THIS ARTICLE COPIED FROM THE ARKANSAS TRAVELER HOMEPAGE

JIMMY HENDRIX CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER

This 10x60-foot mural at the intersection of highways 135 and 40 in Lepanto is the work of Dale Case, former art instructor at Walnut Ridge High School, now assistant principal at Gosnell High School.  The mural covers the side of an apartment building and commenmorates the WWII exploits of Congressional Medal of Honor winner James R. Hendrix, a Lepanto favorite son, now living in Florida.

The piece was commissioned by the city fathers in 1991 as part of a ceremony marking the fiftieth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor; but the painting was formally dedicated, with Jimmy Hendrix in attendance, the first week in October in conjunction with that year's annual Terrapin Derby.

Yes, Terrapin Derby.  There is a weekend festival in Lepanto the first weekend in October which draws terrapin enthusiasts as well as people who are merely curious about terrapin enthusiasts from hundreds of miles around.  A Terrapin Queen is chosen and the usual gamut of festive foods, arts-and-crafts, contests, bluegrass and nongrassy blues are offered in addition to the excitement of the terrapin race itself.  As you might expect, the kind of people who watch those races are just there hoping to see a spectacular terrapin pileup; but stringent safety regulations have thus far prevented any terrapin racing fatalities.

As for Jimmy Hendrix, well, I went and looked up his citation, and on the day after Christmas back in '44, ol' Jimmy was one busy boy.  He was a lowly private in the 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion, 4th Armored Division, the lead element of forces driving through Assenois in Belgium trying to relieve the American forces besieged at Bastogne.  His column is confronted by two German 88mm guns.  He hops out of his halftrack with his trusty rifle, shoots the officer commanding the guns and captures the eight men serving the weapons. Not enough fun for Jimmy.  Later in the day he spots two wounded GI's pinned down by German machine gun fire.  Once again he hops out of his halftrack with his trusty rifle, "suppresses" the machine gun in a way not specified in the citation and delivers the two wounded GI's to safety.

Still later in the day he spots a GI trapped in a burning halftrack under direct enemy fire in a mined area. (I'll bet you think I'm making this up.) Live ammunition cooks off like deadly popcorn as the raging flames flame and rage through the rage flame thing? Jimmy, braving all the very loud and very obvious dangers, drags the guy from the halftrack, extinguishes his burning clothing, and takes him to safety.

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