William Otto, US Navy

Will is now serving on the USS JOHN C. STENNIS, stationed in Bremerton, WA. He has served in Korea with tours in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and a special assignment on the USS O'KANE. As you can see, his older brother Sean Also served in the Navy. You can see, Will was training for a future in the Navy at a very young age. He is having a blast doing his job. Not exactly what his Mom wants to hear when he is half a world away in a war zone!, Auntie Lisa says. We hope he stays safe and makes us proud.

Grandpa Medlar

I just wanted to make a small correction. My Dad pointed out that Grandpa Medlar's middle name is Russel, not Reid which is his own middle name.

Our Girls

One of the great joys in my life is our girls. Our oldest Meilani is 10, Lanea is 8, Kaimilani is 5 and Malia is 2. I love to watch them dance Hula and other polynesian and cultural dances. Meilani and Lanea have been dancing with Multi-Cultural Youth Group (MCYG, a non-profitt organization) for about 4 years. Kaimi has been dancing about 2 years maybe. Malia has just started showing an interst in dancing with her sisters. She gets out there with them and mimics their moves. They all have pretty good rythym. I get alot of joy when I watch them. They are growing up so fast and are so smart. Anikai also dances with some of the adults from the same group. They recently danced at their Auntie's wedding reception in Hawaii at Waimea falls park. Anikai also danced at the reception. I recorded their dancing in hopes to share them with you. The only problem is there is no sound. Enjoy!

Memorial Day

On Memorial Day the Medlarclan stayed at home. I had wanted to plan something special for my girls. Such as planting US flags next to the gravestones of Veterans buried at the local cemetery in Olivehurst. I called the local Scouts and even the cemetery itself to find out if anyone had plans to place flags. To my surprise the Scouts had not and the cemetery did not even call me back. I thought we could go on a hike or take the girls swimming at the creek in Spenceville Wildlife Area. We ended up just staying at home. I did some things I had been putting off. Nothing major. I mowed the lawn, fixed the sprinkler system and set up the trampoline for the girls. The girls watched movies, jumped on the trampoline, ran through the sprinklers and played with their friends. I decided to find out more about the Veterans we had on both sides of our family.

On my Dad's side, my Grandfather, Harry Reid Medlar, served in the Navy as a Machinist (I believe) during WWII and the Korean war. My Great, Great Grandfather (Dad's, Mother's, Father's Dad), Reed Iddings McCarter, served in the Army as a volunteer in the Kansas 19th Calvary Regiment. Their orders were to ward off guerrillas from Missouri. He later became a firefighter in Topeka, KS and was a sharpshooter (probably in a local shooting club). Jeremy Medlar, my cousin served in the Navy.

On my Mom's side, my Grandfather Watson Talcott, served in the Navy as a Radio Operator during WWII. My Great Uncle, Neil Talcott, served in the Army as an Infantryman during WWII in the European Theater. One Great Grandfather, Talcott served in the Army as a Medic (I don't know specifics yet, But I believe it was during WWI. Where?) Another Great Grandfather, Messing served in the Army as an Artilleryman during WWI. I don't know where either. Mr. Bill (Aunt Lissa's ex-husband) served in the Army as a Door Gunner on a Huey helicopter in Vietnam. His son Sean Otto served in the Navy.

We also have Family members currently serving in the Armed Forces. William Otto serves in the Navy and is currently in Korea. Henry Bird serves in the Navy in the Medical field in Washington State.

I hope to get copies of pictures from relatives of all our Veterans, especially those who have passed on. I want to be able to share their stories with my family and help them to be interested in their family history.