From: "Kim" on Tues 31 May 2005 12:07

I don't think you're the slightest bit interested in whether you are
alienating me or not, Hans. So, your feeble attempt to reconcile the angst
of your original response to mine is lost, since I'm sure you're more
interested in the fact that Dee (someone who you are probably more inclined
to want to pat on the head) aligned herself along the lines of what I was
thinking.

...

Well said, Kim. There's a strong undertone (perhaps "undertow")
of unwanted machismo present in this group of "mighty warriors."

In the morning edition of the Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2005,
was the story of Marie Michell Robinson, a 20 year old WASP
(Womens Air force Service Pilots) who died in the October 1944
crash of a B-25 twin-engine bomber she was co-piloting in the
Mojave Desert region of California.

WASPs were not military members but neither were they exactly
ciivlians. They earned a base pay of $250 a month but had to
pay all of the meal and lodging costs out of that (even if
stationed at military bases) and had to pay for their own
uniforms. Marie had been married just two weeks to Major
Hampton Robinson, an Army medical doctor.

The crash site was re-found by a trio of amateur aviation
"archaeologists" in southern California who had (on their own
time) searched for over a year to relocate the crash site.
The trio found it in early May. While Marie's body had been
recovered over a half century before, the trio uncovered her
personal belongings: A wedding band, bracelet (with name and
wings emblem), a WASP pin, nail file, and a wris****ch whose
hands had stopped at 1:40 PM, the time of the crash. Personal
items of the other two crew members were recovered and all are
being returned to their surviving family members.

WASPs were not given veterans' status until 1979.

Source: LA Times, 30 May 2005, Valley Edition, Section B,
page 1, written by H. G. Resa, Times Staff Writer; includes
photos of personal articles and one of the amateur aviation
archaeologists.


In addition, no matter what the "original" Memorial Day was intended for.
We've come a long way in this country. As you mention, there are days
specifically angled at the military (Veterans Day, Armed Forces Day) wherein
it may be more appropriate to remember "just" our military heroes.

During World War II the WASPs weren't military, weren't civilian,
yet they served the nation by giving up their time to aid the
war effort. Some gave everything: 38 WASPs died in that service.
They were not acknowledged as "veterans" by the U.S.
government until 25 years later.

This country is a bit late on following-through about "coming a
long way" but it just barely manages to keep up. Three civilians,
on their own voluntary time and not members of the military or
government, relocated the crash site and uncovered personal
belongings, found and notified remaining family members. They
honored the true spirit of Memorial Day.

Several individuals in here do NOT keep up and they pervert the
meaning of Memorial Day to serve their own egos. Most of those
were not even born when World War II ended...yet they seem to
demand strict adherence to Their "Rules" of memorialism. Some
have rather insane definitions of honoring the fallen such as
remembrance and honor being classified as a "dishonor."

All that in a newgroup supposedly about policies in a HOBBY
radio activity. Tsk.



ex-RA16408336, U.S. Army 1952-1960, Signal Corps, Sgt (E=5)