An awful thought occurred to me this week while I was thinking about the terror citizens of Maryland's Montgomery County must be feeling.
A killer with a deadly eye and what appears to be a high-powered rifle is on the loose in Montgomery County.
Police believe the sniper has shot 10 people. Eight of them were killed, all by a single shot, including the latest victim Friday morning in Fredericksburg, Va.
Some of those shots were made from a distance of 600 meters, which means this sniper is very skilled. Most people couldn't come close to making that shot.
There is speculation that this is some whacked out serial sniper nut case, but what if it's a terrorist whose mission it is to spread fear among the populace? If so, it's working.
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The randomness of the killings, which seem to have no motive and no purpose -- other than to terrify -- is paralyzing people.
The parks are empty, school attendance is off significantly, shops aren't as crowded. Would you send your child outside to play or to school in a climate of fear like the one that exists in Montgomery County? Most of the parents I've talked to say absolutely not.
I hope law enforcement officials, who are working feverishly on this case, are able to bring this shooter down before more people are killed.
A distinguished visitor
The Fargo Air Museum had a distinguished visitor earlier this week when Ruth Coleman of Jacksonville, Fla., stopped by to get another look at the "North Dakota Wall of Aces" display.
The wall, which is the work of Kindred, N.D., native Ozzie Groethe, identifies all eight of the North Dakota fighter pilots who were designated as aces in World War II.
Coleman, 85, is a native of Bismarck. Her first husband, Francis "Cash" Register, is one of those eight pilots.
A pilot had to shoot down at least five enemy aircraft to earn the "ace" designation. Register, a Navy pilot who flew off aircraft carriers in the South Pacific, had seven confirmed kills and one probable. Several of them came in the furious battle for Guadalcanal.
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Coleman said she grew up with Register -- they were in the same class all through school -- and married him before he shipped out in 1942.
Register, an outstanding high school athlete, learned to fly while attending school at Wahpeton Science.
He received a personal commendation from Adm. Chester Nimitz after his heroics at Guadalcanal, which helped hold Henderson Field.
Coleman said Register was killed in May of 1943 in fighting at Attu in the Aleutian Islands. No one knows whether he was killed by enemy flak or bad weather.
His body was later recovered. "I was one of the fortunate ones," said Coleman. "At least I knew what happened to him."
She later married an Army infantry officer she met while working with the Red Cross in England and France.
Navy celebrates 227 years
The U.S. Navy will be celebrating its 227th birthday tonight at Fargo's Doublewood Inn.
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The Navy Birthday Ball is for all sea service personnel, including Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard veterans.
The social starts at 6 and banquet at 7, with a cake cutting ceremony and dance to follow.
Gene Taylor, former athletic director at the U.S. Naval Academy, will be the keynote speaker.
Readers can reach Terry DeVine at (701) 241-5515 or tdevine@forumcomm.com
