my paper clip bracelet
Following the example of Norwegians under Nazi occupation during World War II, some people in the United States have started wearing paper clips as a sign of our unity and our resistance to the erosion of our democracy.
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On this 80th anniversary of the first use of a nuclear weapon, I’m praying for a total, permanent, global ban.
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During World War II, mail between service members and their loved ones was crucial for morale but delivery mechanisms broke down in Europe, resulting in millions of pieces of mail being stuffed into airplane hangars in Scotland.
Meanwhile, the 6888th Women’s Army Corps (WAC) battalion has been trained to an exemplary level but, despite their level of excellence, has not been assigned because it is comprised of Black and mixed-race women.
Finally, they are assigned the seemingly impossible task to go to Scotland and clear the backlog within six months. Under the command of Major Charity Adams, they use their training, skills, creativity, experience, and intelligence to complete the task in under three months. They then are deployed to France, where they clear a similar backlog.
This amazing history has now been brought to the screen, thanks to Tyler Perry, who directed and co-produced the film and wrote the script, based on an article by Kevin Hymel. Kerry Washington delivers a strong performance as the formidable Major Adams, with Ebony Obsidian touchingly portraying Lena Derriecott King, a servicemember of the 6888th who is grieving the loss of a friend who was killed in action.
While the film was released in theaters in December, most people are probably going to view it now via Netflix.
I wanted to lift up this film today in particular because the United States is commemorating the 95th birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. A major figure in the area of civil rights, especially for Black Americans, King was assassinated at the age of 39.
I appreciated that the film includes the later history of the women of the Six Triple Eighth. Given the racism and sexism they faced, recognition of their work was long delayed.
In 2023, a military base in Virginia was re-named Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of Lt. Col. Charity Adams and Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg, the first time Black Americans had been so honored. This was part of an initiative to finally remove the names of Confederate officers from United States military bases.
I am appalled that Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, wants to undo the re-naming. Some other Republicans have agreed.
No.
We need to recognize, lift up, and celebrate leaders like Charity Adams.
Thank you to Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington, and all who were involved with The Six Triple Eight for bringing this inspiring story to the public.
*****
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(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)
On June 6th, we observed the 80th anniversary of the beginning of the D-Day invasion, in which Allied Forces landed in France, beginning the campaign that ended World War II in Europe.
President Biden spoke at a ceremony honoring the anniversary and the United States veterans of D-Day, now all in their upper 90s or centenarians, held at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France. Earlier in the ceremony, after his address, French president Emmanuel Macron, had presented each veteran with a commendation with President Biden by his side.
I appreciated President Biden’s address, which recalled individual stories of that day while lifting up the democratic principles for which the war was fought. Biden spoke about NATO and the commitment to international alliances to protect and defend freedom and democracy. He also spoke about the bravery of Ukraine in defending their democracy against the invasion by Russia. He called on the current people of the United States to defend our democracy today.
After Biden spoke, a service member read “The Watch” symbolically relieving the honored veterans and all World War II veterans of duty.
And I started crying.
I was thinking of my father, known here as Paco, who was a World War II veteran who passed away two years ago at the age of 96. Paco served as a Navy SeaBee in the Pacific. Seeing the veterans in attendance and hearing these tributes to them made me miss him so much more.
He didn’t speak very often of his service in his younger years and, with so many veterans of his age, it wasn’t much noted as the majority had been in the service. In his retirement years, though, he often wore a SeaBees or Navy veteran cap and it was sweet to see store clerks or random passersby thank him for his service.
He would have loved today’s ceremony.
He might have cried, too.
“Anyone who closes his eyes to the past is blind to the present. Whoever refuses to remember the inhumanity is prone to new risk of infection.”
~~~ Richard von Weizsäcker, President of West Germany, in 1985 marking the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II (copied from an article in the Washington Post)
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Anne Frank: A Global Tribute… Tuesday 14th April, 2015.
Thanks to Rowena for posting about this special tribute to Anne Frank on the 70th anniversary of her death. I would participate if I weren’t so technically challenged on the video-recording front, but hope that some of my friends will consider taking part.
Today, the United States and many other countries honor their military veterans. What began as a commemoration of the end of the Great War became a time to honor all veterans when it turned out that “the war to end all wars” sadly was not.
When I was growing up, it seemed that most of the men I knew were veterans. My dad served as a SeaBee ( US Navy Construction Battalion) in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. Because WWII involved so many people, most of my friends’ fathers and uncles had served, too. There were a few women who had served as well, but there were not many opportunities for them in the military at that time. Perhaps because so many had served, these veterans did not tend to talk much about their service, choosing instead to just about building their peacetime lives.
I also knew some Vietnam vets. In my rural area, the Vietnam vets were treated respectfully, but sadly we saw on the news that in other places they were unjustly vilified for an unpopular war. When I was a child, the draft was still ongoing, which led some men to become teachers solely to escape being drafted, as teaching was a protected profession. While some went on to become fine teachers, some of these men should never have become teachers and did a poor job of it for thirty years until they could retire. I have experienced this legacy as both a student and a parent.
The US military has been all-volunteer for the last several decades. In contrast to my dad’s generation when a large percentage of young adult males served in the military, now only a tiny percentage of eligible men and women serve. I can count on my fingers the number of people I know from our circle of friends, neighbors, and my spouse’s co-workers who are currently serving, including a high-school classmate of my daughter’s – and daughter of one of my husband’s co-workers – who was a top-ranked cadet at West Point. Meanwhile, the strains of thirteen years of war have fallen on a small number of military personnel, including National Guard troops, and their families. I don’t have an answer for this problem, but it does – or should – weigh heavily on the national consciousness and conscience.
Today, I’ll be celebrating at a lunch with my dad at a local restaurant that is honoring vets with a free meal to thank them for their service. It’s ironic that after decades of not making a big deal about their military service that so much recognition has more recently come to the veterans of World War II. My dad often wears a SeaBee cap when he goes out and receives thanks from passersby or fellow store customers. Once his cap even led to a pay it forward situation.
The ranks of World War II veterans have thinned considerably with time. With so few people currently serving in the military, in seventy years there will be hardly any veterans my dad’s age.
He will turn ninety in March.
I wish peace, security, respect, and good health to all veterans, in the US and around the world. Thank you for your service.
Thanks, Dad.
On Monday mornings, my parents usually head to their favorite grocery store. Because my dad is bald and needs to protect his head from the sun, he usually wears a cap when he goes out, often his SeaBee cap.
It’s not unusual for people to comment on his SeaBee cap, thanking him for his service or mentioning a family member who was also in the US Navy or another branch of the military.
While they were checking out, the man behind my father was asking him about his service; Dad served in the Pacific in World War II and was called back into active service during the Korean Conflict. When it was time to pay the bill, a woman who was third in line, having heard the conversation, came forward to pay for my parents’ order. Her husband, now in his 50s, had been career military and she wanted to express gratitude to the prior generation of veterans.
My parents were so surprised! My mom said that she had heard stories about paying it forward, but had never seen it in action. I told my mother that it is good for people who are used to giving, as she and my dad have been for decades, to be able to accept a gift so others experience the joy of giving, too.
Mom is already planning to give extra food/money this month to Mother Teresa’s Cupboard, which aids local folks who are hungry, to pay it forward again.
Joanne Corey 