• Denise Frisino

    Armed Forces

    Tip Your Hat

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    In my research I am constantly reminded of those who served by the military caps they wear. Be it the increasingly rare survivors of WWI and WWII, or the Korean War, Vietnam, perhaps our most recent skirmishes, these hats are a symbol, proudly worn, representing those whose lives were altered in defense of our country.

    That is why we should understand and observe Veterans Day.

    The horrors of World War I formally halted when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. This prodigious day arrived on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

    One year later, on November 11, 1919, in conjunction with the other countries who celebrate the anniversary of end of WWI, Woodrow Wilson spoke these prophetic words from the White House to his countrymen in observance of the first Armistice Day.

    ”…We (The Americans) were able to bring the vast resources, material and moral, of a great and free people to the assistance of our associates in Europe who had suffered and sacrificed without limit in the cause for which we fought. Out of this victory there arose new possibilities of political freedom and economic concert. The war showed us the strength of great nations acting together for high purposes, and the victory of arms foretells the enduring conquests which can be made in peace when nations act justly and in furtherance of the common interests of men.”

    On May 13, 1938 the US Congress approved a resolution to mark November 11th as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”

    As World War II came to an end in 1945, Raymond Weeks proposed to General Dwight Eisenhower that Armistice Day should celebrate all veterans. Time marched on, as did the increasing parades for veterans, and in 1954 congress amended the bill and replaced “Armistice” with “Veterans.” The persistent Weeks became known as the “The Father of Veterans Day.”

    So it is that on Veterans Day we celebrate those who served in the United States military. On Memorial Day, in May, we remember those who gave their lives during service.

    Either day, and every day, we should give thanks to those who selflessly dedicated their time in order to provide us with the freedom we now enjoy. We should honor this day as it was intended “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace” and those who help us maintain that precious gift of peace.

    Remember, when you see a veteran wearing their cap which signifies their service, tip your hat at them in thanks.

    Denise

    Decoration Day

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    There is a lively debate as to which city in our vast country actually held the first Decoration Day in honor of those souls lost in battle. This ancient custom of decorating the graves dates back to before the Civil War. However, on May 5, 1868 General John Logan, commander–in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) established Grand Order #11. This new ruling established May 30th as the day to be set aside annually and observed nationwide to commemorate our deceased soldiers.

    Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time…

    The 30th of May did not reflect any battle, but was chosen for the abundance of available springtime flowers. The Women’s Relief Corps, an auxiliary of the GAR, organized the events. At the first event at Arlington that year 5,000 participants spread flowers over 20,000 Union and Confederate graves.

    The South refused to participate and chose their own day to honor the fallen until after World War I, when the day embraced all Americans fallen in any battle, not just the Civil War. (Some southern states still observe a different day.) By the end of World War II the term Memorial Day became the common usage and replaced the original Decoration Day. And over time the date was changed to a national holiday creating a three day weekend. Yet, the ceremonies, speeches and decorating still live on.

    In 1915 Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a physician with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote the poem, “In Flanders Fields”.

    The first stanza by McCrea swept Monica Michael, a YWCA worker, into action. At a 1918 conference for Overseas’ War Secretaries, Monica pinned a red poppy to her coat and brought dozens more to hand out. This simple red flower was quickly adopted and by 1920 the red poppy became the official symbol for the National American Legion.

    We should always honor the men, women, young and old, who gave their lives for our freedom. It is truly a sight to behold the many flags placed at the wind swept graves in honor on this special day. Yet we must remember to also drift petals on the seas for those whose watery graves will never hold markers, to salute the sky for those whose ashes remain in faraway countries or those who fell silently, their unknown whereabouts only a whisper.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
    http://www.usmemorialday.org/

    DON’T BE A SPARE – BE A SPAR

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    During World War II, when women stepped forward to serve, a new branch of the military was born, the SPAR.

    The motto for the U.S. Coast Guard, Semper Paratus, is the Latin term for always ready. The ingenious Dorothy C. Stratton, who took leave from the faculty at Purdue University to first serve as a Lieutenant in the Navy’s WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, was soon transferred to head the newly formed Coast Guard Women’s Reserve. Stratton, who would rise to become a Captain in the USCG, is credited for creating the acronym from Semper Paratus, Always Ready.

    In sailing terms the spar is the pole of the rigging, possible wooden, metal or some other sturdy substance, which is used to SUPPORT the sail. Therefore, the SPARs were there to bolster the men of the USCG, by allowing them to travel with the navy to distant beaches and battles around the globe.

    Training for the women officers took place in various locations such as Smith College, in Massachusetts, then the USCG Academy at New London, Connecticut. In March of 1942 the CG decided it needed its own center for enlisted recruits and selected the Palm Beach Biltmore Hotel.

    One 97 year old SPARs I interviewed recently, Mrs. Cohen, told me, “The girls were dropping like peanuts all over the ground it was so hot in Florida. We were always marching.”

    In the book I mention, Three Years Behind the Mast, the authors, Mary Lyne and Kay Arthur, with riveting hilarity, recount the marching and fire drills in the snow, in the rain, at all hours, at times with face cream still smeared on their skin, and the hazards of doing their calisthenics in the sticky sand.

    In the long run, the SPARs reinforcements broadened, creating an invaluable contribution to the United States war efforts. They performed numerous duties including parachute riggers, motion picture sound technicians, air-sea rescue, clerical, switchboard operators, yeoman, air control operators, radiomen, radio technicians, link trainer instructors, pharmacist mates, bakers, motor vehicle drivers and a select few staffed the only all-women monitoring station at Chattham, Massachusetts. This was the highly protected site for the operation and maintenance of the top-secret Long Range Aid to Navigation, the LORAN, a radio navigation system developed for aircraft and ships at sea.

    While it is reputed that, at that time, not all USCG men felt the SPARs were a necessity, the women, like their nautical namesake, withstood the storm and have sailed into history as an necessary support for our men and our country. This was due in part to the fact that the over 10,000 women who joined the SPARs during World War II were highly trained, they sought no favor or fanfare, and, of course, were Always Ready–face cream and all!

    On July 25, 1947 the branch of the Women’s Reserve of the USCG, the SPARs, came to an end. Yet, those fearless women who stepped forward in a time of great need, should never fade from our memory.