LVA meetingThe board of directors of

the Learning Volunteers for Adults-Richland County will hold its annual meeting on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The regular board meeting will start at 6 p.m. in the Sidney High School library. Enter through the main doors in the high school’s oval.

The annual meeting is held to elect the board of directors, elect or authorize to the appointments by the president of a board devel-opment and nominating committee, and the transac-tions of such other business as properly may come before it.

Gingerbread house contest The Sidney-Richland

County Library is having a gingerbread house contest. Some guidelines:

• One entry per person or team/family.

• Pick up registration form at the library.

• All entries must be submitted to the library between Dec. 2-17.

• Judging for “Patron’s Choice” will be Dec. 4-18.

• Age groups are Child (8 and under), Youth (9-14), Adult/Teen (15 and up) and Groups/Families.

• Winners will be posted at the library on Dec. 22, and prizes will be awarded. Cof-fee, juice and cookies will be served.

Commodities distributionWith the holiday this

month, distribution will be on Friday at 9 a.m. to noon at the back door of the Nut-ter building, 123 W. Main. Please note it is a different Friday.

Bulletin Board

DeathsJoseph Pulver, 86

Sally Witkowski, 66

Page 3A

InsideAgriculture .........5AAround Town .....2AClassifieds .......4-6BDeaths ...............3A

Learning ... 8A & 7BReligion .............3BSports .............1-2B

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1914 2014

Published for Richland County and subscriber Joann DaeleySunDay, nov. 16, 2014 ~ 106th yeaR, no. 92 ~ SiDney, Montana ~ www.SiDneyheRalD.CoM ~ 75 CentS

Drilling rig count

Source: Baker Hughessponsored by

Montana 11

N.D. 181

SeMI fINalfootball - 1&2B

School hoNor Rolls - 8A & 7B

By BiLL VAndeR WeeLeSidney Herald

Sidney natives Shannon Paulsen and her brother, Cody, tease that they didn’t have much choice except to join the Army coming out of high school. After all, their uncle David Frank was the local Army recruiter.

“My uncle was a recruit-er, of course, that was a big factor,” Cody, member of the Sidney High School Class of 2005, said.

Shannon, member of the class of 2002, added, “I always looked up to him, and I wanted to travel and serve my country.”

The decision turned out to be a great one for both of them. Shannon ended up serving in the military until the summer of 2008. She is now a Department of the Army air traffic control-ler in the Marshall Islands, about 1,200 miles west of Hawaii.

Cody served in the Army from 2005-2012, and he is now preparing to work overseas as a contracted structural aircraft repair mechanic. “I’m just not go-

ing to be wearing the green suit this time,” Cody said.

The brother and sister were together, for the first time in a couple of years, and in Sidney for a visit this week. Both of them are thankful for the oppor-tunities of serving in the military provided them.

“The experience is defi-nitely the best part of it,” Shan-non said. “You can’t learn the experience from reading a book or at a univer-sity. It’s a great starting point.”

Cody noted, “You can choose whatever career path you want to go down. You can get all the education you want from it.”

Shannon took advantage of her Army training to gain her FAA certification as an air traffic controller. She then used the GI Bill to obtain a degree from a com-bination of weekend, nights and online classes from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

She is loving life as an air controller at Kwajalein Atoll, which is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. She said it’s one of the few places in the world with enough water where

the military can conduct weapon training without hurting anything.

“I like the excitement,” Shannon said of being an air traffic controller. “You have to think fast on your feet and use your best judg-ment.”

By the way, she said it is 86 degrees there every day. “I do a lot of diving. I learned how to scuba dive there.” Her parents, Rick and Sher-ri Paulsen, visit the tropical paradise every year.

Cody, meanwhile, finished school at the North Central Institute in Tennessee. Un-der the GI Bill, Cody earned a degree in aviation mainte-nance technology.

Both of them completed tours where military action was taking place. Cody served in Iraq in 2006 and then in Afghanistan from 2008-2009 and then 2011-2012. Shannon served in Afghani-stan in 2007 with the 82nd Airborne, and then con-tracted for two additional years.

Although Cody said it

wasn’t extremely danger-ous, Shannon noted, “It’s dangerous. We were getting rocketed, even on the base.”

She found satisfaction in helping the Medic and Quick Reaction Force flights assist injured soldiers.

“That was the rewarding part for me. It’s exciting and you feel like you’re help-ing. You see what’s going on, and not just what is on the news,” Shannon said. “It’s nice that you can help somebody who’s on the front line.”

Although they both feel that Sidney was a great place for them to be raised, they don’t see their career paths leading them back to eastern Montana.

“There aren’t a lot of opportunities for what I’m doing,” Cody said. “I will be working on helicopters.”

Shannon noted, “There aren’t any control towers here.”

But she said her current residence reminds her of Sidney in some ways. Travel

By BiLL VAndeR WeeLeSidney Herald

Area veterans were honored during a din-ner and program presented by the Sidney High School Leo Club Tuesday in recogni-tion of Veterans Day.

The annual program featured veterans standing up to be recognized when their branch of the military was called. Leo Club members gave flowers to the veterans as a token of their appreciation.

Guest speaker Andrew Shiffer, a native of Georgia, explained how the military benefit-ted him. Between his high school junior and senior years, Shiffer said he struggled during basic training.

“I was overweight and had no confidence,” Shiffer said. But basic training changed his attitude and turned his life around. The “C” average student became an “A” student.

He then volunteered to serve in Iraq where he worked at a prison that was hold-

ing terrorists. He said the terrorists would brag about how many Americans they had killed. “Hearing that every day and not being able to do anything about that wasn’t good.”

In March 2009, Shiffer then served in Afghanistan as he ran ammunition to dif-ferent locations. Overall, he served in the military for eight years. “It made me the person I am today.”

He encouraged others to join the military. “Leo Club, if you are thinking about it, do it. It will probably be the greatest experi-ence of your life.”

Other highlights of the night included Sidney Middle School student Tenna Desjar-lais singing the National Anthem, and the VFW conducting the flag-folding ceremony.

Everett Crum, VFW, thanked the Leo Club for its support. “Not only for tonight but for doing so much in past years.”

editor@sidneyherald.com

Leo Club honors local veterans

Bill Vander Weele | Sidney Herald

veteran Bill Forrester receives a flower from leo Club member Kasey Gorder during tuesday’s program.

By BiLL VAndeR WeeLeSidney Herald

Understanding that oil funding will be on the table when the Montana legisla-tors start meeting in Janu-ary, the Sidney School Board trustees approved to help pay for a lobbyist during Monday’s monthly meeting.

One concern for area school officials is that the concentric circle portion of Senate Bill 175 is scheduled to sunset in 2015. The item sends oil revenue to neigh-boring school districts when one school district reaches its maximum of oil revenue received.

“We’re going to get ham-mered in the elementary dis-trict. There’s no doubt about it,” Daniel Farr, Sidney’s superintendent of schools, said during Monday’s meet-ing. “It’s imperative that we get a stronger voice than we have at this point.”

Farr explained that during the last legislative session, Sidney Schools worked with other oil-impacted schools to pay for lobbying services. “The district utilized key lobbyists during the session to keep track and speak on behalf of oil and gas school districts and track critical bills.”

During the last session, the district’s share for lobby-ist Ken Morrison’s services was $3,000.

“Additionally, at the Octo-ber oil and gas meeting, it was noted that the securing of other lobbyists would be a benefit,” Farr said. “That said, consideration for ad-ditional lobbyists should be considered with a total amount for all lobbyist ser-vices not to exceed $10,000 for the 2015 session.”

In other business during Monday’s meeting:

• School officials plan to meet with CTA Architect Engineers on Dec. 1 starting at 6 p.m. to discuss long-range facility plan options. The meeting is expected to

School expectschallengesin Helena

Military benefitslocal brother, sister explain how military led to personal success

SuBmitted

Shannon Paulsen after completing a jump from a plane at Fort Benning in Georgia.

SuBmitted

Cody Paulsen served in the military from 2005-2012. he will work overseas as a contracted structural aircraft repair mechanic.

‘you can’t learn the

experience from

reading a book or at a

university. it’s a great

starting point.’

Shannon PaulsenSidney native

See PAuLSenS, page 9a See SCHOOL, page 9a

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