Archive » August 2025 » Columns

by Frank L. Palmeri

— Photo from saratogacff.org

Vicki Braunstein, LCSW

A while back, I wrote about taking my ex-bodybuilder brother’s advice to drink a gallon of water a day. I felt so much better after doing it, that I started doing another one of his nutritional practices — eating oatmeal for breakfast every morning — as well.

He’s done it for about 25 years and, since I’ve been doing it, I really feel great. Oatmeal has lots of protein, fiber, and vitamins, and when you add some fruit and milk it’s tasty as well.

Both of these dietary changes have worked extremely well for me, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. But my new-found interest in nutrition was only just beginning.

Recently I got in touch with a lovely young woman named Vickie Braunstein, who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). She has some really exciting ideas about nutrition as it relates to mental health, including how it can help make for better outcomes with at-risk children.

I decided to ask her 10 questions in the hope of finding out more about her research. Vickie’s work, as I found out, is just fascinating. Enjoy!

— 1. Where did you grow up, go to school, and what is your formal education?

    I spent my early years in Maplewood, New Jersey, until the age of 8, after which I moved to the Capital Region. I graduated from Storm King High School in 1990. Following that, I attended Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts, near Boston, where I received my bachelor’s degree in fine and applied art.

Later, I pursued my master of fine arts degree in dance at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was during a documentary project addressing the cross-cultural issue of child sexual abuse that I decided to change my career path and became a social worker. I earned my master of social work (MSW) degree from the University at Albany, graduating in 2010.

— 2. What led you to working as a mental-health professional with a focus on nutrition?

    This inquiry stems from my upbringing and can be viewed from two perspectives. My father struggled with heart issues throughout his life. To support his heart health, he prioritized non-pharmaceutical approaches — being an oral surgeon and clinical researcher — and emphasized nutrition, exercise, and meditation. I grew up witnessing him practice these life-saving lifestyle strategies.

    As a social worker involved with sexual-abuse cases and household dysfunction in a community-based program in Albany, I began to notice the limitations of traditional evidence-based treatments. This prompted me to investigate current dietary habits and assist individuals in transitioning from highly processed foods to whole foods, whenever possible, considering accessibility and financial constraints.

Once clients adjusted their food patterns, I observed a significant improvement in mental-health symptoms and behaviors, establishing a clear correlation. Although I didn’t grasp the scientific rationale at the time, I recognized a physiological shift occurring when clients adopted a whole-food diet.

Eventually, I discovered the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry, particularly from Harvard University and other institutions, which explored the connection between nutrition and mental health. Motivated by this knowledge, I enrolled in the Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) Certification program, where I am currently midway through my studies.

I have also collaborated with an athletic trainer, NTP, chefs, program developers, and social-work professionals, becoming part of the FAM (Food as Medicine Task Force) initiative in Saratoga Springs. FAM is a collaborative effort involving Skidmore College’s Environmental Science professor, Dr. Rodriguez, from the Saratoga Hospital Health Clinic, Pitney Farms, and other community agencies, aiming to provide education and improve accessibility for low socioeconomic status individuals and families.

— 3. When we spoke you mentioned “nourishing the mind.” What does that mean?

    Just like any other organ, the brain, nervous system, and endocrine system — the primary networks for thought, behavior, and emotions — are nourished by the food we consume. Each organ system requires a specific balance of nutrients to function effectively. When they don’t receive the necessary nourishment, their performance suffers.

For instance, neurotransmitter and hormone production, which is regulated by the gut and brain, depends on various cofactors and nutrients to be produced and to communicate effectively. A clear example is that, if magnesium levels are low, you may experience anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares, and difficulty falling asleep, among other mental-health issues.

— 4. How can nutrition help with childhood trauma or psychological deficiencies?

Children who have experienced trauma, neglect, and unstable home environments face an increased risk of mental-health issues, such as unresolved Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems. Although traditional therapeutic approaches typically focus on psychological and emotional needs, the vital influence of nutrition on mental health is often neglected.

Recent studies suggest that adequate nutrition is essential not only for brain development and cognitive function but also for regulating the stress response, minimizing inflammation, and enhancing emotional resilience. Conversely, nutritional deficiencies can exacerbate the symptoms of mental illness and hinder the recovery process.

— 5. How important is nutrition for children, especially considering many low-income families live in “food deserts” where it’s very hard to find fresh and healthy food options?

See this study:

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html

The ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences Study) conducted in the 1990s revealed that individuals with adverse childhood experiences tend to face poorer physical health outcomes. The study found a significant correlation between higher ACE scores — reflecting both the number and chronicity of negative events — and increased chronic health issues.

Those who have experienced trauma exhibit heightened stress responses compared to individuals without such experiences. This physiological reaction translates to elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol in the bloodstream, resulting in chronic inflammation and other health complications.

Moreover, individuals who primarily consume whole foods and maintain a healthy digestive system with regulated blood sugar levels are more resilient and better equipped to handle chronic stress than those who rely on processed foods lacking essential nutrients.

— 6. Why are humans so drawn to salt, fat, sugar, and other bad or unhealthy foods?

— Evolutionary factors: There’s a biological basis for our preference: In times of food scarcity, sugary foods, such as fruits, were calorie-dense, supplying quick energy and aiding in fat storage for periods when food was unavailable.

— Brain’s reward system: Processed sugars activate the brain’s reward system, significantly releasing dopamine, the feel-good hormone, particularly in the nucleus accumbens, which is linked to pleasure and reward. However, these foods also trigger an inflammatory response, lack essential nutrients necessary for homeostasis (or resilience), and lead to drastic blood-sugar fluctuations that adversely affect the nervous system. Moreover, they can contribute to dysbiosis, an imbalance in the gut microbiome that may result in leaky gut and other chronic illnesses.

— Hormonal reactions: These foods cause spikes in blood sugar, triggering the release of insulin and other hormones that affect hunger and cravings. Some studies indicate that highly processed foods can elicit addictive-like responses in the brain.

— 7. What are some simple changes that an average person can make to their diet that are easy to do and provide a good outcome?

To improve your diet, focus on consuming more nutrient-dense foods in their natural state whenever possible, while minimizing your intake of pre-packaged and processed items.

— 8. Is it possible for people, especially children, who have suffered from bad nutrition, to turn it around for the better?

Yes, that’s the remarkable aspect of our body’s healing capacity. After being diagnosed with lupus, I made significant dietary changes that allowed me to heal and I no longer experience any symptoms.

— 9. What advice can you give to parents and caregivers of at-risk children to help these kids as best they can when it comes to nutrition?

There is significant work to be done for at-risk children, especially those living in homes or environments that cannot access or afford whole foods. The key takeaway is that food serves as essential fuel for both the body and the brain.

When we are at rest, the brain utilizes 20 percent of the nutrients and foods we consume. For children aged 5 to 6, this figure rises to an estimated 60 percent. To support their health, it’s important to limit sugary drinks and increase water and electrolyte intake whenever possible. This simple step can greatly benefit the body.

Also, make it a priority to consume whole foods and limit processed and sugary items whenever possible, especially sugary beverages. While this is just one aspect of a larger issue, it stands out as a crucial point!

— 10. Can you tell us a “success story” you’ve had in your work?

Yes, I have two that I will share:

Case Study #1

I began working with this family in July 2016 while participating in a community-based sexual-abuse prevention program. My client was a 12-year-old girl living with her 11-year-old brother and their single mother. They had recently moved from Florida to distance themselves from the mother’s biological family.

The father was incarcerated for raping a minor, and his family was not involved with the children. The mother had an ACE score of 7 and had very little social support, aside from a co-worker. The mother was also diagnosed with generalized anxiety, autism (that she was diagnosed with at age 30) and major depression.

Our initial session took place during a SPOA (Single Point of Access) meeting, which aimed to enhance services to prevent the girl from being placed in a residential treatment facility due to her severe physical aggression towards her mother. My clinical focus was on preparing the 12-year-old for trauma processing using various psychological approaches, conducting family sessions to improve coping skills and communication, and building social networks and support systems.

After about a year of achieving a moderate level of stability, treatment reached a plateau. At that point, we considered nutrition as a potential area for intervention. Although I gathered a comprehensive trauma history from the mother as well, this exploration unveiled a wealth of insights and additional trauma histories. It became evident that processed food was their primary source of nutrition due to a lack of education and experience with cooking or using kitchen equipment.

The first step involved examining the family kitchen and discussing what the mother knew, as well as identifying areas where she needed further education and support. We then discovered a simple recipe with ingredients they all enjoyed and went to the grocery store to purchase the necessary supplies to prepare the dish together.

This marked the beginning of many culinary family sessions that promoted communication, collaboration, and delegating responsibilities, while providing education on the benefits of whole foods, all infused with fun and laughter. This innovative therapeutic intervention involved me finding simple recipes for them to try, which they would prepare and then review. In return, they would discover recipes on their own, try them out, and share their experiences with me. 

In the therapy room, transformation unfolded swiftly and profoundly. Both the mother and daughter experienced a significant reduction in mental-health and behavioral symptoms. The daughter eliminated violent behaviors, improved her ability to communicate her feelings, and increased her peer relationships at school.

Mom successfully managed to lessen her anxiety, demonstrating her ability to navigate public spaces alone without feeling overwhelmed. As a result, she began forming relationships outside of work and enhanced her capacity to support her daughter.

As a family, their communication and overall functioning improved dramatically; they began to collaborate positively and shared authentic moments filled with joy and playfulness.

Case Study #2

In July 2016, a client was met while working in a community-based sexual abuse program. An 8-year-old girl, she had been abandoned and lived in a residential treatment facility.

Her mother, a victim of childhood sexual abuse, struggled with mental-health issues and substance abuse, leading to an unstable childhood filled with neglect. After being placed with her biological father, who also had mental-health struggles, she was eventually removed due to abuse and placed with her paternal grandmother.

At age 5, she revealed sexual abuse by her father, resulting in her removal from his care. Her behavior became increasingly aggressive and unsafe, leading to foster-care placement, which ended after she threatened violence.

Diagnosed with Reactive Attachment Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, and Disruptive Mood Disorder, she displayed various concerning behaviors. Therapeutic interventions included attachment-based therapy, somatic interventions, Internal Family Systems, and play therapy to create a safe and supportive environment.

At age 13, the paternal grandmother re-engaged with the client for family and individual sessions. Once the client returned to live with her grandmother, the increased access and freedom to food became evident; she began overeating highly processed foods and sugary snacks.

At 6 feet tall, she weighed over 300 pounds. At this point, food education was introduced, discussing the impact of sugar on the brain and the effects of highly processed foods on gut microbiome and mood.

The primary focus of clinical work shifted to enhancing communication, developing coping strategies to reduce violent behaviors, family therapy, psycho-education, and ultimately EMDR-Play therapy for the client and during family sessions. While things stabilized, she continued to use food as a coping strategy.

At age 18, she transitioned from her grandmother’s home to an adult assisted-living facility. Although the initial transition to adulthood was challenging, she eventually settled into her new life, began cooking at the facility, and received support from the cooking instructor to serve as her assistant. This role expanded as she took on more culinary responsibilities, even teaching mini cooking workshops for fellow residents.

She began exercising and lost over 100 pounds, applied to multiple colleges, and was accepted by all. She reduced her intake of psycho-pharmaceuticals and established healthy relationships with family and friends.

She now communicates her needs clearly to maintain those relationships and is no longer aggressive or violent towards herself or others. Today, she is a healthy, functioning, and productive member of her community.

Thanks Vickie, for those fantastic answers! For more information, check out Saratoga Center for the Family at https://saratogacff.org/

I don’t know about you, dear reader, but I’m so impressed by this young woman and her tireless work to make better lives for people who have little or no understanding of how critical good nutrition is. Vickie’s story and work are truly inspirational.

So next time you go to a restaurant, don’t look at the burger part of the menu. Try the salads instead or, if it’s breakfast, try the oatmeal. You don’t have to eat healthy all of the time, but if you do most of the time, you’ll feel a lot better.

Post date: 
August 28, 2025

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by Mike Nardacci

​​— Photo by Mike Nardacci

The shelter known as Paint Mine Cave lies at the boundary between sedimentary rock from the Silurian Period and the Devonian Period Manlius limestone.

The recent dedication in Thacher State Park of a historical marker honoring Winifred Goldring, the late State paleontologist, has called attention to her remarkable writings. Though they were published over 90 years ago and have been long out of print, her “Geology of the Berne Quadrangle” and the shorter “Geology of John Boyd Thacher State Park” adapted from it are available in many libraries and occasionally turn up on Amazon or other websites featuring hard-to-find books.

Winifred Goldring lived most of her life in Slingerlands. As a child and as a young woman, she spent much of her time hiking in the Helderberg region and became fascinated with the rock layers and fossils.  The Helderbergs and especially the great escarpment are considered classic sites for the study of Devonian-age fossils and have long attracted scientists from all over the world.

Though it has been reported that when she first entered college she intended to study languages, her major required some science electives and the course of her life was set. In 1914, she began work with the New York State Museum. She was named State Paleontologist in 1939, the first woman in the United States to be appointed to such a position.

Over the years, she published numerous articles in scientific journals dealing with fossils. Though many of these are technical and of interest primarily to specialists, her 1935 State Museum Bulletin “Geology of the Berne Quadrangle” — which may well be considered her magnum opus — is an elegantly written work bringing the wonders of Helderberg geology to the general reader.

Scientific writing can often seem very dry to nonspecialists but writers such as John McPhee, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and our Hudson Valley author Robert Titus have a talent for not only making difficult concepts accessible to general readers but conveying the awe that scientific phenomena can inspire. 

When Winifred Goldring set out to write about the geology of the Helderberg area, she was faced with the challenge of explaining the changing environments that led to the formation of the rock layers — “strata” — that make up the Helderberg plateau. This meant describing the mineral content and the fossils within those strata to illustrate ancient worlds now irretrievably lost in the fog of time.

Goldring begins her work with a discussion of the origins of the plateau, writing in a time when the concept of plate tectonics — so crucial to the understanding of the history of Earth — was unknown. In addition, radiometric dating of rocks to determine their absolute age did not exist.

Thus, although the relative age of rock layers and fossils compared to one another allowed scientists to assign names such as “Devonian” and “Silurian” to geologic periods and to identify specific fossils as being peculiar to certain times, the absolute age of the fossils and the strata that contained them could not be determined.

In addition, the processes that caused the rise and fall of mountain ranges and plateaus and changing sea levels — now explained by the movements of Earth’s tectonic plates — were attributed to phenomena that seem quaint today. Nonetheless, in Goldring’s prose ancient environments and the creatures that dwelt in them are powerfully evoked.

Before her discussion of the strata, Goldring includes sections of her work on the vegetation of the area and the history of human settlements. She explains how the mineral content and physical characteristics of the rock layers determine the type of forest that each supports.

She devotes 20 pages to the history of the towns in the Berne Quadrangle and how they were influenced by its geology and geography as they developed. She also includes a short section on John Boyd Thacher State Park, which was later adapted and expanded into a separate monograph.

Diverse marine environments

The strata of the Berne Quadrangle are sedimentary, primarily shale, sandstone, and limestone and each tells a different geologic story.  Underlying the villages of Altamont and New Salem are the Schenectady beds and the Indian Ladder beds, sandstones and shales dating to the Ordovician Period, now known to be some 450 million years ago.

The sediments that compose them and the fossils contained therein — especially large quantities of fossil seaweeds — indicate they formed in the near-shore environment of an ancient ocean. Shale tends to form from petrified mud and the presence of muddy or sandy layers indicates transport by rivers and streams.  These sediments also imply the presence of nearby highlands — perhaps mountains — from whose slopes the sediments have been eroded.

Above them are two thin transitional beds, strongly suggestive of a continued ancient muddy environment, one of which — called the Brayman Shale — contains crystals of iron pyrites, commonly known as fool’s gold. In a number of places in the Helderberg Escarpment, these layers have weathered back beneath the strata above them producing shallow rock shelters sometimes erroneously labeled “caves” as in Paint Mine Cave on the Indian Ladder Trail.

Towering over the trail are two massive limestone layers, the Manlius and the Coeymans, both of which formed in the Devonian Period about 360 million years ago.

Named for the towns in New York state where they were first studied, these pure limestone units formed in an ocean environment in a time when there were no nearby mountains or streams to flood them with muddy sediments.

Resembling a stack of books, the thin layers of the Manlius are filled with tiny fossils called tentaculites. Looking like tiny carrots, these miniscule creatures were pteropods — cone-shaped shellfish — and a small slab of the Manlius limestone will often contain hundreds. Sometimes they are lined up parallel to one another, indicating that they died in shallow water affected by tidal currents.

Higher up in the Manlius are fossils of stromatapora, coral-like creatures that formed extensive reefs, which are preserved in the rock in easily observable swirling patterns.

The massive Coeymans limestone forms much of the upper part of the escarpment. It is filled with fossils such as brachiopods, sea lilies, corals, and trilobites, which suggest an environment similar to that of the Bahamas: warm, clear, rather shallow water. Being pure limestone, the Manlius and Coeymans readily dissolve to form caves, and extensive caverns in Knox, Gallupville, and Schoharie have resulted.

The slopes above the Coeymans limestone are in many places heavily forested and the underlying strata are not easily seen. However, their thick collections of fossils tell of rising and falling shorelines and strata originating on high-energy shorelines in which limestone has formed from massive layers of crushed shells and beach environments consisting of sand mixed with large shell fragments.

Higher up is a second prominent escarpment composed of the massive Onondaga limestone; its fossils tell of ancient reefs with a rich collection of creatures such as varieties of coral as well as sea lilies and trilobites. Like the Manlius and Coeymans, the Onondaga is a very pure limestone and many extensive caves have formed in it, notably in the Clarksville area.

Above the Onondaga are massive strata of shale and sandstone extending down through the Catskills and telling of the rise of a huge mountain range to the northeast during Devonian time from whose jagged slopes vast quantities of sand and silt were eroded into an extensive series of alluvial fans known today to geologists as the Catskill Delta. In its upper strata are the fossils of tall fern trees, among Earth’s earliest land plants.

A gift for the future

While Goldring notes with some wonder these diverse marine environments, she does not attempt to explain the cause of changing sea levels that result in these broad differences. For much of the first half of the 20th Century, geologists attributed the rise and fall of sea levels to a phenomenon known as “geosynclines.”

It was believed that there were depressions in the ocean floor into which massive amounts of sediment were being deposited by surface rivers and streams. At some critical point, the Earth’s crust would rebound like a trampoline carrying the strata and their fossils to great heights, forming high hills and mountain ranges.

The theory of plate tectonics in which Earth’s landmasses drift around the surface and interact with each other, colliding to throw up mountain ranges or volcanically producing ocean basins, had actually been proposed in the 1920s but was regarded as fantasy.

At the time of her death, Goldring was undoubtedly aware of “the new geology,” but never had the chance to rewrite “Geology of the Berne Quadrangle” in its light.

Nonetheless, the work stands as a readable, beautifully illustrated description of the strata that make up the Helderberg area and the ancient creatures that lived in the oceans in which they formed.

She describes the streambeds and hills and hollows of the plateau as places where environments that lie so far in the past as to be mind-boggling become accessible to the curious. When intact copies of the book are found, they come with an Earth-toned geological map that is not only a useful scientific tool but exists in its own right as a work of abstract art.

Dated in some aspects as “Geology of the Berne Quadrangle” may be, it remains a monument to the work of a remarkable woman who — like so many others — was enthralled by the history recorded in the rocks of the Helderbergs and chose to share it with those who came after her.

Post date: 
August 28, 2025

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by Mary Ellen Johnson

— Photo from Homer Warner

Luther C. Warner 2nd posed in his new ambulance driver’s uniform before shipping out for France in June of 1917. Having survived the war a decorated hero, at his death he was one of Altamont’s most esteemed citizens.

Hometown Heroes, honoring men and women who have served in our nation’s military, has become a Guilderland tradition. Family, friends, or organizations have the opportunity to submit the name, branch of service, dates, and photo to be displayed on a banner at Tawasentha Park from June through November.

Sponsored by the Guilderland Historical Society, a banner honors Luther C. Warner 2nd, an ambulance driver in 1917 and 1918 who saw action during World War I. After returning in 1919, he became one of the charter members of Altamont’s American Legion Helderberg Post 977 at the time of its organization in 1924.

Luther C. Warner 2nd, to distinguish him from his uncle, Luther C. Warner, at that time very prominent in Albany County Republican politics and county clerk, was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Warner of Berne. After attending elementary school Berne, he transferred to Altamont High School, graduating in 1913, next attending Cornell University.

Although World War I began raging in 1914, the United States did not enter the war until April 1917. At the initial outbreak of the war in 1914, a private group called the American Field Service organized and recruited many college men who volunteered as ambulance drivers to aid the Allies.

Once the United States entered the war, Luther C. Warner volunteered shortly after as an American Field Service ambulance driver. Quickly arriving in France, he was assigned to the French army by July 1917.

A prolific correspondent, many of his well-written, lengthy letters were reprinted on the front page of The Altamont Enterprise. He reached the front months before other local men in the Allied Expeditionary Force, as the American army was named during this conflict, were recruited, trained, and transported to Europe, so his early letters were the first eye-witness accounts reaching the newspaper’s reading audience.

Training

Initially his letter of Aug. 23, 1917 found him 40 miles from Paris, but only 25 miles from the front lines. Even at that distance during heavy attacks, the roar of the artillery fire was audible especially at night when light from bursting shells and bombs could be seen. “There is at present a great attack on Verdun with the French on the offensive and they have gained some ground ….”

This letter  noted he was practicing driving, compared French and American engines, and was hoping to have a Ford “car,” which we have to assume was fitted out to be an ambulance. Simple repairs were also part of the training.

After recounting his daily schedule, he described at length the architecture and agriculture in this region of France. A week later, he was still in training camp expecting to return to Paris briefly before being sent out to the front lines.

A second letter “Warner Writes Again” appeared on the front page. By early September, he had finally arrived at his section where they were doing evacuation work, carrying convalescents from one hospital, probably close to the front lines, to another, probably further back, but so far he had not carried anyone just wounded in the Ford ambulance he was driving.

Traveling at night when it was less dangerous than daytime, no lights were allowed so that drivers navigating roads pocked with shell holes in the dark made it a different set of dangers.

He mentioned that some towns in France seemed untouched by the war, but that others were seriously damaged, mentioning that two nights ago a “Boche” (German) plane dropped a few bombs on a small village nearby, killing 20 persons. He ended his letter with the information that he would soon be moving to a post near the front “where things will be more exciting.”

His next letter written “somewhere in France” appeared on the front page as usual. This letter was actually written Sept. 15. He wrote that cars had to be kept in running order, ready to leave on a call at a moment’s notice. Expert mechanics were on hand to deal with serious problems, fixing a broken axle for instance.

On a personal note, Warner wrote that he had purchased an inexpensive pocket Kodak in Paris and in future letters noted taking photos although photographing in the war zone was forbidden. Most of his photos would be of agricultural subjects.

“Very anxious”

Within a week, they were to move within two miles of the German lines. “I am very anxious as I know it will be very interesting and exciting.” Then he described his “section” which included 20 ambulances, a staff car, two vehicles with French names, a reserve supply car, an American leader, a French Lieutenant, orderlies, a sergeant, a cook, mechanics, and a few helpers.

A tale of a scary experience ended the letter. The Frenchmen accompanying him supposedly knew the way on a dark night, navigating a road full of shell holes six feet across and one to three feet deep. Following the Frenchman’s directions even though Warner had misgivings, they found themselves hopelessly lost.

After getting out, walking, and finally getting directions, they eventually reached their hospital destination, discovering that at one point they had come within a few hundred yards of German lines.

When will the Americans get here and in the trenches was a question he heard repeatedly. Almost every Frenchman under age 50 was in uniform. War weariness and exhaustion were prevalent.

Leading off another of the Enterprise’s front pages was a riveting  letter detailing his up close and personal view of a German plane crashing. Apparently trying to photograph the location of the French artillery and supply area for information to aim their artillery’s shelling, the plane, likely hit by French fire, went into a spiral.

As the pilot attempted to keep control, it turned upside down, the pilot managing to right it again. After spiraling one or two more times, the plane plunged straight into the ground, the impact killing the two Germans on board.

The French claimed the engine to possibly be reused, while everyone tried to get a piece of the plane as a souvenir. Warner got the job of taking the two dead Germans to the site where they would be buried.

He commented that the Germans had no visible injuries, probably dying of internal injuries. He noted, “I have carried men in my car suffering from (poison) gas and shell wounds who were a more pitiful sight than these two fellows.”

Trenches

For quite some time, none of his correspondence appeared until May 17, 1918 when a letter to his sister appeared. Still in the same area where he had been since January, Warner described the trenches where they spent most of their time when they weren’t on duty.

Most were 10 to 20 feet below ground, but his location was 39 feet below. The lines were exactly the same since April when the French pushed back the Germans.

Descriptions of the sufferings of civilians show up throughout his letters. The wreckage of villages where the stone and stucco buildings have been shattered by shell fire is mentioned several times in various letters.

Women and children in one area starved and suffered from winter cold because of a regiment of men raised from their city, ages 19 to 50, only four came back. The remainder either were killed or died later of wounds.

With the beginning of the Second Battle of the Marne in June, the Germans began an offensive aimed at Paris. Warner commented, “The saddest part of this retreat is to see the French refugees fleeing with what little baggage as they can pack on a cart or baby carriage or on their back … the little children walking for miles and miles.”

His last letter to be published was July 12 when the Second Battle of the Marne had begun, one last desperate offensive by the Germans to take Paris. When Warner wrote, it seemed as if the French were in retreat and their only protection were trenches they could dig in a short time.

Dressing stations for the wounded kept being moved, making it more difficult for the ambulances to find. “We have heard of cases where drivers continued on their routes and ran right in the Boche lines. We wear Red Cross brasses which entitle a man to be exchanged if captured.”

Wounded

Ironically, days after his letter’s publication, he was wounded. On July 26, an Enterprise front page notice announced, “Luther C. Warner, 2nd Wounded By Hun Shell.”

A telegram received by his parents said he was “slightly wounded by shell fire in charge of his duties.” Days after his wounding, Warner’s commanding officer Lieutenant Elliot H. Lee sent a personal letter to his mother detailing the circumstances; this was later published in the Enterprise.

While German bombardment was at its height, “Luke’s Car was riddled with eclat (pieces of shrapnel), all the tires being ruined, the radiator being punctured, spokes broken … Luke started with Varney to go on foot to a post on the other side of the river … their route lay through a wheat field very heavily shelled and both had to drop on their faces again and again. Finally one shell came very close — Varney dropped in time, but for Luke it was too late.”

Warner had a broken arm, fingers cut, and his leg hurt so he was unable to walk. His companion ran for help, returning with men who got him back to the post so he could be quickly evacuated to the rear.

Lt. Lee noted that throughout Warner “evidenced the finest spirit of fortitude and courage” with the chief of medical service recommending he be awarded the Croix de Guerre. Luther Warner was, indeed, awarded the Cross of War, a French medal recognizing heroism during combat. Earning one was considered a great honor.

Coming home

World War I finally ended on Nov. 11, 1918 finding Warner “alive and well” along with several local soldiers listed in The Enterprise in December. Because the United States did not have the capability to transport the huge numbers of American veterans home in a hurry, concern began to grow about their increasing discontent, anxious to get back to normal lives.

Led by Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt Jr., officers and soldiers met and organized what they called the American Legion at a meeting in Paris on March 15 and 16, 1918. It was chartered by Congress on Sept. 16, 1919. As the men returned home, American Legion chapters began to be formed.

Warner’s return home was noted on page one of The Enterprise in a separate notice. He quickly completed his college degree and, in 1923, married Margaret Kirk of Altamont, settling down in the village where he spent the remainder of his life.

About this time, he began to work at General Electric, receiving many promotions until his retirement at age 65.

He was likely one of the “boys” who showed “considerable enthusiasm” at the November 1924 meeting to organize Altamont’s Helderberg Post 977 of the American Legion and is considered one of the group’s charter members.

During the remainder of his life, Warner found time for community service, at various times serving as an Altamont Library trustee, on the Altamont School Board, and as a village trustee. He was also very active with St. John’s Lutheran Church as well as Noah Masonic Lodge.

Luther C. Warner represented the best in our nation, willing to defend it in time of war and working to make his community better in time of peace.

Author’s note: Credit for initial research about Luther C. Warner 2nd goes to Kathleen Ford Gaige with input from his nephew, Homer Warner, during her research on the charter members of Helderberg Post 977 at the time of their centennial in 2024.

Post date: 
August 21, 2025

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by R. Douglas Marshall

SCHOHARIE — As we arrived at the Your Way Café this week, someone commented that it was over 20 degrees warmer than last Tuesday. This Tuesday, July 29, it was just short of 70 degrees as of 7 a.m., as compared to 47 or 48 degrees last week.

Warm weather is good for the OMOTM; we like that. Maybe we should all go to the warmer states in the winter. Nah, and miss the two-foot, 60 miles-per-hour Nor’easter snowstorm? Not a chance.

Another thing that was brought up was the fact that we have lost an hour of daylight already. It seems like only yesterday we were all waiting for the days to get longer and for the rain and cold temps to stop and dry out and warm up. Well, it did.

The days got longer and the rain stopped. In fact, we could use a good old-fashioned thunder-and-lightning storm about now. The lawns are looking a little brown. It has gotten hot and muggy; the water in the lakes has warmed up so everyone can just jump in without fear of freezing and, except for last Tuesday morning, we really don’t know or care where our long pants are.

One regular summertime event that is fast becoming a tradition is held in Middleburgh on the fourth Friday of the summer months, starting in May and ending in September. Starting around 5:30 p.m. and ending around 8:30 p.m., there are many, many local vendors lining both sides of Main Street, many of whom have set up their tables and booths on the wide sidewalk right in front of their own businesses. Many of the shops stay open during the Street Fest time.

There is live music as well. One musician was playing what sounds like a big bass violin. It isn't. It is electric and has a far-out modernistic look to it, but man, oh man, can he play it!

He was overheard talking to an older person who had stopped to listen to his music. He was saying that it doesn’t matter what note is played (who knows or cares?); it is all about how it sounds to the listener.

There is a serious life lesson in that statement that goes much further than music. Either you get it or you don’t. I simply do not have the talent or ability to expand on it and, if I did, this isn’t the column to write about it.

I’ll leave that to the pros, the Ralph Waldo Emersons of the world, the great composers, the playwrights, the poets and painters, and the authors. They get it, and continue to play, in their respective ways, their kind of “music” just right. I hear it, I see it, I read it, I get it.

But let’s get back to Middleburgh and its Fourth Friday Street Fests in the summertime. As you stroll along the wide sidewalks with all the vendor booths, you step aside for some of the OMOTM and their spouses walking along with their grandkids and great-grandkids.

You can smell the food truck vendors and see the picnic tables set up for you to sit and enjoy the food. Maybe you just duck into a nice cool tavern for a draft beer or a Coke and watch a group of dancers perform out on the sidewalk.

It is all there on a warm Friday evening when everyone is smiling and the dogs are all on leashes, wagging their tails. There is even a dunking booth where you can try and hit the target and dunk your favorite local businessman or businesswoman.

I overheard a man say he couldn’t hit the side of a barn even if he were inside it! The person in the booth said, “No problem, just press the button!” So he did, and splash! Down he went. Again. Everyone was laughing, everyone was having fun.

All this is happening on Main Street, Middleburgh, just a couple of blocks from the town park where local high school bands and orchestras give free concerts during the summer from the bandstand. It may not be Tanglewood or SPAC, but it just might be better!

I am not suggesting that Middleburgh is alone in doing something like this. It isn’t. From just the little amount of research I did, it is clear that across this land of ours, events like the Fourth Friday in Middleburgh take place. The people from the towns and neighborhoods hold square dances, celebrations of some local event or happening.

It is who we are, it is what we do. Like the man with the bass fiddle says, “It’s not the notes you play, it is how it sounds.”

We had another nice group of OMOTM having breakfast together at the Your Way Café and we too laughed and smiled as we told our same tall tales for the umpteenth time. Those present were Harold Guest, Wally Guest, Miner Stevens, Roland Tozer, Russell Pokorny, Chuck Batcher, Warren Willsey, Frank Dees, George Washburn, Pete Whitbeck, Wm Lichliter, Frank A. Fuss, Robert Schanz, Lou Schenck, Gerry Chartier, Roger Schafer, Joe Rack, Glenn Paterson, Mark Traver, Pastor Jay Francis, Al Schager, Duncan Bellinger, Herb Bahrmann, Jack Norray, John Jaz, Gerry Cross, Dick Dexter, Elwood Vanderbilt, Alan DeFazio, Dave Hodgetts, Paul Guiton, John Dab, and me.

Post date: 
August 8, 2025

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