engine of souls | forum 2

2/4. Not finished.

4. Fly Girls The Womens Air Force Service Pilots

Hello,
For my hero I chose my mother Jackie Cochran. I chose my mother because she is an inspiration to me and many other girls. She is my hero because she won the Transcontinental Bendix Race taking first place, but also the first to finish it on one gallon of gas. She won the Harmon Trophy twice, and broke many women records. But anyone with a strong heart could accomplish those with the right plane. The reason she is my hero is because when she was my age, she had no shoes, slept on a pallet on the floor, and was deprived of good clothing. She came into the world under these circumstances, but would soon become one of the countries top women pilots. She even sent a message to my second favorite person in the world - First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt- urging her to help push for a woman branch in the U.S. Air force. After studying the British use of female pilots and programs, the Womens Air force Service Pilots (WASPs).

They became effective fighters; however, the program was ended by Congress. Shes my hero, because even after the cancelation, she returned home she was able to be the first woman to break the sound barrier, and make a speed record for propeller planes. Shes my hero because she fought to the end even requesting a sword be put in her grave to fight her way out of hell. My mother died August 9 1980. She inspired me and is my hero because she kept on pushing the envelope outdoing herself every time even when limited. She makes me want to do more, and not follow what all other women do, as beauticians and nurses. I want to follow my mother and break her records so that women can be part of the military. She is my hero because she built the staircase for me to climb.

7. Enigma Decoding NAZI Secrets
Thank you very much for this honorary award.

Looking back at the work we did under Ultra, I sometimes wonder how important such a program was. I now realize that the program helped end the war years before it may have, had the program never existed. The program itself wasnt started at the beginning of World War II as many think. Almost all British funding on cryptology went to the Government Code and Cipher School during the early 1920s. Bletchely Park or Station X as it was later called grew exponentially. By the time the war needed German, Italian, and Japanese codes broken, we were already established in decryption and were secretly working at it. Enigmas coding was very intelligent. Instead of following the normal guidelines of ciphers, it was able to get around much of them, so that we couldnt follow normal protocol to decipher them.

We were able to break the code because of several reasons. Before the Germans even started using their new code, they commenced with trials over radio waves. The Germans had to first try and figure out if their new code worked so they would practice it over the radio, and wed catch it, giving us early exposure to Enigmas coding complexity. We began work breaking the code even before the system was openly used. Then throughout the war, we would always look for kiss messages. Two messages that were very similar and could be both used to decipher the other. Similar texts, and codes and to different places helped us assume what the general idea of the message would be. We also used salutations to help break the code. Usually a message would begin with An die Gruppe which means To the group. Using this general knowledge and understanding we were able to use it to guide us and break the code. Once effectively broken, code breakers like myself would be drenched with work and codes to break. Almost every single code we got had to be broken within the day. We had to sometimes break 22 codes simultaneously. The most significant codes broken that I can think of in relation to the war effort would have had to be codes that helped us fight in the Battle of the Atlantic. Code breakers were better able to understand German battle tactics to prolong the fight for eventual Allied victory. As allies bombed more cities Germany relied more on encryption; encryption that we could break and thereby receiving more information.

Aside from aiding us in some of the largest and longest battles of the Second World War, breaking the code helped us fight in France and finally end the Third Reich. Through all this, I believe now, more than ever, that my work there in Station X was more valuable than if I had picked up a gun and fought. Breaking this single kind of cipher from this widely used machine was clearly one of the major contributions to the Allied Powers victory. Thank you.

4.  For my hero, I chose my mother Cornelia Fort. She died doing what she loved best, and she was doing it for her country. She spent much time training soldiers and sailors to be pilots and spent much time flying planes from factories to bases so that male pilots wouldn't have to do it and could be out fighting instead. My mother loved flying planes more than anything and died at the age of 24 becuase of a mistake made by a male pilot. Even so, she received no military recognition and they didnt even pay for her burial. At the end of the war, they did name a park after her by our family farm, but I believe she deserved more recognition then that. The engraving at the park reads "I am grateful that my one talent, flying, was  useful to my country" and I feel that really shows her dedication. I hope that one day I will find my self doing what I love for a living with dedication that matches my mothers.


8. While the prison at Colditz Castle may seem like it would be impossible to escape, over 300 prisoners have in fact escaped, and 30 of them made it to safety. There were several flaws in prison security that we should recognise and learn from. First off, many escape attempts were made while the prisoners where being taken for there walk through the park. For this reason, we have to make sure that all the prisoners are being carefully watched for the whole walk, which can probably be done best by setting a few guards away from the group so they can watch the prisoners from afar. Another problem was that all the guards were either inexperianced privates, or old veterans. This caused a problem becuase the privates didn't feel right ordering around officers, even though they were enemy prisoners. To avoid this kind of problem, we need to keep a variety in guards. Officers to give orders and low ranked soldiers to obey. Lastly, cells and other parts of the prison were mostly likely not searched thouroughly enough. Prisoners were able to forge documents, create keys, receive news via hidden radios, and even create a plane in the attic. To avoid this, we must simply have regular cell searches and patrols. With these few improvements, our prison will be greatly improved over the German's.

-- Edited by Ethan M on Thursday 23rd of April 2009 10:02:57 PM

-- Edited by Ethan M on Thursday 23rd of April 2009 10:03:42 PM

MAX MONTILLE

4/26/09

C PERIOD

 

 

                    Assignment #10: World War II (Vacation)

 

 

4. Fly Girls The Womens Air Force Service Pilots

 

Fore my hero I chose Bessie Coleman. The reason why I chose my mother is because she inspires me and every African-American female in the United States to believe in them selfs. My mother grew up poor, but that didnt stop her from her dreams it actually help her in a way. Her being poor help her to chase her dreams more. It was those soldiers returning from World War one who first interested my mother to aviation. Theres was a lot of discrimination in the U.S., but my mother wanted to be a fly girl so much that she learned French and travel to France to go to aviation school. You dont have to be rich to reach your dream, thats what my mother left me, because of her accomplishments theres a lot of African-American female aviators. My mothers dream will inspire young girls generations to come. 

 

 

5. Japanese Internment - Children of the Camps

 

1.) Dear Dad

Life in these camps is not good at all, dad. Kids are dieing of sickness, one of my friends father was shot supposedly being a spy for the Japanese. Five children died today, they mostly died from starvation. Soldiers surround the camps twenty four seven, day and night, they act like we are the enemies, but we are not.

 

2.) Dear Dad

Mother almost got shot, because spoke back to a soldier. Every day I feel like its hell on earth, I still dont know why they doing this to us. Two more people died today, people died so much that I stop counting.

 

 

3.) Dear Dad

All of us are dieing from poor health, they dont feed us every day. The longer I stay in here, the more I feel like Im going to die. Mom died yesterday, she got really sick like every one in this camp.

 

 

4.) Dear Dad

Every morning I feel like Im weaker. I feel like I cant stay in this place any longer, because every one that I know is dieing. Two girls got into a fight today, over food. I think every one is going crazy, even me.

 

5.) Dear Dad

I woke up this morning with a huge fever. Theres no medicine to treat us. I think America forgot about the Japanese people. One by one all of us are going to die unless they help us.

 

 

      8. NAZI Prison Escape

       

Our prison systems have so many flaws that so many prisoners escape about 130 during the course of the war, but only 30 got clean away. There are three things we can do to improve our prison. 1.) Most of the prisoners escapes threw the headquarters, prison store, and bridge entrance. We need more guards protecting those areas, mostly at night time. 2.) Our prison has more guards then prisoners, why so much prisoners escaping, the reason is that some guards are being paid under the table. We need tougher prison guards. 3.) We need to put fear into the prisoners, because if a prisoner tried to escape we should cut one of there fingers off, we should use torture as a second option.

 

 

10.) They Drew Fire Combat Artists of World War II

 

 1. ( Crossing the Voltura)   this picture express how hard it is to be at war, the three men in the picture seem sad in tired. Each soldier in this picture seem like they havent slept or eaten anything in a past few days.

2. (Dead Japanese Soldiers)    during the world war two a lot of Japanese were put into camps and they thought a lot of them were spies. This picture shows how the Japanese soldiers were so dedicated that they fought till the end.

  3. (First Aid to the Fallen)    This is a great picture, it show even at battle a lot of soldiers stop to help the wounded.

 4. (Three Dead Chinese Soldiers)  this picture is a little weird, because I dont know if they were killed and now they are being buried in the hole or they were killed in the hole. Wonderful pictures, its one of those pictures that makes you think.

 5. (Taking Cover  this picture shows how a soldier taking cover, because the enemy is dropping bombs or shooting. He seems scared, because his life is in danger.     

 6.  (Soldiers on Patrol    The soldiers in this picture look like there are scared, because at any time an enemy can attack them. I like how it shows there are more soldiers in the back round.

 7. (Bone Pile at Cassino)   this picture is a great example about war, innocent people always die first. The pile of bones seem like there are in a burn down house.

8. (up Periscope)   this is a great picture because is shows how they are working and how not even one man not working, I think the artist wanted us to see that you need every one to work to keep a submarine working fine.

 9. (Buchenwald) the guys in this picture seem like they are pows, they look mad and depress. They look like they havent been fed for a while. It shows how hard it is to be a prisoner of war.

10.  (On Deck)   this is a peaceful picture, because it shows every one on deck relaxing them self and look at the other Navy ships.

11. (Dead Civilians) this is another example that innocent people always die first. It shows a father and his daughter and wife all died because of war.

12. (Nature Calls)    it show how a soldier is taking a time out and thinking about something. The expression on his face seems mad, he might be mad about some thing that happened during the war.

 13. (Squadron Leader)    this pictures show a squadron leader thinking and taking a smoke break. He looks like he thinking about what he going to do next.

14. (Execution)   the soldier in this picture is going to be executed, he look like hes in a lots of pain, they might have tortured him a lot before he got executed.

15. (Pill Call)    this is another example about war, it show a long line of soldiers waiting for there pills, each soldier look like there are sick from something.

16. (Night Duty)    this look like a hospital, it shows long rows of beds and this soldier have to go to every bed to see if the soldier is still a live.

17. (End of a Busy Day)    this picture show two soldier man cleaning blood off the litters, the soldiers dont seem like they like the job.

18. (Idle Hour Park - detail)   this is a wonderful picture because it shows the soldiers taking a break and hanging out with there female friends.

19. (Boxing Match)   this is a great picture because it shows that every one needs a break to watch a boxing match.

 20. (Redhead Picking Flowers)    this show the peaceful side of war, the soldier picking flows and in the back round his ride is broken.

 

After seeing all of those pictures I thing it will be a bad thing if we dont let this program go on. These painting are great for us and our children to come, with these pictures we can learn a lot about the war. With these pictures it can help prevent us from going to war again because we want the new generation to grow up seeing these pictures for them not to go to war, these pictures shows the true colors of war.

 

 

 

 

 

4.My hero is my mother. She was one of the 38 women that died while serving time in the Air force. Life for women in the Air Force was hard, but my mother never truly did give up. They had to do testing. One time my mom explained to me that she and other women were flown into the air and had to wear heavy clothing. Icicles were all around them. Their planes were never truly fixed up. Usually if the plane had something wrong with it they would write it down and the plane would go get fixed but for the women they just wrote something was wrong with the plane. Every time women went out into flight she would be risking her life. Something could fall off the plane, they would never know. When a man was hurt or killed they would receive honor. But for my mother and 37 others, they were barely recognized. My mother is my hero because no matter what hardships she faced she continued on with her dream.


5.Dear Dad,
I feel like I am in a prison. Everywhere around me there are fences. There is no way out I miss being able to go wherever I want. It gets so hot here in the summer. In the winter I feel like my toes are going to fall off.

Dear Dad,

Do you remember back when you use to say that mom made food for an army, I wish it was still like that. I get barely enough food. I go to bed hungry every night. This one woman had a baby and the soldiers wouldnt even give her milk for her baby. Dad I miss you , I know your thinking about me. I just cant wait to see you again

Dear Dad,
Hi again. How are you doing? Well I am doing pretty good. I even have to go to school! Its not like school back home but still I have to learn. They get these people who dont get paid much to teach us.

Dear Dad.
I am scared. I see these men walking around with guns. We are just children so I thought they wouldnt hurt us but I saw one of my best friends get killed.

Dear Dad,
I dont think I can last any long. We have been here for 3 years. Mom is starting to have her spirit broken. I know your doing good but I want to go home I cant live here anymore dad its killing me.







6.I couldnt believe my eyes. Men and women all a like were crying. I remember seeing one man very tall in the fettle position. These camps are nothing like I have ever seen. They use us for physical labor. If you were too weak you were never to be seen again. I believe they were sent either to the gas chambers or sent to get shot. No man should ever have to endure this.
Most of the men here cant speak English. They yell at us and all they receive is blank stares. When the end of the war was ending. The murderous men starting taking more and more lives. It was crazy. The smell of death filled the air.


Locked up
Theres no where to go
Hearing womens cries
From across the hall
Working in the fields
From break to dawn
What lies ahead?
It is surely wrong
Ohh help us God


Bones and skin
Are all we are
Shoved in a cabin
One by one
We lose our lives
Not even knowing
If our wives survived
One be one
Get shot down
Revolt we must
Or we could at least try.


3. We must use force. These men will do anything to kill. Your troops must stay together. It is the only way to survive. At night it will be quiet. Your men will hear every sound. Anything unfamiliar you will shoot down. Do what you can men. Shoot down all Nazis.

montille25 wrote:

---

 

MAX MONTILLE

4/26/09

C PERIOD

 

 

                    Assignment #10: World War II (Vacation)

 

 

4. Fly Girls The Womens Air Force Service Pilots

 

Fore my hero I chose Bessie Coleman. The reason why I chose my mother is because she inspires me and every African-American female in the United States to believe in them selfs. My mother grew up poor, but that didnt stop her from her dreams it actually help her in a way. Her being poor help her to chase her dreams more. It was those soldiers returning from World War one who first interested my mother to aviation. Theres was a lot of discrimination in the U.S., but my mother wanted to be a fly girl so much that she learned French and travel to France to go to aviation school. You dont have to be rich to reach your dream, thats what my mother left me, because of her accomplishments theres a lot of African-American female aviators. My mothers dream will inspire young girls generations to come. 

 

 

5. Japanese Internment - Children of the Camps

 

1.) Dear Dad

Life in these camps is not good at all, dad. Kids are dieing of sickness, one of my friends father was shot supposedly being a spy for the Japanese. Five children died today, they mostly died from starvation. Soldiers surround the camps twenty four seven, day and night, they act like we are the enemies, but we are not.

 

2.) Dear Dad

Mother almost got shot, because spoke back to a soldier. Every day I feel like its hell on earth, I still dont know why they doing this to us. Two more people died today, people died so much that I stop counting.

 

 

3.) Dear Dad

All of us are dieing from poor health, they dont feed us every day. The longer I stay in here, the more I feel like Im going to die. Mom died yesterday, she got really sick like every one in this camp.

 

 

4.) Dear Dad

Every morning I feel like Im weaker. I feel like I cant stay in this place any longer, because every one that I know is dieing. Two girls got into a fight today, over food. I think every one is going crazy, even me.

 

5.) Dear Dad

I woke up this morning with a huge fever. Theres no medicine to treat us. I think America forgot about the Japanese people. One by one all of us are going to die unless they help us.

 

 

      8. NAZI Prison Escape

       

Our prison systems have so many flaws that so many prisoners escape about 130 during the course of the war, but only 30 got clean away. There are three things we can do to improve our prison. 1.) Most of the prisoners escapes threw the headquarters, prison store, and bridge entrance. We need more guards protecting those areas, mostly at night time. 2.) Our prison has more guards then prisoners, why so much prisoners escaping, the reason is that some guards are being paid under the table. We need tougher prison guards. 3.) We need to put fear into the prisoners, because if a prisoner tried to escape we should cut one of there fingers off, we should use torture as a second option.

 

 

10.) They Drew Fire Combat Artists of World War II

 

 1. ( Crossing the Voltura)   this picture express how hard it is to be at war, the three men in the picture seem sad in tired. Each soldier in this picture seem like they havent slept or eaten anything in a past few days.

2. (Dead Japanese Soldiers)    during the world war two a lot of Japanese were put into camps and they thought a lot of them were spies. This picture shows how the Japanese soldiers were so dedicated that they fought till the end.

  3. (First Aid to the Fallen)    This is a great picture, it show even at battle a lot of soldiers stop to help the wounded.

 4. (Three Dead Chinese Soldiers)  this picture is a little weird, because I dont know if they were killed and now they are being buried in the hole or they were killed in the hole. Wonderful pictures, its one of those pictures that makes you think.

 5. (Taking Cover  this picture shows how a soldier taking cover, because the enemy is dropping bombs or shooting. He seems scared, because his life is in danger.     

 6.  (Soldiers on Patrol    The soldiers in this picture look like there are scared, because at any time an enemy can attack them. I like how it shows there are more soldiers in the back round.

 7. (Bone Pile at Cassino)   this picture is a great example about war, innocent people always die first. The pile of bones seem like there are in a burn down house.

8. (up Periscope)   this is a great picture because is shows how they are working and how not even one man not working, I think the artist wanted us to see that you need every one to work to keep a submarine working fine.

 9. (Buchenwald) the guys in this picture seem like they are pows, they look mad and depress. They look like they havent been fed for a while. It shows how hard it is to be a prisoner of war.

10.  (On Deck)   this is a peaceful picture, because it shows every one on deck relaxing them self and look at the other Navy ships.

11. (Dead Civilians) this is another example that innocent people always die first. It shows a father and his daughter and wife all died because of war.

12. (Nature Calls)    it show how a soldier is taking a time out and thinking about something. The expression on his face seems mad, he might be mad about some thing that happened during the war.

 13. (Squadron Leader)    this pictures show a squadron leader thinking and taking a smoke break. He looks like he thinking about what he going to do next.

14. (Execution)   the soldier in this picture is going to be executed, he look like hes in a lots of pain, they might have tortured him a lot before he got executed.

15. (Pill Call)    this is another example about war, it show a long line of soldiers waiting for there pills, each soldier look like there are sick from something.

16. (Night Duty)    this look like a hospital, it shows long rows of beds and this soldier have to go to every bed to see if the soldier is still a live.

17. (End of a Busy Day)    this picture show two soldier man cleaning blood off the litters, the soldiers dont seem like they like the job.

18. (Idle Hour Park - detail)   this is a wonderful picture because it shows the soldiers taking a break and hanging out with there female friends.

19. (Boxing Match)   this is a great picture because it shows that every one needs a break to watch a boxing match.

 20. (Redhead Picking Flowers)    this show the peaceful side of war, the soldier picking flows and in the back round his ride is broken.

 

After seeing all of those pictures I thing it will be a bad thing if we dont let this program go on. These painting are great for us and our children to come, with these pictures we can learn a lot about the war. With these pictures it can help prevent us from going to war again because we want the new generation to grow up seeing these pictures for them not to go to war, these pictures shows the true colors of war.

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Is the program necessary even when you have the media covering the war? aren't the media's pictures and coverage good enough?if not, then how is the artist progam different?

4. WASPS6.  Hello.  My name is Eva Weinfeld, and I am a survivor of the Auschwitz extermination camps.  I was 16 years old when my family and I were arrested in Warsaw, Poland and were sent to Auschwitz in 1941.  Because Auschwitz was a brand new camp, we had no idea of the horrors that we would encounter.  The heartless and inhumane acts which I saw committed against other human beings, Jews, and my own family cannot be put in to words.  However, I will explain to you what Auschwitz was all about and what I went through every day for five years of my life.

  Auschwitz was a camp designed for torture, and it definitely served its purpose.  The camp itself had three different areas; a concentration camp, a labor camp, and an extermination camp.  My family and I slept in the barracks of the camp, referred to as Auschwitz I by the Nazi soldiers. One thing that I remember from this part of the camp was a steel gate which held a sign which read, Arbeit Marcht Frei, meaning Work makes you free.  I thought that was ironic because it seemed that the harder we worked, the weaker we got, and the faster we were sent to gas chambers.  When I first stepped through this gate, the guards checked to make sure that my hair was shaved, I had absolutely no belongings, and the tattoo on my arm was clearly visible.  At the beginning, the bunks that we slept in werent too crowded.  However, as time went on, more and Jews, Gypsies, and anyone else who was considered evil in the eyes of Hitler, were shipped to Auschwitz.  The bunks were soon filled to the point where I had to lay on my mother as I slept.  Food was scarce.  We were given a piece of bread every once in a while which we had to conserve.  I took a bite everyday until I ran out and had to find another bit of food for the next week.

The mass murders that took place at Auschwitz were horrendous.  You would wake up one day and look at the people around you and when you wake up the next day, they were gone.  Thousands of people were sent to the gas chambers each and every day.  I later learned that Zyklon B was the culprit for the deaths of some of my girlfriends living in the barracks with me.  The was no time to mourn when one of your friends were killed because as the number of murders rose, the more holes we had to dig to put their bodies in.  Piles of frail bones which were supposed to be bodies were carelessly thrown in to these pits that we dug.  We literally dig our own graves. 

How do you live?

They walk- over skeletons and bones.

They talk- but no words of defense leave their lips.

They hear-words of hatred.

They scream- but their voices arent heard.

They pray- in secret, because their religion is what has brought them to their demise.

They smell- the stench of their rotting brothers and sisters

They taste- one bite of rock hard bread a day.

They live- because there's something better on the other side of the barbed wire.

8.  Colditz Castle was intended to be the Nazis most escape-proof prison.  The Nazis took a number of precautions to ensure optimum security including having more guards than prisoners.  However, it proved to have a number of security breaches.  One problem was that the prisoners were led to a nearby park to exercise, and werent paid much attention to on the way there.  A  group of guards should be assigned to carefully watch the prisoners before, during, and after their walk.  Another breach occurred when prisoners in solitary confinement managed to escape from their locked cell and made their way down the castles wall using a rope made by their friends in a nearby cell.  This should never occur.  All inmates must have no access to any tools which would allow them to escape in any way.  Another escape involved the bribing of a guard.  In order to prevent this from happening, we should implement an oath of loyalty.  This may not completely prevent bribery, but it will decrease it.  A large number of escapes involved dummies and disguises.  How did these prisoners on optimum security get these props?  All cells and prisoners should be searched thoroughly a few times a day.

 

-- Edited by nora on Monday 27th of April 2009 02:22:32 AM

-- Edited by nora on Monday 27th of April 2009 02:24:36 AM

Here are my completed assignments. In order as done.

3. The Battle Of The Bulge

Gentleman this battle is going to be long fought and tiring, and I will not patronize you by telling you it is going to be easy or swift. I have created an overview of the battle strategy based on the notes given to me by General Patton in steps, as it is important that every man involved understands his part to limit the chance of any misunderstandings that we cannot afford to have. The Germans seem to have prepared to meet us at the front of our advance in Belgium amongst the Ardennes Mountains and in Bastogne, and while we do not know there complete plan of action, we are as prepared as possible to move into the area to try and support and free allied forces who have been overtaken by the German offensive. With the cooperation of the weather, we first will require an air strike on all German movement on roads around areas of Bastogne where allied troops are. This means fast action to eliminate the possibility for German communication about our plan of action. Once our air force has taken care of this we can further move on with the plan. The Germans have cut the allied forces into sections especially separating our American troops from the British. Once we eliminate this separation and have bought ourselves some time, we will need to organize a dropping of supplies to the troops including medicine, food, and ammunition all along the areas of which you have been briefed. With the stalling of the advancement of the Germans, which will not be easy, we must use this time to get more troops on the ground. We are planning a surge of thousands of troops all across the area. Once our forces have been renewed, Hitlers army will have no choice but to fall back or suffer heavy losses. Your individual commanding officers have further detailed instructions on how to orchestrate the attack.

5. Japanese Internment - Children of the Camps

Dear Father,

If your are looked up to so much as a hero in this war, then why is you and your family being treated like this? This camp is an awful place to be. We live in small rooms smaller than the size of the boxes in the horse stables back home on our farm. We sleep on small metal cots huddled close together, which is very uncomfortable. We have very few things with our lucky and us if we have some water to clean ourselves. We are told that we are here for our protection but how can living in such awful conditions be protective of us? How can barbed wire and machine guns protect us in a place where there is no real enemy? We all know why we are here so why do they lie to us? I know it must be tougher for you so I fell guilty to complain, I plan on writing to you often, and I can only hope these letters are read.

Your Son

Dear Father

After 6 days of living in these conditions and being exposed to the filth of the camps my sister and me are finally being allowed into the showers. I can only hope we can stay somewhat clean in-between the waits to bathe. The stenches in the camps are unbearable in the hot heat of the summer. It is difficult sleeping huddled together in this heat and I can only wonder how horrible the winter in the desert will be. We have no protection from the desert. Each day I get by hoping this war will come to an end, and wondering about our future. I hope your doing as well as the situation allows.

Your Son

Father,

I know its been long since my last letter, but Ive forgotten how much time has passed in these camps. It seems like there is no distinction between one day from the other as it is always the same. More and more people are getting sick, and the sickness is spreading through the small homes like a plague. Everyday someone becomes sick in one home and it spreads to all of the others. People are dying, and I am afraid what will happen if we are not taken care of. More people are desperate to leave the camps and are throwing themselves at opportunities to serve this country in the war. I understand that is an escape for them, but it seems weak to me. None of them have the same honor and sense of pride that you do. Everyone wants to get out, and I wonder when we finally will.

Your son

Dear Father,

As winter rolls in the nights become more and more difficult. We lose another person each day to the unbearable conditions of the cold that only seem to worsen the already quick decline of their health. Everyone is getting sick and we all are desperate for any possible glimmer of hope, but it seems every time we do it is robbed from us. Another few men got moved into this camp recently. One of them had a few personal possessions with him including a small animal that I couldnt see enough to figure out what it was. The man had almost all of what the guards considered unnecessary taken from him including his pet. The man has moved into the home next to us and I can see the same sad realization I had when we came here sweep across his face. I expect him to be sick soon, and judging by his age I am unsure he will not be taken by sickness. It seems awful to say father, but I cant help but be honest with myself.

Your Son

Father,

More good news reaches the camp everyday about the war, and some of us are convinced it will come to an end soon. Not many of us are left, but the ones who have survived this terrible ordeal now have something to cheer about. People strongly believe the war will be over soon, but I am unsure of what will change when it is. If they believed we were a threat during the war, then what makes it any different when its over? What makes a spy less of a spy? Is it when his country is beaten that he is no longer worth the time? I am anxious to see this war end, but I cannot see what it will mean to our family. I hope you are well, and I hope I will see you soon.

Your son

6. Auschwitz: Inside a Nazi camp.

Account 1:

My family was one of the earlier groups sent to the camp and there was a great cloud of mystery and fear hanging over the heads of every single person who was crowded into those small cattle cars of the long trains that at the station seemed to stretch for miles. Men with weapons pushed us onto the train and hurried us along with smiles across their faces. These smiles were not at all meant to calm us as they were mocking us with their laughter and joking. It was once we were on the train that the panic set in for me at least. I was only 11 years old, and at the time was easily frightened so of course I knew I was going to be a little afraid but my father was able to subdue my fears with a word of confidence and a caring smile. It was dark in that small section of the train and the trip seemed long and tiring as we all stood pressed together. Once we arrived at our destination we were hit with a devastating reality. People began to panic and argue with the men pushing them off the trains into lines that were separated into women with small children, and men. Any person who was any bit defiant to these men was struck hard with the hands or the butts of the weapons that the men were carrying. We then forfeited all of what we had and I was pushed aside into a crowd of people where I lost sight of my mother and my father who I saw them lead away onto yet another train that took him somewhere farther down the tracks than I could see. We were then forced into this fenced area of barracks where there were multiple towers with weapons above, and far beyond the back fence there was signs of dirt that had been recently disturbed. This sight caused a lump to form in the back of my throat that I would never seem to shake. Soon after we arrived we were forced into barracks and given new clothing (prisoner garments) and were told to forfeit our clothing. Which we of course did. It was not long after that they began the moving of people from the camp. Each day we saw lines of people being lead away from the barracks, which we never did see again. The food there was at first extremely scarce and after a while they eventually stopped feeding us hardly ever and thats when the desperation of escape and the reality of our inevitable deaths set in. I saw so many people try desperately to escape the camps all in vein. The men in the towers either gunned those who even got outside of the fences down, or they were eventually caught and shot in front of the rest of us to try and teach us the lesson that there was no escape. It wasnt long before it would my turn to be sent into the chambers I thought. By the time I was 12 I was seen as being fit enough to be sent on duty to dig the graves for the dead. It was only that that kept me alive until the liberation of Germany. The things I saw here were awful. People were used almost like lab rats in twisted experiments that we were only made known of through rumors spread through the camps. We were looked at as not being human. It was almost as if we were just some kind of animal whos existence was no longer necessary or wanted. By the end they were forcing the faster extermination of the Jews and the only thing that allowed me to escape gassing was because there were far too many people coming in for them to keep track of and I sought my way to become lost in the crowd in suppose. Towards the end I was very sick and pale and if it werent for the fact that I was a larger child I probably would have died much more quickly. I was a lucky one having survived 2 and half years in the camp. I never saw my mother or my father again.

Account 2: The Poems

One:

The journey was long, and the days were longer.

The nights were cold and the fear felt colder.

I had been abandoned by my god, a lost boy in a sea of people.

The will to survive faded as fast as my strength.

One shovel full at a time, I dug the graves

For those who werent as lucky on that one day.

Each day was the same, no pity was shown.

I almost wished to be them, the pain, I couldnt stand anymore.

My father or mother I never again did see.

I almost had hoped for them an end, they deserved peace.

Until that faithful day there seemed no hope.

When that day did come I wept more than youll know.

Two:

Theyd run toward the fences with desperation in their eyes.

The men on the tower would have their entertainment.

Shots flew all around them as if they were being taunted.

Until the last shot was fired, this one wouldnt miss.

I wanted to try for it, wait until the night did fall.

But what would I run to?

No home or family did await me.

I needed an escape, death was alluring

But I fought of these dark wants

With the strength of my father, and the pride of my mother.

One day at a time, I never gave up.

I still feel guilty as a survivor, why was I saved?

7.  Enigma Decoding NAZI Secrets

This program began after the United States became involved I the war, and needed to supply allied forces with information about enemy plans. When I first began working in this program I sort of felt as if it would be simple enough, I always was great at puzzles and seeing things in a way that allowed me to analyze them much more than anyone else would. When you see a word you create an image of what that word means, but when I see a word I look at it from every possible angle and sometimes I come up with idea and make connections that when reiterated sound completely off topic. Once I dove into the project however, I realized that I wasnt dealing with simple little puzzle games and toys anymore and what I was doing was not only more important but much more radically difficult. When first working we had to look at the messages we were receiving not from the standpoint of being code but of being cipher. Cipher is an almost completely new language in itself where any number or combination of letters can mean any word, phrase, or entire concept, determined by its creator. In essence, we were trying to figure out an entirely new language without a teacher. Imagine your world language class where you were only presented with words and told to learn them. Once we had this concept pressed into our brains, we had to analyze the machine from which the code was being generated. This machine was, as you know the Enigma, which was adopted by the Germans. Luckily for us the machine was not a new development of the Nazis, and it was not out of our reach to attain one. The operation of this piece of equipment had changed over time however, so unfortunately for us it was not a matter of trial and error, along with some German to English translation. Slowly however, little pieces of the puzzle began falling together. We would take past intercepted messages and compare them with the actions we suspected they had reflected. Once a word or two was discovered we could fill the blanks as we went along until a sequence was decoded.Then we had to backtrack in order to figure out a pattern of translation. Once we had it was all over for the Germans. Once we new and could determine actions on the part of the Germans all communication by the Germans was difficult. Since we had already had cut of large areas of German control we had cut down the Germans into pieces of their own army, without the ability to form a new system we could use all the information they did output and we could stop any further organization of resistance against the progression of allied forces. I am unbelievably proud of this program, and on behalf of everyone involved I accept this award. Thank you.

Moussa wrote:

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(Continued) 2/4

10. The wartime artist program has provided the U.S. a large archive of art created by military personnel through many wars throughout history. The significance of the program itself is completely reliant on the art produces by it over the years. That is what I use to recommend the programs continuation or discontinuation.

I was able to find a large archive of World War II art to use to measure the programs significance.(Dead Civilians) This picture is titled Civilian Deaths and pictures four dead civilians caused by warfare. The four include men, women and a child to stress the impact war creates on civilian life, usually ending it. This picture is valuable and important because it shows the result of war that is consistent in all wars before, and in wars to come.(Taking Cover) This picture is a very powerful picture portraying a soldier taking cover from attack while protecting his head. This picture is significant in relation to the war because it effectively reminds us that soldiers are still humans and are fighting in harsh conditions.(Up Periscope) This picture portrays a part of the war not spoken about as much as others, undersea warfare. Submarines played an important role in the war especially against Axis sea vessels and this pictures portray the conditions they worked in throughout the war. (Buchenwald) Buchenwald concentration camp was a large labor camp created by the Germans. This picture portrays the general feel of the site and all its inhabitants. The picture portrays a site that led to many deaths, and should be remembered for decades to come.(End of a Busy Day) One of the least spoken parts of the war is the medical side. In the picture medical personnel clean away stretchers used to carry injured soldiers for another days use. Without their hard work, many soldiers would have died without help.(Boxing Match) Also found in the archive was a picture of a boxing match on a large military ship. Soldiers would hold boxing matches in order to keep themselves entertained during lulls in war. Its important to know the other side of soldier life other than constant fighting.(Red Head picking Flowers) This picture portrays what many consider to be the opposite of a soldier. Peace. In the picture, the soldier is picking out flowers next to a destroyed truck showing a clear contrast between destruction and growth. It is because of this contrast that this picture is so important, to remind people that soldiers are not fighting machines, but are also humans.(Bob Hope) This picture portrays a famous actor and comedian Bob Hope famous for his work entertaining U.S. soldiers through out the war. It is significant because it shows people that they can do simple things to help their country and soldiers in times of war. Bob Hopes work with the military is unequaled and show be remembered.(Red Room) Also found in the archive was a picture of five airplane pilots preparing themselves in what looks like flight discussion and formation. It highlights the work done by the U.S. Air force during the Second World War.(Canton Island) This picture shows Canton Island, a highly used island by the U.S. during World War II, for U.S. Air force movement. In the picture, soldiers seem to be passing time by watching a movie on a large screen at night. Watching movies was another common pastime for soldiers during the war and this picture accurately portrays it.

(Helping wounded man) A very sketchy piece of art but also very powerful, this picture portrays a wounded soldier in great pain, as expressed in his eyes. Two soldiers help him to get medical help. This picture is important because it shows us the harshness of war also stressed even more through the seemingly chaotic sketching of the picture itself.(Anzio Harbor Under Bombardment) This picture doesnt concentrate on individuals as many of the other selected pictures did. It focuses on bigger battles as Anzio Harbor was being attacked. This shows the larger part of the war instead of the individual fighters.(Race Against Death) This picture is important because it depicts soldiers would fought in large, congested forests and jungles most likely in the Pacific East. They had to battle large amounts of infections and diseases as depicted here where one soldiers spreads ointment on another soldiers wound or infection.(Tanks Ready to Roll) This picture is significant to WWII because it shows U.S. tanks up and ready to move on and fight. The reason this is significant is because at the time, German tanks were almost legendary for their speed and destruction, so to show U.S. tanks ready to fight is something many people should see.(The Morning After) This picture represents the destruction caused after battle because it shows nothing alive except the winning side. Three soldiers stand surrounded by black ground and dead trees under a graying sky.(Anti Aircraft Crew in Action, detail) This picture is important because it shows an anti aircraft crew working quickly and together to load, fire, then reload the anti aircraft gun. The mens group work as a team is clearly shown and sends a positive message of team work and friendship.(Battle of Midway) This picture renders what is considered one of the most important battles of the Pacific War Campaign, the Battle of Midway. Its a dramatic picture that shows the warfare at night time with U.S. ships battling Japanese airplanes. The importance of the battle makes this picture one to keep.(Hamburg Raid) This picture is the artists depiction of the bombing of Hamburg, Germany. It shows numerous bombers flying in formation above clouds to bomb the city while anti aircraft fire is also seen in the sky.(The Price) Upon seeing this picture, I was shocked by its depiction of the price of war but it was true nonetheless. It pictures a soldier, greatly wounded, who has blood all over his left shoulder, arm, and face. The pictures purpose is to clearly remind us of the price of war.(Death of the Shoho) The last picture I looked at was titled the Death of the Shoho. The Shoho was a famous Japanese aircraft carrier. In the picture, the artist shows the Shoho ablaze with Japanese planes flying chaotically around it while smoke ascends confusing many of the pilots. 

After analyzing all these photos found in the archive, I would very strongly recommend that the wartime artist program be kept in effective. Discontinuing such a valuable program would not be in the benefit of the U.S. military or the country. As shown in this World War II Archive, these pictures depict everything from large battles, to personal stories giving wars a personality all on their own. Discontinuing such a program would stop future generations from finding war art related to other U.S. wars like the ones in Iraq and before, in Vietnam. The art helps portray the war in both good and bad light but does nothing but show the truth, unhindered and unedited. We need such a program to stay in effect to increase this large archive of art on war, which will help us better understand wars, their stories and their intents, for generations to come. 

Number 5:

Dear father,

It has been a long time since we have seen you. I am told that you are fighting in the army with a very good group of men. Im told the group is more decorated so far than anyone else! Im happy you are in this group and not others. Im not happy in this camp though. Sleeping here is horrible. There are thousands of people here mommy tells me, all in this one place. There are these barracks where everyone sleeps. They are very small for the number of people they cover at night and the smell of dirt stays in the room. We sleep on metal cots with very thin army blankets and the nights get really cold. Since were in a desert the days are very hot making everything worse. There is an H building where our clothes are cleaned and there are bathrooms. Men and women have separate bathrooms but none of the toilets and showers have curtains or doors. We go to the bathroom with nothing to cover up, and have to take showers in front of everyone. Things are horrible here come to us as quickly as you can daddy.

Dear father,

Horrible things are happening daddy. Today a man was shot. Pets werent allowed in the camp. A dog he took care of got to close to the fence of the camp. Security thought he was trying to get out and he was shot. Mommy took me away immediately so I wouldnt see anymore. People arent allowed to have pets, and anyone who tries to hide one, like a frog I found goes under investigation. The guards dont care about anyone in the camps, but they let us be. They man the watchtowers with machineguns on post ready to be used in a moments notice. It makes the whole camp gloomy. Many of the soldiers look down on me like I did something, but mommy tells me its from the way we look. Everyone in the camp is talking about those who went to war. Some make fun of them for fighting when the government does this to us, while others support them. I dont care to talk about it, I just hope youll come back soon and alive. 

Dear father,

Its me again. Mommy told me that you havent been able to respond because youre busy, but I hope your reading the letters I sent you. They started school in the camps. Mommy tells me that we arent learning the things that we should be learning. They give piano lessons and teach us many sports but with little balls and almost no pianos. The school doesnt teach much since most people are there to use up time from the hot day. All the teachers that told me where white. None were Japanese even though there may have been several teachers in the camp. Even the teachers acted like they didnt want to be around us. They all looked down at us when they taught. We were taught basic English but many of the students didnt care to learn. When I get back to the barracks mommy usually complains about how bad things are and how stupid Japan was for attacking the U.S. She says that if they never did, we wouldnt be in this camp. 

Dear father, 

Many people started leaving today. They came again to see if anymore volunteers would go to the army, but that wasnt what they invited us to do. They also wanted some people to work in factories in the east. They were war factories to help the U.S. Many young men, and a few woman moved out to work so they can get out of the camp to the east, where Im told internment camps dont exist. I asked mommy why we didnt go, and she told us she cant work and take care of us at the same time. Plus, I dont think they would have allowed kids to go anyway. Many of the soldiers call us Japs which Im told is short of Japanese. I dont know if that is a bad word, but they say it like it is. They regularly taunt many of the Japs and we go to school. There have been many sick people. Many people die because they arent taken care of well. Many mothers with babies cant feed their children with milk because the government doesnt give us. We all wonder what will happen to those babies when they grow up. In school, we talk about what well remember if we ever leave this place. I told everyone Ill remember nothing because there is no need to remember. Once I leave, Ill forget it all and move on. I just want to live like we did before. Come home as soon as you can.

Dear father,

It is 1945 now. Youve been gone for too long. We here that the war in Europe is over and so is the war in the Pacific. I heard they dropped huge bombs over Japan to end it and killed many. We are told; now that the war is over we can go soon. The camps will close and we can return to our life before we were ever brought here. I asked them If the war is over, how come daddy isnt home but they didnt answer. Mommy told me you still had work to do keeping everything safe in Europe but I wish you would come. Mommy plans on working to keep us well until you come back. Everyone is happy and excited about leaving this bad place. We never want to return. We will be moving to the east. Mommy thinks well be safer and better of there. She said she knows someone in Massachusetts and that shell let you know where we live so you can come again and we can all be a family. On these last days, no one is complaining about everything. No one is going to school or doing anything to make the soldiers mad. We all are just moving around, waiting to be let go without any trouble. Its horrible that they do this to us, and I hope youll return and live with us daddy.

 

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Moussa!  Your work was outstanding, and I especially liked how you described each picture as a piece of art which sort of humanized the people everyone was reading about in newspapers and hearing about on the news.  It is one thing to hear about something, but when you see a graphic it puts the tragedy more in to perspective.  Most of these works of art created an emotion, and that's why I feel that work like this is significant.

mpounds wrote:

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Assignment 4:

My mother, Bessie Coleman, is without a doubt the most inspiring woman ever. She has worked so hard to get to where she is today. She has faced and overcome so much discrimination for not only being black but for being a woman as well. Every school in America that she tried to get into to become a pilot rejected her, but she still never gave up. My mother saved up all the money she earned working hard at her two jobs and moved to France, where she would be able to get her pilot's license. After more hard work and overcoming some of her fears, she finally did it. She became the first African American woman to become a pilot and has inspired so many people who also face similar struggles.

-- Edited by mpounds on Monday 27th of April 2009 09:13:40 PM

 

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A little more detail would have been nice. You've got plenty of fact there but you could get those facts pumped up a bit with a little more substance and maybe a little more discussion behind each of the topics each fact brings out. For example, when you bring up the fact that she was an African American wanting to be a pilot, you could possibly discuss specifically where she was discriminated for her being black. Were more white females given their licenses? Just something to think about but the facts are all there so nice work.