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MARCH 24, 2010

AMERICA’S CLASSIC BALLPARKS

FENWAY PARK

BON JOVITAKES SERVICE ON TOUR

THE WASPSOF WWII

AMERICANPATRIOT

THE WASPSOF WWII

46

BON JOVITAKES SERVICE ON TOUR

8AMERICA’S CLASSIC BALPARKSFENWAY PARK

Contents

10 SCENIC AND HISTORICSAN DIEGO

14

THE LEGACY OFGEORGE

WASHINGTONCARVER

12

THIS WEEK INAMERICAN HISTORY

QUOTE OF THE WEEK 15

4 AMERICAN PATRIOT

THE WASPS OF WWIINancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, JohnBoehner andMitchMcConnellhosted a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony this earliermonth to honor the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WorldWar II, known affectionately as the WASP. It was a long over-due ceremony of recognition for these unsung heroes, longdenied official recognition for their courage and patriotism.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 5

The WASP was a pioneering organization of

civilian female pilots employed to fly military

aircraft under the direction of the United States

Army Air Forces during the war. The group of

1,102 female civilians flew more than 60 mil-

lion miles in 78 different types of aircraft, from

the smallest trainers to the fastest fighters and

the largest bombers. They undertook every type

of mission except combat; thirty eight died in

service. Their job was to ferry aircraft from fac-

tories to air bases throughout the U.S., and to

tow targets for antiaircraft gunnery training.

Despite their outward appearance as official

members of the U.S. Army Air Forces, the WASP

were actually considered civil servants during

the war. In spite of a highly publicized attempt

to militarize them in 1944, the women pilots

were not granted veteran status until 1977. When

a WASP was killed the women pilots received

no formal recognition, no honors, no gold star

in the window, and no American flag on their

coffin. Fellow pilots contributed money to help

bring the body and belongings home.

When the WASP were unceremoniously deac-

tivated in December 1944, five months before

the end of the war, they never received the mil-

itary status they were promised, even though

many of them were sent to officers training

school. Even today the WASP can only be buried

at Arlington National Cemetery as enlisted mem-

bers of the military, not with officers’ honors.

Finally, these intrepid women have been honored

for their heroic service.

SEE THE PHOTO GALLERY AT THENATIONAL WASP WWII MUSEUM

6 AMERICAN PATRIOT

BON JOVITAKES ‘SERVICE’ ON TOUR

Jon Bon Jovi, in collaboration with the Corporation for National and Community

Service, will be the first artist to take President Obama's UnitedWe Serve initia-

tive to a mass audience: He is bringing themesssage of service out on the road

during the band's “The CircleWorld Tour.” A fewweeks ago, at a sold out Staples

Center inWashingtonDC,BonJovi debutedaconcert videobeforeasold-out arena.

In the video, whichwill be shown at each venue on the tour, Bon Jovimakes a call

to service tomillions of fans. He also headlined a 60-second television PSA that

includes images of President and First Lady Michelle Obama serving, and will

be distributed nationally to broadcast stations and used in online promotions.

Bon Jovi, a longtime service advocate and phi-lanthropist, calls on Americans in the concertvideo and PSA to use their energy and passionto help tackle our nation's challenges. As anindividual who focuses his efforts on issuessurrounding homelessness, Bon Jovi's highlightswhat he calls the “power of we.” The video andPSA intersperse music from some of Bon Jovi'shit songs with a direct call to service.

“Just as Jon Bon Jovi's music moves millionsaround the world, his dedication to service willinspire even more to make a difference in theirown communities,” said Patrick Corvington, theCorporation's Chief Executive Officer. “This part-nership is an amazing opportunity to encouragepeople from every corner of this country to takeaction and do their part to help those in need.”The Corporation is a federal agency that engagesmore than five million Americans in servicethrough its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learnand Serve America programs.

This is the first-ever collaboration of this scalebetween the Corporation and a musical artist.At the Corporation's 2009 National Conferenceon Volunteering and Service, Bon Jovi and FirstLady Michelle Obama launched the initiativewith the Entertainment Industry Foundationbefore the largest gathering of volunteer andservice leaders from nonprofit, government andcorporate sectors. In addition to the concertvideo, local volunteers with non-profit organi-zations and members of the Corporation's serviceprograms will distribute information about theUnited We Serve initiative and Bon Jovi's SoulFoundation at booths inside concert venues in

select cities. The volunteers will discuss howconcertgoers can engage in service and findvolunteer opportunities in their local community.

President Obama has made service a centralcause of his administration, and more than fivemillion Americans have volunteered with theCorporation in 2009, a 25 percent increaseover the previous year.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 7

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO AND PSA

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CORPORATIONFOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

http://www.americanpatriotdigital.com/node/303

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AMERICA’SCLASSIC BALLPARKSFENWAY PARK

AMERICAN PATRIOT 9

Last year, over 3 million people attended a game

at Fenway Park. Despite being a relatively small

and old fashioned park, with few amenities,

essentially no parking, and in a part of town

impossible to get through or into on game day,

Fenway Park remains a perennial attendance

leader. One of two original stadiums still standing

(Wrigley Field being the other), Fenway is a

simpler, purer, and more satisfying place to see

a baseball game. Its record 500th straight sell-

out was recorded in 2009; its partisans span

all classes and status of Bostonians.

Opened in 1912 and constructed for a cost of

$650,000, Fenway Park was built on filled-in

marshland locally knows as the “Fens”. The

construction, lasting one year, produced a sta-

dium as outwardly humble as the industrial

neighborhood that surrounds it. The field itself

is well representative of early ballparks; the

playing-surface dimensions are oddball and

angular, many seats are situated behind steel

columns, the field appears close and intimate

to spectators. The famous “Green Monster”, the

left field wall that measures 37 feet in height

and is a favorite target of home run hitters, is

the parks' signature touch. Seats above the

Monster were added in 2003 and are highly

sought-after.

Fenway Park has played host to some of base-

ball’s truly historic moments. There were the

1946 and 1999 all star games, the 1976 Carlton

Fisk “wave off” home run, World Series games

in 11 of its seasons. Still, it was a history of

heartbreak that defined Fenway for 86 long years.

From 1918, the year Babe Ruth was traded,

the “Curse of the Bambino” hovered over the

Red Sox. The curse came to define Red Sox

fandom, as casual fans became diehard suf-

ferers. In 2004, the Red Sox beat the hated

New York Yankees for the American League

Title, and defeated the St. Louis Cardinals for

a long awaited championship.

A trip to Fenway is an almost religious pilgrim-

age for the devout baseball fan. Immortalized in

numerous films, attended by millions, and occa-

sionally the center of political controversy, Fenway

will remain the capital of the national pastime.

PLAN YOUR NEXT VISIT TOFENWAY PARK HERE

Twoweeks before the 2010 special senatorial election inMassachusetts, theBoston

Globe asked Martha Coakley, the frontrunner by 15 points, if she had grown too

passive in her campaign. “As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold?

Shaking hands?” was her response. Twoweeks later, Coakley had lost the election

after a stunning freefall, and was accused of elitism. It was the reckoning of a

truth known to Massachusetts politicians: The Red Sox are first in the hearts of

Bostonians, and don't say anything bad about Fenway.

10 AMERICAN PATRIOT

SCENIC AND HISTORICSAN DIEGOCalifornians have a few things in common: They tend toexercise too much, eat well, own jeeps and dogs withhandkerchiefs tied around their necks. They pay toomuchin taxes, dislike the Governor and can order fluently inSpanish. And deep down, they all want to live in SanDiego.

AMERICAN PATRIOT 11

To know San Diego is to love it: it has the nicest weather,the friendliest people, and the longest history of theall California cities. Although not the most populous,its citizens are the most diverse and the city boastsover 100 distinct neighborhoods. Uniquely, San DiegoCounty is built upon mesas, elevated land masses withflat tops; city development takes place on the tops,nature preserves and parkland inhabit the canyons.Such a distinct urban landscape allows for a wealth ofopen space for hiking and recreation.

A city whose growth has been driven by the presenceof the Navy, and modernized by the biotech and com-munication industries, San Diego is prosperous andwell-developed. A visit to the area requires carefulplanning since there’s so much to do.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS:BALBOA PARKProtected since 1835, Balboa Park is one of the oldestrecreational parks in the country. It is home to severalcultural museums and notable architecture. Gardens arenumerous and world-class, as are the performance spaces,one modeled after Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

SAN DIEGO ZOOOne of the world’s largest, the San Diego Zoo boasts over

4000 animals belonging to over 800 species. A modern,

forward thinking institution, the zoo pioneered “cageless”

exhibits and most of its major exhibits are in open air.

USS MIDWAY NAVAL MUSEUMDecommissioned and docked in 1992, the USS Midway

aircraft carrier is one of San Diego's most popular tourist

stops. Visitors tour the ship's bridge, flight deck, hangar

deck, mess deck, flight control, tactical flag command

center, quarters, sickbay, and engine room: “from boiler

to bridge.” Restored aircraft are frequently displayed.

SEAWORLD SAN DIEGOAmerica's first and best known aquatictheme park, SeaWorld has been enter-taining patrons since 1964.

MISSION SAN DIEGO DE ALCALAA preservation of the first Franciscanmission in New Spain, founded 1769.

LEARN MORE ABOUTTHE MIDWAY MUSEUM

12 AMERICAN PATRIOT

THE LEGACY OFGEORGEWASHINGTONCARVER

Carver was the son of a slave woman owned by

Moses Carver. Frail and sick, the orphaned child

remained in his former master’s home after the

Civil War and was nursed back to health. He

left at the age of 12 to seek an education, de-

veloped a deep interest in plants, and got a

fragmentary education while wandering and

doing odd jobs. In his late 20s, he finally earned

a high school education, and ultimately college

and graduate degrees from Iowa State University.

Carver joined Tuskegee Normal and Industrial

Institute in 1896 to direct the agriculture de-

partment. The school was headed by noted black

educator Booker T. Washington. At Tuskegee,

Carver devoted his time to research projects

aimed at helping Southern agriculture diversify.

At this time, Southern agriculture was in serious

trouble because of the single-crop domination

of cotton, which was vulnerable to disease and

was exhausting the soil.

Carver urged Southern farmers to plant peanuts

and soybeans, which restore nitrogen to the

soil while providing protein to the poor of the

region. Carver then set about enlarging the com-

mercial possibilities of the peanut and sweet

potato through a clever program of laboratory

research at Tuskegee. Over his lifetime, he de-

veloped 300 derivative products from peanuts

and more than 100 from sweet potatoes. By

1940, the peanut was the second cash crop,

after cotton, in the South, and among the top

six nationwide.

Late in his career, he received many honors,

including visits from Calvin Coolidge, Franklin

Roosevelt, Henry Ford and Mohandas K. Gandhi.

He also donated his life savings to create the

Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee for

continuing research in agriculture. Despite these

achievements, he was often criticized by African

American groups for being too conciliatory to

the harsh racial policies of the South and by

scientists for being more of a chemist and cook

than a true scientific mind. Most historians

generally emphasize how his inventions and

insights helped millions of people.

An American agricultural scientist, GeorgeWashington Carver helpedrevolutionize agriculture in the South through the development of newproducts derived from peanuts, sweet potatoes, and soybeans. Bornduring the Civil War as a slave, he lived until World War II, he helpfree Southern agriculture from the single-crop tyranny of cotton.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A PHOTOALBUM OF CARVER’S LIFE

QUOTE OFTHE WEEK

“The most important political officeis that of the private citizen.”

— LOUIS BRANDEISLAWYER, ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL CAUSES, U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICEFROM 1916 TO 1939, AND THE FIRST JUSTICE OF THE JEWISH FAITH

14 AMERICAN PATRIOT

THIS WEEK INAMERICAN HISTORY

AMERICAN PATRIOT 15

2003.The U.S. launched an attack against Saddam Hussein,kicking off what has become known as the Iraq War. Saddam’sregime fell 21 days later, but the war continues to this day.

Itonlytakesa

moment.Make a difference in the lives of the men and women who protect our freedom.

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