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Pray to retire after 50 years at Riceboro mill
Charles Pray retires from DS Smith Paper Mill
DS Smith Paper Mill general manager Al Cantrell, right, thanks Charles Pray, left, for his 50 years of service.

The year was 1969 when gas prices were 33 cents per gallon, a postage stamp was 6 cents, Neil Armstrong made history stepping on the moon and said “That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” and Charles Pray started work at the DS Smith Paper Mill in Riceboro. The mill was then called Interstate Paper.  Little did Pray know that his small step starting at the Paper Mill would result in a marathon career making history in his own way by working for the same organization for 50 years. No other DS Smith North American employee has achieved that.

Only a year after its construction, on April 21, 1969, Pray joined the Mill as a general services probationary employee.  He subsequently moved to a paper machine sequence and in 1975 transferred into the maintenance department as a mechanic where he has worked ever since. Pray has seen the mill change from its early days of manual operations producing about 400 tons per day to the extremely sophisticated and technically driven processes and production of 1,200 tons per day.

Pray stated, “It’s been a blessing to work at the same place so close to home for so long.  The company has been good to me allowing me to raise my family and provide them with a good living.”  Pray added, “I’ve worked with a lot of people during the years at the mill and built a lot of great relationships that will be there forever.”

Pray recalled some of the challenging days for the paper industry and Riceboro mill.  He said “I remember going through some tough economic times when to keep the mill in operation we went to the scrap pile to get parts.  We did what we had to do to keep it going.”

General Manager Al Cantrell, who himself has been at the mill for 27 years, said, “Charles is a big man in stature standing over 6-feet 5-inches, but he is also a giant of a man when it comes to respect and the legacy he will leave on this operation.  Charles has made an impression on this mill unlike anyone else.  He has earned the respect of his colleagues and has mentored literally hundreds of fellow co-workers over his fifty-year career.  Fifty years, that is a remarkable accomplishment for an employee to stay with one organization and I am proud that I had the honor to work with Charles for over half of that.  We will miss Charles and we wish him the very best in his retirement as he certainly deserves it!”

In addition to working at DS Smith, Pray also gave back to the local community by being a long time football and basketball referee for over 37 years through the Hinesville Officials Association. 

“Come to work on time when scheduled, work safe, do your job, and stay out of confusing issues,” Pray advised, adding, “It will be emotional to leave the company and closing out this part of my life. I will greatly miss my fellow employees, but I will still be around growing my garden and being in the community.” 

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3rd ID, Army, allies mourn four soldiers lost in accident
Farewell ceremony set for Thursday morning in Lithuanian capital
four soldiers

The four U.S. Army soldiers assigned to 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry found deceased near Pabradė, Lithuania have been identified.  

The Army has confirmed the four soldiers who died when their vehicle sank into a bog as Staff Sgt. Edvin Franco, 25, Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez, 25, PFC Dante Taitano, 21, and Staff Sgt. Troy Knutson-Collins, 28.

"First and foremost, we offer condolences to the loved ones of our soldiers,” said Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa. “I can't say enough about the support our Lithuanian Allies have provided us. We have leaned on them, and they, alongside our Polish and Estonian Allies - and our own sailors, airmen and experts from the Corps of Engineers - have enabled us to find and bring home our soldiers. This is a tragic event, but it reinforces what it means to have Allies and friends.” 

The four soldiers, who were the crew of a M88A2 armored recovery vehicle, went missing in the early morning hours of March 25. Their vehicle eventually was found March 26 but it was beneath approximately 14 feet of water and sunk into more than six feet of mud.

Crews worked to drain the area around the vehicle to make it stable for heavy equipment needed to pull out the M88. U.S. Navy divers were flown in and attached cables to hoist points so the submerged vehicle could be lifted out of the bog.

"This past week has been devastating. Today our hearts bear the weight of an unbearable pain with the loss of our final Dogface Soldier," said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd ID commanding general. “Though we have received some closure, the world is darker without them.” 

Knutson-Collins, Duenez Jr., and Franco were all posthumously promoted to the rank of staff sergeant.

Knutson-Collins was an artillery mechanic with over seven years in the Army. He arrived at Fort Stewart in February 2018 and was assigned to 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion.

Knutson-Collins graduated from the Army Basic Leader Course, the Advanced Leaders Course, the Tracked Vehicle Recovery Operations course, and the Combat Lifesaver course. He deployed to Korea in 2020.

His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Master Technician Badge.

“Words cannot express how deeply this loss is felt by everyone in our unit,” said Capt. Jackson Patillo, commander, Foxtrot Company, 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion. “Staff Sgt. Troy Collins was an exceptional friend to all of us and an irreplaceable member to our entire Fox family that we will truly miss.”

“The pain we feel from this loss is insurmountable,” said Lt. Col. Erick Buckner, 1/41 Field Artillery Battalion commander. “Staff Sgt. Knutson-Collins was well loved throughout our unit and a brother to all. He was an expert, an incredibly talented mechanic and a warrior. We will never forget his dedication to his unit, his family and his country.”

“We are incredibly relieved that we were able to bring this recovery to an end and bring closure to all the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commanding general of the 1st Armored Division, who also grew up on Fort Stewart. “We cannot thank our Allies and fellow service members enough, especially the Lithuanians, who spared no resource in support of this mission. Together, we delivered on our promise to never leave a fallen comrade.” 

Throughout the seven-day recovery effort, the combined and joint team worked day and night to find the soldiers. 

“As the fourth and final soldier has been recovered from this tragic accident, we will continue to mourn their loss as we work to quickly return our Dog Face Soldiers home to their families,” said Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commanding general of V Corps and former Fort Stewart and 3rd ID commanding general. “It has been truly amazing and very humbling to watch the incredible recovery team from different commands, countries and continents come together and give everything to recover our Soldiers. Thank you, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, the U.S. Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. We are forever grateful.” 

All four soldiers were deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve to provide credible ground deterrence alongside Allies and partners, and were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart. 

“I'm immensely proud of our entire team. They have been relentless in their efforts to search and recover our soldiers and get every capability and asset necessary to enable this effort,” Gen. Donahue said. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also posted on X his sorrow at the loss of the four soldiers.

“I want to personally extend my deepest condolences to the families of all four fallen soldiers,” he wrote. “Our hearts are heavy across the Department of Defense. We are deeply grateful to our brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts who labored alongside them. The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen. We will never forget these soldiers — and our prayers are with their families.”

A farewell ceremony for the soldiers will be held Thursday morning in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.

“Every soldier is also a Lithuanian soldier, and their families’ pain is our pain,” said a statement from the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

The U.S. Army is investigating the cause of the accident. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. 

"We continue to stand by the families and loved ones through this incredibly difficult time,” said Maj. Gen. Norrie. “Now, it’s time to bring them home.” 

 

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