Hits and misses

Military divorces

Thumbs down to the rising number of divorces in the U.S. armed forces. While the divorce rate edges downward in the civilian world, the rate is up to one in five among members of the military. Army research revealed that divorces increased 44 percent from 2001 to 2007. Divorce rates are highest among enlisted personnel, and women are more prone to file for divorce than are men, according to the Army's research. The stresses of active duty, especially in combat zones, contributes to the problem. Clearly, America's armed services have a problem on their hands. What's needed is a stronger support system for married personnel, a system that offers more counseling for the mostly 20-something soldiers. The men and women volunteering to protect our country and serve in war zones deserve all the support the military can muster to help them hold their marriages - and families - together.

Thumbs down to the suspension of the Lexington Rescue Squad's operation license by the Alabama Department of Public Health. The license was suspended earlier this month after a complaint was lodged about the rescue squad's ability to respond the emergency calls. The squad has only about a dozen active members, making some responses difficult. Town officials pointed out that most of the volunteers - and we emphasize that they are volunteers - have full-time jobs and cannot be on-call around the clock. Though that may be contradictory to state guidelines for a rescue squad that operates an ambulance service, suspending operation seems counterproductive. Instead, working with the service and supplementing the volunteers with a professional service would seem to be a better approach for the community.

Thumbs up to Pam Melson, who donated one of her kidneys to a man in dire need of a new kidney. Melson's left kidney is now Donnie Hammack's right kidney. After the August transplant - and several frightening complications - Hammack is doing well. So well, in fact, he got to go deer hunting recently. The number of people needing kidney transplants far exceeds the number of kidneys available. But Melson is one of the rare group who has donated an organ in the prime of her life. It's common for those on waiting lists to receive a kidney from someone who has died. But in Alabama the opposite is true. Records show living organ donors (2,231) outnumbered deceased donors (1,987) in the past 20 years.