The Paper • Page 8 • June 2, 2016
Tom Morrow Cont. from Page 7
witch-hunt McCarthy and others conducted against homosexuals." With the highlypublicized “Army-McCarthy” hearings of 1954, and following the suicide of Wyoming Senator Lester C. Hunt that same year, McCarthy's support and popularity faded. His bogus crusade became unraveled with fierce questioning of McCarthy by newscaster Edward R. Murrow via live television.
Social Butterfly Cont. from Page 7
Day is usually when special awards and rituals are given, in addition to installation of officers for the new year. If you are interested in belonging to a special organization and make many new friends, call Joan at 760.743.5181.
Above left, Evelyn Madison, right, Barbara Gonzalez.
On Dec. 2, 1954, the Senate voted to censure Senator McCarthy by a vote of 67-22, making him one of the few senators ever to be disciplined in this fashion.
McCarthy died at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland on May 2, 1957, at the age of 48. The official cause of death was acute hepatitis, but it is widely accepted that this was caused, or exacerbated by, alcoholism. For the hundreds of Federal officials who lived through those uncertain times, it was one of the nation’s saddest periods because of McCarthy’s false rumors and unfounded accusations. Hundreds of lives and careers were ruined by “Tailgunner Joe.”
The Perfect Gift anytime of year A Subscription to The Paper (760) 747-7119
Subscribe to The Paper! Call 760.747.7119
Some Post Memorial Day Thoughts by Paul Van Middlesworth
Editor’s Note: I have a good friend and long time client, Paul Van Middlesworth. He and his wife, Nome, own The Computer Factory. Each week, Paul runs a column in The Paper. He's done this for most of the 16+ years we've owned The Paper.
On May 28, 2013. Paul wrote a column I thought was particularly noteworthy and, in my opinion, spot-on. I like it so much I saved a copy of it. It totally reflects my views as well. I thought it wise to share it with you. I have a hunch, most of us agree with Paul's point of view . . . we just aren't sufficiently eloquent to state it so well: Remembering
The feature article in last weeks “The Paper” made the point that WWII was an event on a scale never before or since experienced in human history. No work of mankind has ever approached in sheer magnitude
that of the War between 1938 and 1945. The sixty million dead, the vast destruction and waste of resources are incomprehensible.
America’s subsequent conflicts pale in comparison. President Harry Truman called the Korean War a “police action.” Viet Nam was called the 5% war because of its minimal impact on the American economy. In the seventy-two hour battle for the tiny Pacific island of Tarawa, six thousand Marines died. That is more combat deaths than America has experience in the total of all conflicts after Viet Nam including the Beirut barracks, Grenada, Panama, The Gulf War, Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
So what’s the Point? There are two. First, to a soldier and his/her family there is no such thing as a “small war.” Combat is a personal experience and the tragic death of a loved one is not enhanced or diminished by the size of the conflict or the number of casualties. All veterans who lose their lives in service to this country are heroes and deserve equal honor and recognition. That’s what
L-R, Sue Bettenga, Marlene Joehnk, and Candace Doherty,
DAR Presents Awards - Linda Ramos, Regent of the Santa Margarita Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, presented Cadet Cpl Kimberly Lopez of Oceanside High School and Cadet LCpl Christa Farmer of El Camino High School with the DAR JROTC medal, certificate, and monetary award at the schools’ final awards ceremony. Recipients are selected by the school based upon demonstrated loyalty and patriotism, military and scholastic achievement during their participation in the JROTC program. Visit www.santamargarita.californiadar.org.
Memorial Day is about.
The second point is that the WW II generation is rightly called “America’s Greatest Generation.” It is fitting and proper that between Memorial Day and D-Day we pause to pay special tribute to this entire generation, not just those who died in the combat but also those civilian men and women no longer living who served us so well in war and in peace and for those of that generation living today who serve to remind us of the sacrifices they made to protect our freedom.
The desperation and grinding poverty of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression seared into their generation a gritty toughness, a survival instinct and strength of character that made America invincible in war. The sons of the depression went overseas to fight for freedom and the rest of the nation united to support them at home. Women of all ages went to work in factories to replace the men who went to fight. We recycled tin cans and bacon grease, darkened our homes, rationed fuel, food and clothing and did without luxuries like sugar, nylons and coffee. The
Social Butterfly Cont. on Page 10
entire nation willingly united behind the war effort. There were no peace demonstrations, sit-ins or flag burnings.
The generation that united in war, then united in peace. The soldiers who lived the horrors of trench warfare, suicide attacks and death camps came home to build the greatest nation on Earth. Those of us lucky enough to have grown up in post-war America as sons and daughters of “The Greatest Generation” knew a “golden age” in America that may never be matched. All veterans deserve our respect and recognition but it was more than veterans that created that “Greatest Generation.” The hardships of the times and the horror of war created an entire generation with renewed appreciation for freedom and gratitude for the blessings of America. Our parents along with most of the “The Greatest Generation” are gone now and those that remain are eighty or older.
Post Memorial Day Thoughts Cont. on Page 11