Of course when ever I go to Whitewater...there is "history."  I grew up just west of town near the village of Lima Center.  I basically left the area for good in the mid-1970s.  Those of you who know me and read my stuff from time to time, might remember I returned to Whitewater in the early 2000s to finish college at UW-Whitewater.   

    In the interest of disclosure, I know Rick Hartmann a bit.  I have not talked to him for a time.  He was a year or so ahead of me at Whitewater High School.  Then, for a time when I played sax in a local band, he was trying to help out with managerial duties.  He comes from a musical family - he's played some music himself over the years.  

    These days he runs Rick's Eastside Pub & Grill in Whitewater, Wisconsin.  He has had the place for a while.  There has been some kind of bar there for a few decades off and on.  The most recent night I visited, I did not bother Rick with chit-chat because it was fish fry night and he looked busy. 

    The building is a 1960s - 1970s type utilitarian metal structure with a liquor store attached to the front side. Rick has had the bar contribution of the presentation now for awhile.   Across the street is some of that..."history."  The old Badgeland Co-op complex used to be there.  It was a fuel / feed mill / fertilizer / agricultural supply / gas station / repair shop...place.  Back before World War II, my dad worked there for a bit.  Years later, I would drive our pickup truck there now and then, loaded with corn to have it ground up to feed the cows on our farm.   The old complex is gone now - a casualty of the waning family farm culture.  But I digress. 

    But this night we are interested in the fish fry and all the theater that goes with it.  Rick's kitchen is readily visible from the bar - I love kitchen drama.  I pulled up a chair at the end of a small bar top elbow where the staff periodically regroups and reconnoiters and maybe briefly catches a chit-chat.  The bar is rectangular with a wood top covered with a perfect protective clear layer.  There are five flat tv screens or so. There is a generous multi-purpose area for bands and such - fish night it sports tables.  There is a trophy case on the wall celebrating UW-Whitewater's recent national football exploits.  And, as always in Wisconsin, there is a mix of adults and kids mingling with their parents - the consummate Wisconsin tavern culture.   

    I noticed a steady stream of to-go business.  But, I of course was there to eat in.  I tried the fried Walleye. I ordered the small option, yet the pieces were so big I had some left over to bring home to the garage kitty.  They fix up some dandy potato pancakes - I suspect they are homemade. The pancakes were that good crisp on the outside and soft and potatoee on the inside, and slightly oily as they should be.  All the other usual side dishes passed muster.  

    Rick's Eastside Pub & Grill is cool with Cool Dadio.  Find them on the east side of Whitewater off old City 12.  The address is 561 East Milwaukee Street, Whitewater, Wisconsin.  Call (262) 473  -9879 for more information. 

                    Wisconsin Military Service Person Special Mention of the Week
    (each week Cooldadiomedia mentions a Wisconsin service person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan)

    Army Private First Class Nicholas Emerson Riehl, 21, of Shiocton, Wisconsin, died Friday, April 27, 2007, in in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to D Troop, 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division based out of Fort Stewart, Georgia. Riehl was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit during a combat patrol in Fallujah. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentioned PFC Riehl grew up just outside of Shiocton, Wisconsin and was a 2004 graduate of Shiocton High School where he was quarterback on the high school football team. He also played for the basketball team. Nicholas was also known to sing and play guitar. He was a member of church choir were he sang tenor. The Journal Sentinel went on to say Nic had a reputation for being a solid participant in many of his activities. He briefly attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after high school. 
    The war casualty data base iraq.pigstye.net mentioned via information from the Post-Crescent that Riehl had a chance to get home for Thanksgiving just before being deployed to Iraq. There were 54 members in Riehl's high school graduating class. Nic was the school basket ball team's most valuable player his senior year. Shiocton is a village of 959 people and is around 20 miles northwest of Appleton, Wisconsin. The area is in northwestern Outagamie County. Riehl joined the Army in November 2005 and arrived at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in April 2006. He was deployed to Iraq in January 2007 and was a cavalry scout. 
    A biography for Nicholas Riehl found at clinehansonfuneralhome.com notes that he was born on December 2, 1985 in Appleton, Wisconsin. The biography goes on to list that at the time of his death he was survived by his parents Rick and Patti; a brother Evan Riehl; a sister Roselynn Riehl; paternal grandparents Duane (Sandy) Riehl; and, maternal grandparents Lloyd and Theresa Bunnell. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel also mentioned survivors as good friend/cousin Trent Riehl; and, godfather/uncle Robin Riehl. Private First Class Nicholas Riehl was the 73rd Wisconsin military service person killed in Iraq since the spring of 2003. 

         As of this blog entry's posting date:

    98,872 Iraqi civilians have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.
    
    9,784 Iraqi Security Forces have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    4,432 Americans have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    1399 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    318 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    827 Coalition soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    31,989 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Iraq since Spring, 2003. 

    9,368 U.S. troops have been wounded in action in Afghanistan since October, 2001. 

    103 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    26 Wisconsin soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

    144 journalists (several nationalities) have been killed in Iraq since Spring, 2003.

    21 journalists (various nationalities) have been killed in Afghanistan since October, 2001.

Wisconsin military service person special mention of the week, military casualty, and journalist casualty information sources: Committee to Protect Journalists; cnn.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; washingtonpost.com; thehighground.org;  Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs; iraqbodycount.org; www.defense.gov/news/casualty.pdf; and, icasualties.org.

 

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