Tired--Achy--Fat--Try-drinking

Seeing A Lady Warrior Off to Iraq

When Tanna Bia came to Aztec VFW Post 614 to celebrate a birthday and going away party she had no idea what else was going to become a part of our Post History.

Tanna is being shipped out to Iraq and her family and friends were there in the Post Dining Room to see her off. She was surprised beyond words when the VFW Officers and some Army Personnel walked to the podium and asked her to please come forward.

Commander Abe Saiz then made a few opening remarks and presented her with a New Mexico State Flag. The New Mexico State Flag has a yellow field with a red Zia Sun Symbol in the center. It seems appropriate that a state with so many Native American Warriors should have such a flag.

As a Life Member of Post 614 and the proponent for Mount KIA/MIA it was my pleasure to present a Mount KIA/MIA Challenge Coin to her.

While there are already a few of these challenge coins in circulation, we expect them to become very popular. They will be sold for fifteen dollars each and a part of the proceeds will go toward continuing efforts toward a Mount KIA/MIA Memorial, and we are hoping that there will be a memorial built in the city of Saguache. We are also searching to find a place where people can bring, or send, dog tags honoring killed or missing military personnel. Since these stainless steel tags are almost indestructible it is hoped that there will be a perpetual place of honor for them. We really don’t think they should be on the mountain, but more likely at a “memorial” to be built for this special purpose in Saguache.

New Mexico is proud of all its warriors and I was honored to present the Challenge Coin to one of our Lady Warriors. We wish her a safe journey and look forward to seeing her again when she returns home.

A sunny day and a clear blue sky greeted us as we memorialized Army Cpl. John Spruell. As I stood there I could not help but feel the warmth of this December day and compare it to the cold of the Korean War. The people of Cortez can be proud of the event.

On Saturday, December 06, 2008 more than 100 family members, classmates and friends gathered at the Cortez Cemetery to see the memorial for Army Cpl. John A. Spruell dedicated. It was 58 years to the day since Spruell went missing West of Chosin Reservoir while fighting the Communist Chinese Forces in North Korea.

I traveled to Cortez because of my interest in honoring our heroes, because I was invited, and because Cpl. Spruell was part of a military unit that I had been researching for over six years. He was a member of Btry. B 57th FA Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.

When I read the data on Cpl. Spruell I realized that he had been in the same unit as Sgt. Jimmie Jumbo who I have often written about. Jimmie was from Toadlena, New Mexico and he and Spruell went missing on the same day at Hagaru-Ri North Korea, at the Chosin Reservoir. Spruell and Jumbo were from the Four-Corners Area and being soldiers I believe they would have talked about home. They may have discussed Fry Bread, Mutton Stew, Home Fries and Tacos, and probably family and girlfriends were discussed.

A funeral for my friend of many years, Glen Gabehart, was being carried out in Aztec, New Mexico on the same day as Spruell’s memorial and I thought of Glen as I stood there watching the dedication. Glen and I are members of Farmington High School Class of 1949 and the last time we visited we were looking forward to our upcoming 60th Class Reunion.

As we stood beneath a bright sun viewing a clear blue sky I gave thanks for the weather. This man deserved good weather on the day his memorial was dedicated. As I watched the wonderfully performed ceremony my eyes focused beyond the Speakers and the Honor Guard and the crowd as I looked toward Sleeping Ute Mountain behind them. Surely John Spruell saw this mountain every day he lived in Cortez, and it is fitting that his memorial be within view of this famous landmark

When I visit Cortez I will always stop for a moment at the Southwest corner of the Cortez Cemetery and stand at Cpl. Spruell’s memorial stone to say a prayer for him and his buddy Sgt. Jimmie Jumbo and gaze to the West to enjoy that same Sleeping Ute Mountain that I first viewed as a five year old boy when my family moved to Cortez in 1935

I have a younger brother who lives in Cortez now and who is also a Korean War Veteran, and I am sure that George will be pleased to place a fresh red rose on John Spruell’s memorial stone now and then.

A donor who asked not to be identified provided seed-money to the Cortez cemetery to establish a Memorial Fund in Cpl. John A. Spruell’s name. The fund will be used for maintaining the Veteran’s Section of this cemetery. The fund will repair older headstones and provide a buffer if a family cannot afford the hundred and forty dollar cost of stone-setting. Should you desire to contribute to this fund please contact Dennis Spruell, The Cortez Cemetery, or the Cortez Journal Newspaper.

Even after 58 years, it was evident that John Spruell was a favorite with his high school friends and the younger family members who had never met him. Now they will learn about the events of late November and early December 1950 when a small American Force held off the Chinese Army “East of Chosin” just long enough that the Marines and the few surviving Army personnel were able to fight their way out to the sea, and live to fight another day.

When I arrived at home I could not help but think of the love these “Chosin Few” have for each other, so I telephoned my friend Sgt. Carson Gentry who lives in Johnson City Tennessee. Gentry was a part of that unit and had survived having been a prisoner of the Communist Chinese for years. He was the one who first contacted me with a photo and information about Jimmie Jumbo and has put me in contact with others of these brave men who survived the battle West of Chosin. When you look at the photo of Gentry and Jumbo please remember that Gentry still had this photo over 50 years after the event, and that he has fond memories of Jimmie and his other buddies.

The story of the Korean War, which is called “the forgotten war”, is the story of men who still care about each other. Those who fought in this war will never forget!

Bruce L Salisbury

"Fighting for Our Veterans-Supporting Our Troops"

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When You Need A Service or Product, Please Remember Your Supporters!

Tired? Achy? Fat? Try drinking.

by Rick Mowles, BS, DC, DICAK, DABCO

Vietnam Veteran 1968-1970. 1st Battalion 9th Marines, 3rd. Marine Division

Water makes up more than two thirds of the weight of the human body, and without it, we would die in a few days. The human body can go a considerable time without food, however, not very long without adequate water. The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. Even bone is 20% water. Even a slight drop in the body’s water supply can trigger signs of dehydration. Yet, very seldom does one hear about adequate intake of water from health care providers.

Drinking lots of fluids is not the same as drinking adequate amounts of water. In fact a lot of the fluids such as tea, alcohol, coffee, and high caloric energy drinks may be counterproductive to proper water balance in the body. In the human body, water plays an integral role. Water serves as a lubricant; the basis for saliva; the fluids that surround the joints; it regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and heating is performed through perspiration; water helps to alleviate constipation by moving food through the intestinal tract and is integral in the elimination of waste; and finally, it regulates metabolism. In summary, water transports oxygen to your cells, removes wastes and protects your joints and organs.

Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj. M.D. described a condition “Unintentional Chronic Dehydration (UCD).” Some of the common symptoms of this condition are fatigue, cramps, muscle aches and stiffness as well as back pain. Metabolism in the body is necessary for life. A byproduct of metabolism is the production of toxins or waste products that must be eliminated from the body. A crude comparison can be made to taking out the garbage. Garbage is taken from the house every day and put into a garbage can. This garbage container must be emptied periodically or the waste will overflow from the can.

The human body is no different in that waste products must be eliminated or they will build up in the body. This elimination process is done primarily through the skin, the kidneys (urine) and colon (fecal matter). The medium which transports these toxins is water. Inadequate availability of water leads to a slowing down of those bodily processes necessary for toxin removal. As a result these toxins start to accumulate in the tissues. This build up leads to chronic fatigue, muscle pain and stiffness, and headaches. Something so trivial as chronic body odor can be associated with UCD. These toxins (poisons) are not supposed to stay around for long in the human body. The increase of these toxins puts an added burden on the liver and kidneys. Thus a vicious cycle is set up. Such things as chronic stiffness and pain in the neck and low back could be greatly resolved, if not eliminated, by just drinking more water.

Quite a few products commonly ingested can further accelerate UCD. Probably the most common is caffeine. This is found in coffee, colas, and teas, as well as a lot of so called “energy drinks” currently on the market. Caffeine increases the urinary excretion of water by its effects on the kidneys. On a hot summer day there is nothing more refreshing than a big tall glass of ice tea. However, it will lead to increased water elimination from the body, as will alcohol. Many medications are also guilty. Notorious in this category are the diuretic class of drugs most commonly prescribed for hypertension.

These drugs force increased elimination of water through the kidneys. This will be greatly magnified in hot weather when the body is losing water from perspiration and exercise. An individual may go out in the summer on a hot day and work in the yard for a few hours then come inside to find themselves exhausted. After sitting in the chair for a few hours they go to get up and find walking difficult due to back pain and stiffness. This is just attributed to being more physically active, when in reality it is UCD.

Society is plagued with an endemic of obesity. Millions of dollars are spent on diets, exercise equipment and supplements to burn fat and tone muscles. A lot of obese people have weight problems due to water retention and not actual fat accumulation. An interesting phenomena occurs in the human body. When inadequate water is consumed or lost, the body will retain all available water to prevent excessive and dangerous drops in fluid levels. As a result of this phenomena, individuals will diet and exercise only to find very little weight loss or very slow weight loss. A common ingredient in any weight loss program should be the ingestion of at least 7-8 glasses of ice water daily. The cold water will speed up metabolism which will accelerate the burning of fat thus a more dramatic and effective loss of those unwanted pounds.

The question arises on how much water is

necessary to prevent UCD? One source states that “a good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink.” That sounds rather simple. However, if you exercise you should drink another eight ounce glass of water for every 20 minutes you are active. If you drink alcohol, you should drink at least an equal amount of water. When you are traveling on an airplane, it is good to drink eight ounces of water for every hour you are on board the plane. If you live in an arid climate, you should add another two servings per day. Based on this it can get quite confusing as to how much water is needed for adequate hydration. A general rule of thumb is to drink 7-8 eight ounce glasses of water per day minimum.

This article has addressed a very serious problem present in society. Few physicians address this condition or minimize it. Many annoying conditions could be eliminated by just drinking more water. The conditions discussed here are by no means the many things that are affected by inadequate consumption of water. So an old adage that says, “An apple a day and keeps the doctor away” should be replaced with “drink 8 glasses of water per day to keep the doctor away.”

“Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”

-Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Biochemist 1937 Nobel Prize in Medicine 1893-1986.

Rick Mowles

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