American Patriot 20

AMERICAN PATRIOT MARCH 24, 2010

THE WASPS OF WWII BON JOVI TAKES SERVICE ON TOUR AMERICA’S CLASSIC BALLPARKS

FENWAY PARK

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AMERICAN PATRIOT THE WASPS OF WWII

4

6 BON JOVI TAKES SERVICE ON TOUR

8 AMERICA’S CLASSIC BALPARKS

FENWAY PARK

10

SCENIC AND HISTORIC

SAN DIEGO

Contents

12

THE LEGACY OF

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER

14 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

15 THIS WEEK IN AMERICAN HISTORY

THE WASPS OF WWII Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell hosted a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony this earlier month to honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, known affectionately as the WASP. It was a long overdue ceremony of recognition for these unsung heroes, long denied official recognition for their courage and patriotism.

4 AMERICAN PATRIOT

The WASP was a pioneering organization of

a WASP was killed the women pilots received

civilian female pilots employed to fly military

no formal recognition, no honors, no gold star

aircraft under the direction of the United States

in the window, and no American flag on their

Army Air Forces during the war. The group of

coffin. Fellow pilots contributed money to help

1,102 female civilians flew more than 60 mil-

bring the body and belongings home.

lion miles in 78 different types of aircraft, from the smallest trainers to the fastest fighters and

When the WASP were unceremoniously deac-

the largest bombers. They undertook every type

tivated in December 1944, five months before

of mission except combat; thirty eight died in

the end of the war, they never received the mil-

service. Their job was to ferry aircraft from fac-

itary status they were promised, even though

tories to air bases throughout the U.S., and to

many of them were sent to officers training

tow targets for antiaircraft gunnery training.

school. Even today the WASP can only be buried at Arlington National Cemetery as enlisted mem-

Despite their outward appearance as official

bers of the military, not with officers’ honors.

members of the U.S. Army Air Forces, the WASP

Finally, these intrepid women have been honored

were actually considered civil servants during

for their heroic service.

the war. In spite of a highly publicized attempt to militarize them in 1944, the women pilots

SEE THE PHOTO GALLERY AT THE NATIONAL WASP WWII MUSEUM

were not granted veteran status until 1977. When AMERICAN PATRIOT 5

BON JOVI TAKES ‘SERVICE’ ON TOUR

Jon Bon Jovi, in collaboration with the Corporation for National and Community Service, will be the first artist to take President Obama's United We Serve initiative to a mass audience: He is bringing the messsage of service out on the road during the band's “The Circle World Tour.” A few weeks ago, at a sold out Staples Center in Washington DC, Bon Jovi debuted a concert video before a sold-out arena.

In the video, which will be shown at each venue on the tour, Bon Jovi makes a call to service to millions of fans. He also headlined a 60-second television PSA that includes images of President and First Lady Michelle Obama serving, and will be distributed nationally to broadcast stations and used in online promotions.

6 AMERICAN PATRIOT

Bon Jovi, a longtime service advocate and philanthropist, calls on Americans in the concert video and PSA to use their energy and passion to help tackle our nation's challenges. As an individual who focuses his efforts on issues surrounding homelessness, Bon Jovi's highlights what he calls the “power of we.” The video and PSA intersperse music from some of Bon Jovi's hit songs with a direct call to service.

“Just as Jon Bon Jovi's music moves millions around the world, his dedication to service will inspire even more to make a difference in their own communities,” said Patrick Corvington, the Corporation's Chief Executive Officer. “This partnership is an amazing opportunity to encourage people from every corner of this country to take action and do their part to help those in need.”

The Corporation is a federal agency that engages more than five million Americans in service through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America programs.

This is the first-ever collaboration of this scale between the Corporation and a musical artist.

At the Corporation's 2009 National Conference on Volunteering and Service, Bon Jovi and First Lady Michelle Obama launched the initiative with the Entertainment Industry Foundation before the largest gathering of volunteer and service leaders from nonprofit, government and corporate sectors. In addition to the concert video, local volunteers with non-profit organizations and members of the Corporation's service programs will distribute information about the United We Serve initiative and Bon Jovi's Soul Foundation at booths inside concert venues in

select cities. The volunteers will discuss how concertgoers can engage in service and find volunteer opportunities in their local community.

President Obama has made service a central cause of his administration, and more than five million Americans have volunteered with the Corporation in 2009, a 25 percent increase over the previous year.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO AND PSA LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

AMERICAN PATRIOT 7

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AMERICA’S CLASSIC BALLPARKS

FENWAY PARK 8 AMERICAN PATRIOT

Two weeks before the 2010 special senatorial election in Massachusetts, the Boston Globe asked Martha Coakley, the frontrunner by 15 points, if she had grown too passive in her campaign. “As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold?

Shaking hands?” was her response. Two weeks later, Coakley had lost the election after a stunning freefall, and was accused of elitism. It was the reckoning of a truth known to Massachusetts politicians: The Red Sox are first in the hearts of Bostonians, and don't say anything bad about Fenway.

Last year, over 3 million people attended a game

the parks' signature touch. Seats above the

at Fenway Park. Despite being a relatively small

Monster were added in 2003 and are highly

and old fashioned park, with few amenities,

sought-after.

essentially no parking, and in a part of town impossible to get through or into on game day,

Fenway Park has played host to some of base-

Fenway Park remains a perennial attendance

ball’s truly historic moments. There were the

leader. One of two original stadiums still standing

1946 and 1999 all star games, the 1976 Carlton

(Wrigley Field being the other), Fenway is a

Fisk “wave off” home run, World Series games

simpler, purer, and more satisfying place to see

in 11 of its seasons. Still, it was a history of

a baseball game. Its record 500th straight sell-

heartbreak that defined Fenway for 86 long years.

out was recorded in 2009; its partisans span

From 1918, the year Babe Ruth was traded,

all classes and status of Bostonians.

the “Curse of the Bambino” hovered over the Red Sox. The curse came to define Red Sox

Opened in 1912 and constructed for a cost of

fandom, as casual fans became diehard suf-

$650,000, Fenway Park was built on filled-in

ferers. In 2004, the Red Sox beat the hated

marshland locally knows as the “Fens”. The

New York Yankees for the American League

construction, lasting one year, produced a sta-

Title, and defeated the St. Louis Cardinals for

dium as outwardly humble as the industrial

a long awaited championship.

neighborhood that surrounds it. The field itself is well representative of early ballparks; the

A trip to Fenway is an almost religious pilgrim-

playing-surface dimensions are oddball and

age for the devout baseball fan. Immortalized in

angular, many seats are situated behind steel

numerous films, attended by millions, and occa-

columns, the field appears close and intimate

sionally the center of political controversy, Fenway

to spectators. The famous “Green Monster”, the

will remain the capital of the national pastime.

left field wall that measures 37 feet in height

PLAN YOUR NEXT VISIT TO FENWAY PARK HERE

and is a favorite target of home run hitters, is

AMERICAN PATRIOT 9

SCENIC AND HISTORIC

SAN DIEGO Californians have a few things in common: They tend to exercise too much, eat well, own jeeps and dogs with handkerchiefs tied around their necks. They pay too much in taxes, dislike the Governor and can order fluently in Spanish. And deep down, they all want to live in San Diego.

10 AMERICAN PATRIOT

To know San Diego is to love it: it has the nicest weather, the friendliest people, and the longest history of the all California cities. Although not the most populous, its citizens are the most diverse and the city boasts over 100 distinct neighborhoods. Uniquely, San Diego County is built upon mesas, elevated land masses with flat tops; city development takes place on the tops, nature preserves and parkland inhabit the canyons.

Such a distinct urban landscape allows for a wealth of open space for hiking and recreation.

A city whose growth has been driven by the presence of the Navy, and modernized by the biotech and communication industries, San Diego is prosperous and well-developed. A visit to the area requires careful planning since there’s so much to do.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS: BALBOA PARK

SEAWORLD SAN DIEGO America's first and best known aquatic theme park, SeaWorld has been entertaining patrons since 1964.

Protected since 1835, Balboa Park is one of the oldest recreational parks in the country. It is home to several cultural museums and notable architecture. Gardens are numerous and world-class, as are the performance spaces, one modeled after Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

SAN DIEGO ZOO One of the world’s largest, the San Diego Zoo boasts over 4000 animals belonging to over 800 species. A modern, forward thinking institution, the zoo pioneered “cageless” exhibits and most of its major exhibits are in open air.

USS MIDWAY NAVAL MUSEUM Decommissioned and docked in 1992, the USS Midway aircraft carrier is one of San Diego's most popular tourist stops. Visitors tour the ship's bridge, flight deck, hangar deck, mess deck, flight control, tactical flag command center, quarters, sickbay, and engine room: “from boiler to bridge.” Restored aircraft are frequently displayed.

MISSION SAN DIEGO DE ALCALA A preservation of the first Franciscan mission in New Spain, founded 1769.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MIDWAY MUSEUM AMERICAN PATRIOT 11

THE LEGACY OF

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER 12 AMERICAN PATRIOT

An American agricultural scientist, George Washington Carver helped revolutionize agriculture in the South through the development of new products derived from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans. Born during the Civil War as a slave, he lived until World War II, he help free Southern agriculture from the single-crop tyranny of cotton.

Carver was the son of a slave woman owned by

mercial possibilities of the peanut and sweet

Moses Carver. Frail and sick, the orphaned child

potato through a clever program of laboratory

remained in his former master’s home after the

research at Tuskegee. Over his lifetime, he de-

Civil War and was nursed back to health. He

veloped 300 derivative products from peanuts

left at the age of 12 to seek an education, de-

and more than 100 from sweet potatoes. By

veloped a deep interest in plants, and got a

1940, the peanut was the second cash crop,

fragmentary education while wandering and

after cotton, in the South, and among the top

doing odd jobs. In his late 20s, he finally earned

six nationwide.

a high school education, and ultimately college and graduate degrees from Iowa State University.

Late in his career, he received many honors, including visits from Calvin Coolidge, Franklin

Carver joined Tuskegee Normal and Industrial

Roosevelt, Henry Ford and Mohandas K. Gandhi.

Institute in 1896 to direct the agriculture de-

He also donated his life savings to create the

partment. The school was headed by noted black

Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee for

educator Booker T. Washington. At Tuskegee,

continuing research in agriculture. Despite these

Carver devoted his time to research projects

achievements, he was often criticized by African

aimed at helping Southern agriculture diversify.

American groups for being too conciliatory to

At this time, Southern agriculture was in serious

the harsh racial policies of the South and by

trouble because of the single-crop domination

scientists for being more of a chemist and cook

of cotton, which was vulnerable to disease and

than a true scientific mind. Most historians

was exhausting the soil.

generally emphasize how his inventions and insights helped millions of people.

Carver urged Southern farmers to plant peanuts and soybeans, which restore nitrogen to the soil while providing protein to the poor of the region. Carver then set about enlarging the com-

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTO ALBUM OF CARVER’S LIFE

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“ The most important political office is that of the private citizen.”

— LOUIS BRANDEIS LAWYER, ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL CAUSES, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE FROM 1916 TO 1939, AND THE FIRST JUSTICE OF THE JEWISH FAITH

14 AMERICAN PATRIOT

THIS WEEK IN

AMERICAN HISTORY

2003.

The U.S. launched an attack against Saddam Hussein, kicking off what has become known as the Iraq War. Saddam’s regime fell 21 days later, but the war continues to this day.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 15

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