8/2/2019 1993 - June 1 - Sun-Times p3 - David Speaking at Memorial Day Serice

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CHIC AGO S UN -T IM ES, TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 1993 3f : ,.\,. ~". . ... _ _ I..; . I:!, .

Rep. Bobby Rush (0-111.)andOrr place hands over their national anthem at a Memorial Day service at formerMayor Harold Washington's grave.DayValo Rememberf Our VetsBy Alf - SiewersStaff Writer

Memorial Day was a dayfor many kinds of memoriesand musings on valor, pa-triotism and the mysteries Iof war. IAt the Du Sable Museumof African-American Histo-ry, about 50 Tuskegee Air-men gathered for a reunionto greet a touring exhibitcelebrating the 50th anni-versary of their heroism aspioneering black aviators inWorld War II .Trained in Alabama andthrust into missions withoutpilots who had combat ex-perience, they never lost aborn bel' under their care toenemy aircraft. Some evensank a German destroyer-JIIa rare feat for fighter pilots.i:Felix Kirkpatrick recallec:flying 70 long-range escormissions over Europe asfighter pilot in the thensegregated U.S. military."One thing led to another, and the first thingknew Iwas shooting at peopie, and they were shootinat me," he said.A hero in the air, Kirpat rick said he and felloblack airmen on the grounendured indignities suchhaving to eat behind a cu- t~i r~ in segregated. railro~dining cars, something evel1German prisoners of w~weren't made to do.!But such discri.minati~~ldidn't destroy then patrtism, he said. "We wAmericans fir st."

SUN-TIMES/Brian Jacksonx. Kirkpatrick, shown in front of a World War IIaroreof himself, attended a reunion of fellow Tuske-Airmen Monday at the Du Sable museum. north at RosehilJetery, Civil War re-en-rs helped conduct aony to honor veterans,ding those of the Civilwho came from Chi-and helped inspire the

original Memorial Day.Loyola University histori-an Ted Karamanski, whohas been working with stu-dents to catalog Civil Warcemetery monuments inChicago, was at the ceremo-ny and recalled how the

holiday, originally Decora-tion Day, started here."When Chicago veteranscame home there was a realsentiment that they were ig-nored and forgotten," saidKaramanski, author of Ral-ly 'Round the Flag: Chicagoand the Civil War. .Much of the city's griefhad been poured out at fu-neral ceremonies for Abra-ham Lincoln before the vet-erans returned. When thesoldiers returned, theyfound a city in which many

felt out of place.Gen. Philip Sheridan, atthe urging of wives of veter-ans here, began the customof an organized decoratingof graves, which became anational holiday in 1868through an effort led by lo-cal congressman John Lo-gan, Karamanski said. The service at Oak WoodsCemetery on the South Sidewas held to honor 1st Sgt.Harold Washington, saidCo!. Norvel West, chairmanof the Minority VeteransSteering Committee and ahost of the event.The service at the latemayor's grave site was "tohonor Harold Washingtonas a veteran, and all veter-ans of all wars who havegiven the supreme sacri-fice," said West, a formerGreen Beret who fought inKorea and Vietnam.West now teaches thirdgraders at the McCorkleElementary School in Chi-cago.