Mari K. Eder's Blog, page 9

On a Wing and a Prayer

By 1940, the U.S. was preparing for the inevitable war with Japan and Germany. At that time the new Army Air Corps consisted of a little over 25,000 people and a mere 4,000 aircraft. Then the Army designated Hunter field as home base for its new light bomber training base. Hunter Field was built in 1927, just as commercial aviation was becoming popular around the country. The Army’s new organization was named the 8th Air Force, soon to become “The Mighty Eighth Air Force.”

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and the declaration of war, the base continued to grow. Early in 1942, 8th Air Force units were on their way to England, ready to take on the mission of bringing down Hitler’s forces in Europe. Their bombing missions took on Nazi troop locations and strategic resourcing sites (like factories) in France, the low countries, and Germany. At its peak strength, the 8th Air Force supported forty heavy bomber groups, plus fighter groups and other units. More than 350,000 airmen served with the 8th Air Force during WWII.

Stepping out of Line – To Serve and Save

Each year on June 6th, we commemorate the landings of American and allied troops at Normandy, the massive invasion that heralded the beginning of the end of WWII. It wasn’t just on that day that beached flooded with soldiers. They continued to pour in for weeks to come, then fought their way east, toward Berlin.

By the middle of June much needed hospital units were on the waves, heading in to join the infantry and armor units already taking on German defenders. New Second Lieutenant Katherine Flynn, ‘Kate’ to her pals, slipped over the side of a landing craft into the frigid water and began the slog up to Utah Beach. At 5’3”, Kate was quickly knocked over by a wave, losing sight of the smoking mass of wrecked vehicles and temporary graves spread across the sand ahead. One of her fellow nurses grabbed her by the straps of her backpack and dragged her ashore. Kate looked at the devastation around her and fell to her knees.

Kate Flynn was barely 21 years old.

A Parade to Honor and to Remember

When I was a kid, my hometown held a parade every year on Memorial Day weekend. Like most families, my parents and siblings would watch the parade in the morning and then plant flowers in family plots at the cemetery in the afternoon. A cookout with hot dogs and hamburgers would follow.

The parade was part celebration and part remembrance – in celebration of those who made it home and in solemn remembrance for those who didn’t. We always got there early with our lawn chairs to make sure we had the best spot. I was usually fidgeting. I couldn’t wait to see the soldiers. These veterans were so impressive, stern and tight lipped, arms swinging, never faltering – despite those with gray hair or maybe a limp or empty sleeve. In measured columns and rows they passed by, their rhythm perfect, in cadence and in step with their personal memories of events long past. They followed the flag.

But first, we heard the high school band. Those far away trumpets, heralded the approaching parade. As the American flag proudly waved into view, our older neighbors struggled to their feet, hands on hearts. I can remember hopping up and down beside my Mom, watching my brother in his Army greens march by – ramrod straight, a proud Vietnam Veteran. There were numbers of World War II and Korean War veterans too, all men, still fitting into their uniforms, medals swaying in time to the drumbeat.

Be the Light in the Darkness

“All humans are human. There are no humans more human than others.”

This powerful statement is posted on the wall at the Virginia Holocaust Museum in Richmond. This quote is from Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda following the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. While this amazing museum does an incredible job of telling the story of the six million Jews and others who were murdered by the Nazis in World War II, it also tells the stories of modern examples of genocide, not only Rwanda but also Cambodia, Darfur, Bosnia, and makes its point quite clearly.

We are all human. No better and no worse than any other.

I visited this museum one bright sunny day in July in 2020. The museum, like many others had closed for several months due to the Pandemic. Once it re-opened, I quickly made the trek to Richmond to visit. I wanted to see how Dame Mary Barraco was portrayed in the exhibits.

The Information Apocalypse, Part X: The Road Ahead

The future is replete with opportunities for managing the pace of change, responding to change, and determining how information is protected and revealed. As the pandemic continued to surge, hope that institutions would rise to the moment and show leadership has faded. Just more than one year after COVID-19 took over, trust has gone bankrupt. Recent events including protests against the election outcomes, violence at the U.S. Capitol, and brazen lawlessness have taken a heavy toll on trust. We can restore trust only by rebuilding completely, from the ground up. Our expectations should be high. Trust in business is growing as tech companies are limiting access to their platforms for people, organizations, and bots that spread misinformation. We can reestablish trust in the media by holding information sources and news outlets accountable. Trust in government and NGOs can be rebuilt with what the Edelman Trust Barometer describes as leading with facts and empathy. But it is a steep road ahead.

Stepping out of Line – at the Tip of the Spear

In World War II, over 4,000 women served with the Office of Strategic Services(OSS). Now, 76 years later, they are finally getting their due. On March 8th, the Army Women’s Foundation will honor the Women of the OSS, inducting them, along with other members of the Class of 2021 into the Army Women’s Hall of Fame. This event is held annually in recognition of Women’s History month and also includes a number of scholarship awards. The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held virtually on March 8th, but will be streaming live on the Foundation’s Facebook page.

The OSS, only operational during the War, was the predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Forces, and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research.

Four thousand OSS women worked in every part of the operation, as spies, saboteurs, resistance fighters, leaders, propaganda experts, cryptographers, cartographers, analysts, and experts in recruiting, in communications, preparing news and information for friendly forces and disinformation for enemy forces.

My Weekly Reader

In the fourth grade, my favorite day was Friday. Not just because the weekend was coming but on Fridays we received our very own copies of “My Weekly Reader”. To me, the short, shy kid in the second row, the little newspaper was a total gold mine of intrigue and adventure, packed with great stories and news. The added bonus was the flyer for new books from Scholastic Book Services.

There were so many books in there I wanted to order. I would carefully study all of the descriptions and circle the books I wanted with my pencil. Then, I’d take the catalog home and my Mom would say every time, “There’s just so many you want! Why don’t you just go to the library?” After days of whittling my list, cajoling and pouting, she’d finally give in and allow me to order two. But only two.

Once I graduated from college, I made a decision. I was out of my parents’ house and earning my own money as an adult. That meant I could make my own rules. And rule #1 was this: There are no limits on books!

The Information Apocalypse Part IX: Art Versus Science

The Information Apocalypse has eaten away at the foundations of society – in our institutions, through trust in our professions, and in denigrating respect for the pronouncements of professionals and the opining of experts. We need a new construct for foundational trust and security, one not based on society’s past failures but on the concept of a new standard for interpersonal communication. The act of communication itself can serve to restore social norms and values if communication is built on plain talk, hard facts, and a healthy respect for the truth.

Apart from modern improvements in general communication norms (speed of transmission, access to information, and flattening of hierarchical pathways), one standard for accuracy in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) communications remains constant – the validation of the concepts and approach of science. This process assumes a logical, empirical process of discovery and the assemblage of facts, which leads to the establishment of, findings, results, and interpretation. But even this broad validation of the scientific process is butting heads with institutions, professions, and individuals with bias, preconceptions, and opposing and perhaps contradictory, strong beliefs. Even this bedrock of modern societies is now being questioned at every turn.

THE INFORMATION APOCALYPSE PART IX: ART VERSUS SCIENCE

The Information Apocalypse has eaten away at the foundations of society – in our institutions, through trust in our professions, and in denigrating respect for the pronouncements of professionals and the opining of experts. We need a new construct for foundational trust and security, one not based on society’s past failures but on the concept of a new standard for interpersonal communication. The act of communication itself can serve to restore social norms and values if communication is built on plain talk, hard facts, and a healthy respect for the truth.

Apart from modern improvements in general communication norms (speed of transmission, access to information, and flattening of hierarchical pathways), one standard for accuracy in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) communications remains constant – the validation of the concepts and approach of science. This process assumes a logical, empirical process of discovery and the assemblage of facts, which leads to the establishment of, findings, results, and interpretation. But even this broad validation of the scientific process is butting heads with institutions, professions, and individuals with bias, preconceptions, and opposing and perhaps contradictory, strong beliefs. Even this bedrock of modern societies is now being questioned at every turn.

It Ain’t Over Yet

The 75th anniversary of the end of WWII events took place this past summer and fall. But submerged in the deadly chaos of 2020 – from wildfires to hurricanes to the devastation of Covid 19, they passed by in a whisper. Celebrations were muted. Remembrance ceremonies were held with a handful of attendees, all carefully distanced. Dwindling numbers of aging veterans stayed safe at home.

The dates passed quietly. Our attention is back on today’s news.

But 75 years ago, the war was still raging in hearts and minds of both the winners and the lost. Europe was a smoldering mass of rubble. Hundreds of thousands of people were homeless and hungry. Refugees, displaced persons, criminals and survivors of Hitler’s camps flooded roads, shelters, and military bases looking for any help they could find.

In the U.S., soldiers were still returning home. Troops ships couldn’t get them back fast enough. And in Nuremberg, the trials were just getting underway. In January of 1946, the Anglo American Committee of Inquiry was formed. Ruth Gruber, on behalf of the New York Herald Tribune accompanied the Committee on their fact-finding mission through Germany. Ever a witness to history, she saw first-hand the devastating aftermath of war and sat in on part of the first trial…