By Douglas Graves © 2009
High spirits and hope for the future filled the crowd as the Star of Bethlehem aligned with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision from the mountain top and coincided with the next day’s inauguration of the 44th president, Barack Obama, and his vision for change in the way that America does business.
About 150 people crammed into Sayre Hall at the Episcopal Church of the Nativity on Wyandotte Street in Bethlehem on Monday, Jan. 19 to commemorate the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. The hosting clergy had to scramble, bringing more chairs into the large room to accommodate the more than expected number of attendees.
Master of Ceremony duties were ably done by Liberty High School student and student leader Stephen Font-Toomer. He was there, he said, “To honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—he was so great. No one stepped up to the plate to do what he did.”
Sponsored by the Bethlehem Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), the event featured dances by two youth groups and a chorale performance by the Lepoco Peace Singers. Aspiring opera singer Krizia Nelson, a Freedom High School senior and the Show Case Choir president gave good evidence of her bright future by singing a solo to entertain the room. Nelson, the daughter of Carl and Millie Nelson, hopes to attend the Oberlin Conservatory for Music in Ohio.
“Martin Luther King was inspirational; not just to me, to all people,” said Nelson. “It’s all a chain reaction. Martin Luther King opened up doors for change and non-violence.
A troupe led by Liberty High School ninth grader Yasmine Dowdell performed a step dance to everyone’s delight. The Wings For Life dancers also entertained.
However, the festive mood changed when the guest speakers began to access racial justice in America.
“We are all enamored with the results of the election and with Barack Obama,” said Stephanie Hnatiw, the Executive Director of the YWCA. “But I think one consequence of the Obama victory is that Americans who are not black will figure racism and its legacy has finally been defeated.” This would be wrong according to Hnatiw.
“Our work isn’t done,” she said. We still have a very, very long way to go.”
The YWCA director then gave some statistics to illustrate her point: Medium income for a black household is $25,000 while for a white household its $40,477; high school graduation rates—80 percent for whites, 60 percent for blacks; the chances of going to prison—16.2 percent for a black person but 2.8 percent for a white; black men in college in 2000—603,032 were outnumbered by black men in prison—791,600. Hnatiw provide additional evidence illustrating the racial disparity in other areas such as health, drug abuse and housing.
“We can’t stop now,” she said. “We have to continue the struggle. Racial justice will be here when there is no disparity among the races.”
Bethlehem Area School District executives Dr. Joseph Lewis and Thomas Washington had front row seats at the event so heavily attended by Liberty High School students and alumni. Among the students present was Liberty High School’s tenth grade class president, Kevin Peterman who, wearing a necktie under an Obama tee-shirt, had just returned from Martin Luther King Park where he had given a speech.
When Liberty High School alumnus Dr. Ernest H. Smith, a retired medical doctor now living in Los Angeles, spoke he reminded the audience of Bethlehem’s long history of racial tolerance. He said he had been in the Liberty High School marching band when it was invited to President Harry Truman’s inaugural parade in 1949. “It was the only integrated unit marching in the parade,” he said. He related how, on orders from the Secret Service, he and his brother were moved from the ends of the ranks they were in and placed in the middle so that potential racists in the crowd would not be able to attack them easily.
[It was an Executive Order by President Truman in 1948 that directed the Armed Forces and the Civil Service to integrate. As a result, his popularity was so low that most observers thought it would cost him re-election.]
While Martin Luther King “had a dream,” Dr. Smith recalled that the Civil War-era heroine, Harriet Tubman, also “had a dream.” [Tubman, born a slave in Maryland, had escaped. She took on the mission to rescue other slaves from bondage, making 13 trips and rescuing over 70 slaves.]
Dr. Smith, while sharing in the general euphoria of the moment, had a cautionary view of the meaning of Obama’s election.
Dr. Smith reminded the audience that while the ancestors of African-Americans came to this country involuntarily, dragged in the chains of slavery, Barack Obama who he describes as an American-African, was born in the United States of a father who came voluntarily as a free man.
“If you don’t have that root of slavery, you can’t claim to be an African-American,” he said. “Americans can’t think that because Obama is the president that the issue of African-American slavery is solved because it is not. The issue is still on the table.”
He said that African-Americans were emancipated by war and law; that Barack Obama cannot carry that baggage for them.
Dr. Smith also compared the reparations that interned Japanese-Americans got with the “40 acres and a mule” that he said some Union generals thought freed slaves should have been awarded but were not. [“The (United States’) redress program made $20,000 payments to 82,210 Japanese Americans or their heirs,” according to Democracy Now.]
The celebration wrapped up with the crowd joining hands in small groups and singing the civil rights hymn, “We Shall Overcome,” ending with the line, “ . . . oh deep in my heart, I do believe, the Lord will see us through some day.”
Saturday, January 31, 2009
'We Need to Tell the Marine Story’
By Douglas Graves © 2009
Orginally published Semper Fi Magazine Jan/Feb 2009
Meeting the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps in his Pentagon office made it clear that enlisted Marines, the staff non-commissioned officer and the non-commissioned officer corps of the Marine Corps have a superlative representative standing next to the Commandant. When Sergeant Major Carlton Kent spoke with Semper Fi Magazine in November, the 16th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps discussed a wide range of issues but the conversation had a recurring theme: Kent has very high opinions of his Marines, Staff NCOs and NCOs—and high expectations from them.
“The Commandant [General James T. Conway] did a great thing recently,” he said. “The Marine Corps was the first service to nominate staff non-commissioned officers to the congressional fellowship program. No other service has put an enlisted service member up for the fellows program.”
The program assigns some of the country’s best and brightest service men and women (up until now, officers only) to serve on the staffs of U. S. Senators and Representatives.
“We had eighty-some nominations,” he said. “Eighty per cent of those Staff NCOs had college degrees.”
The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is very proud of the two senior enlisted Marines selected for the program; his pride and enthusiasm for the enlisted leadership of the whole Corps was evident.
He first experienced the Marine Corps’ staff non-commissioned officer leadership as a student and athlete at South Side High School in Memphis, Tennessee. “Gunnery Sergeant Bill Adams always had a story to tell,” said Kent about his recruiter. “He walked around talking to everybody. He was a very impressive guy.”
It was the gunny’s “hip-pocket” stories that first got Carlton Kent to consider the Marine Corps. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in November1975.
Boot camp was also Kent’s first opportunity to shine as a leader. He was a squad leader in his Parris Island recruit platoon. Recruits don’t get a squad leader’s job by just standing around doing enough to get by—they are selected by drill instructors for their leadership potential revealed by the high intensity demands and stresses of recruit training. The next time he was in a recruit training regiment (in San Diego) as a staff sergeant drill instructor, he was meritoriously promoted to gunnery sergeant.
However, at end of his first enlistment, Kent, then in Hawaii, was considering whether to stay in the Marines or to get out and go to college. “A gunnery sergeant knew I was thinking of getting out,” said Kent. “He said, ‘Let me tell you some of your options. You can go and do other great things in the Marine Corps.’
“He also told me that the grass is not always greener on the other side—and it’s not,” said Kent. “From that day on I knew my place was in the Marine Corps because there’s nothing like the Marine Corps family—the common bond we all have.
“The Staff NCOs and NCOs have to be positive examples. Their Marines are going to listen to them,” said Kent about the role of the enlisted leaders. “They have to talk to their young Marines.”
He sees the work of the enlisted leaders as being key to the Corps’ re-enlistment rate. “We have a combat-hardened Staff NCO and NCO corps. When they talk to their Marines and tell them their options we have Marines re-enlisting at a high rate,” said Kent.
“The majority who re-enlist want to stay in the operating forces. We have to make sure we give them a break, however, and not constantly have them in a deployment cycle. They have to be well-rounded in the Marine Corps.”
Asked for an example of the success of the Corps’ retention program, Kent talked about 2/5.
“Second Battalion, Fifth Marines [5th Marine Regiment] was getting ready to re-deploy,” said Kent. “Two hundred Marines volunteered to extend past their EAS [expiration date of active service] and go back to Iraq with their unit and fight. That’s one of many positive examples of the outlook that the Marine Corps has today.”
However, Sergeant Major Kent sees the need to look past Iraq. “We’ve been focused on Iraq. That was our initial focus—to get over there and kick some butt; however, we have lost some of our corps competencies; for example, jungle training and amphibious operations. We use our Navy brothers and sisters to get us there—and they fight with us, but the average young Marine has not even been on a ship. We haven’t had Marines going to Bridgeport [California--for cold weather training] like we used to do. We need to do combined arms exercises at 29 Palms. We haven’t done those in several years. We need to get back our corps competencies. That’s what the Commandant is doing and Marines are excited about it.”
Sergeant Major Kent is proud of what his Marines have accomplished in Iraq, but shares the Commandant’s concept of focusing greater effort in Afghanistan.
“All those places [Ramadi, Al Anbar, and Fallujah] used to be [scenes of] bloody, bloody battles. They are very good right now. And now the Iraqi people want to take back control of their country.
“The Marines have done a great job of crushing the insurgency,” said Kent.
“The Commandant said we need to focus more on Afghanistan,” said the Sergeant Major. If you talk to the average Marine in Iraq they will tell you they are bored. They say, ‘We don’t have any bad guys to kill.’
“We have Marines in Afghanistan and it’s very austere. There’s nothing out there. We don’t need a big PX, mess halls, Burger Kings and Popeyes,” said Kent. “We are an expeditionary force. The Marines are taking it to the enemy over in Afghanistan.
“We [Sergeant Major Kent and Commandant General Conway] went to visit these Marines [in Afghanistan]. The Commandant asked, ‘What do you need?’ They just smiled. They were ankle deep in dust, they were sleeping on MRE boxes and they said ‘Nothing, sir. We’re just happy because we can go and engage the enemy all the time.’ And that’s the kind of attitude our Marines have, said Kent. “That’s why the Commandant says ‘It’s our type of fight’—it really is.”
Are Marines up to the highly technical equipment that is being fielded? “We are constantly training; we trust the commanders [to get the training done]. We have new equipment throughout the Marine Corps,” he said.
The quality of recruits is fine according to the Sergeant Major. “Our recruiters go after high standards They don’t go after sub-standard recruits. We don’t have any issues with the education level of people coming in. The Commandant and I just have to tell the Marine Corps’ story.”
When asked to describe the value of the Marine Corps’ martial arts program, the Sergeant Major quickly made the point that it is not just all about hand-to-hand combat.
“It actually works because these Marines have used these techniques in combat. It’s not just the physical part—it’s where we teach important corps values: honor, courage and commitment. But yes, it does work; Marines have proven that it works. It builds a lot of confidence in Marines.”
How does some of the battles fought in Iraq stack up against such icons of Marine Corps history as Belleau Woods, Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir and Hue City?
“I think Fallujah is up there,” said the Sergeant Major. “I witnessed what those Marines were doing there. It was heroic.
“Marines don’t want to let down the Marines who came before them. They are going to continue to live up to the legacy. They fight for their country and their fellow Marines. And they take pride in that.”
The Sergeant Major believes that the Corps’ young heroes are getting their share of recognition. As the sergeant major of the Marine Forces at Central Command he was on the board that reviewed combat citations for Marines. “I can tell you that the Marine Corps has the most fair [awards approval] process of any of the services.
“The first thing that should go through a Marine’s mind when he sees someone wearing an award is, ‘That Marine earned it.’ More young Marines are getting combat V’s [a device affixed to a medal’s ribbon denoting valor] because they are the ones out there hooking and jabbing.
“Corporal Jason Dunham is the only Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor,” said the Sergeant Major. “But I could go down a list: Navy Crosses, Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, Navy Commendation and Navy Achievement medals with Combat V’s, Purple Hearts . . .
“One example of [valorous conduct] is a corporal that died protecting his fellow Marines,” said Sergeant Major Kent. “His convoy was hit by an IED [improvised explosive device] and he was trapped—he was burning. When Marines tried to rescue him he yelled, ‘You all get away from the vehicle! It’s going to explode!’ He didn’t survive, but he was thinking of his Marines, not himself. His comrades continued to try to get him out, to no avail.”
He told another story of a brave lance corporal who died laying down a base of fire while urging his fellow Marines to evacuate a building in Fallujah. Sergeant Major Kent’s voice resonates with pride as he tells his stories about individual Marines.
How are their families holding up?
“One of the things that the Commandant has done is to improve the Family Readiness Program by hiring Family Readiness Officers instead of relying on volunteers from military spouses. It’s a great program that the Commandant kicked off to assist our families.”
What can the Marine Corps League do to help?
“The Marine Corps League is one of our biggest fans, they really are. We love them,” said Kent. “They are part of our legacy.
“They can assist by continuing to tell the Marine Corps story. That would be a great thing that would attract a lot of people as far as recruiting.
“They are involved with the Marine-for-Life program—helping Marines find employment. They are a great network and they assist our Corps with numerous things like the Toys-For-Tots program. They are truly part of the ‘Once a Marine, Always a Marine’ tradition. Their [former Marines’] legacy will be continued by the great Marines we have in our Corps today.”
Sergeant Major Kent concluded on a personal note, “It’s an honor for me to serve as Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.”
Orginally published Semper Fi Magazine Jan/Feb 2009
Meeting the Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps in his Pentagon office made it clear that enlisted Marines, the staff non-commissioned officer and the non-commissioned officer corps of the Marine Corps have a superlative representative standing next to the Commandant. When Sergeant Major Carlton Kent spoke with Semper Fi Magazine in November, the 16th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps discussed a wide range of issues but the conversation had a recurring theme: Kent has very high opinions of his Marines, Staff NCOs and NCOs—and high expectations from them.
“The Commandant [General James T. Conway] did a great thing recently,” he said. “The Marine Corps was the first service to nominate staff non-commissioned officers to the congressional fellowship program. No other service has put an enlisted service member up for the fellows program.”
The program assigns some of the country’s best and brightest service men and women (up until now, officers only) to serve on the staffs of U. S. Senators and Representatives.
“We had eighty-some nominations,” he said. “Eighty per cent of those Staff NCOs had college degrees.”
The Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps is very proud of the two senior enlisted Marines selected for the program; his pride and enthusiasm for the enlisted leadership of the whole Corps was evident.
He first experienced the Marine Corps’ staff non-commissioned officer leadership as a student and athlete at South Side High School in Memphis, Tennessee. “Gunnery Sergeant Bill Adams always had a story to tell,” said Kent about his recruiter. “He walked around talking to everybody. He was a very impressive guy.”
It was the gunny’s “hip-pocket” stories that first got Carlton Kent to consider the Marine Corps. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in November1975.
Boot camp was also Kent’s first opportunity to shine as a leader. He was a squad leader in his Parris Island recruit platoon. Recruits don’t get a squad leader’s job by just standing around doing enough to get by—they are selected by drill instructors for their leadership potential revealed by the high intensity demands and stresses of recruit training. The next time he was in a recruit training regiment (in San Diego) as a staff sergeant drill instructor, he was meritoriously promoted to gunnery sergeant.
However, at end of his first enlistment, Kent, then in Hawaii, was considering whether to stay in the Marines or to get out and go to college. “A gunnery sergeant knew I was thinking of getting out,” said Kent. “He said, ‘Let me tell you some of your options. You can go and do other great things in the Marine Corps.’
“He also told me that the grass is not always greener on the other side—and it’s not,” said Kent. “From that day on I knew my place was in the Marine Corps because there’s nothing like the Marine Corps family—the common bond we all have.
“The Staff NCOs and NCOs have to be positive examples. Their Marines are going to listen to them,” said Kent about the role of the enlisted leaders. “They have to talk to their young Marines.”
He sees the work of the enlisted leaders as being key to the Corps’ re-enlistment rate. “We have a combat-hardened Staff NCO and NCO corps. When they talk to their Marines and tell them their options we have Marines re-enlisting at a high rate,” said Kent.
“The majority who re-enlist want to stay in the operating forces. We have to make sure we give them a break, however, and not constantly have them in a deployment cycle. They have to be well-rounded in the Marine Corps.”
Asked for an example of the success of the Corps’ retention program, Kent talked about 2/5.
“Second Battalion, Fifth Marines [5th Marine Regiment] was getting ready to re-deploy,” said Kent. “Two hundred Marines volunteered to extend past their EAS [expiration date of active service] and go back to Iraq with their unit and fight. That’s one of many positive examples of the outlook that the Marine Corps has today.”
However, Sergeant Major Kent sees the need to look past Iraq. “We’ve been focused on Iraq. That was our initial focus—to get over there and kick some butt; however, we have lost some of our corps competencies; for example, jungle training and amphibious operations. We use our Navy brothers and sisters to get us there—and they fight with us, but the average young Marine has not even been on a ship. We haven’t had Marines going to Bridgeport [California--for cold weather training] like we used to do. We need to do combined arms exercises at 29 Palms. We haven’t done those in several years. We need to get back our corps competencies. That’s what the Commandant is doing and Marines are excited about it.”
Sergeant Major Kent is proud of what his Marines have accomplished in Iraq, but shares the Commandant’s concept of focusing greater effort in Afghanistan.
“All those places [Ramadi, Al Anbar, and Fallujah] used to be [scenes of] bloody, bloody battles. They are very good right now. And now the Iraqi people want to take back control of their country.
“The Marines have done a great job of crushing the insurgency,” said Kent.
“The Commandant said we need to focus more on Afghanistan,” said the Sergeant Major. If you talk to the average Marine in Iraq they will tell you they are bored. They say, ‘We don’t have any bad guys to kill.’
“We have Marines in Afghanistan and it’s very austere. There’s nothing out there. We don’t need a big PX, mess halls, Burger Kings and Popeyes,” said Kent. “We are an expeditionary force. The Marines are taking it to the enemy over in Afghanistan.
“We [Sergeant Major Kent and Commandant General Conway] went to visit these Marines [in Afghanistan]. The Commandant asked, ‘What do you need?’ They just smiled. They were ankle deep in dust, they were sleeping on MRE boxes and they said ‘Nothing, sir. We’re just happy because we can go and engage the enemy all the time.’ And that’s the kind of attitude our Marines have, said Kent. “That’s why the Commandant says ‘It’s our type of fight’—it really is.”
Are Marines up to the highly technical equipment that is being fielded? “We are constantly training; we trust the commanders [to get the training done]. We have new equipment throughout the Marine Corps,” he said.
The quality of recruits is fine according to the Sergeant Major. “Our recruiters go after high standards They don’t go after sub-standard recruits. We don’t have any issues with the education level of people coming in. The Commandant and I just have to tell the Marine Corps’ story.”
When asked to describe the value of the Marine Corps’ martial arts program, the Sergeant Major quickly made the point that it is not just all about hand-to-hand combat.
“It actually works because these Marines have used these techniques in combat. It’s not just the physical part—it’s where we teach important corps values: honor, courage and commitment. But yes, it does work; Marines have proven that it works. It builds a lot of confidence in Marines.”
How does some of the battles fought in Iraq stack up against such icons of Marine Corps history as Belleau Woods, Iwo Jima, the Chosin Reservoir and Hue City?
“I think Fallujah is up there,” said the Sergeant Major. “I witnessed what those Marines were doing there. It was heroic.
“Marines don’t want to let down the Marines who came before them. They are going to continue to live up to the legacy. They fight for their country and their fellow Marines. And they take pride in that.”
The Sergeant Major believes that the Corps’ young heroes are getting their share of recognition. As the sergeant major of the Marine Forces at Central Command he was on the board that reviewed combat citations for Marines. “I can tell you that the Marine Corps has the most fair [awards approval] process of any of the services.
“The first thing that should go through a Marine’s mind when he sees someone wearing an award is, ‘That Marine earned it.’ More young Marines are getting combat V’s [a device affixed to a medal’s ribbon denoting valor] because they are the ones out there hooking and jabbing.
“Corporal Jason Dunham is the only Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor,” said the Sergeant Major. “But I could go down a list: Navy Crosses, Silver Stars, Bronze Stars, Navy Commendation and Navy Achievement medals with Combat V’s, Purple Hearts . . .
“One example of [valorous conduct] is a corporal that died protecting his fellow Marines,” said Sergeant Major Kent. “His convoy was hit by an IED [improvised explosive device] and he was trapped—he was burning. When Marines tried to rescue him he yelled, ‘You all get away from the vehicle! It’s going to explode!’ He didn’t survive, but he was thinking of his Marines, not himself. His comrades continued to try to get him out, to no avail.”
He told another story of a brave lance corporal who died laying down a base of fire while urging his fellow Marines to evacuate a building in Fallujah. Sergeant Major Kent’s voice resonates with pride as he tells his stories about individual Marines.
How are their families holding up?
“One of the things that the Commandant has done is to improve the Family Readiness Program by hiring Family Readiness Officers instead of relying on volunteers from military spouses. It’s a great program that the Commandant kicked off to assist our families.”
What can the Marine Corps League do to help?
“The Marine Corps League is one of our biggest fans, they really are. We love them,” said Kent. “They are part of our legacy.
“They can assist by continuing to tell the Marine Corps story. That would be a great thing that would attract a lot of people as far as recruiting.
“They are involved with the Marine-for-Life program—helping Marines find employment. They are a great network and they assist our Corps with numerous things like the Toys-For-Tots program. They are truly part of the ‘Once a Marine, Always a Marine’ tradition. Their [former Marines’] legacy will be continued by the great Marines we have in our Corps today.”
Sergeant Major Kent concluded on a personal note, “It’s an honor for me to serve as Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.”
“Happy Obama Day!”
By Douglas Graves © 2009
“Happy Obama Day!” shouted Bethlehem Township’s Brenda M. Brown to some friends as they entered the Bethlehem Room at the Comfort Suites on 3rd Street.
The Bethlehem Chapter of the National Association of Colored People’s (NAACP) post-inauguration party in honor of President Barack Obama’s meteoric ascension to the office of President of the United States was like a close family getting together with a few community friends. Pride and maybe some surprise mixed with elation defined the mood of the group.
Kids were invited, some as young as three or four. Several teenagers were in the crowd of about 55 people. “We kept it non-alcoholic because we wanted to include children so they could understand the meaning of today,” said Cordelia Miller, the First Vice President of the Bethlehem NAACP. “This is totally new beginning for this country. We, as a black community, are celebrating with the world today.”
Seven-year old Nyah Best, a second grader at Thomas Jefferson Elementary, had her own take on things. “It’s Barack Obama’s birthday,” she said, prompting some help from her mother, Shakima Dowdell. After a consultation with her mom, Nyah added, “He held his hand up and they told him to say something and then he was the president.”
She was perfectly clear about what she wants to be when she grows up: “I want to be a nurse, like my aunt.”
Her sister, Yasmin Dowdell, a ninth grader at Liberty High School, when asked how she felt about the inauguration said, “I’m very happy and surprised be born into a time when history is being made. It was almost as if Martin Luther King was on TV speaking this afternoon.”
Laura Lawrence, the treasurer of the Bethlehem NAACP, was more emphatic. “This is the best day that this country ever had,” she said. “We are making a sea-change: this the first day of our maturity. He said every thing I wanted him to say—including to ‘nurture your children.’”
As the room filled up, the band, On Fire, played the Bill Wither’s song It’s a Lovely Day while adding the refrain, “Obama, Obama, Obama . . .” The room started to warm up. Then a man, an impromptu cheer leader, shouted “Give me an O! Give me a B!” Soon the crowd was shouting along and getting excited while on a television in the background played footage of the new president and his family.
“Obama came from a varied background that qualified him for president,” said Esther Lee, president of the Bethlehem NAACP. “Dr. Martin Luther King led the way so that anyone coming behind can succeed.” Lee gave credit to higher powers. “God in his divine providence determines what we will or won’t do.”
Lee also gave credit to Obama’s mother and grandparents: “His mother prepared him for the task; his grandparents raised him.”
Lee is a former board member of the Bethlehem Area School District and former president of the Parent-Teacher’s Association.
Lieutenant Colonel Jerome Hatfield of the New Jersey State Police, wearing civilian clothes, celebrated Obama’s inauguration with family. The big former Grenadier is a 1977 graduate of Liberty High School. When asked what Obama's inauguration means to him, he said, "It represents an opportunity for change. In looking at the National Mall during the inauguration, it truly represented the melting pot of America. This occasion instills the hope and faith necessary to move this country forward. Hopefully, other countries will be inspired at this administration's outward ability to recognize and respect differences amongst people. I hope that the results would lend itself to greater peace in our world.”
The officers and matrons of the association had come early to fill up long tables with sandwiches, snacks, and cold drinks for the celebratory, yet reflective crowd.
Lincoln Elementary School principal Benita Draper-Terry arrived to join the festivities. “I’m here to celebrate the election of President Obama,” she said. “I was telling my students today that it was just 45 years ago that Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech from the Lincoln Memorial.
“Another part of his dream has been realized today,” said Draper-Terry. “I think the whole campaign has been remarkable. It’s one country—we have to work together. As Barack Obama has said, it's not about him, it's about the people coming together to make this a better nation."
“Happy Obama Day!” shouted Bethlehem Township’s Brenda M. Brown to some friends as they entered the Bethlehem Room at the Comfort Suites on 3rd Street.
The Bethlehem Chapter of the National Association of Colored People’s (NAACP) post-inauguration party in honor of President Barack Obama’s meteoric ascension to the office of President of the United States was like a close family getting together with a few community friends. Pride and maybe some surprise mixed with elation defined the mood of the group.
Kids were invited, some as young as three or four. Several teenagers were in the crowd of about 55 people. “We kept it non-alcoholic because we wanted to include children so they could understand the meaning of today,” said Cordelia Miller, the First Vice President of the Bethlehem NAACP. “This is totally new beginning for this country. We, as a black community, are celebrating with the world today.”
Seven-year old Nyah Best, a second grader at Thomas Jefferson Elementary, had her own take on things. “It’s Barack Obama’s birthday,” she said, prompting some help from her mother, Shakima Dowdell. After a consultation with her mom, Nyah added, “He held his hand up and they told him to say something and then he was the president.”
She was perfectly clear about what she wants to be when she grows up: “I want to be a nurse, like my aunt.”
Her sister, Yasmin Dowdell, a ninth grader at Liberty High School, when asked how she felt about the inauguration said, “I’m very happy and surprised be born into a time when history is being made. It was almost as if Martin Luther King was on TV speaking this afternoon.”
Laura Lawrence, the treasurer of the Bethlehem NAACP, was more emphatic. “This is the best day that this country ever had,” she said. “We are making a sea-change: this the first day of our maturity. He said every thing I wanted him to say—including to ‘nurture your children.’”
As the room filled up, the band, On Fire, played the Bill Wither’s song It’s a Lovely Day while adding the refrain, “Obama, Obama, Obama . . .” The room started to warm up. Then a man, an impromptu cheer leader, shouted “Give me an O! Give me a B!” Soon the crowd was shouting along and getting excited while on a television in the background played footage of the new president and his family.
“Obama came from a varied background that qualified him for president,” said Esther Lee, president of the Bethlehem NAACP. “Dr. Martin Luther King led the way so that anyone coming behind can succeed.” Lee gave credit to higher powers. “God in his divine providence determines what we will or won’t do.”
Lee also gave credit to Obama’s mother and grandparents: “His mother prepared him for the task; his grandparents raised him.”
Lee is a former board member of the Bethlehem Area School District and former president of the Parent-Teacher’s Association.
Lieutenant Colonel Jerome Hatfield of the New Jersey State Police, wearing civilian clothes, celebrated Obama’s inauguration with family. The big former Grenadier is a 1977 graduate of Liberty High School. When asked what Obama's inauguration means to him, he said, "It represents an opportunity for change. In looking at the National Mall during the inauguration, it truly represented the melting pot of America. This occasion instills the hope and faith necessary to move this country forward. Hopefully, other countries will be inspired at this administration's outward ability to recognize and respect differences amongst people. I hope that the results would lend itself to greater peace in our world.”
The officers and matrons of the association had come early to fill up long tables with sandwiches, snacks, and cold drinks for the celebratory, yet reflective crowd.
Lincoln Elementary School principal Benita Draper-Terry arrived to join the festivities. “I’m here to celebrate the election of President Obama,” she said. “I was telling my students today that it was just 45 years ago that Dr. Martin Luther King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech from the Lincoln Memorial.
“Another part of his dream has been realized today,” said Draper-Terry. “I think the whole campaign has been remarkable. It’s one country—we have to work together. As Barack Obama has said, it's not about him, it's about the people coming together to make this a better nation."
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Rich in Volunteers--Short on Food
By Douglas Graves © 2008
The shelves are almost empty. The food in stock will sustain health but choices are very limited. The store is so small that only one family at a time can go in. Moveable food shelves compete with three, wheeled racks over-crammed with clothes. Twenty dollars is considered a substantial donation—no big corporate sponsors or government grants here. Still, the St. Stephen’s Food Pantry in Whitehall is doing good business.
Food Bank Director Karen Schell is also the Regional Sales Manager of the Equine Division for Straight Arrow Products. She is the kind of person who only sees the bright side of the situation—just as she sees only the gentler angels of human nature.
“St. Stephen’s [Episcopal Church] is kind enough to provide space, electricity and shelves,” she said. “The church members also provide volunteers, food and money to us.” The Food Pantry is in one of the rooms that the large church at 3900 Mechanicsville Road. “It’s a community effort. Next year we hope to get other churches to participate more.”
The numbers aren’t yet in for 2008, but the number of households served jumped from 525 in 2006 to 590 in 2007. Job loss, economic downturn, foreclosures and evictions are likely run that number up for 2008.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church’s Annual Report sums it up: “We serve Whitehall residents of all ages, races, and creeds. We are the only food pantry serving the area.”
Schell’s hope for more church involvement came to pass in a way for which she is grateful. “St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Second Street just gave us a generous donation—they closed up shop but left us some money.” Schell didn’t want to reveal the amount but she was very happily calculating were the windfall could best be spent.
Other churches have helped mostly by “faithfully donating food and money,” said Schell. “They have kept us going when times were lean.” Some of those appreciated churches include Faith Evangelical Lutheran, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran, St. John’s UCC, Shepherd of the Hills. Some civic organizations pitch in: Whitehall Township Woman’s Club and the Lion’s Club of Whitehall.
Schell is enthusiastic about the network of volunteers and organizations that keep this little operation going. “Whitehall Food Bank is very rich in volunteers but we are always short on food,” she said. “We have a wonderful group of people who work hours and hours. Young and old help out, [church] members and non-members—most have full-time jobs.”
These are the kinds of folks who probably know of the exhortation from Psalms 146: “How blessed is he . . . who gives food to the hungry.”
“Doreen Wagner comes every week with her 12-year old granddaughter Alycia Wagner and Alycia’s friends Mariah Lopez, Tamara Wesmann and CeCe Barona. Scott Heefner is an ‘every week’ regular. Donna Scott brings the bread from Weiss Market (they provide bread every week) and helps unload the food that Tom Steckel and Dave Heffernan pick up from Second Harvest every four to six weeks.”
It isn’t just the manual labor that keeps things going. “Carol Siegmund handles the checking and savings accounts,” said Schell. “Judy Kuntz, our church secretary, handles correspondence associated for the Food Bank.”
Some provide financial back-up for supplies that run short. “Karen and Marty Brynildsen help buy food when we fall short. For example, they bought enough pancake mix to cover [a shortage].”
This year the Food Bank added free clothing to their services. “Karen Brynildsen and Doreen Wagner started a clothing drive for the recipients for the food bank,” said Schell. “Marilyn Shive and Darlene Dimmick organize and distribute the clothing which is free to our recipients.”
Northampton High School senior Karrysa Herman her mother, Denise, come in on Monday nights to help distribute food. Other hard workers include Joe and Matthew Lathrop, John Rothschild, Charlie Robinson, Terry Daubet and Dottie Lesavoy. Beverly and Tom Donegal also help with their hard work..
The annual food drive conducted by postal workers get a special, emotional ‘thank you’ from Schell. “The postal workers are doing this on their own time—they’re also breaking their backs.” She pointed to a poster board with food-laden mail trucks and postal workers posing with their culinary collections from customers on their mail routes.
“Second Harvest faxes me a list of what is available and I can stock up.” The “available” list varies every week so there is no chance to keep a dependable supply of any particular brand. This week Schell ordered 10 cases of corned beef and 10 cases of meat balls with tomato sauce. Second Harvest provides 70 per cent of the food to the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Food Pantry.
Sometimes candy is available from her suppliers. The fiscally creative Schell once had what she thought was a great idea: take the candy, have church youth groups re-sell it at fund-raisers and use the money from the candy sales to buy hard-to-find staples to give out to the needy. But, no. Strictly against government rules. No selling of donated candy to buy something useful.
Other food donors include Nestlès who “is very generous” said Schell. The shelves have scatterings of Nestlès’ chocolate drink mix and other products.
Recently Boy Scout Zachary Wehr proposed an Eagle Scout project that he hopes will raise 6,000 pounds of food.
Schell is hoping for donations of the hard-to-find items: jelly, peanut butter, and canned tuna fish. She also needs a food freezer to replace one that is broken.
The Food Bank’s service is for Whitehall residents only who have a financial need. Each family gets one visit per month and should bring bags or boxes for their food. Call 610-262-1264 for an appointment but call only between 9 a. m. and 8 p. m. (It is a private home.)
The shelves are almost empty. The food in stock will sustain health but choices are very limited. The store is so small that only one family at a time can go in. Moveable food shelves compete with three, wheeled racks over-crammed with clothes. Twenty dollars is considered a substantial donation—no big corporate sponsors or government grants here. Still, the St. Stephen’s Food Pantry in Whitehall is doing good business.
Food Bank Director Karen Schell is also the Regional Sales Manager of the Equine Division for Straight Arrow Products. She is the kind of person who only sees the bright side of the situation—just as she sees only the gentler angels of human nature.
“St. Stephen’s [Episcopal Church] is kind enough to provide space, electricity and shelves,” she said. “The church members also provide volunteers, food and money to us.” The Food Pantry is in one of the rooms that the large church at 3900 Mechanicsville Road. “It’s a community effort. Next year we hope to get other churches to participate more.”
The numbers aren’t yet in for 2008, but the number of households served jumped from 525 in 2006 to 590 in 2007. Job loss, economic downturn, foreclosures and evictions are likely run that number up for 2008.
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church’s Annual Report sums it up: “We serve Whitehall residents of all ages, races, and creeds. We are the only food pantry serving the area.”
Schell’s hope for more church involvement came to pass in a way for which she is grateful. “St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on Second Street just gave us a generous donation—they closed up shop but left us some money.” Schell didn’t want to reveal the amount but she was very happily calculating were the windfall could best be spent.
Other churches have helped mostly by “faithfully donating food and money,” said Schell. “They have kept us going when times were lean.” Some of those appreciated churches include Faith Evangelical Lutheran, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran, St. John’s UCC, Shepherd of the Hills. Some civic organizations pitch in: Whitehall Township Woman’s Club and the Lion’s Club of Whitehall.
Schell is enthusiastic about the network of volunteers and organizations that keep this little operation going. “Whitehall Food Bank is very rich in volunteers but we are always short on food,” she said. “We have a wonderful group of people who work hours and hours. Young and old help out, [church] members and non-members—most have full-time jobs.”
These are the kinds of folks who probably know of the exhortation from Psalms 146: “How blessed is he . . . who gives food to the hungry.”
“Doreen Wagner comes every week with her 12-year old granddaughter Alycia Wagner and Alycia’s friends Mariah Lopez, Tamara Wesmann and CeCe Barona. Scott Heefner is an ‘every week’ regular. Donna Scott brings the bread from Weiss Market (they provide bread every week) and helps unload the food that Tom Steckel and Dave Heffernan pick up from Second Harvest every four to six weeks.”
It isn’t just the manual labor that keeps things going. “Carol Siegmund handles the checking and savings accounts,” said Schell. “Judy Kuntz, our church secretary, handles correspondence associated for the Food Bank.”
Some provide financial back-up for supplies that run short. “Karen and Marty Brynildsen help buy food when we fall short. For example, they bought enough pancake mix to cover [a shortage].”
This year the Food Bank added free clothing to their services. “Karen Brynildsen and Doreen Wagner started a clothing drive for the recipients for the food bank,” said Schell. “Marilyn Shive and Darlene Dimmick organize and distribute the clothing which is free to our recipients.”
Northampton High School senior Karrysa Herman her mother, Denise, come in on Monday nights to help distribute food. Other hard workers include Joe and Matthew Lathrop, John Rothschild, Charlie Robinson, Terry Daubet and Dottie Lesavoy. Beverly and Tom Donegal also help with their hard work..
The annual food drive conducted by postal workers get a special, emotional ‘thank you’ from Schell. “The postal workers are doing this on their own time—they’re also breaking their backs.” She pointed to a poster board with food-laden mail trucks and postal workers posing with their culinary collections from customers on their mail routes.
“Second Harvest faxes me a list of what is available and I can stock up.” The “available” list varies every week so there is no chance to keep a dependable supply of any particular brand. This week Schell ordered 10 cases of corned beef and 10 cases of meat balls with tomato sauce. Second Harvest provides 70 per cent of the food to the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Food Pantry.
Sometimes candy is available from her suppliers. The fiscally creative Schell once had what she thought was a great idea: take the candy, have church youth groups re-sell it at fund-raisers and use the money from the candy sales to buy hard-to-find staples to give out to the needy. But, no. Strictly against government rules. No selling of donated candy to buy something useful.
Other food donors include Nestlès who “is very generous” said Schell. The shelves have scatterings of Nestlès’ chocolate drink mix and other products.
Recently Boy Scout Zachary Wehr proposed an Eagle Scout project that he hopes will raise 6,000 pounds of food.
Schell is hoping for donations of the hard-to-find items: jelly, peanut butter, and canned tuna fish. She also needs a food freezer to replace one that is broken.
The Food Bank’s service is for Whitehall residents only who have a financial need. Each family gets one visit per month and should bring bags or boxes for their food. Call 610-262-1264 for an appointment but call only between 9 a. m. and 8 p. m. (It is a private home.)
Sergeant Robert A. Bell, Shivering in an Ancient Battle Jacket . . .
By Douglas Graves © 2008
Marines mustered from all over the Valley on Monday, Nov. 10 at Cedar Beach Park on Hamilton Street in Allentown. The late afternoon wind swirled fallen leaves and chilled the stones of Marine Corps memorial set like sentinels over the fallen. The oldest Marine present was Dom Marciano who had served as a 60-millimeter mortar man with the Sixth Marine Division on Okinawa in 1945.
It was the 18th annual memorial service held at the monument set in a glade between Hamilton Street and Muhlenberg Lake near the 24th Street traffic signal. As the Marines and friends of Marines crowded in and around the eight tall stones that form the perimeter of the memorial, retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Carl J. Schroeder Jr. led the group in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Most of the Marines wore elements of an old uniform or a Marine Corps League jacket and cap. Some wore baseball caps emblazoned with “Marines” or “Marine Corps.” Several were in business suits or blazers with lapel pins depicting medals earned long ago. Lance Corporal Jamie J. Williams of Allentown was wearing “biker” regalia with campaign ribbons. Regardless what they were wearing, the spirit of comradeship was evident.
Veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were all represented.
Sergeant Robert A. Bell, shivering in an ancient battle jacket and accompanied by his wife, Nora, rendered a crooked fingered salute for his flag and brought his arthritic hands together in noiseless applause as leaders stepped from the ranks to speak to the group. Bell, now in an assisted living home, had served his country from 1945 to 1951.
Retired Hospitalman First Class Richard Bentley of Macungie wore the forest-green Marine Corps uniform authorized for Navy Corpsmen assigned to the Fleet Marine Force as medical personnel. One man approached him and thanked all corpsmen for being there when Marines are in tough spots.
Allentown Assistant Police Chief and former Marine David M. Howells, Jr. attended with his father who is a former Allentown Police Chief and Marine. Major Jim Robbins attended and gave a short speech to his comrades. Robbins, an Allen High School teacher and reserve Marine officer, was a detachment commander in the Iraq war.
Lehigh Court of Common Pleas Judge and Marine colonel Jim Anthony attended as did former Marine corporal Bill Derricott, a retired Parkland School District teacher.
Whitehall High School student Connor Purcell and his brother Corey, as a drum and fife duo, provided timeless martial tunes for the simple affair. Sergeant Howard J. Cooper of Wescosville read the birthday message sent in 1921 to Marines in all “posts and stations” by the thirteenth commandant of the Marine Corps, General John A. Lejuene a World War I general and revered figure to Marines.
The Marines finished the service by singing the Marines’ Hymn that ends with the refrain, “If the Army and Navy ever look on Heaven’s scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.”
Following the annual Marine Corps memorial service many in the group met for a cake-cutting at the VFW hall on Hamilton Street. The “youngest and oldest Marine” present were invited to be the first served from the celebratory cake.
This year the honor went to Marciano, the WW II veteran, and to Sergeant Howard Cooper, the youngest, at 42.
The celebration of the U. S. Marine Corps’ 233rd birthday was a simple event but the emotion that all Marines feel for this day is best understood by realizing that on every November 10, Marines around the world from generals to privates gather together in groups large and small to celebrate the day 1775 when the Marine Corps was first organized in Philadelphia. These celebrations may include lavish banquets with grand military balls or maybe just three dirty-faced men in a far away fighting hole sharing a cold ration, but, without fail, the Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated.
Marines mustered from all over the Valley on Monday, Nov. 10 at Cedar Beach Park on Hamilton Street in Allentown. The late afternoon wind swirled fallen leaves and chilled the stones of Marine Corps memorial set like sentinels over the fallen. The oldest Marine present was Dom Marciano who had served as a 60-millimeter mortar man with the Sixth Marine Division on Okinawa in 1945.
It was the 18th annual memorial service held at the monument set in a glade between Hamilton Street and Muhlenberg Lake near the 24th Street traffic signal. As the Marines and friends of Marines crowded in and around the eight tall stones that form the perimeter of the memorial, retired Master Gunnery Sergeant Carl J. Schroeder Jr. led the group in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Most of the Marines wore elements of an old uniform or a Marine Corps League jacket and cap. Some wore baseball caps emblazoned with “Marines” or “Marine Corps.” Several were in business suits or blazers with lapel pins depicting medals earned long ago. Lance Corporal Jamie J. Williams of Allentown was wearing “biker” regalia with campaign ribbons. Regardless what they were wearing, the spirit of comradeship was evident.
Veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were all represented.
Sergeant Robert A. Bell, shivering in an ancient battle jacket and accompanied by his wife, Nora, rendered a crooked fingered salute for his flag and brought his arthritic hands together in noiseless applause as leaders stepped from the ranks to speak to the group. Bell, now in an assisted living home, had served his country from 1945 to 1951.
Retired Hospitalman First Class Richard Bentley of Macungie wore the forest-green Marine Corps uniform authorized for Navy Corpsmen assigned to the Fleet Marine Force as medical personnel. One man approached him and thanked all corpsmen for being there when Marines are in tough spots.
Allentown Assistant Police Chief and former Marine David M. Howells, Jr. attended with his father who is a former Allentown Police Chief and Marine. Major Jim Robbins attended and gave a short speech to his comrades. Robbins, an Allen High School teacher and reserve Marine officer, was a detachment commander in the Iraq war.
Lehigh Court of Common Pleas Judge and Marine colonel Jim Anthony attended as did former Marine corporal Bill Derricott, a retired Parkland School District teacher.
Whitehall High School student Connor Purcell and his brother Corey, as a drum and fife duo, provided timeless martial tunes for the simple affair. Sergeant Howard J. Cooper of Wescosville read the birthday message sent in 1921 to Marines in all “posts and stations” by the thirteenth commandant of the Marine Corps, General John A. Lejuene a World War I general and revered figure to Marines.
The Marines finished the service by singing the Marines’ Hymn that ends with the refrain, “If the Army and Navy ever look on Heaven’s scenes, they will find the streets are guarded by United States Marines.”
Following the annual Marine Corps memorial service many in the group met for a cake-cutting at the VFW hall on Hamilton Street. The “youngest and oldest Marine” present were invited to be the first served from the celebratory cake.
This year the honor went to Marciano, the WW II veteran, and to Sergeant Howard Cooper, the youngest, at 42.
The celebration of the U. S. Marine Corps’ 233rd birthday was a simple event but the emotion that all Marines feel for this day is best understood by realizing that on every November 10, Marines around the world from generals to privates gather together in groups large and small to celebrate the day 1775 when the Marine Corps was first organized in Philadelphia. These celebrations may include lavish banquets with grand military balls or maybe just three dirty-faced men in a far away fighting hole sharing a cold ration, but, without fail, the Marine Corps Birthday is celebrated.
Monday, September 29, 2008
“The French have gotten a bad rap in the U. S. They fought hard here and were brave soldiers.”
Douglas Graves © 2008
Originally published in VMI Alumni Review, 2008, Issue 3
Pre-conceptions about Europe started falling away almost as soon as the 20 VMI cadets landed in Paris. They were there on a week-long trip through some of the European battlefields with VMI history professor Dr. Malcolm “Kip” Muir. The trip was organized by Military Historical Tours (www.miltours.com) based in Alexandria, Virginia which specializes in taking clients to historical locations with knowledgeable historians.
The cadet’s first stop: Cantigny, France, a small village where, in May 1918, the American Army’s 1st Division--the “Big Red One--first met and defeated German forces.
It was at Cantigny that VMI graduate George C. Marshall, Class of 1901, first saw action.
The cadets got their boots muddy on these shell-cratered battlefields, exploring damp and broken bunkers, ruined forts and gun pits.
“In understanding war, there is no substitute for seeing the ground,” said Professor Muir. “The cadets [will] begin to appreciate that [World War I] was not a mere backdrop to World War II but that it represented a titanic struggle in its own right.”
The Aisne-Marne battlefield was the next objective. It is five miles northwest of Chateau-Thierry.
Local historian Gilles Lagin led the cadets through the Bois de la Brigade de Marine or, as U. S. Marines ever since WW I have known it, Belleau Wood.
Marine Corps Major General John A. Lejeune, superintendent of VMI from November 1929 until October 1937, commanded the Marines at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood. He was the superintendent of VMI from November 1929 until October 1937. The forest, then blasted to splinters, has since recovered. It still conceals water-filled shell holes pock-marking the damp ground. At the wood’s edge, rock outcroppings and boulders shelter former machine gun nests and command rugged slopes where men grappled in close combat. Here VMI graduate and future 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. was twice wounded leading his 5th Marines platoon.
After a solemn visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, the curator opened the gates to a private estate. In the stable yard of long destroyed Chateau de Belleau, the maw of a bronze mastiff dog spits cold spring water into a shallow pool. Called by U. S. Marines the “Devil Dog Fountain,” it is reputed to add 10 years to any Marine who drinks the water. The future Marine lieutenants in the group—John Krahling of Stafford, Virginia, John Douglas of Birmingham, Alabama, Andrew Gay from Ridgeland, Mississippi and Mark Parton of Orlando, Florida--all had a good drink.
At Compiègne Forest the history students saw where Germany compelled France’s surrender during WW II. After a night on the town in Reims, they drove past the Porte de Mars, a Roman triumphal arch. The cadets spent a couple hours at Reims’ Notre Dame Cathedral. Built between 1211 and 1311, it is the traditional coronation site for the kings of France.
Reflecting on his first few days in France, Cadet Thomas Schirra, ’11 of Powatan, Virginia, said, “The French are lot nicer than you think. They are usually thought of by Americans as being ‘stuck up’ but they really are not. They love Americans.”
A few miles from Reims the men arrived at the Meuse-Argonne area, site of the last great battle of WW I; it is still broken by shell holes—clear testament to the tornado of steel that ravaged the men here. The Mercedes tour bus stopped next to a granite marker with an arrow pointing to the steep ravine--the “Lost Battalion.” Elements of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 308th Infantry Regiment heroically fought here during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The cadets scrambled down the slope toward a small stream sparkling through the budding trees. Soon one was back, his hands full of battlefield treasure--corroded but recognizable, thirty-caliber brass cartridge casings and a lone .30 copper-jacketed slug.
Later, on their tour of the Argonne Mountains, Cadet John Douglas, with his father, Gilbert, stood at the foot of the massive memorial at Montfaucon. They had John’s great grandfather’s 78th Division shoulder patch, the Cross of Lorraine, brought back to the battlefield where doughboy Captain Gilbert Douglas served as a young Army doctor.
Not far from Montfaucon, the Ossuary of Douaumont commemorates the battle of Verdun in 1916. The bones resting beneath marble capstones have no names, but French widows and families paid to have the names of their missing men engraved on the interior walls and columns.
The group’s guide, Chantal, pointed out the name of her grandfather chiseled high up on the curving wall: Boissonard, Charles 28-7-85 -- 27-6-16. “The ossuary has an almost insane amount of bodies,” said Cadet Noah Scribner ’09 of Armonk, New York. “The artillery shrapnel made Verdun hell on earth. I have much more respect for the French military. They were fighting for four years--putting their husbands and sons through a meat grinder—they held on, fought and defended their homes.”
Cadet after cadet voiced this greater appreciation of the French during the trip.
“My attitude toward the French [military] has changed,” said Cadet Jesse Burnett ’08 from Marion, North Carolina after walking through the Verdun battlefields. “They fought very well—it’s a misconception we have that they didn’t fight. The French have gotten a bad rap in the U. S.,” he said. “They fought hard here and were brave soldiers.”
“I liked Fort Douaumont,” said Cadet Anthony “A. J.” Korbely ’10 from Armada, Michigan after exploring one of the massive French forts protecting Verdun. “It was very impressive to see how they had to fight. I have a new admiration for the French soldier.”
At the 50-acre American Cemetery in Luxembourg several cadets retired the American flags flying from twin flagpoles on each side of the grave site of General George Patton, Class of 1907. Five thousand, seventy six Americans are buried there, most of whom died during the Battle of the Bulge.
Muir’s cadets spent the next three nights in Bastogne, Belgium, their base for an extensive exploration of “Battle of the Bulge” battlefields. A Sherman tank, snow covered by a late spring storm, is proudly displayed on a downtown square. Several cadets reported that in different cafes and pubs they were told, “Your money is no good here. Your grandfathers saved our country. The beer is on us!”
The cadets went from the “dragon’s teeth” and casements of the Siegfried Line on the German frontier to the infamous site where Germans massacred American soldiers at Baugnez near Malmedy. The cadets and their history professor tramped through snowy forests, climbed down mossy stone steps and scrambled up hillsides.
The VMI cadets finished their European tour in Paris where they explored the city and enjoyed the night life.
Muir summed up the experience. “A significant goal was to give the cadets a close look at three of our NATO allies, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium; and to have the opportunity to interact with the peoples of those nations. All indications are that this goal was resoundingly met.”
Originally published in VMI Alumni Review, 2008, Issue 3
Pre-conceptions about Europe started falling away almost as soon as the 20 VMI cadets landed in Paris. They were there on a week-long trip through some of the European battlefields with VMI history professor Dr. Malcolm “Kip” Muir. The trip was organized by Military Historical Tours (www.miltours.com) based in Alexandria, Virginia which specializes in taking clients to historical locations with knowledgeable historians.
The cadet’s first stop: Cantigny, France, a small village where, in May 1918, the American Army’s 1st Division--the “Big Red One--first met and defeated German forces.
It was at Cantigny that VMI graduate George C. Marshall, Class of 1901, first saw action.
The cadets got their boots muddy on these shell-cratered battlefields, exploring damp and broken bunkers, ruined forts and gun pits.
“In understanding war, there is no substitute for seeing the ground,” said Professor Muir. “The cadets [will] begin to appreciate that [World War I] was not a mere backdrop to World War II but that it represented a titanic struggle in its own right.”
The Aisne-Marne battlefield was the next objective. It is five miles northwest of Chateau-Thierry.
Local historian Gilles Lagin led the cadets through the Bois de la Brigade de Marine or, as U. S. Marines ever since WW I have known it, Belleau Wood.
Marine Corps Major General John A. Lejeune, superintendent of VMI from November 1929 until October 1937, commanded the Marines at Chateau-Thierry and Belleau Wood. He was the superintendent of VMI from November 1929 until October 1937. The forest, then blasted to splinters, has since recovered. It still conceals water-filled shell holes pock-marking the damp ground. At the wood’s edge, rock outcroppings and boulders shelter former machine gun nests and command rugged slopes where men grappled in close combat. Here VMI graduate and future 20th Commandant of the Marine Corps Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr. was twice wounded leading his 5th Marines platoon.
After a solemn visit to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, the curator opened the gates to a private estate. In the stable yard of long destroyed Chateau de Belleau, the maw of a bronze mastiff dog spits cold spring water into a shallow pool. Called by U. S. Marines the “Devil Dog Fountain,” it is reputed to add 10 years to any Marine who drinks the water. The future Marine lieutenants in the group—John Krahling of Stafford, Virginia, John Douglas of Birmingham, Alabama, Andrew Gay from Ridgeland, Mississippi and Mark Parton of Orlando, Florida--all had a good drink.
At Compiègne Forest the history students saw where Germany compelled France’s surrender during WW II. After a night on the town in Reims, they drove past the Porte de Mars, a Roman triumphal arch. The cadets spent a couple hours at Reims’ Notre Dame Cathedral. Built between 1211 and 1311, it is the traditional coronation site for the kings of France.
Reflecting on his first few days in France, Cadet Thomas Schirra, ’11 of Powatan, Virginia, said, “The French are lot nicer than you think. They are usually thought of by Americans as being ‘stuck up’ but they really are not. They love Americans.”
A few miles from Reims the men arrived at the Meuse-Argonne area, site of the last great battle of WW I; it is still broken by shell holes—clear testament to the tornado of steel that ravaged the men here. The Mercedes tour bus stopped next to a granite marker with an arrow pointing to the steep ravine--the “Lost Battalion.” Elements of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 308th Infantry Regiment heroically fought here during the Meuse-Argonne offensive. The cadets scrambled down the slope toward a small stream sparkling through the budding trees. Soon one was back, his hands full of battlefield treasure--corroded but recognizable, thirty-caliber brass cartridge casings and a lone .30 copper-jacketed slug.
Later, on their tour of the Argonne Mountains, Cadet John Douglas, with his father, Gilbert, stood at the foot of the massive memorial at Montfaucon. They had John’s great grandfather’s 78th Division shoulder patch, the Cross of Lorraine, brought back to the battlefield where doughboy Captain Gilbert Douglas served as a young Army doctor.
Not far from Montfaucon, the Ossuary of Douaumont commemorates the battle of Verdun in 1916. The bones resting beneath marble capstones have no names, but French widows and families paid to have the names of their missing men engraved on the interior walls and columns.
The group’s guide, Chantal, pointed out the name of her grandfather chiseled high up on the curving wall: Boissonard, Charles 28-7-85 -- 27-6-16. “The ossuary has an almost insane amount of bodies,” said Cadet Noah Scribner ’09 of Armonk, New York. “The artillery shrapnel made Verdun hell on earth. I have much more respect for the French military. They were fighting for four years--putting their husbands and sons through a meat grinder—they held on, fought and defended their homes.”
Cadet after cadet voiced this greater appreciation of the French during the trip.
“My attitude toward the French [military] has changed,” said Cadet Jesse Burnett ’08 from Marion, North Carolina after walking through the Verdun battlefields. “They fought very well—it’s a misconception we have that they didn’t fight. The French have gotten a bad rap in the U. S.,” he said. “They fought hard here and were brave soldiers.”
“I liked Fort Douaumont,” said Cadet Anthony “A. J.” Korbely ’10 from Armada, Michigan after exploring one of the massive French forts protecting Verdun. “It was very impressive to see how they had to fight. I have a new admiration for the French soldier.”
At the 50-acre American Cemetery in Luxembourg several cadets retired the American flags flying from twin flagpoles on each side of the grave site of General George Patton, Class of 1907. Five thousand, seventy six Americans are buried there, most of whom died during the Battle of the Bulge.
Muir’s cadets spent the next three nights in Bastogne, Belgium, their base for an extensive exploration of “Battle of the Bulge” battlefields. A Sherman tank, snow covered by a late spring storm, is proudly displayed on a downtown square. Several cadets reported that in different cafes and pubs they were told, “Your money is no good here. Your grandfathers saved our country. The beer is on us!”
The cadets went from the “dragon’s teeth” and casements of the Siegfried Line on the German frontier to the infamous site where Germans massacred American soldiers at Baugnez near Malmedy. The cadets and their history professor tramped through snowy forests, climbed down mossy stone steps and scrambled up hillsides.
The VMI cadets finished their European tour in Paris where they explored the city and enjoyed the night life.
Muir summed up the experience. “A significant goal was to give the cadets a close look at three of our NATO allies, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium; and to have the opportunity to interact with the peoples of those nations. All indications are that this goal was resoundingly met.”
Thursday, July 17, 2008
"Get The Hell Outta Here"
By Doug Graves © 2007
This week’s anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center provides the occasion for this story. It is the story one man’s struggle to survive and his need to find a deeper meaning to his life. It is the story of how one man faced unknown and fearful odds, summoned courage, focused on the needs of others, and brought himself and one other person through disaster to safety.
Whitehall High School graduate James Saganowich was a newly recruited employee of financial giant Morgan Stanley and was in the World Trade Center Building II to begin his new career with the Wall Street corporation. He and colleagues had taken a break from a training session and were going to breakfast in the lower levels of the building. It was Tuesday morning with a beautiful blue sky; however, from the mezzanine overlooking World Trade Center Building I he saw that the tower was “on fire and had debris falling from it.”
“Nobody seemed to know what had happened. There was a lot of speculation: bombs or helicopter or plane crashes were being considered. Then I heard the Port Authority order everyone out of the building and into the street.
“Still not realizing what had happened and having left my briefcase, wallet and phone on the sixty-first floor, I started back to get my stuff. I took the elevator back up to the meeting room where I had left them. When I got there the floor was eerily empty. As I walked down an empty hall two security guards ordered me to ‘Get the hell outta here.’ They escorted me to the stairwell and locked me into it.”
James Saganowich had grown up in Whitehall, Pennsylvania . After securing an appointment to the United States Military Academy he went to West Point for two years where he played football on the Army team. He transferred to Kutztown University and graduated in 1989 with a degree in Russian language. After selling securities in Florida and going through a divorce, he joined Morgan Stanley. They had just sent him to Manhattan for a training session with the firm.
Now, having been locked into the stairwell of a building and unaware of exactly what had happened, Saganowich still did not realize he was now in a desperate struggle for survival. “The stairwell was jammed with people walking down the thousands of steps to the street,” he said. “I was in no hurry and was still hoping to get out of the stairwell to go back and get my things.”
He slowly realized that something serious had happened to the building.
“We all knew something big was wrong. People started to panic. They were pushing and shoving. I was locked in a stairwell with a mob of frightened people. It was hot and dusty. Then I could smell kerosene. I began to grab people and try to calm them down. At about the fifty-ninth or fifty-eighth floor bloodied people with torn clothes started coming down. They had been in or above the impact zone where the airplane had struck the building. They were screaming and we stood aside to let them pass.
“Suddenly one of the women slammed into me as she came down the stairs. I grabbed her and kept her from falling. She looked in my eyes and said that we were going to die. I told her that it was ‘ok’ and that I would get her out.”
Saganowich, with the exhausted and fearful thirty-six year old woman, then began to focus on getting her through the stairway and into the street. Her name was Liz.
“She leaned more and more into me as we slowly moved down the stairs. The hot, humid air smelled of jet fuel,” he said. “Thank God I had Liz to focus on or I think I may have wigged out in there.
“We started to see firemen struggling up the stairwell as we went down. Seeing them soothed us and we started to feel safe for the first time in an hour. They were sweating in their gear as they climbed past us.
“We made in down the next thirty or so floors. People escorted us across the mall area. It was weird to see the huge empty space of the mall now devoid of people.
“We looked up at the smoke and fire. It seemed like miles up to where the fire was burning.
“We were safe.”
Saganowich and Liz were joined by Liz’s friend, Vanessa. Liz was worried about her missing fiancé, John, who had been in the building with her. People were now jumping from the burning building.
“I couldn’t watch,” said Saganowich. “I urged Liz and Vanessa to keep moving and we walked toward my hotel on the Upper East Side. We had walked about ten minutes when the tower collapsed. We saw a cloud of dust traveling toward us. Liz fell to the pavement, sure that John must be dead. We knew that people were dying, that the firemen and policemen were dying.
“I had no more positive words to motivate Liz. I had left them all in the building. I couldn’t say ‘John will be alright,’ not even one more time.
“I bent down and picked Liz up. I said nothing because you can’t say any thing to someone in that much pain that makes any sense. The three of us kept walking. Cars had stopped. People were standing in the street staring back at where the Trade Center had been. In Chinatown the people at a small tailor shop let Liz use their phone, but there was no news of John. Liz was silent and stared straight ahead.
“I used a pay phone to call my ex-wife in Florida and asked her to let my family know I was alright. Then we kept walking to my hotel on Seventy-Sixth Street. Fuzz Fetherolf, my childhood friend from Whitehall was there pacing on the street. We had earlier planned to meet at the hotel.”
“I still keep in touch with Liz. Her experience was different from mine. She lost half of the people in her company, but her fiancé, John did survive. She told me that she still has nightmares about that day. She told me recently that she wants to leave Manhattan.”
Saganowich was changed, too. He began to feel that somehow the financial industry was harming a lot of people around the world and that maybe it was contributing to the conditions that leave many people in despair. He felt that this might be empowering terrorists.
He is now a therapist in residency in Naples, Florida. He works for a non-profit community mental health facility in a chemical dependency unit. He is engaged now and though he makes a fraction of what he made working for a Wall Street financial company, it is enough. He is happy and still helps people in need. He is engaged to Debbie Gilmore and they plan to be married. Saganowich’s daughter, Taylor, also lives in Florida.
His mother, AnnJean Sarko, lives in Treasure Island, Florida near his brother, Jerry Saganowich, a retired professional wrestler. His sister, Lisa, lives in Boca, Florida. His father Jerome Saganowich, Senior is deceased.
This week’s anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center provides the occasion for this story. It is the story one man’s struggle to survive and his need to find a deeper meaning to his life. It is the story of how one man faced unknown and fearful odds, summoned courage, focused on the needs of others, and brought himself and one other person through disaster to safety.
Whitehall High School graduate James Saganowich was a newly recruited employee of financial giant Morgan Stanley and was in the World Trade Center Building II to begin his new career with the Wall Street corporation. He and colleagues had taken a break from a training session and were going to breakfast in the lower levels of the building. It was Tuesday morning with a beautiful blue sky; however, from the mezzanine overlooking World Trade Center Building I he saw that the tower was “on fire and had debris falling from it.”
“Nobody seemed to know what had happened. There was a lot of speculation: bombs or helicopter or plane crashes were being considered. Then I heard the Port Authority order everyone out of the building and into the street.
“Still not realizing what had happened and having left my briefcase, wallet and phone on the sixty-first floor, I started back to get my stuff. I took the elevator back up to the meeting room where I had left them. When I got there the floor was eerily empty. As I walked down an empty hall two security guards ordered me to ‘Get the hell outta here.’ They escorted me to the stairwell and locked me into it.”
James Saganowich had grown up in Whitehall, Pennsylvania . After securing an appointment to the United States Military Academy he went to West Point for two years where he played football on the Army team. He transferred to Kutztown University and graduated in 1989 with a degree in Russian language. After selling securities in Florida and going through a divorce, he joined Morgan Stanley. They had just sent him to Manhattan for a training session with the firm.
Now, having been locked into the stairwell of a building and unaware of exactly what had happened, Saganowich still did not realize he was now in a desperate struggle for survival. “The stairwell was jammed with people walking down the thousands of steps to the street,” he said. “I was in no hurry and was still hoping to get out of the stairwell to go back and get my things.”
He slowly realized that something serious had happened to the building.
“We all knew something big was wrong. People started to panic. They were pushing and shoving. I was locked in a stairwell with a mob of frightened people. It was hot and dusty. Then I could smell kerosene. I began to grab people and try to calm them down. At about the fifty-ninth or fifty-eighth floor bloodied people with torn clothes started coming down. They had been in or above the impact zone where the airplane had struck the building. They were screaming and we stood aside to let them pass.
“Suddenly one of the women slammed into me as she came down the stairs. I grabbed her and kept her from falling. She looked in my eyes and said that we were going to die. I told her that it was ‘ok’ and that I would get her out.”
Saganowich, with the exhausted and fearful thirty-six year old woman, then began to focus on getting her through the stairway and into the street. Her name was Liz.
“She leaned more and more into me as we slowly moved down the stairs. The hot, humid air smelled of jet fuel,” he said. “Thank God I had Liz to focus on or I think I may have wigged out in there.
“We started to see firemen struggling up the stairwell as we went down. Seeing them soothed us and we started to feel safe for the first time in an hour. They were sweating in their gear as they climbed past us.
“We made in down the next thirty or so floors. People escorted us across the mall area. It was weird to see the huge empty space of the mall now devoid of people.
“We looked up at the smoke and fire. It seemed like miles up to where the fire was burning.
“We were safe.”
Saganowich and Liz were joined by Liz’s friend, Vanessa. Liz was worried about her missing fiancé, John, who had been in the building with her. People were now jumping from the burning building.
“I couldn’t watch,” said Saganowich. “I urged Liz and Vanessa to keep moving and we walked toward my hotel on the Upper East Side. We had walked about ten minutes when the tower collapsed. We saw a cloud of dust traveling toward us. Liz fell to the pavement, sure that John must be dead. We knew that people were dying, that the firemen and policemen were dying.
“I had no more positive words to motivate Liz. I had left them all in the building. I couldn’t say ‘John will be alright,’ not even one more time.
“I bent down and picked Liz up. I said nothing because you can’t say any thing to someone in that much pain that makes any sense. The three of us kept walking. Cars had stopped. People were standing in the street staring back at where the Trade Center had been. In Chinatown the people at a small tailor shop let Liz use their phone, but there was no news of John. Liz was silent and stared straight ahead.
“I used a pay phone to call my ex-wife in Florida and asked her to let my family know I was alright. Then we kept walking to my hotel on Seventy-Sixth Street. Fuzz Fetherolf, my childhood friend from Whitehall was there pacing on the street. We had earlier planned to meet at the hotel.”
“I still keep in touch with Liz. Her experience was different from mine. She lost half of the people in her company, but her fiancé, John did survive. She told me that she still has nightmares about that day. She told me recently that she wants to leave Manhattan.”
Saganowich was changed, too. He began to feel that somehow the financial industry was harming a lot of people around the world and that maybe it was contributing to the conditions that leave many people in despair. He felt that this might be empowering terrorists.
He is now a therapist in residency in Naples, Florida. He works for a non-profit community mental health facility in a chemical dependency unit. He is engaged now and though he makes a fraction of what he made working for a Wall Street financial company, it is enough. He is happy and still helps people in need. He is engaged to Debbie Gilmore and they plan to be married. Saganowich’s daughter, Taylor, also lives in Florida.
His mother, AnnJean Sarko, lives in Treasure Island, Florida near his brother, Jerry Saganowich, a retired professional wrestler. His sister, Lisa, lives in Boca, Florida. His father Jerome Saganowich, Senior is deceased.
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