Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 14, 1994 TAG: 9406140376
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY REED
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
|M.L., Roanoke A: Had the news media interviewed black veterans of World War II, the best story probably would have been Roscoe Brown, a fighter pilot who is credited with shooting down the first German jet.
Brown, who went on to teach at New York University, was a member of the Tuskeegee Airmen, a squadron of black pilots and one of the few blacks allowed into combat during World War II.
The D-Day observance was a window into 1944 and one element of that society, unfortunately, was segregation.
According to historian Charles Spellman, there were probably 1 million blacks in the armed forces during the war, but most were in all-black units that repaired bridges and highways, built airports, drove trucks or scrubbed floors.
Clifford Alexander, a former secretary of the Army, said many blacks served in the French army so they could see combat.
On D-Day, black soldiers were given the duty of removing bodies from the beach. Spellman said the veterans he talked to remembered the stench, but they did the job because they were assigned to it, and did it well.
The media apparently overlooked blacks' role in D-Day and the war because in-depth coverage too often is not included in fast-moving photo opportunities with the president.
Viewers who watched full coverage of the ceremonies on C-Span or CNN did report seeing a few blacks in the crowd at the D-Day observance. Apparently most reporters didn't seek them out.
CNN covered the absence of blacks in the D-Day reporting in a Saturday afternoon show titled "Both Sides" with Jesse Jackson as moderator. Guests included Spellman, Alexander and Brown.
It was a scoop; the other media never touched this story.|
The first Bluefield|
Q: Which came first, Bluefield, Va., or Bluefield, W.Va.?|
|L.V., Roanoke A: The origins of a farming community arose, in the form of a post office called Pen Hook, in the early 1860s on what's present-day Virginia soil.
In 1881 the Norfolk and Western Railroad chose a spot nearby on the Bluestone River for its Pocahontas Division headquarters. Bluefield, W.Va., came into existence officially in 1889 and exploded in population-to 5,000 by 1900 and to 10,000 by 1910.
The town on the Virginia side-which had taken the name Graham in 1884-missed out on much of the growth. In 1924, Graham's citizens voted 291-227 to change their name to Bluefield, Va.
They celebrated with a July wedding-a real one-in which Miss Emma Smith of West Virginia married Mr. Wingo Yost of Virginia in a city park where the state line goes through the middle.
The governor of Virginia was best man. The governor of West Virginia gave away the bride.
Mrs. Emma Yost lives today in a Bluefield retirement home and still has her wedding dress.
Thanks to Stuart McGehee, a history professor at Bluefield State College, and Barbara Bates of the Bluefield (Va.) Historical Society.|
Saving energy|
Q: When I go on a vacation of at least three days, I turn off the water heater and set the air conditioner at 78 degrees. Is that energy-efficient or am I just wasting my time?|
|K.P., Daleville A: The Virginia Tech Extension folks say it's worthwhile to set the air conditioner up to 80 or 85 degrees if you're leaving for three to four days or more.
The water heater's another matter; the energy savings are estimated at 10-15 cents per day. If the water thermostat's handy for turning down, you only need consider the inconvenience of returning to cold water.|
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by CNB