But they always are. I just needed a title.
My time however, has been dominated by school work. I have 21 books and over 8,000 pages to read this semester. I don't know about you, but for me that's a lot. Plus the tests and five research papers. Right now I'm dedicated to finishing a 30+ page paper about Stanly County during the World War II era. I've learned lots of interesting things and am glad I chose it as my research project. For instance, right here in little ol' Stanly County we have a man who braved the shores of Normandy, a woman who lost her husband on Iwo Jima, a man, Mr. Ferebee, whose brother was on the Enola Gay (the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb—you can see his picture here in the Wikipedia article), and a man who survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which brought the US into WWII.
In the fall of 1941 and July 1942 there were military maneuvers in Stanly and the surrounding area. Hundreds of thousands of troops engaged in mock battles and practiced for their future combat overseas. General Patton was here, driving tanks and commanding missions, buying cokes in the little Red Cross Store a few miles from here. A small, rural county like Stanly contributed so much to the war, not only with military men, but the population as a whole. The mills and plants went all-out in war production. There were metal drives and victory gardens. Stanly County sent about 3,000 men to war. Ninety-one died.
I've learned so much over the past few months. After this semester is over I intend to continue this research, interviewing as many people as I can and digging through archives. I'm a nostalgist, so a project like this is ideal for me. I'm having trouble, though, because I'd like to talk to some African Americans (or anyone not White) and more women. If anyone reads this and knows someone, please let me know.
So, that's what I've been doing, and why I'm not online much. I'm looking forward to graduating, getting back to taking pictures, finding a job, and going to the beach. I miss Myrtle Beach and Nags Head.
Comment Preview
Posted by: