R&R
Lee’s superior officers recognized his creative talents from his hobbies and his earlier work with Timely Comics. So, they more or less hey-you’d him into using his talents for the Army. This was exactly the break he needed. He was laterally transferred to the Fort Monmouth Film Production Laboratory and worked side by side with some of the other great artistic visionaries of the U.S. Army. He stood in formation with Frank Capra, the three-time Academy-Award-winning director for films like It’s a Wonderful Life, cartoonist Charles Addams of The Addams Family fame, and Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Lee was one of nine soldiers to ever earn the position of “playwright” for the U.S. Army. Lee didn’t have any notoriety before then, unlike many of his famous fellow soldiers. He was, simply, that guy who wrote for comic books, but that didn’t phase him one bit. He kept giving the Army his all — and it showed. He was so good and so fast at what he did, in fact, that he was asked to slow down many times because it made everyone else look bad. Lee’s service concluded in 1945 and he went back to Timely Comics. No longer was he just some kid grabbing coffee; he was a war hero. The skills he developed while quickly chugging out quality content for the Army was exactly the type of tempo needed in the comic world. Lee used his Army experiences to perfect comic book making. He turned the process into a creative assembly line. Lee would write the captions in the bubbles, another artist would pencil in the scene, another would color it, and another would finalize the lettering. This style became known as the “Marvel Method.” It distributed the workload evenly and it gave everyone equal creative input. Stan Lee may not have written the next “Moby Dick” as he planned while a brighteyed 19-year-old, but there’s no denying that his life’s work — the Marvel Universe — stands tall as the most enduring, relevant collection of fiction of his era. Rest easy, Mr. Lee. You made True Believers out of all of us.
Volunteer Disabled American Veterans dav.org/help-dav/volunteer
DAV offers a wide range of opportunities for individuals who want to make good on the commitment we’ve given our nation’s heroes. Volunteer at VA hospitals, drive veterans to appointments or provide specialized help based on individual needs.
See ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ Warner Bros. Pictures
The 2018 documentary by filmmaker Peter Jackson delivers an immersive experience of what it was like to be a soldier in World War I. The film was created using original footage from WWI, most of it colorized and modernized, with the addition of sound effects and voice acting.
Connect Never Salute with a Broken Garter Margaret P. Lutz
“Never Salute with a Broken Garter” is a collection of Peggy Lutz’s memories as a young woman doing her part for the war effort as a U.S. Navy WAVE. Women Accepted for Volunteer Service, or WAVES, was a fully pledged and uniformed auxiliary attached to the Navy during WWII. They performed most of the same stateside assignments as their male counterparts. Lutz’s hope is that her book will shed some light on “all the little threads” that made up military life for a woman between 1944 and 1946.
Fighting Amphibs Donald L. Ball
“Fighting Amphibs: The LCS(L) in World War II” fills a gap in WWII naval history. It is the story of 130 gunboats to which historians have never given adequate recognition. What makes this war chronicle vivid, as well as heartwarming, and even, at times, humorous is that much of the story is told in the words of men who lived it. Using sources from Navy records and correspondence from the sailors who lived through it, Mr. Ball includes over a hundred quotations by the sailors involved, along with 51 illustrations.
The American Legion www.legion.org
The nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The Legion is dedicated to mentoring youth, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to service members and veterans.
Relax Take A Soldier Fishing www.takeasoldierfishing.org
Take A Soldier/Veteran Fishing provides low-cost or free fishing events honoring active duty military and veterans from all branches of service. They serve veterans with various disabilities, veterans supported by the VA Housing Programs, and many others from all walks of life. OREGON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS’ AFFAIRS
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