mind. Te 82nd had tight discipline and stayed strictly on sched- ule. Te Air Force, he decided aſter the West Point cadets visited a base, was a lot looser. Tat experience, plus seeing the propaganda film, made him ask himself, “Do I have the guts and brains to be a combat infantryman?” Since he had already signed up for the Air


“It was clear to the three children, my older sister, my younger brother and me, what we were expected to do and to be.” -Col. Ralph Puckett


Force, he deliberately flunked the pilot’s eye exam in order to find out. Later, he proved that he did have the guts and brains when he earned medals for valor in Korea and Vietnam. He was seriously wounded in Korea and awarded multiple Purple Hearts. Upon his retirement from the Army, Puckett moved to Virginia


to become program coordinator for Outward Bound, which uses challenges in the outdoors to develop individual confidence and teamwork for young people. Two years later he started a similar company, Discovery, which he ran for 10 years before relocating the company to Atlanta. Eventually Puckett moved to Columbus, his wife Jean’s home


town, where he became a vice president of a computer soſtware company. Columbus is a good fit for him. He can work as a volunteer to


inspire Ranger School students, new second lieutenants and oth- ers at Fort Benning. When he speaks to Officer Candidate School


LOVE YOUR


Puckett received the Outstanding Boxer Award in 1949 while attending the U.S. Military Academy.


Mandi Mangione still recalls the feeling she got from a manicure years ago. “I loved the surroundings, the music, the calmness, the atmosphere, the way people were being treated,” she said recently. That’s the feeling the esthetician at Southeast Regional MedSpa im- parts to clients when they come to her for a variety of services. At the time of the manicure, she was in property management, which was a very high-stress job. She quit her job and waited tables at night while attending Rivertown School of Beauty during the day. “I always enjoyed interacting with people—I’ve never been a desk person,” Mandi said, adding, “I liked the idea of being able to inter- act with people in a positive, happy way.” She has worked in the business for about 10 years and has been at Southeast Regional MedSpa since December. She does a little bit of everything there—facials, makeovers, waxing—but the main thing she does at Southeast Regional is an eyelash extension process called Xtreme lashes.


LASHES


“I’ve been doing it for almost five years now,” Mandi said. “Once you learn the niche, you can get through it quickly.” It’s an exacting process, in which she works ambidextrously with tweezers. Advantages to having Xtreme lashes include not having to wear mascara, Mandi said. Within 24 hours of application, the lashes are waterproof, perfect for those upcoming vacations. It accentuates lighter lashes and looks very natural.


Xtreme lashes are attached to your natural lash and are AUGUST 2013


comfortable. To apply the first set, Mandi usually reserves an hour and a half, but subsequent fill-ins only take about 45 minutes. A set will last four to six weeks without maintenance, but the majority of clients come in every couple of weeks to get them filled in. The lashes have become extremely popular partly because of the internet, making it easy to spread the word through such social media as Facebook. Word of mouth, however, is what has made their popu- larity grow like wildfire, Mandi said. “Patients have no trouble bragging about how much they love their lashes,” she said. Southeast Regional MedSpa is the premier MedSpa, in the heart of Columbus. They offer a full array of esthetic services, cosmetic ser- vices and skincare products. Call 706-256-0929 or visit for more information. They’re at 5669 Whitesville Road, Suite A.


Columbus and the Valley 39


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