How about a thread where we talk about every day heroes - civilians who had put their lives on the line because of a sense of duty or 'greater love hath no person than…"
Please no mockers in this thread who would joke about people’s sacrifices, or willingness to sacrifice themselves…
I’m just now reading up on the St. Francis dam disaster of 1928.
The dam gave way and a 100-foot high wall of water started engulfing towns down below.
At least 2 women phone operators, who were in offices in the path of the wall of water, stayed at their posts, not knowing how high the water would be when it got to them, and called everyone in lower lying towns warning them to leave.
(There’s not a lot of info on the two women but at least one author stated that they were in the water’s path and wouldn’t know how high it would be when it reached them.)
Then there were two motorcycle cops who also warned people. Not civilians so technically they should be in a different thread rather than one about civilian heroes but I’ll mention them anyway. Thornton Edwards and Stanley Baker criss-crossed one of the towns in the path on their motorcyles, sirens blaring, warning everyone who came out of their houses to warn others and then leave themselves. Edwards was finally engulfed but only by a wave about 3 feet high and managed to survive. The two motorcycle cops are credited with saving thousands of lives.
This amazing, largely unsung hero was relegated to Mess Attendant by the U S Navy as black peoples during that time were regarded as having marginal intelligence.
He was not permitted to learn use of the ship’s equipment. He was treated like garbage, yet carried his Commanding Officer to safety during attack and managed to fire the ship’s artillery at the enemy Japanese.
But actually his bravery has been showcased in the last 10 years…I knew about him prior to Janet Miller sharing this info…though if you ask me how I knew…
(I knew about him before the news of the naming of the aircraft carrier)
From the article, I found this sentence annoying
He is a hero nearly forgotten because of the widespread active suppression of the heroic actions of African Americans throughout World War II.
How many WWII heroes are remembered today? It’s got nothing to do with race.
The Tuskegee Airmen have been celebrated for at least 20 years.
The story of Doris Miller has been told for many years, too.
They may not have gotten the recognition they deserved at the time, any more than the Code Talkers did, but since at least the 1990s their stories have been told.
we have a monument to every day “Heroes” in Canada.
on Parliament hill there is a sole statue that isn’t a Monarch or Politician, Its a statue of Sir Galahad and its in remembrance of a every day no buddy civil servant that worked for the department of labor.
during the winter of 1901 he jumped into the Ottawa river to save a drowning girl, sadly the both died. but his heroism will forever be enshrined in Canadian history.
I find the Canadian war memorial in Parliament to be quite a breathtaking room.
it sit in the Peace Tower the main building, it houses the “Book of the dead” which are a series of book that list every single known solider to die in service of Canada, the page are turned by one every day.
The floor is constructed with stone from across the global were Canadian have served.
