The Memorial Plaque

There once was a wall mounted bronze plaque to students killed in World War II. The old high school, once the finest in the city, now torn done. Curious, I don’t actually recall the plaque from the years I attended Redford, but I know I’ve forgotten a lot, and how much of angst-ridden adolescent does one really want to recall? In the sixties we were occupied with heated arguments over Vietnam so there wasn’t time to honor war dead. But when the school was to be torn down, due to mismanagement, Detroit’s impending bankruptcy and overall declining school age population, someone managed to rescue the plaque from metal scavengers. Therein starts a journey to learn about the people named on the plaque. Are there yearbook photos? Who were they? How did they die? It is a discovery of America in the 1930’s. It was a time of tremendous upheaval, evidenced by a great migration of people to automobile factories of Detroit. What a blending of nationalities and people! Families were large, houses small. Working class predominates as people struggle through the depression. Neighborhoods thrived and neighbors often moved and changed. The 30’s moved on into the 40’s and the blind enthusiasm of the young who didn’t recall the horrors of WWI. Amazing are the military resources now available on the internet. And while there was nothing particularly unique about this microcosm of students from Detroit, in the war they had incredible experiences covered all theaters of war. Bombing raids over Germany, Japanese prisoner of war ships, big Pacific battles, fatal jeep accidents. And they were young, oh so young, when they joined up. Surprising was how many died in training, especially the pilots they are designated DNB – Died Non Battle. Histories are memorialized by veterans and military units on internet websites. Striking is to see videos of how fallen Americans are still honored in France with memorials and ceremonies, still today. Puts America to shame to see French school children laying wreaths at American tombs. May we remember them and those lives cut short.