AMERICA IS GREAT – QUIT WHINING

Two hundred and forty-one years ago America was conceived by a handful of courageous men in an assembly hall in Philadelphia. Something so bold, so grand as the building of a nation in a new style takes time and massaging accompanied with changes, restarts and sometimes failure. What was born in Philadelphia on July 4th 1776 is the exception. The Constitution of the United States, the hallmark of our great Nation, the document that was originally signed on that fateful day by the brave men of the Constitutional Congress remains the Constitution of our nation with few changes. There have been over eleven thousand attempts to change or amend the Constitution; however, there have only been twenty-seven amendments added. Ten of these were added soon after ratification of the Constitution and is known as the Bill of Rights. The men who gave birth to the American Constitution got it right and the document stands as the cornerstone of our country.
America is made of varied and unique individuals. This uniqueness is what has grown our country to where we are today but it is time to act like one country and pull for the betterment of our great nation. John Kennedy, the Democratic President that was taken from us way too early, knew what our nation needed to do to confront the communist threat and move our nation forward. Let us not forget his iconic message, “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country”.
Very few of us are native to America. Even the “Native Americans” migrated to the United States over the land bridge that connected North America with Asia during an ice age thousands of years ago. It doesn’t matter if we trekked across the frozen north or were stuffed in a suffocating barbaric hold of a slave ship or endured a perilous crossing that killed many passengers only to starve in a new world or fled political oppression or gas chambers or even walked across a perilous desert for a new life or came in many other methods and for many reasons; we are here and we are here together.
It doesn’t matter what religion brought us to the country. We are a melting pot of religion. The Hebrew fleeing genocide, or the Pilgrim fleeing religious persecution, or the Muslim seeking a better life, or the Buddhist who came to America to build the railroads in the West, or the Catholic who came to spread the word of the religion when the Spanish explored the West and deep south. All of these religions are in America and living next to each other in a country that guarantees that there will be no government mandated religion and allows each person to worship or not worship as a person desires.
We are all products of our nation and the nation is a product of us. It is time that we look inward and instead of seeing what give away the nation has for us we need to see how we can give back to our country. America is full of volunteers. Our young men and women put their lives on hold to ensure that our country remains safe. Our first responders continually ”serve and protect”. Volunteers across the nation take time from their own lives to help make the country a better place for the citizens or our nation. These are the individuals we all need to mimic. Those that feel that they are entitled to a free ride need to look inward and become retrospect at what they receive and what they can give back. Put on your big boy pants and quit whining about what America is not handing out in freebees. Let’s live by the creed from the Declaration of Independence that guarantees the right to provide “the pursuit of happiness”. There is no guarantee that the government provides “happiness” only the freedom for the citizen to be able to freely pursue happiness.

BOY SCOUTS – AN AMERICAN HERITAGE FOUNDED IN ENGLAND

 

Growing up in rural America in the 50s and 60s, a young boy was exposed to the wonderment of the Boy Scouts of America.  Scouting in Union Parish was a way of life for many of the young men and helped to mold them into good citizens for the future building of our great nation.  As a young man we had two scout troops in the parish.  One was in Bernice and one was in Farmerville and each year the troops would go to summer camp at camp KiRoLi in Monroe.  Named for the three civic organizations that built and supported it, Kiwanis Club, Rotarian Club and the Lions Club, the camp helped the scouts hone their outdoor skills.  This camp was closed in the mid-1970s and moved to property donated by the T.L. James Company and this new camp bears that name.

Scouting originated in England by Lord Baden Powel in 1907.  A couple of scouting type programs in the United States had been started at the same time that Powel had launched the Boy Scout program.  In 1909 a Chicago publisher, was visiting London.  He became lost on a foggy night.  From out of the fog came a young British Boy Scout and provided guidance to help the publisher find his way in the foreign city.  This scout is referred to as the “unknown scout”.  When the American publisher offered the boy a tip the boy denied, explained that he was a Boy Scout and he was doing his daily good turn.  The publisher was so impressed that he met with the English Boy Scout staff.

In 1910 the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated and was later turned over to the YMCA for development.  One of the early ardent supporters of the Boy Scouts was Theodore Roosevelt.  He had been vocal about the decline in the manhood of the American male and saw the Boy Scouts as a means to ensure that manliness would stop its’ decline.

Anyone possessing very old Farmerville High School yearbooks, the Pine Knot, will see pictures of boy scouts in their uniforms.  It was a way of life for the boys of our area.  Farmerville had Troop 16.  Several years ago it was noted that this troop was the longest active chartered Boy Scout troop in Louisiana.  At one time the scouts met in a very unique cedar logged scout hut on the edge of Farmerville. This was built by the citizens of Farmerville after World War II.   Located in the woods, people visiting the hut were greeted with two large totem poles.  A connected garage housed the crown jewel of any troop in the state, a trailer that carried six aluminum Grumman canoes, the only set in the area.  After a half century these canoes are still in use.

As dynamic as Troop 16 was with its material holdings, the true gem of the troop rested in its’ leadership, its’ scoutmaster and the person considered to be one of the best in the country was Larce Holder.  Affectionately referred to as ‘The Big L”, Mr Holder instilled a love of the outdoors, respect for nature and our fellow man while reinforcing the tenants of the Boy Scouts.

Troop 16 was very organized and those that went into the military had an advantage over the other recruits.  Self-discipline and dedication to cause had been instilled into the psyche of these young men. Camping trips were planned a year in advance and each one had a theme.  Canoe trips were a yearly event.  As a child I remember watching on KNOE TV, news footage of f Troop 16 landing their canoes in Monroe after paddling from Farmerville to the Ouachita and on to Monroe.

Many a good citizen came from Troop 16.  Soldiers, sailors and airmen were forged in the hearth of Troop 16.  Bank executives, doctors, lawyers, engineers and even a Federal Judge had their roots with Troop 16.  Good citizens from across the state were members of Mr Holder’s troop.

When I arrived in Saudi Arabia, it was quit gratifying to watch the yearly Halloween parade in Dhahran.  Leading the parade were four Boy Scouts and being carried by one was the flag of the United States of America; the only place the American flag would fly in public outside of American government installations.

PEOPLE THAT BUILT AMERICA – JOHN MUIR

 

Over the past few years I have written about people that have built our great nation.  Most were political or military leaders.  This is not the only breed of American that had an impact on the development of our country.  There are countless private Americans that continue to do their part to build our country in a quiet manner without fanfare and without seeking the spotlight.  Every once in a while someone will rise to the spotlight but without political agenda or seeking financial wealth and acting upon one’s volition to simply bring light to a subject that requires change.  One such person was a man named John Muir.

Muir was born in Scotland and as a child migrated to America with his parents in 1849.  He was brought up in a strict religious family and by 11 he was able to recite the New Testament and most of the Old Testament. At 22 he entered the University of Wisconsin, took many diverse courses, was still a freshman after two years and never graduated.  He did have a very diverse range of science courses and this would serve him in the future.

After he left the University of Wisconsin he traveled up to Canada and explored and collected botanical specimens.  With money running low he took a job at a Canadian saw mill. Later he returned to America and worked at a wagon wheel factory.  It was there that he had an accident, almost lost an eye and was confined in the dark for six weeks where he emerged with a new disposition and direction in life; one of those epiphanies in life that completely changes a person’s future.

In 1867 he went for a “walk” from Kentucky through Florida and lasted for a thousand miles.  His only requirement he would later state about the route was that it would be “wildest, leafiest, and least trodden way I could find”.  When he arrived in the Florida Keys he worked again in a saw mill until he hopped a boat to Cuba where he studied shells and the seashore environment.  Eventually he made his way to New York and then got passage to California.  At this point in life one would think that he was simply a drifter and in fact he was but with a purpose.  He studied the natural environment while he toured the country.

Muir worked for a short time as an officer in the Unites States Coast Survey.  The wild called him and he visited Yosemite where he later returned and built a cabin.  The corner of the cabin had a part of the river running through it so that he could hear the water at night.  He also invented a water mill to cut wood that had fallen in the river and could then be used for lumber.  After living for three years in Yosemite he was visited by a group from the American East.  Though not having completed college, he was so versed in nature that the group offered him a professorship to Harvard.  Muir could not leave the beauty of the Sierra’s and declined.

Muir loved geology and put a theory out that Yosemite was formed by a glacier.  This was in contrast to the belief that was originally thought to be the product of an earthquake.  His theory of this “amateur” proved to be correct.  His writings were so good that he was being printed in New York.  In addition to geology he also studied the plants of the west and visited the giant sequoias of the Pacific coast.  Later he visited Alaska and wondered at the natural beauty of the American territory that would someday become the 50^th state.

By the 1890s Muir had become an activist for natural America.  His writings were being published in magazines around the country and was leading to legislation being passed to protect large tracts of Federal Land.  He encouraged a bill to make Yosemite a National Park and to be modeled after the first National Park, Yellowstone.

The unique thing about America is that we find a balance in diverse beliefs.  This is where John Muir and his naturalist beliefs are a part of our everyday life today.  His world has come face to face with modern manufacturing and economic expansion.  Because of what he has taught and the followers he has today, debate continues about ecology vs pollution and many compromises have taken place to insure that America continues to grow its’ industries but with a conscience for natural beauty.

In 1992 Muir co-founded an “alpine club” that two weeks later would be incorporated as the “Sierra Club”.  He remained president until his death 22 years later.

THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION

As I writer this article, it appears that the Democratic Convention of 2016 is anything but normal. Many people say that the country is falling apart and we have lost our values and the Democratic Convention is an example of how politicians have lost touch with the populace and the elections are all rigged. While the convention is unfolding before us my suggestion is to sit back and enjoy the fireworks, this is not the first convention to have its’ share of turmoil. The 1924 convention was even more tumultuous.

The convention was a rowdy event. Roman Catholic delegates would stand in the corridors of the New York hotels demanding that the Ku-Klux-Klan be denounced by the Democratic convention. William Jennings Bryan fought to keep the Klan issue out of the convention. When he went to speak on the floor of the convention he was horribly jeered by the Tammany Hall forces from New York and it took thirty minutes before he could utter the first word of his speech. Tammany Hall was the New York political leadership headquartered in New York City, . Ultimately the proposition to denounce the Klan failed by seven votes; however this did note changes that were going on within the party.

This convention displayed the deep divisions within the Democratic Party. With the exceptions of the 2016 convention, today’s political conventions are a tame event when compared to the 1924 convention. Modern conventions usually select the presidential candidate on the first ballot. When the first ballot of 1924 was cast the leader was William McAdoo. Al Smith of New York was second. Seventeen other candidates also received votes. By the time the fifteenth ballot was cast the convention was being referred to as the “klanbake” due to the chaos from the issue of the KuKluzKlan. It was noted that possibly twenty-five percent of the delegates were members of the Klan. After fifteen days and one hundred ballots later the convention was no longer the glamorous affair that it began. Delegates had run out of money and were telegraphing for funds to pay for their hotel rooms. Everyone was exhausted and New York was hot in July. Smith had taken the lead in delegate votes at the one hundred ballot count but his Catholic religion made it a sure thing that be could not be elected. McAdoo’s support of the clan doomed his chances. Finally, on the one hundred and third ballot, compromise candidate John Davis won the nomination. After sixteen grueling days the Democrats had a candidate.

Religion played a more robust part in politics than today, though religion is a factor of the candidate. Back room politics prevailed as Al Smith was identified as non-electable due be Catholic. This was noted by Democratic power player, Joseph Kennedy, father of the future President and the first Catholic elected to the office, John F. Kennedy.

The party was so divided that it lost the general election to Herbert Hoover and it would not be until Franklin Roosevelt took office in the middle of the Great Depression that the Democratic Party coalesced.

More of the history of the Democratic Party can be found in, “I Called Him Grand Dad, The Lost Political Papers of Harvey G. Fields.”

 

A NEW WORLD FOR AMERICAN POLITICAL PARTIES

 

Unless you have been living in a cave or stranded on a deserted island for the last year, you know that we are in the middle of a presidential election year.  Like all other election years since the beginning of the 1800s the presidential candidate for a political party is selected at a convention that is composed of party members from across the country.  Behind the scenes leaders of the party are developing strategy to defeat the candidate of the other party.

Over time change happens.  When political parties become so out of touch with main stream America and do not provide the communication to the party members with a clear agenda of what the party wants to accomplish, change will take place.  Today this is what we are witnessing in the Republican Party and I find it interesting to observe what is transpiring around us.  The Republican party is transforming itself, not from changes from the party leadership but from the rank and file members that make up the party.  The party leadership is either adopting the change and moving with it or some members are ignoring what the members are saying and refuse to embrace the new face of the party.

The members of the Republican Party have selected the individual that they want to see as President.  This is contrary to what the Republican leadership hoped for and right up to the moment of the convention there was discussion of ways to keep Donald Trump from being the Republican nominee.  The hue and cry of the common party member silenced this attempt and Donald Trump is the official Republican candidate.   The convention that officially selected him was in contrast to what we have seen in the past.  First, it was more of a family convention than a presidential convention as primary speakers were the Trump “kids” and this threw a new spin on the contest.  Present were former candidates but what was more apparent was the lack of certain Republican leaders that are sitting this one out.  The message is clear from the common man on the street that out there building this country that they have selected the candidate of their choice and the total party should be behind them and accept the path of the party that the new party is heading.  Two former Republican Presidents no endorsing the candidate of the party is unheard of.  Then there was the Ted Cruise speech and the fact that he refused to endorse Trump yet still spoke at the convention.  It will be interesting over the next few years as to how this works for him and his own political career.

The Democratic campaign is shaping up to be as dysfunctional as the Republican and it appears that change is on the way for that party as well.  I am writing this on the eve of the convention and what appeared to be an exciting event is living up to its’ hype.  First, this set of super delegates that does not have to be elected sways the selection of the Democratic candidate in the direction of how the party leadership wants it to go.  Hillary Clinton is the apparent nominee and while she appears to be the candidate of choice for the party elite, Bernie Sanders came in a close second with the super delegates going in a separate direction.  Now Wiki Links released documents that showed that the head of the Democratic National Committee showed favoritism toward Clinton.  Now how good is this turning out to be and the convention is shaping up to be as exciting as the Republican Convention.  Then add the revelation that the Head of the Democratic Central Committee, will not be allowed to speak at her own Convention.  How dysfunctional is that.

Times are changing and so are the political parties.  In a time of social media, instant news reports and people wanting change just for the sake of change; we are witnessing a transformation of both major political parties.  The time of back room politics and power plays by unknown power brokers is in for major change.

Last year I said that this is going to be an interesting race for the White House and sit back and enjoy.  So far it has not disappointed. The next four months will be an interesting and important time for the future of the country and the world.

BLUE IS BEAUTIFUL

A week ago we watched as the horrendous act of violence against Dallas police officers unfolded in front of us on the news networks.  Protests against the Baton Rouge police following a tragic shooting of an African American were mostly peaceful and was sending a message of change through peace.  This was reminiscent of the marches being led by Dr. Martin Luther King that led to major changes in race relations and desegregation.  Unfortunately, like the tragedy in Dallas, Baton Rouge has become ground zero for police assassinations.  As I write this I am sitting in anguish as police officers are ambushed and slaughtered.  The calls for justice and investigations by the Federal Department of Justice seem to be somewhat muted when it comes to the men and women in blue.  While the investigations will take place it is not with the fanfare portrayed when the police are alleged to be at fault.

There are some bad examples of police in our country and there is no sidestepping this or covering it up; however, as bad as some of the abuses of power are these are very small compared to the entire population of the men and women that have vowed to serve and protect.

Last week it was my turn to be the victim of crime.  I was raised in the middle of Farmerville at a time that we never locked our doors.  While living in Arabia it was so safe that doors need not be bolted.  Being naive, I often leave my keys in my vehicles.  I awoke on a hot Sunday morning to find that my Jeep was not where I had parked it.  My first thought was that my son had moved it to go fishing.  Then I noticed that the radio was set to a channel that I had never heard of.  The inside had apparently been ransacked but my daughters Bible, enclosed in a leather binder made by an Angola inmate had been carefully placed in the back to the vehicle.  The only thing that was missing was my orange baseball cap, the same cap I am wearing in my news article picture and in my book bios.

Social media is with us and it has a major impact on our lives.  My wife posted about my vehicle being taken for a joy ride.  Within minutes a member of the Farmerville Police Department contacted my wife and told her to call the Sherriff’s department.  Then ten minutes later our neighbor posted on social media that she had read my wife’s post, went out to look at her vehicle and discovered that two guns had been taken.  Minutes later the police were at our houses and soon after another car arrived to begin fingerprint work.

The police that were dispatched on this call were all over the case.  Several of the thieves were in custody and a series of thefts had been solved.  My wife did post that my cap was lost and surely not to be found.  The guns were eventually recovered and the serial numbers had been attempted to be removed.  The thieves should have been taking a metallurgy class instead of running the roads stealing from the public and they would have known that the compression from stamping the serial numbers leaves the numbers far below the actual visible marks.

As for the cap, one officer brought an orange cap into the station and asked if anyone know anything about it.  It was found in the middle of the road.  A Farmerville Police Officer said she knew who it belonged to.  It was posted on Facebook.  I got my cap back, my neighbor got her guns and a lot of young men will probably get some time at some institution.  Most were juveniles and it is hoped that this is a key learning for these young men and their lives can be salvaged.

As for the men and women in blue, there was nothing but professionalism from these individuals that want to only serve and protect.  Instead of ridicule they deserve praise.  Instead of scorn they deserve a thanks.  Instead of a bullet they deserve appreciation and support and a great big thank you.

AMERICA AT ITS’ BEST – RURAL AMERICA

 

America is a unique demographic; fiercely independent, loyal inhabitants, strength of character and very benevolent identifies attributes of the country.  Nothing epitomizes these traits more than what can be found in the small cities, towns and villages of rural America.

Two hundred and twenty-seven years ago George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States.  Upon taking the oath of the office, he bowed down and kissed an open Bible.  He was taking over the leadership of a country that was founded on values that were Christian in nature but also a country that would separate a state sponsored religion from the government and allow all religions to flourish without oppression or government intervention.  It was not a country that stopped a religion but it was a country that allowed all forms of religion to thrive.

This freedom of religion is no more apparent than rural North Louisiana.  Towns are filled with well-established Churches of the Christian faith while smaller Christian denominations are found in the larger cities.  Non-Christian denominations are established in the smaller cities.  Buddhist worship next to Muslims who worship next to Jews who worship next to Christians.  One of the unique qualities of America.   And part of this uniqueness is the benevolence and love that Americans shows for each other and this is nowhere more apparent than rural America.

Recently I attended a funeral for a young lady who lived in the upper part of Union Parish.  I had never met the girl but was friends with the family.  It was a work day and the service in the middle of the day.  The outpouring of affection was heartwarming as there was an overflowing of mourners and the church was filled to capacity.

Let someone in the community become ill or in need of help and watch rural America come to life.  How many calls for help have we seen and look at the love and generosity come forward?  Rural America has a tendency to take care of its’ own and social barriers of many types are torn down with the focus being on someone in need.

I love the patriotism displayed in the rural parts of our country and especially in the deep south.  When I was in college before joining the military, the country was in turmoil.  Riots and marches were taking place across America.  Instead of protesting I remember a petition being prepared to send to Washington to show support for the military.  Instead of spitting on our returning troops we welcomed them with open arms.

Today was a special day at Evergreen Baptist for the men that served in the military.  The armed forces melody was played and the members from each branch of service were asked to rise when their song was played.  The percentage of servicemen to the entire congregation was much greater than the national average of men that took up arms for America and it was quit an emotional event as the different branches of the military were greeted with applause.

The founding fathers would be proud of how America turned out when they look down on rural America.

AMERICANISM – A SPECIAL MESSAGE FOR THE 4TH OF JULY

This will appear in the  Bernice Banner; Union Parish, Louisiana, USA, the week of July 4th, 2016.

I have published the following article in the past in various media of both traditional papers and digital blogs. Following the recent atrocities perpetuated by ISIS, the rise of North Korea, and a potential rift between the United States and Russia the speech recorded below rings no truer than today. Until we have peace and our country is no longer in danger this article will be reproduced in honor of the birthday of our great nation each year.
In our time of instant communication we are inundated with talk shows, news programs, alerts and a myriad of communications that keep us updated on all the happenings of the world. Every once in a while a specific program or speech seems to capture the essence of the moment. I have come across a speech from a radio program that captures the magic of our nation’s birthday, the 4th of July. I hope you enjoy.
“At this time in our history when we view other nations in distress and oppression of dictatorship, the threatening clouds of war, and men lined up by the thousands to destroy with cannon, airships, and destructive machinery of every kind, not only property and lives but the fundamentals upon which True Americanism was founded, how fitting it is that we should pause from our daily pursuits to defend Americanism, to remind our neighbors, our friends and our people of their duty to protect the principles upon which real Americanism rests, with the American Flag flying over your head.
When Washington, Morris and Carol, all of different faiths and creeds, signed the immortal, everlasting document which became the tenants and creed of Americanism, they, with inspired hearts and minds, planted as the most beautiful flowers in the garden of Independence, tolerance, justice, freedom, liberty and patriotism.
So let us ,on this occasion, bind ourselves as Americans to keep alive, watching out for hidden adversaries and enemies, these elements which will forever inspire peace, happiness and tranquility to the American people and their future generations as intended by our forefathers when they founded this great republic.
Isms, false doctrines, and race or religious prejudices have no place in this country. All alike the Jews, the Gentile, the descendants of those from every land, who live in obedience to our laws, have equal rights and privileges. Let every man and good woman teach this ideal, love, tolerance and fairness to one another, practice these ideals, love, tolerance and fairness to one another, practice these ideals, love tolerance and fairness in their relationship with one another and to one another in all instances, and Americanism will live on.
In these tragic days when man’s inhumanity makes countless millions mourn, when racial and religious groups are oppressed elsewhere, persecuted by the ruthless, damnable and barbarian practices of dictatorship, when the cherished ideals of democracy are being trampled upon, there is no greater moment of importance in America than to let every man, woman and child stand as a sentinel watching for an enemy, standing as a soldier to guard the immortal principles that we have inherited, and to remember there is but one way to happiness. Love and peace can always be maintained, and that is by upholding, protecting and maintaining democracy, religious freedom and tolerance, which all summed up together are Americanism.
To his great common altar of Americanism there comes daily into this country the Jew, the Protestant and the Catholic with the best traditions of each, coming to pray that their traditional rights may always be preserved, and that the sacred altar of Americanism be preserved, and that the sacred altar of Americanism be preserved by an edict and the sanction of Almighty God will not be blemished by the polluted and bandit hand of dictatorship or false propaganda spread among our people through those who would take from us the heritage of the past and leave us with a false and cruel idol to steer us to anarchy and chaos in the future.
And why should not the Jew and the Protestant and the Catholic, together with the other various sects, come to this common altar in the great country of ours.
First and foremost it is fundamentally right. Second, we are a people who came from lands across the waters where oppression dominated at the time they came over. Third, and most important of all, highest and greatest of all the reasons we could set forth, do we not have the challenge of the old Bible. Is it not true that after all is done and said that we have but one Father? Were we not created, after all is done and said, by one and the same God?
Civil and religious liberty with the rights and privileges given us under what is known in America as The Bill of Rights, a national jewel, adopted by all of the states of these United Commonwealths, stands as a gift not only from our forefathers, but from Almighty God, as they in turn were inspired by their Creator when they wrote the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States, which guarantee freedom of thought, freedom of press, freedom of religion, and personal liberty as long as it does not interfere with the rights of others, is not abused, and the laws of the country are obeyed and not entrenched upon.
To me it is necessary that the best of our people, old and young, should not forget the altar of Americanism, for when the day comes that the altar is forgotten, then America will cease to be a land of freedom.
At this common altar of Americanism let us steer the youth and the children of this historic land in order that in the days to come, when we have passed away to an unknown and, there will still remain an army and host of true Americans, plighted and pledged to uphold the ideals, the noble sentiments, the achievements and the principles of real Americans.
I thank you.”
This speech rings true in so many ways and is appropriate at a time that we celebrate our Nations birth; however, the speech was not presented recently. Nor was it given within the last decade or for that matter within the last generation. As much as this reflects our country and the challenges we face today, the speech was given on radio station KWKH in Shreveport on March 1st, 1939.

WHY AMERICA – JAPANESE AMERICANS IN WWII

 

In the early morning hours of a quiet Sunday morning on a beautiful island in the South Pacific, life was good.  A gentle breeze blew in from the oceans and the island was slowly coming to life.  The sun was already high in our local North Louisiana community and families were going to or returning from church.  It was winter and the warm breezes from the South Pacific would be a welcome change to the cool days of December in Union Parish.  Suddenly the world changed at this small atoll of paradise and the residents of North Louisiana were happy to be cool but safe.

At 7:48 AM on the morning of December 7^th 1941 the Japanese Imperial Navy launched an attack on the American fleet anchored in the lovely bay of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  This attack was to keep the American forces from stopping the Japanese forces from capturing key Japanese land gains in the pacific.  While this was viewed as a pre-emptive strike that would be short lived nothing could have been further from the truth.  Japan unleashed a sleeping giant, America declared war and the rest is history as the United States slugged its’ way across the Pacific and ultimately dropped two bombs that ended the war.

Understandable paranoia gripped the nation.  My mother was raised in the Tahoe Basin of Nevada and she told me how her parents prepared to take in refugees from the American West Coast if California was invaded and the American civilians made if across the Sierras.  The American government looked inward and worried about the threat from its’ own residents.

On February 19^th, 1942 President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which empowered regional military commanders to exclude certain civilians from being located in a specific geographical location.  In essence, this allowed the military to remove all citizens of Japanese origin from living on the West Coast.  All of California, and part of Arizona, Washington and Oregon was considered off limits to anyone of Japanese ancestry.  Between 120,000 and 130,000 were sent to camps near the eastern edge of the exclusion zone.  The Japanese – Americans were forced to leave their homes and were placed in tarpaper covered buildings with no cooking or plumbing facilities.  In some camps 25 people would live in a building designed for 4 inhabitants.  It is estimated that 80,000 of those relocated were born in America and were citizens of our country.  It was determined that if a person was of 1/16 Japanese ancestry they were subject to relocation.  There was one story of an older man so disillusioned that he walked out of the camp into the desert never to return.

Surely, after this wholesale action against an ethnic group there would be no loyalty to the country that invoked this action.  This assumption is incorrect.  At the beginning of the war Japanese Americans were discharged from the American Military and many were sent to the relocation camps.  These camps could have been a breeding ground for anti-American feelings; a place for incubation of hatred and resentment.  For thousands of young Japanese Americans this did not happen.

In June of 1942 Franklin Roosevelt decided to allow Japanese Americans to recruit in Army units and the Japanese formed the 100^th Infantry Battalion.  This was after the Military Relocation Organization recommended against it.  Japanese Americans from the Hawaii National Guard formed this first unit and landed in North Africa.  A year later, despite racial bias, Roosevelt called for the formation of an all Japanese combat unit and the 422^nd Regimental Combat Team was formed.

The unit shipped out for Europe and took extremely high casualties fighting for the United States.  The 422th proved their metal in battle and is recognized as the highest decorated unit in World War II.  One member of the Japanese American units won the Congressional Medal of Honor; however, a 1990s review of 22 Japanese Americans that won the Distinguished Service Cross in World War II disclosed racial bias and they were also awarded the highest military honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

So what is it that compels the ones that have been so abused to fight for the country that treated them so poorly.  In the first segment of this series we identified that it is possibly the promise of a better life that draws the oppressed to fight for America.  In the case of the Japanese Americans if could also be that these noble Americans wanted to prove the Washington leadership wrong and prove they are loyal Americans.  This is the pride and integrity that built our great nation.

 

 

A TOUGH DECISION

 

Last week we looked at the decision that Harry Truman made to drop the atomic bomb.  I agreed that the decision to do was a no brainer.  By dropping the bomb and ending the war early the lives of half a million young men and countless civilians were saved.  Truman later confessed it was not a difficult decision and he would do it again if he had to.

A year earlier another key decision had to be made.  This was not as easy and it had to be gut wrenching.  One of those decisions that required weighing pros and cons of a multitude of subjects and then coming to a final decision.  The decision would not mean if men lost their lives.  Instead it meant how many would die and this was being weighed against winning the war in Europe.  The man with the ultimate decision resting on his shoulders was Dwight D. Eisenhower and the ultimate decision was to begin the invasion of Fortress Europe, better known as D-Day.

Seventy-two years ago this week American, British, Canadian, Free French, Free Polish and troops from other nations landed on the beaches of Normandy to free Europe from Nazi domination.  Proclaimed as “The Longest Day”, the decision to launch the attack took a large amount of courage from a man that took the lives of the young military men and women under his control very seriously.

The operation had been planned for over a year.  Deception was key to the success.  Eisenhower had built a fictitious army around General George Patton.  Inflatable tanks were placed in this fake army location and information leaked out that Patton would invade at Calais on the French coast.  Germany saw Patton as the top American General and knew he would lead the attack.  Nothing was further from the truth and the true invasion force formed far away from Patton.

The invasion was first scheduled for May 1^st.  Eisenhower insisted that the number of men be expanded by 66 % and airborne units would be added to the initial invasion.  Since the beaches of Normandy had no good locations to unload supplies following the invasion, a huge portable harbor made of concrete called Mullberry’s were invented.  This invasion would be their first real test.  A special tank was built that could be used on the beaches and again this invasion would be the first test.

Planning was gigantic.  Over a million troops had to be housed, trained, fed and equipped for a massive assault.   Everything from toilet paper to rifles and ammunitions to caskets had to be obtained, warehoused, inventoried and made ready for quick deployment.  Insurance papers had to be prepared while the chaplains, the “sky pilots” prepared the young men for a potential final journey.  Everything had to be ready.  Nothing was left to fate and the future of the free world was held in the balance.

As good as the Allied experts were at preparing the men and women for the invasion there is still one part that man cannot control, Mother Nature.  Because of the landing site and the obstacles placed in the water the landing had to take place at a certain time of day when the moon is just right, the tides are at the highest point and the weather allows the crossing of the English Channel at just the right time.  There were only a couple of days each month when everything can come together and then the weather must cooperate.  If anything goes wrong, the landing would be catastrophic.  If the invasion is delayed it would be weeks  before the invasion could proceed.  This would pose the problem of Germany learning secrets of the invasion while the invasion troops would be losing its’ edge as they sat for a month waiting to invade.

The weather was not cooperating.  The invasion was set for June 5^th but high seas would not allow for launching the landing craft without massive loss of life and equipment.  Clouds would not allow planes to see their targets or drop zones for the paratroopers.  Also the moon needed to be full so that landing craft could see obstacles and the landing had to take place over a couple of hours so as to be at the highest tide possible.  The landing was postponed.  Troops stood down and waited.  Then members of the British Royal Air Force told Eisenhower that June 6^th may be good enough for the invasion.  If June 6^th was not going to be D-Day, conditions would not be adequate for two more weeks.  Ships would have to be recalled and everything started over again.  Eisenhower weighed all the information and finally gave a thumbs up for June 6^th.  The rest is history.   He had already drafted the notice that the landing was a failure and he had to pull the troops back from the beaches; fortunately, this never had to be used.