By Desiree Wood, Director of Education & Membership
A Lighthouse Christmas
TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | DEC 2018 29
isn’t any ammo on board.”
“What kind of tank were you on?”
“You’re looking at the kind of tank I was on, man.”
“Dude!” Joey exclaims, “So you can drive those things?”
“Not only can I drive ‘em... I can load ‘em, shoot ‘em, maintain
‘em, and most importantly in the present moment… disable them.”
“Disable it?”
“Yeah, man,” Tony says, as he pulls the boat up to the dock
adjacent to the bridge. “We wouldn’t want anyone taking them
before we can get them back to Tybee, now would we?” He hops
off the boat, ties it off quickly in a manner clearly meant to be
temporary, and turns back to Joey. “Be careful. There may still be
some zeeks hanging around. All I have to do is jump on the tank and
take the negative disconnect bar off the battery bank in each tank.”
“Well hurry it up. I don’t like having my ass out here in the open.
Even without the zeek problem, they’re bombing the island we’re
currently standing on.”
“Give me a minute and watch my back,” Tony says, and jumps
onto the back deck of the first tank with a crescent wrench in hand.
He yanks on the battery bank hatch and disconnects the negative
bus bar. Jumping on top of the turret he looks inside the tank. There
is a zeek inside that can’t find a way out. Tony opens the loader
side storage box and grabs a sledge hammer. With a swift swing of
the hammer down into the turret he dispatches the zeek. He then
slides into the loaders’ hatch and checks the coax M240 machine
gun for ammo. “Holy crap! This bad boy is fully combat loaded!” he
shouts to Joey, excitedly.
“Hurry it up man!” Joey gives him as an answer.
Tony looks into the turret of the second tank to make sure it’s
clear before jumping in. Once inside, nostalgia hits him and he
inhales deeply to soak up the scent. Only an M1 smells like this.
The scent of rounds fired, hydraulic fluid, fuel, and grease. Joey’s
scream snaps Tony back to the here and now. He quickly pops his
head out of the Tank Commander’s hatch, looks toward Joey, and
says, “Dude, what is it?”
“An ass ton of zeeks is what it is!” he shouts, pointing at the
small horde that is approaching.
“Jump up here. We’ll be safe.”
“The last guys in that tank probably thought the same thing,”
Joey says, and puts a hand to his hip.
“Damn it Joey, get up here! THEY’RE COMING!”
To be continued…
Historic Preservation
on Tybee Island
Those of us who work at the Tybee Island Historical Society spend a great
deal of time researching and thinking about how to teach others about
what life was like for the people who lived on this island during various
periods of history. One of the keys to the successful interpretation of a
site like ours is to do as much as we can to insure that our guests make a
personal connection to the site and its exhibits. With those things in mind,
the staff and volunteers at the Tybee Island Historical Society created an
annual Tybee Lighthouse Christmas Tour.
The tour is set during the period of time when the last Lighthouse Keeper,
George Jackson, lived at the Light Station with his family in the 1930s. On
the outset, it might seem as if a depression era Christmas Tour may not
have very much to offer in the way of cheer, but in a time when our holiday
celebrations are decidedly lambasted with commercialization there is
plenty of charm to be found when revisiting a simpler time.
The grounds are beautifully decorated with the adornments that the Jackson
family would have been able to find in their own natural surroundings.
The grown-up guests comment that seeing the evergreen boughs and
the handmade decorations lit by candlelight in the Head Keeper’s Cottage
brought them back to the much simpler holiday celebrations of their youth,
and the children that visit are shocked to learn about the ways that giftgiving
traditions have changed over the years.
Many of our volunteers give very generously of their time. Not only do they
research and select their own vintage costumes, but also many of them
memorize monologues and scripts to help them interact with our guests in
ways that are, not only historically accurate, but entertaining. It is certainly
a great deal of work but it seems that both our volunteers and the guests
enjoy themselves immensely. Last year’s tour was a great success and
we hope to continue the Lighthouse Christmas Tour as we move into the
future, and if you should find yourself in need of entertainment or volunteer
opportunities, please keep the Lighthouse Christmas Tour in mind.
Wind Rose Cafe
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Monday - Friday
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