Thank a Veteran

Allow me to stray from my normal education and non-profit theme to remind everyone that Monday is Memorial Day, a day set aside to thank those who have served in the military, and please take a moment to say a prayer for those who made the ultimate sacrifice and died in combat. I’ll be remembering two friends of mine from Grays Ferry who were killed in Viet Nam; John Daly and Jackie Donnelly, two guys who died way too young. I’ll also be remembering my dad, and what he and his friends on LCT-540 went through on D-Day as they hit Omaha beach at 0720 hours to deliver combat engineers who were to clear obstacles from the beach before the infantry landed. For their action on D-Day, the 17 member crew of LCT-540 earned a Presidential Unit Citation, the highest decoration given to a military combat unit.

The 540’s citation, signed by James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy reads:
For outstanding performance and distinguished service in combat during the assault on the Coast of Normandy, France, launched June 6, 1944. Rocked by the blasts of German 88-mm. Cannon during the approach, her gun turrets wrecked, fires blazing aboard, her officer-In-Charge killed and eight of her men casualties, the U.S. LCT 540 hit the beach on schedule under the heaviest concentration of enemy fire. In gallant response to the urgency of her task, she operated twenty-four hours a day until June 9, beaching her cargo while still under fire and returning repeatedly to place ashore the equipment, supplies and troops vital to the success and the very life of our assault forces. Crippled but undaunted, the LCT pursued her course unwaveringly despite German-emplaced underwater obstacles and terrific gunfire opposition, supplementing the valor and fortitude of her inexperienced officer and her men by her own steadfastness in the fulfillment of a perilous mission.” Based on conversations and notes from crewman, I’ve chronicled the exploits that day on a blog - http://lct540.blogspot.com/. If you’d like to get a glimpse of what the crewman of US amphibious craft experienced on D-Day, feel free to stop by and visit. You'll find a link on my profile page.

Take a moment to thank the veterans in your life. They helped make it possible.

The Price of Apathy

As I wrote in an earlier blog, I’m a product of the 60’s. I grew up with the Civil Rights movement and the Viet Nam war. Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were killed within weeks of my high school graduation, and I was drafted into the Army during the war. Because my friends and I argued and debated issues like race, the war, society on facts and not rhetoric, I was sure my generation would ultimately fix things. However, the tenor of the political discussion throughout American society over the past few years has me more convinced than ever, that we just screwed it up differently. Unfortunately, I’ve also come to realize that the generation behind us doesn’t seem prepared to fare any better.

There are big decisions being made by our elected representatives in Washington and Harrisburg, decisions that will impact our families and us for years to come; yet few people seem to give a rip. TARP, health care, immigration, the economy and financial reform are dominating the national discussion, while local and state leaders are trying to figure out how to get by financially. Educational funding is being strained as never before, and tough decisions will have to be made. The educational system is critical to our future, but local school districts are being challenged to do more with less. Do you know who your elected leaders are? Do you know where they stand on the issues that are most important to you? Have you checked the facts or are you just repeating spin? Most people eligible to vote answer these questions with a no. Apathy throughout our communities is a major issue. If residents don’t know what’s going on, there is no way they can participate intelligently. If they can’t participate the system is weakened. If we are to grow as a community, we must ask questions, and get involved. At the very least, look into political candidates, get the facts and see who best represents your views. Then vote!

Elected leadership will be making important decisions about you and your family’s future. Shouldn’t you ask them what their views are? We as a society cannot afford to be apathetic. I believe Plato was right when he said, “The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”

Cultural leadership void

Educational reform generally focuses on local school systems because as a “system” it’s easier to impact than either the larger community as a whole or thousands of individual families raising children. But education doesn’t begin when a child enters first grade and doesn’t end after graduation. It’s a long process which begins the day a baby is born, and continues throughout life.

Many parents in our poorer communities, especially those young parents whose education was cut short by the start of their own family, need guidance about what it takes to get ahead. Current cultural leaders refuse to articulate the importance of an education, the role of a strong family and unfortunately, the importance of hard work. Where are the cultural leaders reinforcing that you have to stay in school, that you will always have to be developing additional skills throughout your life, and that you have to spend more time on education than leisure.

Strong community leadership is needed to engage neighbor and friend, to show residents how to take better control of their own destiny by better educating themselves and their children. Cultural leaders are needed to reinforce the importance of speaking proper English if you want to be a success. Young people need to hear from their heroes and idols that searching for your own identity by dressing like a convict is not best way to get that job you’re after. A strong focus on self-determination is sorely needed by those at the bottom of the economic ladder, and unfortunately in today’s politically contentious times, our cultural and political icons don’t seem to willing to provide it. What a shame!

KUDOS to Delco's 2010 Cappies Nominees

The Cappies recognize the accomplishments of theater and journalism efforts of high school students. Kudos to these nominees from Delaware County, their districts and the dedicated teachers who work with them:

Leah DeBenedictis, Springfield, The Laramie Project - Featured Actress
Katherine Ortmeyer, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Featured Actress
Peter Rogers, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Featured Actor
Izzy Fehlandt, Garnet Valley, Grease - Female Dancer
Victoria Janicki, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Female Dancer
Jenna Rogalski, Haverford, Urinetown - Female Dancer
Tristan Horan, Haverford, Urinetown - Male Dancer
Marcel Logan, The Haverford Scool, Damn Yankees - Male Dancer
Megan Smith, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Female Vocalist
Tripp Wickersham, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Male Vocalist
Molly Houlahan, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Comic Actress in a Musical
Bethany Ingraham, Delco Christian, Fiddler on the Roof - Comic Actress in a Musical
Lindsay Ronaldson, Sun Valley, Bye Bye Birdie - Comic Actress in a Musical
Bridget Yingling, Springfield, The Laramie Project - Supporting Actress in a Play
Jesse Brown, Interboro, Rumors - Supporting Actor in a Play
Sean Skahill, Springfield, The Laramie Project - Supporting Actor in a Play
Jo Evans, Delco Christian School, Fiddler on the Roof - Supporting Actress- Musical
Veronica Gottsch, Haverford, Urinetown - Supporting Actress in a Musical
Pat Fedena, Garnet Valley, Grease - Supporting Actor in a Musical
Alex Ramsey, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Supporting Actor in a Musical
Kevin Riddagh, Upper Darby, All Shook Up - Supporting Actor in a Musical
Marissa Gibson, Springfield, The Laramie Project - Lead Actress in a Play
James Cella, Springfield, The Laramie Project - Lead Actor in a Play
Sasha Dubyk, Delco Christianl, Fiddler on the Roof - Lead Actress in a Musical
Devin Lloyd, Haverford, Urinetown - Lead Actress in a Musical
Joe Cilio, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Lead Actor in a Musical
Greg Clark, Ridley, Grease - Lead Actor in a Musical
Isaac Skinner, Delco Christian, Fiddler on the Roof - Lead Actor in a Musical
Mark Watter, Haverford, Urinetown - Lead Actor in a Musical
"Mother Doesn't Matter Anymore," Sun Valley, Bye Bye Birdie - Song
"Those Magic Changes," Ridley, Grease - Song
"The Game," The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Song
"Run, Freedom, Run," Haverford, Urinetown - Song
The Laramie Project, Springfield - Play
Fiddler on the Roof, Delco Christian - Musical
Urinetown, Haverford - Musical
Damn Yankees, The Haverford School - Musical
Stephan Botes, Max Dubyk, Delco Christian, Fiddler on the Roof - Sound
Cole Gamber, Upper Darby, All Shook Up- Sound
Delco Christian, Fiddler on the Roof - Sets
Delco Christian, Fiddler on the Roof - Makeup
Nicole Giaffes, Upper Darby High School, All Shook Up - Props & Effects
Art Stretton, Ridley, Grease- Stage Crew
Drew Warden, Will Rockafellow, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Stage Crew
Upper Darby Orchestra, Upper Darby, All Shook Up- Orchestra
Urinetown Orchestra, Haverford, Urinetown - Orchestra
Grease Pit Orchestra, Garnet Valley, Grease - Orchestra
Ridley High School Pit Orchestra, Ridley, Grease - Orchestra
Morgan Perry, Brittany Burgis, Molly Cannon, Garnet Valley, Grease - Choreography
Mike Pacifico, Musicianship, Garnet Valley, Grease - Creativity
Sean Skahill, Arrangement, Springfield, The Laramie Project - Creativity
Russian Bottle Dancers, Delco Christian, Fiddler on the Roof - Ensemble in a Musical
The Poor, Haverford High School, Urinetown - Ensemble in a Musical
The Washington Senators, The Haverford School, Damn Yankees - Ensemble in a Musical
James Cella, Springfield - Underclass Male Critic
Tim Wright, Upper Darby - Underclass Male Critic
Allison Jenkins, Interboro - Senior Female Critic
Chelsea Ryan, Upper Darby - Senior Female Critic
Kristen Richers, Springfield - Senior Female Critic
Alicia Tomkowich, Haverford - Senior Female Critic
Isaac Skinner, Delco Christian - Senior Male Critic
Springfield - Critic Team
Upper Darby - Critic Team

Quotes on the Importance of Education

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” Aristotle

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Abraham Lincoln

“The man who can make hard things easy is the educator”. Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Give me the children until they are seven and anyone may have them afterward.” St. Francis Xavier

“He who opens a school door, closes a prison.” Victor Hugo

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Alvin Toffler

“Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” Thomas Jefferson

Question Authority

Tomorrow is the 40th Anniversary of the shootings at Kent State University. On May 4, 1970 the Ohio National Guard opened fire into a crowd of students protesting the Viet Nam War and specifically the US invasion of Cambodia which President Nixon had announced a few days earlier. A total of 67 shots were fired in 13 seconds. Four students: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, William Schroeder, and Sandra Scheuer were killed. Nine students were wounded.

I, along with all of my friends, was shocked that American servicemen would be ordered to fire into a crowd of students who were peacefully protesting government action. We were horrified to think that the servicemen would obey the orders. Many of us questioned our political leadership’s (both Democrat and Republican) decision to continue and escalate the war, but having the government use deadly force to end peaceful protest was unacceptable. For many of us it was a life changing experience. For me, it meant I couldn’t just go back to class, and pretend the world had not changed. I had to get involved. My public service career began a few days later, when I left my studies at Penn and joined the Philadelphia Police force, where I was assigned as a patrolman to the 18th District at 55th & Pine. I wanted to make a difference… to be a part of the solution. My time on the police force didn’t provide the chance for impact that I was looking for, but that’s another story.

The shootings at Kent State left me with a life-long cynicism about community leadership, either politically elected or appointed to head a non-profit. Just because someone has been chosen, doesn’t mean they are infallible, and being a member of a particular party, doesn’t mean they are always right or wrong. I believe Ben Franklin said it best… "It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority." Forty years ago I realized Ben had it right!