Helping us all to remember that war is hell

PRIME November 2012 By Debbie Gardner debbieg@thereminder.com Sometimes, the best part of this job is the opportunity to uncover truly priceless information and share it with you, our readers. That's the way I felt when I started looking through the many World War II news stories housed in Holyoke Public Library's temporary History Room, located in the Donoghue Building at Holyoke Community College. There were so many stories, so much first-hand, eyewitnesss information about the many battles and skirmishes that, for members of my Boomer generation, are often little more than places we've heard mentioned in passing by aging relatives on Veteran's and Memorial Day. I realized as Jim Bronson, my guide through this remarkable collection of local war history, carefully unfolded piece after piece of yellowed newspaper that here were moments in the lives of servicemen and women that may not have been shared with the next generation. I'm one of those who doesn't know. My dad, Clayton, served in the Navy in the Pacific theater, and I really can't recount much of what happened to him. I know he enlisted at 17, got shipped his high school diploma while serving on a "tin can" somewhere in the Pacific, and learned to be a radioman. Like so many others, he came home, took the GI bill, went to school and made a life. Whatever his war experiences were, he didn't talk about them with his daughters. They died with him. I know a little more about the war service of my father-in-law, Noel, whose memorabilia is included in our cover vignette. He was part of the Army campaign that battled their way across North Africa and Italy. I know he was wounded at some point during the campaign – hence the Purple Heart – and I've heard from my husband that when the bullet struck, he started looking at his watch, aware that if he was alive after three minutes, he'd probably make it. I'm sure there was more to his stories, but again, I didn't hear them. But now, thanks to the efforts of Bronson and his colleagues in the History Room, the sagas of others who served will not be left to sketchy memories and half-told tales. I've had the privilege of reading the tale of a 14-year-old French stowaway who claimed American citizenship, but was "bumped off" a Westover-bound transport and the letter home written by a grousing Army Air Corp serviceman in the Pacific complaining about all the censorship taboos – don't mention military engagements, anything about your outfit, equipment or morale –good or bad, which ended with "I ask you what the hell can we write about?" That same airman, according to news accounts, was later awarded an air medal for his work aboard a B-24 Liberator that sank a Jap destroyer and three cargo ships. There are plenty of wedding and engagement announcements in the files, and far too many announcements of soldiers missing in action, or killed by the enemy. And then there are the letters, written home from the midst of battles, and photos – from basic training, from battlefields – that capture frozen moments in the lives of those who witnessed the conflict. Far more than any history text, these are the stories of America at war. I commend the efforts of the volunteer archivists like Bronson who are preserving them. Unfortunately, America's war service is a story that hasn't ended. We still have servicemen and women stationed overseas – many in harm's way as you read this. Today's wars seem very far away for most of us, but there is still something anyone can do to let today's service men and women know we appreciate their sacrifices. Through Dec. 7, the American Red Cross is inviting the public to send our service men and women messages of thanks and holiday cheer. Cards and letters should be mailed to: Holiday Mail for Heroes, P.O. Box 5456,Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456 Bowes Inc. receives cards at the special Holiday Mail post office box, screens them for hazardous materials. and ships the cards at no charge. Red Cross volunteers across the United States and on military installations overseas then sort and deliver the cards. Individuals are asked to refrain from sending "care packages," monetary donations, or using glitter or any other kinds of inserts with the cards. More info on this effort is available at redcross.org/holidaymail.