EDITORIAL: Honoring a local hero

Published 1:30 pm Wednesday, July 20, 2022

It’s hard to imagine an event that combines plain old fun with an impeccable cause better than the one coming up Friday evening, July 22 at the Haines Rodeo Arena.

The Spc. Mabry James Anders Truck and Tractor Pull returns after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. spectacle, which will feature tractors boasting as many as five engines, as well as one with two jet engines.

Behind the boisterous nature of a truck and tractor pull, though, is the solemn remembrance of Mabry Anders, the 21-year-old Baker City soldier who was killed in action in Afghanistan on Aug. 27, 2021.

But Friday’s event doesn’t just honor Mabry. It’s also a major fundraiser for the Spc. Mabry James Anders Memorial Foundation, which has awarded more than $60,000 in scholarships to Baker County students. This year the Foundation gave out six scholarships.

Nothing, of course, can erase the tragedy that happened in Afghanistan almost a decade ago. Anders, who had joined the U.S. Army in January 2010, was fatally shot while looking for roadside bombs after a vehicle in his convoy struck one of the improvised devices.

But it’s heartwarming to realize that his legacy, through the Foundation that his mother, Genevieve Woydziak, oversees, will continue to enrich so many lives.

Every dollar that changes hands at the Haines Rodeo Arena Friday will be money well spent.

And how often do you get to see a jet-powered tractor in action?

— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor