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[ProfessionalDevelopment 2170] Re: Message for the 4th of July, 2008Virginia Pulver virginia at nmcl.orgTue Jul 1 18:19:31 EDT 2008
Greetings! I want to publically thank Mr. Sticht for the stirring and well-written 4th of July tribute! I plan to share it with my friends and family. Throughout our history the armed services have done a phenomenal job of training and motivating members to improve their leadership, citizenship and literacy skills and it is nice to see those contributions recognized. Frequently people unfamiliar with the armed services have a rather skewed image of those who serve and what it requires to volunteer to serve on active duty. During my tenure as an Air Force recruiter, I had to disqualify many college graduates from service; they could not read or write well enough to become an enlisted member of the US Air Force. Finding qualified applicants who could read and write was my biggest challenge. Once in service, the demands of the Air Force jobs require individual who can read the technical data and who can communicate well in writing. One last thought before I close. As a an Air Force retiree from a family with a very long tradition of service, I would like to see one sentence in Mr. Sticht's message revised to include a reference to the women here in the USA; women who also fought and served this country. There are women heroes in every war, though their stories often remain in the shadows or are overlooked. There are remarkable histories of women who gave their all in service to our country. Many served as soldiers, sailors, airmen or marines, others served in less visible capacities. The phrase I refer to ( " ... let's make a special effort to remember the hundreds of thousands of men who fought to win and to keep our independence and freedom despite their serious language and literacy handicaps....") uses the word "men" in a way that could be viewed as generic, perhaps. It would be wonderful to simply insert the word "...and women..." and make the language inclusive and specific. It is a small thing, but it is meaningful. Thanks once again for posting this fine tribute! And thank you for letting me add my comments. I am grateful to be a citizen of this country and this Friday, I hope you will all celebrate the freedom that is ours. Life is good... "Ginn" Virginia J. Pulver US Air Force, Ret; Former Peace Corps Volunteer & Currently serving AmeriCorps*VISTA In Sunny Santa Fe Read my Journals: www.pulverpages.com -----Original Message----- From: professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:professionaldevelopment-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of tsticht at znet.com Sent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 3:12 PM A Message for the 4th of July, 2008 Literacy in the Struggle for Independence and Freedom in the United States Tom Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education Adult literacy education has been a mainstay in the struggle for independence and freedom in the United States since the Revolutionary War when General George Washington was Commander in Chief. The historian Harry Emerson Wildes, in his 1938 book entitled Valley Forge, reported that following the drastic winter at Valley Forge, when spring arrived, the health of men improved to the point that a hospital was turned into a camp school. In this school, illiterate troops were taught the basics of reading, writing, and arithmetic. The school continued to operate until the end of the Valley Forge encampment. Right from the outset then, our nation has seen the value of a literate citizenry in the gaining of our independence from foreign domination. But our nation's battles for freedom did not end with the end of the Revolutionary War, and neither did the need for teachers who could help our illiterate military personnel learn to read and write. Susie King Taylor, who was born a slave, learned to read and write even though it was against the law. During the battles for the emancipation of slaves of the Civil War, Taylor volunteered to work in the 33rd U. S. Colored Troops regiment and she reported that "I taught a great many of the comrades in Company E to read and write when they were off duty, nearly all were anxious to learn.. I gave my services willingly for four years and three months without receiving a dollar." Following the Civil War, Taylor went on to open her own school for teaching both African American children and adults to read and write. In 1917 the United States joined with the allies of World War I in the struggle to maintain independence and freedom for millions of people. Once again, the armed services found it necessary to draw upon the services of many illiterate men, and additionally, tens of thousands of non-English speaking adults were called upon to wage this "war to end all wars." The New York Times of November 21, 1920 described the efforts to teach these non-English speaking personnel as a part of the "Americanization" movement of the times. One former Serbian soldier told of his inability to speak English and his desire to become a citizen. The Army provided him with English language and literacy training. Later he told the NY Times reporter, "When I have served my time with the Army, I get my citizen papers and stand by the Red, White and Blue as long as I live." During World War II the Army operated numerous Special Training Units to teach low literate and poorly English speaking recruits to speak, read, and write. One technique used to teach literacy was a monthly newspaper called Our War. Writing in the July 1943 issue of "Our War", Private Porfirio C. Gutierrez wrote: "This is my first letter in English. I have learned to read and write so that I can help protect our country." A mother of a soldier wrote: "dear sir: I thank you all for Learning My child to read and wright I don't Know how to thank you all Because My child did not know nothing it is realy high apprishated Because I did not have the time to send him to school I did not have no husband I raised him from a Baby By my self and now I am in my old stage and that is all my help and I thank you and I thank you when you wrote me and siad My Boy did that I was so glad I did not Know what to do and I realy appreshated it. Very truly Yours, M___ W___" [original spellings and grammar] The teachers working in the Special Training Units gave "esprit de corps " and hope to hundreds of thousands of men and their families through the power of the English language and literacy. Clearly, it takes more than guns, bullets and bombs to preserve our nation's independence and freedom. This July 4th, let's make a special effort to remember the hundreds of thousands of men who fought to win and to keep our independence and freedom despite their serious language and literacy handicaps. Their strength of character, focus of purpose, and, yes, their new found literacy contributed immeasurably to making our nation the great bastion of freedom that attracts millions to our homeland each year. Have a happy Independence Day! Enjoy your freedom! And thank a teacher for it! Thomas G . Sticht International Consultant in Adult Education 2062 Valley View Blvd. El Cajon, CA 92019-2059 Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133 Email: tsticht at aznet.net
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