Crawfish Hole

The term, “Crawfish Hole” is used and understood by most people of the southern portion of the United States. They know exactly what the term means and where you will find a crawfish hole. 

The location of a crawfish hole is usually located several feet from a source of water, a lake, river or a ditch that has standing water. The hole is about eighteen to twenty four inches deep, three inches wide with marble size (1/4”) round balls of dirt around the top of the hole. In the bottom of the hole are one or two crawfish about the size of a small lobster. I imagine this is a hole for mating during the reproduction cycle. Boys with small arms would put their hand down the hole, feel the tail portion of the crawfish and pull it out  and place it in a two gallon  bucket then reach in again to feel for a second crawfish. We were always careful to avoid the front of the crawfish, knowing that the pinching claws operated from that end. 

I remember as a small boy at age seven my friends Bubba, Leroy and I would fill our buckets with crawfish in about one hour along the river bank.  The next thing we would do is boil the lobster size crawfish, placing a bit of salt in the water to give a good taste flavor and eat the freshly cooked crawfish almost as fast as we retrieved them from the hot water. 

A true treat from my reservoir of pleasant boyhood history about the large crawfish. The regular crawfish found in today’s stores are usually farm grown type and are minimum in size and taste.

Turtle eggs for breakfast

Months after the annual spring floods the creatures of the rivers and lake water such as, frogs, crawfish, turtles and other start their regenerating process.

Each of the forementioned is a food source for humans, to include the eggs of the turtle. I looked forward as a young country boy to those few days of the week when turtles deposited their eggs in the soft soil of the levee near my residence. Over the years the older people of the plantation taught the younger children the habits of various animals and the best time to catch them as food or how to locate their nest for eggs. This oral history hit its mark when the younger students were successful in their first attempts. I became an expert fast on tracing the turtle and its habit. Turtles leave the water near the midnight hour, slowly sliding up the levee to the soft spot to dig a hole in the soil. Once the hole is the right depth, the turtle deposit it eggs in the hole, cover the eggs with the soft soil.  The sunlight would strikes these mounds where the eggs were deposited for maximum effect toward the hatching process. It was usually around daybreak when the turtle finished the laying process and started its slide back to the water. That is the time the young boys arrive and retrace the turtle path back to the nest. BINGO, a nest with a dozen or more eggs.

The boys often time would locate several other nests in the area. The next action is to return home, then, Turtle Eggs for Breakfast.

Fragging of Captain Smitz

I learned the meaning of the term fragging in 1966 while serving in Vietnam. It means when one pulls the pen on a hand grenade then throws it at a target. The result is an explosion ten seconds releasing many small fragments traveling at high speed. The grenade is designed to cause great body damage or multiple deaths in a small radius of several yards - a perfect weapon to destroy the enemy in an open formation, fox hole or a machine gun nest.

Why was Captain Smitz the subject of near fragging? The history of Captain Smitz and I emanated in Europe in 1958. He had a problem addressing me as a part of the integrated armed forces. This problem carried by Captain Smitz over the years into the Vietnam war. He was relieved of his duty as a Company Commander in Vietnam and assigned to Vong Chow Mountain near Qui Nhon,Vietnam as an out of sight assignment until his rotation to the United States. I was the Area Communication Chief on Von Chow Mountain with 94 men operating various communication systems.  I was drawing on my graduate training at The Southeastern Signal School at Fort Gordon, Georgia in operating systems from Vong Chow mountain such as HF radio (high- frequency radio), UHF radio and VHF radio Carrier Systems, microwave systems, wire system, Vietnam first TV station, 13 sites in various part of Vietnam and all other communication for the military to include satellite systems.

Captain Smitz had very sensitive radio equipment moved out of one of the many vans into a moisture prone tent, exposing the sensitive radio equipment to guaranteed destruction within one or two days.  He freed the van to use as his sleeping quarters. I did not like Captain Smitz action and reported it to higher Headquarters. This resulted in Captain Smitz getting another bad efficiency report.  My troops did not like the way Captain Smitz treated me and three of them planned to frag him when he sacked out in the van. One Team Chief informed me of the planned action. The plan was to use a sock-size opening on the van to roll a hand-grenade under Captain Smirz bunk when he was sleeping. I was alarmed and gratified at the same time. Knowing my troops thought of me in such a high regards as to commit a crime to protect me was gratifying, but I had to stop this act immediately in a manner that higher headquarters did not hear about it, because all of us would be court marshaled for planning this crime. I met with the three men and directed them not to carry out the plan and be quiet about their thoughts. Forty five quiet years have passed and now the true story can be told. At age 84, I cannot remember the three soldier’s names, but I do remember that the year 1966 was a very stressful time later causing PTSD (post –traumatic stress disorder).

1 - Snakes on the Levee

The May 2011 Mississippi River flood required  the opening of Morganza spillway, flushing swamp creatures such as, alligators, snakes, deers, rabbits and others, to higher ground (the levees).Their departure from the swamps poses several problems for other creatures and for the safety of individuals in near-by communities. 

There are three known poisonous snakes on the Morganza Spillway. The cottonmouth/water moccasin snake, the diamondback rattlesnake and the copperhead snake all pose a major problem to nearby communities. In addition, there are various non-venomous snakes including the king snake, a killer of other snakes. The king snake is unique because it makes a habit of eating venomous snakes and produces an enzyme that breaks down the venom from other snakes minimizing the damage it suffers from bits. To kill another snake it will grip the snake behind their head, wrap its body within its length, then stretch out, breaking the other snakes backbones. The king snake will then release the snake and move a few feet away. Within a few minutes the snake will die becoming the king snakes next meal.

Another snake, the gopher snake creates problems for homeowners because they like to raid chicken coups, swallowing the eggs whole.

The last days of June and most of July will be the time frame for the flood waters to return its natural banks allowing the swamp creature to return to their natural domain.

Mississippi River Levee System

The Mississippi River extends thirty seven hundred miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.  The river is channeled between levees running on both sides of the river for its length; one considered the East bank and the other considered the West bank. Each extends from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico with flood gates (spillways) at various points along the way.  

The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the Mississippi River seventy four hundred miles of levees.  The Corps of Engineers is also responsible for opening gates to various spillways. Morganza opened most of its 125 flood gates during the Mississippi River flooding in May 2011.

During the next five days, I will be discussing the animals that are on the levee and how they pose a danger to those living near the levees during this time of flooding. Keep reading my series, “Hungry Animals on the Levee.”

Creation of a Logo

As I sit here this Father’s Day and Juneteenth Day, I contemplate one of the organizations that provided key sponsorship for the Juneteenth celebration here in San Jose, the African-American Community Service Agency, an organization that I founded.

It was sometime in 1968 that I had the original idea was thought of establishing a community organization. I wanted that organization to have a logo and seal stamp that could be used for name recognition. The finished product was completed in 1977. The idea for the logo design was based on my recent retirement from the military service in (1967) and the many crests I earned over my twenty-two year military career. The shield was my symbol of protection and a reminder of the crests worn on the uniform of various army units. What was placed on the shield would represent the thoughts and feeling of the community during the 1960s and 1970s.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos, students at San Jose State University, won gold and bronze medals in the 1968 Olympia in Mexico City. By their actions on the Olympic podium, they spurred creative thoughts and actions throughout the San Jose African American community and the world. The clenched fist became an instantly recognizable symbol. To me, the fist was a protest item for the top of the shield because the City of San Jose and the county of Santa Clara had omitted more than two hundred years of African American contributions during their Bicentennial Celebration. The fist represented a decade, (1968-1977) of civil rights protest in my community. Details of this omission are detailed in my book, Plantation Life on Old River and Beyond on page 133. 

I also wanted to address something representing the African Americans in my community and the world.  The colors of the continent of Africa (red, black and green) best expressed my connection to the motherland as an African American and were chosen as the colors for the logo.

The final element was to sum up the unity with the logo statement, “Strength in Unity.” The motto brings together the entire idea and I thought that my work was complete until I submitted my prize work to my son, a twenty year old San Jose State University Engineering student, Henry Gage, Jr., for his input. The next morning he returned the work to me and with the fist changed to a torch held by one hand. He told me that the torch with flame represented peace and hope for equality, a palatable wish for the world. He thought the fist would be interpreted as a militant statement and I agreed. In 1977, the finished product was placed in two envelopes (a poor man’s proof of ownership and copyright) and mailed to myself containing a San Jose Post Office date stamp.

Historic Flooding coming to Louisiana

Please pass on to your students, friends, family or acquantances. Flooding has reached historic proportions along the Mississippi River. The flood crest passed through Memphis, Tennessee causing extensive damage. The flood crest is due in Louisiana begining Thursday May 12^th 2011. 

In by book, Plantation Life on Old River and Beyond, pages 8-10 address the Morganza, Louisiana spillway relief northwest of Baton Rouge. This includes the affects it has on the local wildlife to include various snakes, alligators, deers, foxes, raccoons, rabbits and other hungry animals on both sides of the twenty miles long levees during the 1973 flood.
The wall of 5-25 feet of water is due in Louisiana.

This is history repeating itself. I thought you should know about my Louisiana historical connection. 

Keep reading!