These damn kids today!

"Kids today just don't get it," many adults will say. I've been working with "kids" for over a half century, and they never cease to amaze me. I've seen some "bad ones," but to my amazement, most of them have turned out to be fine citizens, parents and continuing community members.After teaching for over 22 years in the public schools of Arizona, California and Palmerton it is always a pleasure to meet up with and chat with former students. They are still my "kids" at heart. Some have made great strides in business, medicine, the military and a wide assortment of occupations. Great going!More recently my wife, Darlene, and I have contracted on working with nonprofit organizations. One of the organizations we work with is the Miller-Keystone Blood Bank. We have run the canteens at Palmerton, Lehighton and Jim Thorpe high schools on occasion during blood donation drives. Recently, we were at the CCTI in Jim Thorpe. There were 68 pints of blood collected from the students there.Most towns don't donate that much during blood drives. Additionally, CCTI nursing students helped us out and they were very professional, efficient and respected by their peer donors. Each school had good turnouts, and each school had some donors who got lightheaded or even fainted. But everyone who had this happen to them, when asked if they would sign up to donate again, answered with a strong "Yes"!I'm not sure if they realized it or not, but their gift of blood quite likely helped save a life.These damn kids today!We work and coach for the "Special Olympics" of Carbon County. Many helpers are "kids" who want our special needs athletes to have a fun and worthwhile experience in enjoyable competition. It is great to see how they support each other. It was gratifying to see Jim Thorpe Area High School cheerleaders and cross-country team support our athletes in past track and field competitions. Also, Palmerton football teams and cheerleaders helped with fundraisers at the Palmerton Festival.These damn kids today!Most recently, Palmerton High School football coach Chris Walkowiak and I heard a sermon in church dealing with volunteerism and giving of one's self. After church we knew we wanted to chat on the same subject - getting the football team to help put up The Moving Wall showing the names of the 58,306 American service members killed in the Vietnam War. Without hesitation, Coach Chris said there was a team gathering the next day and he would explore the possibilities. Coach then called Wall" committee chairman Steve Vlossak, stating that the team would be at the Palmerton Borough Park on July 21 to help put the wall up.The whole team showed up with the exception of two members away on vacation. They were neatly dressed in team "golf style" shirts and well-groomed. It was a very proud moment for me to see Coach Chris and team work with care and respect for the task at hand. The people who brought the wall said that the team players, and other volunteers and UVO members were the best crew they ever had helping to put up the wall. That is in 30 years of existence. In addition, the team returned to help take down the wall on July 25. The team and other volunteers did a fabulous job and set a new takedown record of 21 minutes and 30 seconds. Setting a record was not the goal, but doing it with respect and feeling the honor that it was to say "thank you" to those 58,306 American heroes was quite a "paycheck" for them.These damn kids today!Today we have an all-volunteer military. You know the ages of those joining - typically 18-year-olds. They are "kids" and they are saving our "tails" in so many ways. They are putting their lives on the line for all of us, just like those super heroes of "the greatest generation." They were just "kids" when they went into harm's way in the early 1940s. Those damn kids today!In summary, I think we can boil it down to evaluate today's youths by saying,"Those damn good kids of today!"Dick NothsteinPalmerton