Remembering World War II

[thedrifter]

Remembering World War II
May 24,2004
LEARNERS ONLINE


Over the last several months, news and photos have focused attention on soldiers, prisoners of war, and other concerns in Iraq. But over the next couple of weeks, several events will remind Americans of the heroes, horrors, and triumphs of a different war: World War II.

On Saturday, May 29, 2004, World War II veterans will be honored by the dedication of a memorial in Washington D.C., nearly 60 years after the war's end.

This formal recognition of their efforts and sacrifice comes just in time for the 60th anniversary of D-Day on June 6 -- the day American and British soldiers joined together to invade Europe and push back Adolf Hitler's forces. This initiative marked the beginning of the end for the powerful Axis alliance.

About 16 million Americans served in World War II from1941 to 1945. Now in their 70s and 80s, fewer than 4 million of these veterans are alive today. Many hope the new monument will help remind future generations of how that war shaped America.

Ultimately, war not only affects individual soldiers but entire nations. During the Second World War, for example, thousands of soldiers were injured or lost their lives, while civilians on the home front dealt with rationing of food, fuel, and materials, as well as shifts in gender roles.

This week's lesson will focus on American involvement in World War II, from 1941 to 1945 -- exploring what the war was like for political leaders, soldiers and civilians.

America Joins Perilous Fight
Struggling for renewal following the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the early 1930s, the U.S. hoped to stay focused on domestic growth and keep out of conflicts overseas. But after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the nation demanded action.

Begin exploring this Perilous Fight at PBS. First, View WWII Timeline, and Launch Timeline (Flash required).

Brush up on what led to American involvement in the war by browsing the timeline from 1933 to 1940. Click on underlined dates and headlines for more information about each event.

What exactly were the steps in Hitler's rise to power? What were leaders in Japan, Italy, Spain, and Soviet Russia doing at the time? What year did the U.S. Congress approve rearmament? How far had Hitler's forces spread by the end of 1940?

Continue through the timeline from 1940 through 1945. Why do you think U.S. President Roosevelt wanted to censor letters going overseas? What was the Bataan Death March? Why was there a ban on sliced bread? What happened at the Battle of the Bulge? What was Trinity?

Close the timeline interactive window, and go visit The Battlefield. In each section, open the Letters, Color Photos, Videos (RealPlayer required), and Maps.

Start with Pearl Harbor and The Doolittle Raid & Midway. About how far away are these locations relative to Japan and the continental U.S.? What key events occurred at each of these places? How did those events influence the war, as well as national morale?

Also read about Building An Army and The Secret War. What were some of the challenges the U.S. faced in going to war at this time? Why were spy efforts crucial?

Now uncover The Psychology of War, and peer into the files of The Atomic Option, Disbelief of Atrocities, Letters from the Front, The Kamikaze Threat, and The Mental Toll. How would you describe the effects these had on soldiers or the war in general?

It wasn't all quiet on the Home Front either. Here, we were feeling the effects of other forces: American Industrialization, Isolationism, Financing the War, and Censorship. Plus, Americans Were On the Move.

What were some of the benefits of war? What were some of the costs? How do you think these affected how Americans viewed or felt about the war?

Of course, the war shaped other Social Aspects of American life. For example, find out how the war affected African Americans, Asian Americans, Women, Conscientious Objectors, and Anti-Semitism in the U.S.

In what specific ways -- in society, industry, politics, law, and demographics -- did America's participation in the war influence its future?

D-Day
D-Day, the launching of Operation Overlord, marked an important turn in World War II. So to explore what happened and why, let's travel to The History Channel site, D-Day: Sixtieth Anniversary.

Begin your time travel at the D-Day Timeline. Read the introduction to The Invasion, then continue through the hours when Airborne Landing Begins, the Allies start their Heavy Bombing Raids, the Landings by American, British, and Canadian troops, and how D-Day Ends.

Now visit the Multimedia section to view some of the day's related photos. Also, Watch World War II Film Footage (link below photo gallery thumbnails) on WWII Figureheads, the United States, Germany, Japan/Pacific, Europe, and Russia.

Who were some of the important people involved in the Allied invasion and other strategic strikes or defensive maneuvers? In what ways were these battles different than battles American soldiers face today? How are they similar?

Lastly, let's check out the American Experience: D-Day at PBS, and find out -- Did You Know? So how many Allied soldiers landed on the shores of Normandy? What does the "D" in D-Day stand for?

Also, hear about the war from some of The Voices of D-Day, Hot Off the Presses, and through Letters from the Front. How are the viewpoints of the war different from each other, depending on the storyteller's style and purpose, as well as the conditions under which each account was written?


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Newspaper Activities
Over the next couple of weeks, watch for World War II articles in the Daily News. Some of them may be personal accounts by veterans. If so, what stories do they tell? In what way was each person's experience unique? What commonalities are there? You might also find a news story highlighting an event honoring World War II veterans, or an art or photo gallery display featuring historical war images. Do you have a relative or know anyone in your town or neighborhood who lived during World War II? If so, consider asking them about their own personal stories. Record and share them with others, if the sources don't mind!

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Ellie

[thedrifter]

Pigskin Patriots on Memorial Day
by Guest Columnist:
Michael Nevin




“The tree of liberty, from time to time, must be replenished with the blood of patriots and tyrants.” - Thomas Jefferson



First Lieutenant Jack Lummus was a rifle platoon leader attached to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division. The 29-year old Lummus was a defensive lineman with the New York Giants and former All-American at Baylor University before joining the Marines one month after the attack on Pearl Harbor.



On March 8, 1945, Lt. Lummus bravely lead his men during the epic battle of Iwo Jima. Lummus single-handedly took out three heavily fortified enemy positions before succumbing to an enemy land mine that blew off both his legs. President Harry S. Truman posthumously awarded him the nation’s highest honor—the Congressional Medal of Honor. The citation reads: “Determined to crush all resistance, he led his men indomitably, personally, attacking foxholes and spider-traps with his carbine and systematically reducing the fanatic opposition until, stepping on a land mine, he sustained fatal wounds. By his outstanding valor, skilled tactics and tenacious perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, First Lieutenant Lummus had inspired his stouthearted Marines to continue the relentless drive northward, thereby contributing materially to the success of his company's mission.”



Shortly before he died during treatment for his wounds, Lummus reportedly quipped, “Doc, it looks like the New York Giants have lost a damn good end.” He was still smiling as he closed his eyes.



Pat Tillman was an undersized linebacker out of Arizona State University drafted in the seventh-round by the Arizona Cardinals in 1998. He quickly became a premier safety in the NFL but all that would change after the terrorist attack on September 11. Pat Tillman, along with his brother Kevin, enlisted in the Army several months following the attack. Pat Tillman would turn down a three-year, $3.6 million offer from the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army Rangers making $18,000 a year. This should come as no surprise to any trained observer who followed Tillman’s football career. In 2001, he passed on a $9 million offer from the St. Louis Rams out of loyalty to the team that drafted him. Tillman, as we would later find out, understood loyalty as well as any man could.



Army Ranger Specialist Pat Tillman, 27, was assigned to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He was deployed in southeastern Afghanistan hunting al Qaeda and Taliban forces. On April 22, 2004, Tillman led his elite unit to the rescue of other Rangers caught in a “kill zone.” Tillman was shot and killed during the attack. Tillman was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and promoted from specialist to corporal. “Through the firing Tillman’s voice was heard issuing fire commands to take the fight to the enemy on the dominating high ground,” the Army announced. “Only after his team engaged the well-armed enemy did it appear their fires diminished. As a result of his leadership and his team’s efforts, the platoon trail section was able to maneuver through the ambush to positions of safety without a single casualty,” according to the Army announcement.



Jack Lummus and Pat Tillman would have made great friends. Although these men were born generations apart, they were cut from the same cloth. Each understood the importance of duty when their nation faced crisis. As they did during their playing careers, they chose a life away from the sidelines, a life with combat units that guaranteed them action on the battlefield. But there are stark differences between the times in which they served. Lummus was one of many professional sports stars in his day to trade in his jersey for a rifle. A total of 638 professional football players served during World War II and 19 died for their country. Tillman was an anomaly.



World War II veterans gave future generations a world where America had a seat in the luxury box. Subsequent warriors paved the way to victory in the Cold War. Today, America faces yet another challenge and the stakes could not be higher. America has not completely come to grips with the War on Terror. This new asymmetrical war is unlike any other conflict in our history, as we are called to confront a faceless enemy. Public opinion polls suggest that many Americans suffer from a serious case of ambiguity. I pray that we find a cure to this malady in the very near future.



Major General Joseph Warren was an important figure during the American Revolution. Dr. Warren put his medical practice on hold to lead American forces into battle. When he was killed on June 17, 1775, the British commander remarked that Warren’s death was the equal of the deaths of 500 American soldiers. As President of the Massachusetts Congress, Warren said to his fellow Americans, “Our country is in danger, but not to be despaired of.... On you depend the fortunes of America. You are to decide the important questions upon which rests the happiness and the liberty of millions yet unborn. Act worthy of yourselves.”



Memorial Day isn’t just another excuse to fire up the grill. It is a time for Americans to reflect and give thanks to the valiant souls who gave their lives for our country. Freedom isn’t free. Each generation must be willing to defend it or be willing to live without it.

http://www.therealitycheck.org/mnevin052604.htm


Ellie

[Tom D]

My Dad served in the Army at the Battle of the Bulge. Glad to hear the vets of WW2 are getting the recognition they truly deserve!!!!

[thedrifter]

Carlsbad Marine carried camera into combat during WWII <br />
<br />
By: GARY WARTH - Staff Writer <br />
<br />
Herb Kapin of Carlsbad waited 50 years. He doesn't mind waiting five more days. &quot;I don't like crowds,&quot; he...

[thedrifter]

Joe Galloway: A Moment of Silence for Those Who Gave All


WASHINGTON - Memorial Day weekend. For most it means that summer has arrived. Swimming pools are opening. People are breaking out the backyard grills and incinerating meat.

For the few who still live by the old rules, it's now officially OK to wear white shoes and straw boaters. The stores and car dealers offer unbeatable Memorial Day deals.

For the rest of us it is a time for somber reflection on the 1 million Americans who have given their precious lives defending this nation - from the Bridge at Concord in 1776 to Fallujah in 2004 - and all that we who enjoy life in freedom owe them.

Memorial Day is all the more poignant because we are a nation at war and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have now contributed nearly 1,000 dead to that roll of honor. Not many, you say? Ask the mother, or the widow and fatherless children, how heavy just one death in combat weighs on them.

Here in the nation's capital the National Mall is jammed with hundreds of thousands of charter members of the Greatest Generation, gathered for a weeklong festival celebrating the opening of the National World War II Memorial.

It has come just in the nick of time. The vast majority of America's 16 million WWII veterans are gone. Only about 4 million veterans of the bloodiest and most costly war in history are still alive, the youngest of them four-score years and more.

The Mall is jammed with tents and events. Big bands are playing and a generation that taught America how to dance is cutting the rug with style in the 90-degree heat. Other tents are reserved for those who have a story to tell, whether it be a war story or a love story. There are laughter and tears.

They circle slowly around their memorial deciding whether they think it is fitting. The granite and bronze memorial is majestic and somber with its 4,000 gold stars, each star representing 100 dead American soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen during the war.

How puzzled these last survivors of a generation must be by the debate and furor over our current travails in Iraq. Their war was not optional and victory was not negotiable. They stood against a darkness, a barbarism, that threatened to envelope the world.

Since their war they have seen their younger brothers fight to a draw in Korea, their sons fight to a defeat in Vietnam, and now their grandchildren committed to yet another war of uncertain purpose in Iraq.

Our soldiers have remained steady of heart, noble really, throughout all these wars. When their political leaders are unable to state clearly and honestly what it is they are fighting and dying for, they have fought and died for each other, and there is honor enough in that.

My brothers in arms from Vietnam are anguished by what they see on television and read in the newspapers of the war in Iraq. The similarities are enough to chill the blood.

In Vietnam we had military victory piled upon military victory, but that was never enough. Wars of empire require political and strategic brilliance as well as military genius.

Last week we saw Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz pinned to the wall before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He became the first of the neo-conservative architects of pre-emptive war to admit, hesitantly, to failures - failure to plan adequately for post-war Iraq; failure to send enough troops to secure the peace; failure to define any exit strategy.

Those ultimately responsible for those failures include Wolfowitz and his boss, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and their bosses, Vice President Dick Cheney and President Bush.

None of them has attended the funeral of a single soldier killed in pursuit of their policies in Iraq. Not one. They do not allow the cameras to record the solemn and dignified return home of those who have fallen.

There is a sadness in the land this Memorial Day. We have added nearly 1,000 names to the million who have died for us, for our country. Every one of them is a deeply felt loss.

Every American should pause in silence for a minute or two this busy Memorial Day weekend to think about the true cost of war and those, forever young, forever gone, who have paid the price for all that we hold dear.

[MillRatUSMC]

A war's generation has for most part departed without seeing a Memorial dedicated to their service in a terrible war.
Among that generation were Klino, Thomas, Juan Marcial all US Army veterans.
Only Herman Marcial US Army (retired) survives to see this National War Memorial which will be dedicated today.
I was born a year before 7 December 1941 and I was five when it ended, yet somewhere in my mind, I remember my family praying for the safe return of all my uncles...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo