VIEWPOINT/ State Rep. John Patterson / D-Jefferson
Anniversaries, Memories, and Reflections
This has been an eventful year for numerous anniversaries and the memories they evoke. Three, however, stand out for me as they remain vivid in the mind, provocative to the heart, and evocative for the soul.
First, 75 years ago this June Allied Forces stormed the beaches of Normandy. Lest we forget, in just a few short days the 20th D-Day Conneaut commemoration will take place on the beaches of Ohio’s North Coast. To gain a deeper appreciation for that moment in time, one must recall the world situation just three years prior to D-Day.
It was, indeed, a dark time for the world in the early 1940s. Three autocratic governments (Germany, Japan, and Italy) had united to wage war in an attempt to subdue other nations and create the “Thousand Year Reich” in Germany, Japanese dominance in the Pacific, and Italy’s superiority in the Mediterranean. France had surrendered in June 1940 and the Battle of Britain (the air war over it) commenced later that summer. Rebuffed by the Brits, Hitler turned on the Soviet Union in June of 1941. The world as we know it tottered on the brink during that summer with the U.S. still neutral.
Even after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and our subsequent entry into the War, the outcome was uncertain. It was known in many circles that Germany had been working to harness the power of the atom — and they already possessed rocketry expertise as evidenced by the V-1 and V-2 rockets that rained down upon Great Britain. Clearly it would take vision, sacrifice, and teamwork to turn the tide of the war — and we did. The brave men and women who planned, coordinated, and implemented the D-Day invasion, which proved to be the beginning of the end, are to be commended for their collective efforts. The world would be much different than we know it if they failed.
Those who engaged in this experience were determined and united in their goal and mission.
Second, 50 years ago the United States placed two men on the moon — one from Ohio; in fact, one who lived in Jefferson for a brief period of his early life. Again, think of the late 1950s and the impact of the satellite Sputnik in 1957, or Laika — the first animal to orbit the earth launched in Sputnik 2, and Yuri Gagarin’s claim as the first person in space in early 1961. The Soviets were clearly ahead of the United State in the space race. But President Kennedy vowed in May of 1961 that, “…I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon…. But in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon… it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there.”
Of course we did witness the Mercury and Gemini programs from a firsthand experience followed shortly by the Apollo Missions and the subsequent success of Apollo 11. To achieve the goal before the end of the decade when our space program was, to be sure, in its infancy, is a marvel to behold fifty years looking back. Those who gave their all to the space program inspired all of us. Who among us, if alive in 1969, could not take pride in the accomplishment of our United States NASA program?
Those who engaged in this experience were determined and united in their goal and mission.
Third, 40 years ago this October, the Pittsburgh Pirates overcame a 3-1 deficit to win the 1979 World Series. To be sure, nowhere near as significant as the D-Day invasion or the Apollo 11 mission, there is, however, a common thread to the efforts of “The Family.”
Down three games to one, the Pirates started 37-year-old Jim Rooker (who was coming off injuries and a 4-7 season) in Game Five. To his credit, Rooker pitched five strong innings and the Pirates won 7-1. With that win and gutsy determination, a team on the brink of defeat rallied back to record two more victories and the championship. That 1979 squad featured Willie “Pops” Stargell (who himself was 39 at the time) and a ragtag bunch of supporting characters — a virtual mosaic of personalities, backgrounds, and ethnicity — who could have focused on their shortcomings or argued about their differences, but instead worked together, meshed, and melded into one family.
And what are we to learn from these three seemingly unrelated experiences? Why is it so important to pause, remember, and reflect? What lessons are to be learned?
First, there are times in our lives when the task ahead seems insurmountable, the mountain too high to climb, when giving up would be easy. We face such a time right now. Mass shootings (most recently in El Paso and Dayton), the opioid epidemic, racist behavior and insults, and a fragmented society in terms of our politics, our geography, and our future — not knowing if our grand experiment in democracy is working.
Second, there are those who continue to believe in the dream, the cause, the mission — that all is not lost, though the sacrifice and commitment may be great — greater than we could ever have imagined, it is still worth the effort. Ask a veteran of Normandy, listen to the interviews of the Apollo astronauts, and read the comments of the ’79 Pirates — they never gave up, never wavered in their quest and never paid heed to the doubters.
Third, beyond the vision and the grit those whose accomplishments we celebrate this year were unitedin their efforts. There was no “I” or “me,” but rather “us” and “we.” There were no divisions on the beaches of Normandy, efforts to upstage one another going to the moon or hurting, biting, criticism of the “Family.” There was simply a large group, a small group and a team united in purpose, united with one another, and united in fulfilling their mission.
It is time for all of us to unite as one nation again. No selfish political agendas, no comments or behavior that degrades any one of us — for an insult or infraction upon one of us is an attack on all of us. From the White House to the School House, let us endeavor to put our differences behind us, work through difficult challenges with respect and dignity, and unite as we were intended to create a better nation for all leaving no one behind.
We are better than this. It is time we thought so, acted so, and did so. We have a local opportunity to begin that process with the upcoming Week of Hope. Learn more about it. Join the cause and together let us begin the journey of reconciliation and healing right here at home.
