Author Maury Klein to speak at the WWII Veterans Discussion Group

Mr. Ted Aub, CT State Coordinator for POW/MIA Families and
member of the State Coalition on Veteran Services and Needs,
will speak on WWII prisoner of war and missing in action occurrences
at the  WWII Veterans Discussion Group meeting, August 28th at 2 p.m. 

 Mr. Aub is also Program Director of the Welcome Home
Vietnam Veterans Day of CT; his special projects include veteran
suicide/resilience, homeless veterans, special educational services
for veterans and their families, and Marine to Marine assistance.

WWII Monuments of Connecticut

Dave Pelland presented an interesting slide show of Connecticut's WWII monuments at the last WWII Veterans Discussion meeting on June 26th. Mr. Pelland presented slides of memorials from East Haven, Meriden, Bridgeport and other locations around the state.

Women's Work in WWII

 Thanks to John Cilio who gave a presentation on his book Women's Work in WWII at the May WWII Veterans Discussion Group meeting. Many positive comments came from the group concerning the presentation which was both enjoyable and educational!

We are looking forward to our next WWII Veterans Discussion Group meeting!

 

 

Join us Wednesday, May 29th at 2:00 p.m. when Connecticut author, John Cilio will speak on his new book Women's Work in WWII. We invite you to hear about the immense contributions made by women during WWII and how they changed the workplace from that point on. Mr. Cilio captures the excitement of the time through a large collection of anecdotal stories and vintage photographs.  Whether you are a WWII buff, a student of women's history or an individual looking for an interesting and engaging program to attend, please join us.  Amazon Reviewer P.L. Atkinson states:  'This book is a joy to read. The pictures are wonderful and present a real insight into the lives of women in WWII.'

 

Seating is limited, so please register by calling 203-468-3890. Mr. Cilio will address the WWII Veterans Discussion Group which is open to all interested individuals.

 

Typewritten documents in the Conference Room

One of the interesting things about working at the Hagaman Library is that I keep "finding" things. In one of the drawers of the display cases in the upstairs Conference Room, I found two typewritten sheets of paper today as seen below:

"The Importance of Beekeeping as a War Industry..."

Here is an interesting article from the May 7th 1942 edition of the Branford Review and East Haven News.
Tammy Horn in her book, Bees in America: How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation, states:

       Sugar was rationed during WW II so a beekeeper was an important person in many communities.

In the information from The Connecticut Beekeepers Association http://ctbees.com/history
website below, I have put Mr. Yates name, referred to in the article above,  in italics.

The Apicultural Department was established in connection with Extension work at Connecticut Agricultural College, with Pro. L. B. Crandall in charge at Storrs, Conn.

Beginning in 1909, the Association annually exhibited honey and bees at the Connecticut Fair, Charter Oak Park, Hartford, to 1928, so long as the Fair existed.

In 1928, during the administration of A. W. Yates, a petition for State aid was granted by the legislature, the Association inaugurated a broad educational program with lectures, publications and motion pictures made available to beekeepers throughout the state.  In 1929, $2000 biennially was appropriated for the issuing of periodicals and bulletins advancing the Apicultural interests of the state.

A School for Beekeepers, proposed by Chas. J. Rost, Secretary of the Association was conducted under the instruction of veteran members of the Association.  During the first two years the sessions were held in the Apiary of A. W. Yates at Hartford.  During the session of 1950, the school and demonstrations was held at the Experimental Farm of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in Hamden, under the supervision of Roy Stadel of Southington.  It was felt that this school was of great value to both experienced and novice beekeepers, as out of his vast store of beekeeping knowledge, Mr. Stadel helped the experienced beekeepers to solve their problems and started the beginners on the right path toward practical beekeeping.

Poets Panel

WWII Veterans Discussion Group members, George Firth, Barbara Esposito and Dana Murphy were part of the Poets Panel, who presented their poetry in a reading to an appreciative audience on Thursday evening. Thank you to them, as well as to Jason Marchi and Dana Wilcox for reading their poetry.

WWII Meeting for February 27th, 2013

Should it be there?

At the next WW II Veterans Discussion Group meeting, 2 p.m. January 30th, 2013,  here at the Hagaman Library, we will explore opinion on whether the Japanese Memorial, seen here in this United States Coast Guard photo, should remain on the
Aleutian Island of Attu.

The WW II battle which occurred on the American owned Aleutian Islands, following the Japanese attack on the American military base at Dutch Harbor in June of 1942, initially killed 100 Americans including civilians. Many deaths of Americans and Japanese would follow.  The Aleut population of Dutch Harbor was taken prisoner, some would die of disease and starvation.

The army would bring in the 7th Infantry Division from North Africa which then trained in California. The warm weather training did not prepare the men for the 100 mile an hour winds and below zero temperatures of the Aleutian Islands. In addition, the army did not provide many of the men with winter uniforms. Men fighting in summer uniforms suffered illness, frostbite, and sometimes amputation. 

The Alaskan Anchorage Daily News article Monumental Concerns reports from the National Park Service and the documentary Red White Black and Blue that:

• 549 Americans died, 1,148 were wounded and 1,200 suffered severe-cold injuries. Taking into account Japanese and American soldiers, American civilian contractors those who died later of wounds and others, some estimate the death toll at 4,000, mostly Japanese. Of the estimated 2,600-3,000 Japanese invaders, only 28 survived and were taken prisoner.

When WW II veteran, Bill Jones, who was in the final battle on the Island of Attu on May 29th, 1943 revisited the site of the battle in 2000, he was shocked to find a memorial placed their by the Japanese. The inscription on the monument reads:

An inscription, in Japanese and English, reads: "In memory of all those who sacrificed their lives in the islands and seas of the North Pacific during World War II and in dedication to world peace."

The Japanese government has expressed remorse over the events on the Islands and feels that the memorial is an expression of peace. Bill Jones and others however have petitioned for its removal. Jones and another veteran, Andry Petrus were featured in the documentary concerning the battle, Red White Black and Blue.

Our own  WW II Veterans Discussion Group member, Vincent Barone wrote an article concerning the monument to the New Haven Register, June 9th 2008, in which he stated: 

The monument that was erected to the World War II  battle on the island of Attu, part of Alaska's Aleutian Islands chain, from the Japanese government is a disgrace to our soldiers' honor because it also is honoring the Japanese who fought there.

It took 15,000 men- 549 killed, 1,140 wounded - and Attu ranks as one of the most costly assaults in the Pacific.

The Japanese were the aggressors. We were defending American soil.

Take down that Japanese monument and erect our own monument. Only then will our soldiers have a lasting heroic tribute to show that they had not died in vain.


     



 

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2008/03/18/348248/monumental-concerns-for-world.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2008/03/18/348248/monumental-concerns-for-world.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2008/03/18/348248/monumental-concerns-for-world.html#storylink=cpy