran son got Kitchen cabinets built a lot of re partitioning an automatic hot water system a new Concrete walk and Steps Laid in front of the closets put in every new Oak floors for the entire House and a new Bath room to handle the overflow of Small Fry but a lot of things were still and again the people of the town offered their spontaneous furniture was someone sent Over a playground unit for the the plumb ers of Blytheville kicked in with a Complete new plumbing electricians gave Worth of every one of the 18 members of the u r n picture on the sofa of their new House her Billy Gene brought it Over to bodies place around and after Jodie had read had to close the store for the rest of the Jodie did what he could for the Privett but he kept thinking about occasionally someone would say to what a shame that a Guy with a wife and eight kids had to and Jodie would feel even More troubled than be for three weeks he tried to figure out what he could then he had to go to Louis on it was while he was looking at the big War memorial there that the idea came to How Many he said to could be fed and educated with the Money that went into this memorial to remake Page he Jodie Nabers idea went into that afternoons the first Day after the Story appeared came mostly in Dollar Jodie brought up his idea before a meeting of the local american legion one member asked whether it would be fair to the families of other veterans of this War to single out the Privett family for Jodie help other when each Case comes but right now i dont know of any other Man with eight kids who has been killed in make your then go Over and visit Rachel Privett and her if youre not Happy ill give you double your Money the legion gave Jodie a Check for the country had picked up the and now Money was being mailed in from All Over the some editions of yank ran the and the Middle East edition of the stars and stripes ran an before gis and sailors in All parts of the world were sending in their dollars and francs and lire and rupees to the men of an isolated at base in the desert came through with a 50yearold Sailor in the South with two sons in the gave this is the sort of he that makes an old Man like me feel like its Worth going in when the collection had come to More than Jodie Nabers and Sam Norris 1 painters local contributed Worth of and inside of a few Days the 10 room House had been entirely inside and one Day the county farm Extension Keith came Over to talk with he asked her about the kinds of vege tables she and the children the next afternoon he showed up at the new House with a contingent of kids from the future Farmers of they set in to work and within a week a vegetable Garden had been planted in the 50 x 100foot lot alongside the a Short time later Blytheville Warren showed tip with a detail of boy scouts and got the peach and Pear and Apple Trees into about the same time 50 chickens mysteriously appeared in the Chicken bedspreads and shades were Given by Blytheville nor Ris and Marie Pollard spent three Days sweeping and cleaning the rooms and arranging the old Willie Dickens helped with the heavy by Midsummer the House was ready for of Down to the last Bath Towel in the Bath rooms and a copy of the readers digest on the living room then Blytheville held a informal Cere hundreds of people from Miles around gathered on the Shady Lawn on West Ash the Calvary Baptist the made a Little he said it was love that built this Max Reid gave Privett the he said this House is donated by your fellow citizens in grateful recognition of your husbands Jodie Nabers handed Privett the key to her new he didst say anything at the of walked through the looking at the furnishings and marvelling at what had come the Privett kids played on the swings and read comic books in the Teny Earold Patty a fed the eighty Earold got a Bellyache from eating Green pears off the tree behind the Kitchen win Oney Earold Linda slept in the Privett sat on the front she sat there Sfax x the Privett kids swing and Seesaw in a playground unit donated by a neighbor along with the