I have a wonderful life (cue the classic holiday film of the same name)-fulfilling career(s), a great education, great friends. good insurance, a comfortable home, and everything I need, yet I have also always been aware that so many people cannot make that claim.
While headlines announce “Food Banks Face Increased Need”, and “Surging Demand at Local Food Banks”, and a morning show host continues to sign off every day with “Remember, we’re all in this together”, we of a certain age recall the lyrics of the Michael Jackson/Quincy Jones classic, “Man in the Mirror”: “…and no message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change” (“Man in the Mirror”, Michael Jackson/Quincy Jones, single release Jan. 16, 1988).
If you can, on your next trip to the grocery store, pick up extra rice, soup, oatmeal, tuna and fruit (canned), crackers, beans, and other non-perishables (no glass containers, please) to drop off at one of the following local Trenton food banks. If you or someone you know are in need, contact:
The Pantry of Mercer County (*for Mercer County Community College students) at MCCC – Mercer County Community College Food Pantry. Open Mon & Thurs 10-3 (West Windsor campus); Wed-Thurs 10-3 (James Kearney downtown campus) *both locations are close to bus stops
Arm in Arm (formerly, The Crisis Ministry of Mercer County) arminarm.org / (609)396-9355 (includes mobile pantry)
142 E Hanover Street Trenton Tues & Thurs also on Facebook and Instagram
Mercer Street Friends Teaching Pantry (609)396-1506 also on Facebook
151 Mercer Street Trenton (call for times)
Catholic Charities@Mt Carmel Guild (609)394-8847 73 N Clinton Ave Trenton
Trinity Cathedral food pantry 7 Cups – Free Care & Therapy
(609)392-3805 (contact for times).
Sacred Heart Church *Third Tues of each month (609)393-2801 (call for times)
“Native American Heritage Month is a time of reflection, celebration, and hope. It is a moment for us to honor the rich history and vibrant cultures that shape who we are today and to look ahead to to the future we’re building together” (from “Circle of Hope”)
I honor the two remaining original Code Talkers of WWII: Peter MacDonald (Hashkasilt Begay), and paratrooper Thomas H. Begay, These men and other Navajo, Choctaw, Cherokee, Osage, Comanche were critical to the outcome of WWII in that they translated secret military messages into a complex code based on their unwritten tribal languages. The code was never broken!
After decades of being ignored and nearly forgotten, these remarkable men (at least one code talker, mistakenly assumed to be Japanese, was captured and endured the brutal Bataan march), in 2013 the code talkers were finally recognized and awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Download Black Belt Eagle Scout’s (Katherine Paul) 2023 studio album, “The Land, The Water, The Sky”. Black Belt’s modern indie rock is infused with cultural roots, has appeared on the award-winning series, “Reservation Dogs”.
“Reservation Dogs” (2021-2023), is a comedy-drama about four indigenous teens in rural Oklahoma, determined to save enough money to get to the “mysterious, faraway land of California.” Hulu streaming online.
One of the many benefits of living and working in the Capital City is that history is all around you. On daily walks and visits to the NJ State Museum and the NJ State Library downtown, I pass 192 West State Street, the current site of Howard University College of Dentistry Foundation and other dental associations in the adjoining medical office building. Did you know that for 62 years the dental office and residence of Dr. Leslie A. Hayling, Sr. was located on this site. Tuskegee Aviation Cadet, Trenton native, and graduate of Trenton Central High School and Trenton School of Industrial Arts, Dr. Hayling (1927-2017), a Howard University of Dentistry alumnus himself, was responsible for the successful design and management of the privatized NJ Department of Corrections Dental Services (“Talk to Me” with Esther Mills, Princeton Community Television, 2009).
In 1941, the U.S. Army Air Corps’ Tuskegee Institute segregated experimental program included the 302nd Fighter Squadron, one of four all-Black units flying in the 332nd Fighter Group. In early 1944 the tails of the P-47s were painted red to make it easy for bomber pilots to identify the squadron, thereafter known as “The Red Tails”. The Red Tails escorted bombers to prevent other fighters from attacking the formation. Unit Commander Col. Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. renamed his plane, “By Request” because bomber pilots specifically asked for the Red Tails to escort them.
At last count, approximately thirteen documented original Tuskegee Airmen are still alive.
(by Charles Edward McGee, Brigadier Gen. Ret. CAF Red Tail Squadron
Ronald A. McGee, Maj. USAF Capt. United Airlines Ret.)
Chief Master James A. Cotten (1927-2020) served as an Air Operations non-commissioned officer in the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, inducted into the Army African Corps, August 14, 1945, and received the Congressional Gold Medal.
Victory medal recipient and Tuskegee Airman veteran, Jerry Eure, Sr. (1923-2007), received his pilot’s license at a very young age and received his Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University, and Masters degree in Public Administration from The University of Pennsylvania. Tragically, Eure was a victim of a robbery and murdered near his home in 2007.
Trenton native and USAF veteran of the 99th Fighter Squadron, Major Elwood T. “Woody” Driver (1921-1992) trained pilots, graduating from the Army Air Corps Flying School at the Tuskegee Institute in 1942. Earning his pilot’s license while attending New Jersey State College, Major Driver served as Director of Training at Tuskegee Institute. A painting of Driver-by an internationally-acclaimed artist and fellow Tuskegee Airman hangs in NASA’s Space Art Gallery in its Visitors’ Center at the Kennedy Space Center.
To learn more about the fascinating accomplishments of the brave Red Tail Squadron and the Tuskegee Airmen, contact The CAF Red Tail Squadron, a special project of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), the national educational outreach program that inspires young people to rise above their own adversity by connecting to the stories of WWII heroes.
CAF Red Tail Squadron, PO Box 758538, Topeka, KS 66675-8538
To all military veterans living and deceased (including my late Dad, George R. Carson) thank you for your service.