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Are the Good Times Really Over (I Wish a Buck Was Still Silver) by Merle Haggard I wish a buck was still silverIt was back when the country was strongBack before ElvisBefore the Vietnam war came alongBefore The Beatles and 'Yesterday'When a man could still work, still wouldThe best of the free life behind us nowAnd are the good times really over for good?Are we rolling down hillLike a snowball headed for Hell?With no kind of chanceFor the Flag or the Liberty BellWish a Ford and a ChevyCould still last ten years, like they shouldIs the best of the free life behind us now?Are the good times really over for good?I wish Coke was still ColaAnd a joint was a bad place to beIt was back before Nixon lied to us all on TVBefore microwave ovensWhen a girl could still cook and still wouldThe best of the free life behind us nowAre the good times really over for good?Are we rolling down hillLike a snowball headed for Hell?With no kind of chanceFor the Flag or the Liberty BellWish a Ford and a ChevyCould still last ten years, like they shouldIs the best of the free life behind us now?Are the good times really over for good?Stop rolling down hillLike a snowball headed for HellStand up for the FlagAnd let's all ring the Liberty BellLet's make a Ford and a ChevyStill last ten years like they shouldThe best of the free life is still yet to comeThe good times ain't over for good Where Have All The Average People Gone? by Roger Miller
The people in this city call me countryBecause of how I walk and talk and smileWell, I don't mind them laughing in the cityBut the country folks all say I'm citified
The fighting men they say that I'm a cowardBecause I never push no one aroundGentle people call me trouble maker'Cause I'll always fight and stand my ground
Funny I don't fitWhere have all the average people gone?
Some pious people point and call me sinnerBecause to them I've never seen the lightsOther folks think of me as a preacherI'm just doing what I think is right
The wealthy people think that I am a hoboLean and hungry, writing mournful songsAnd the poor, poor people think I am a rich manBut really, I'm just trying to get along
Yes, it's funny I don't fitTell me where have all the average people gone?
And the government has given me a numberTo simplify my birth and life and deathAnd still my woman thinks I'm awful importantLike the moon and the sun and the sea and the sky and breath
Yes, it's funny I don't fitWhere have all the average people gone?Funny I don't fitWhere have all the average people gone?
My Own Native Land by "Johnny Freedom" aka Marty Robbins
In this troubled world today
We're asked to lend a hand
Which I will, but first with me
Comes my own native land
Gladly will I help this world
And give all that I can
It isn't selfishness but first
Comes my own native land
Is it right that we should give
And give until it hurts
To a foreign land that treats us
Just like so much dirt
Those who lead us have forgotten
Love is in the soul
Love cannot be purchased with
The promise of more gold
Giving brings a lot of joy
And this I do believe
But aren't the ones who give so much
Entitled to recieve
Why do we keep on giving
Is it right that we should please
The very ones who'd like to see
Our country on her knees
If we must give then we should use
A different policy
And give to only those who treat us
Fair and honestly
We give to those who quickly take it
Posing as a friend
Then just as quickly turn and bite
The hand that's feeding them
I'll be accused but I don't feel
I'm acting selfishly
'Cause I believe the country that
Remains strong will stay free
To give is great but are we giving
More than we can stand
I question this, cause first with me
Comes my own native land
I question this, cause first with me
Comes my own native land
(I'm Just a) Redneck In a Rock and Roll Bar by Jerry Reed
Well, hello boogie palaceI'm sittin' here aloneListening to the musicOf electric saxophone
Now they ain't no sexy dressesAnd they ain't no beehive hairJust boys who look like girlsWho look like boys who look like Cher
I'm just a redneck in a rock and roll barI miss the fiddle and a steel guitarThey're starin' at me like a bug in a jarI'm just a redneck in a rock and roll bar
I stopped in here to have a beerTo ask some gal to danceWell, I been waiting patientNow and I ain't had the chance
'Cause they ain't played any WaltzesNothing like a Texas SwingAnd with no belly rubbin' musicHow in the hell can I do my thing?
I'm just a redneck in a rock and roll barI miss the fiddle and a steel guitarThey're starin' at me like a bug in a jarI'm just a redneck in a rock and roll bar
Well, goodbye boogie PalaceI'm a-getting out of hereBack to country musicAnd back to Lone Star beer
Where the women look like womenAnd they dress so you can tellAnd the men are good old boysJust drinkin' beer and raising hell
I'm just a redneck in a rock and roll barI miss the fiddle and a steel guitarThey're starin' at me like a bug in a jarI'm just a redneck in a rock and roll bar
I'm just a redneck in a rock and roll barI miss the fiddle and a steel guitarThey're starin' at me like a bug in a jar
What's Come Over This World by Billy Carr
What's become of this nationAnd the songs that they sing?Everybody's protestin'What's it all gonna bring?
We sang "The Star-Spangled Banner"Forever in peace may it waveBut now some rock 'n' roll singerIs knockin' the home of the brave
Oh, what's come over this world?What's come over this world?I've thought it over and I can't get overWhat's come over this world?
There's an army of cowardsSee them marchin' in lineWhile the country's in dangerThey just carry a sign
Look at them burnin' their draft cardsAnd refusin' to fightWhile they talk about freedomThey're dimmin' Liberty's light
Oh, what's come over this world?What's come over this world?I've thought it over and I can't get overWhat's come over this world?
My brother fought in KoreaMy daddy in World War IINow there's a war in VietnamAnd there's a job we must do
"What can you do for your country?"His words were written in bloodThose who forgot what he died forAre draggin' the flag through the mud
Tell me, tell meWhat's come over this world?Tell me, tell me, tell meWhat's come over this world?I've thought it over and I can't get overWhat's come over this world?
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Purdue University - 610 Purdue Mall, West Lafayette, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Friday, April 16th, 1937 - 2:00 PM
The crisp spring air at Purdue University buzzed with students rushing between classes. Paul, usually a picture of composure, felt a nervous excitement bubbling within him. He couldn't believe Rebecca had talked him into this. A prank, on Amelia Earhart, no less, one of the most celebrated figures in the nation. It seemed utterly ludicrous, yet here he was, about to participate in it.
Lucy, ever the traditionalist, had initially balked at the idea, but Rebecca, with her infectious enthusiasm, had swayed her. After all, Amelia Earhart was a visiting professor, and Rebecca, sharing a similar build with the aviator, had convinced them that it would be a harmless bit of fun. Lucy, though, couldn't resist a dig, muttering something about Amelia belonging in a kitchen, not a cockpit.
Rebecca, now comically swathed in Amelia's iconic flight jacket, grinned mischievously. "Ready?" She whispered, her eyes sparkling.
Paul nodded, his heart pounding. They had managed to slip into the hangar where Amelia's plane was being serviced, and with a bit of deft maneuvering, they had acquired the jacket and her magnetic compass.
"Hey! What are you kids doing?" A gruff voice echoed through the hangar.
Paul, Lucy, and Rebecca froze, their eyes widening. They quickly composed themselves, attempting to look nonchalant. They had to get out of there, fast. They had to get off campus. They were breaking several laws, not least of which was trespassing.
As they hurried away, Paul's conscience pricked him. This wasn't just a harmless prank; it was theft, and they were trespassing on university property. The thrill of the moment began to dissipate, replaced by a growing sense of unease.
"Stop! Come back here!" Amelia's voice rang out, sharp and clear. She had discovered their little escapade and was now in hot pursuit.
The trio bolted, adrenaline surging through their veins. They sprinted across the campus, weaving through crowds of bewildered students, their footsteps echoing on the cobblestone paths. Amelia, despite her determination, couldn't keep pace. They disappeared into the maze of buildings, finally losing her in the bustling student union.
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Meyer Farm - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Friday, July 2nd, 1937 - 8:45 PM
Eight scores and one year since John Adams had envisioned the Second of July as a day of celebration, a pall hung over the gathering. Amelia Earhart had vanished, her plane lost somewhere over the vast Pacific.
Paul, Lucy, and Rebecca, their faces etched with guilt, stood around the fire, the flames casting flickering shadows on their troubled expressions. The prank they had pulled months ago now seemed like a cruel twist of fate. They had to erase any trace of their involvement.
They had already burned what they could, including the flight jacket, the leather crackling and turning to ash in the flames. Now, they were burying the remnants of their prank, the magnetic compass, its needle still pointing north, a silent reminder of their folly.
"Let's speak of this never again." Rebecca said, her voice trembling, the words barely a whisper.
"Agreed." Paul concurred, his gaze fixed on the flames. But as he turned away, he noticed a scrap of leather, untouched by the fire, caught in the breeze. It fluttered upwards, a dark speck against the twilight sky, until it disappeared from view.
As they stood over the freshly dug hole, the weight of their actions settled upon them. A prank, once a source of amusement, now felt like a heavy burden of guilt.
Rebecca looked at Paul and Lucy, her eyes filled with remorse. "We should have never done this." she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
"I just wanted to prove a point…" Lucy said, her voice strained, tears welling up in her eyes.
Paul placed a comforting hand on Lucy's shoulder, his touch gentle. "We can't change what we did, but we can make sure it never happens again."
The trio stood in silence, the crackling of the fire the only sound breaking the stillness, the weight of their actions hanging heavily in the air. They knew that they would carry this guilt with them for the rest of their lives, a constant reminder of a prank gone too far.
Four Years, Five Months, and Fourteen Days later...
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Meyer Homestead -Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, December 16th, 1941 - 8:00 AM
"Well, Wyatt, Dean, and I will be heading downtown soon." Paul admitted to his sweetheart as they conversed on the steps of the front porch, holding hands. "I made up my mind and I'm going into the Army."Lucy sighed and acquiesced as it was unfortunately not surprising given the present circumstances. Just last year, her family supported Wendell Lewis Willkie who was the Republican Presidential nominee despite being an interventionist and only recently being a registered Democrat yet the Schütte’s still attended the rally in nearby Elwood to show their support to their fellow Hoosier. There was also the fact that she was a follower of Father Coughlin only to gradually wither away from the snake oil under the guise of benefiting the United States of America yet she still followed famed American aviator Charles Augustus Lindbergh but it was at another gathering altogether where Lucy first met the man she wanted to marry at the 1936 Indiana State Fair and they even dated at the Great Cornfield Conference - a Republican Party rally organized by Indiana businessman Homer Earl Capehart, an individual who had risen from a Pike County farm boy with a high school education to a millionaire manufacturer and salesman of Wurlitzer jukeboxes during the Great Depression years and it took place August 26th-27th, 1938 on Capehart’s farm in Daviess County months after he visited Arch Bobbitt, state chair of the Republican Party, and offered to host ‘a cornfield rally’ and a ‘clambake on my farm’. It was an offer that couldn’t be dismissed as it was a dark time for the Republican Party, both in the State of Indiana and nationwide. On the federal level, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his fellow Democrats had won massive victories in the 1936 election, and the New Deal was further concentrating power into the control of the Federal Government in flagrant violation of the Tenth Amendment, some pundits even wondered if the GOP was in fact on its deathbed. Paul Vories McNutt, the 34th Governor of Indiana, had served as a strong Democratic governor since 1933, and he proclaimed that ‘the Republican rank-and-file was apathetic’.Yet on Saturday, August 27th, 1938, Capehart’s farm was ready to receive visitors with twenty-eight blue-and-white striped tents arranged on a one hundred and twenty acre field. One large tent held ten thousand people seated at tables while other tents held each of the twelve Indiana delegations, kitchens, radio broadcasters, the press, first aid stations, and soft drink concessions.But this event would exceed all expectations as in all, twenty thousand precinct committeemen, county chairmen, their families, and dignitaries from outside the state attended the ‘Cornfield Conference’, filling nearby fields with thousands of cars. There were even special trains that arrived from all over Indiana and as far away as New York, carrying more visitors, and the menu was grand, consisting of barbecued chicken, relishes, clams, mashed potatoes and country gravy, corn on the cob, watermelon, rolls and butter, iced tea, and coffee. Guests consumed more than five thousand chickens, seventy thousand steamed clams, and three tons of corn on the cob.The rally also offered a variety of entertainment for the crowd from seeing a real Indian chief, watching stuntmen, and listening to yodelers, guitar players, a German band, the Wurlitzer Military Band, and thirty-two individual drum and bugle corps from the surrounding area.Capehart oversaw everything personally and was dressed in a floppy canvas sun hat, white long-sleeved shirt, long checked tie, tan cotton trousers, and cigar in the corner of his mouth and the businessman greeted everyone with a warm handshake.This event proved to be serendipitous as it resuscitated the Republican Party away from apparent extinction, making the front pages of The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune as well as countless other papers.But now the United States of America had been dragged into a war as nine days ago the Imperial Japanese Navy raided Pearl Harbor with aircraft and crippled or outright sunk ships of the United States Navy as well as damaged and destroyed planes of the United States Army Air Corps which caused the nation to issue a Declaration of War and made her feel somber on the 9th, her twenty-second birthday but two days later, the 11th was worse as Nazi Germany decided to counteract the American declaration in support of their ally and now it wasn’t relegated to the Pacific exclusively but Europe as well. She could still remember hearing the concern from her parents and grandparents about being harassed and of course, the lynching of Robert Paul Prager was still in living memory. She was an isolationist yet after the nation had been attacked war was, mournfully, the only response. "I understand with a war on, one that's going to be a complete effort.""The recruiting offices are bound to be swarmed but hopefully we'll beat the crowd and take it to the Japs." Paul declared solemnly, not bothering to mention the other main two Axis Powers; The Kingdom of Italy and the Third Reich.
Battle of the Bloody Ridge
Private First Class Stephen Yeager "Steve" Meyer - Third Squad, Dog Company, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, 1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps
Edson's Ridge - Guadalcanal, Guadalcanal Province, British Solomon Islands, Pacific, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, September 12th, 1942 - 10:00 PM
The 1st Marine Raider Battalion as well as Paramarines of the 1st Parachute Battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Merritt A. Edson were the principal force acting as the roadblock between Japanese ground forces and the targeted American airfield with additional contributions from the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, the 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, and even the 67th Fighter Squadron as all Marines were Riflemen First and Foremost! Despite the haphazard defense, the Leathernecks were dug in and ammunition was distributed across the line."Alright, listen up. The Japs are expected to try to take Henderson by force but we are the roadblock standing in their way!" The voice of a Non-Commissioned Officer, one that Stephen didn’t know, exclaimed. “We’re expected to hold this ridge at all costs. Hold the line, Marines!”"Here they come!"Illumination flares shrieked in the night as did the lights from Japanese destroyers and Stephen peered through the bottom aperture of the M1905 rear sight to aim his U. S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1903A1 this bottom aperture being also known as a ‘peep sight’. On the very top of the sight was a ‘Volley’ notch meant for long-range volley fire and set exclusively at twenty-eight hundred and fifty yards, and on the Slide and Cap Elevation Assembly which was adjusted by the elevation knob were three other sights: A ‘U’ notch for fourteen hundred to twenty-seven hundred and fifty yards, another ‘U’ notch for one hundred to twenty-four hundred and seventy-five yards, and lastly the aforementioned peep sight for one hundred to twenty-three hundred and seventy-five yards but when the leaf was down there was a battle sight notch and the battle sight zero of the foresight was set for five hundred and forty-seven yards. Although at times it was difficult to see through the exiguous peephole in the dark, the flares exposed the onrushing waves of enemy infantry, enough for the Marine Corps Rifleman to engage and pick them off one at a time."Hold your position, stay at your posts!" The authoritative voice of another Non-Commissioned Officer barked. "We cannot afford to lose this airfield!!" Corporal Paul Baltasar Meyer - Military Police Platoon, 82nd Airborne Division, 15th Army Group, United States Army
Skies over Gela - Gela, Sicily, Kingdom of Italy, Europe, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Friday, July 9th, 1943 - 1:15 AM
Paul felt the jitters of the plane - the Douglas C-47 Skytrain - as well as the bumps and heard the flak bursting outside, the Italians with German support were certainly ready to greet the inbound paratroopers and perhaps the forces landing amphibiously as well. Feeling a need to reassure himself, Paul removed his helmet and took a glance at the photograph of Lucy who was wearing the unique all-white Summer Dress Uniform of the United States Marine Corps Women's Reserve with green chevrons, the light green visored cap made of cotton gabardine with a white cord brass Marine Corps cap device and brass Marine Corps buttons, and a green handbag before turning it around to see the inscription.
Waiting for you - Lucy
He did not expect her of all women to decide to enter the military herself and especially the women's branch of the United States Marine Corps Reserve. It still was mindboggling to him to have dames in uniform, the Hoosier and many of his fellow Americans were concerned that they were becoming butches or there would be some harebrained scheme of sending the fairer sex into combat which was naturally a man's purview, their sphere. Even with his skepticism Paul still could not deny the war effort meant freeing every able-bodied man for the fight and someone would need to pick up the slack but as long as it wasn't permanent and ludicrously crossing the line why should he complain?"Red light! Get Ready! Stand up!" The jumpmaster barked, causing Paul to return the picture underneath the leather straps and place the M1 helmet back on his head and the parachuting MPs to stand up.“Hook up! Check static line!” The Airborne MPs hooked the static lines to the overhead anchor cable, checked their static lines for certainty, and prepared for the inevitable command with one final check. "Check equipment!" Every American paratrooper, besides his main parachute and a reserve, carried a pack, a water canteen or two, rations, ammunition, a .45 caliber M1911 or M1911A1 pistol, and either a M1928A1 or M1 .45 caliber Thompson Submachine Gun, a .30 Caliber M1 Rifle, or the M1A1 variant of the Carbine with the folding stock. They checked their own equipment to ensure it was properly secured, and the equipment for the man in front of them was also secure.“Sound off for equipment check!”"Trooper one ready!""Trooper two ready!"And it continued down the line until the last jumper was inspected and cleared."All troopers ready!""Green light! Stand in the door! Go, GO, GO!"Paul hopped out of the C-47 and pulled the cord, his M1 Rifle in the drop bag waiting for reassembly upon the landing zone but flak continued firing around him and his fellow All-Americans in the night.
Corporal Lucy Adelia Schütte - 511 Small Arms Mechanic, USMCWR Detachment - Boston Navy Yard, United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve
Boston Navy Yard - Southeast of Chelsea Street, Charlestown, City of Boston, Suffolk County, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, June 6th, 1944 - 9:57 PM
The small-town girl from Wildcat Township, Tipton County, Indiana and the daughter of a horse farmer as well as gun store owner was repairing a Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, HB, Flexible and as she finished thoroughly disassembling the heavy machine gun Lucy overheard an exchange between a pair of male Jarheads nearby. “I’m disappointed that the Corps gave in to pressure.” “Misses Rogers should be tending to her husband, not Congress.” The other snorted. “What does she know about the military?” “From what I heard, she was in the Red Cross during the last Great War.”“The American Red Cross is not even a branch!”“I know, and yet look at these dames here. It’s still absurd.”Although having female auxiliaries did not find favor by many in Congress or the branches of the military services, it was implemented through an effort spearheaded by Edith Nourse Rogers, a Republican and Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 5th district, and Eleanor Roosevelt, the present First Lady.Lucy, however, had to agree with the sentiment and she still denied the harebrained exhortation from Rebecca as women had no place in the ranks, they should never be soldiers, sailors, and certainly not Marines! But in spite of her ambivalence after being talked into it she was here now and she had to mentally justify it with the slogan ‘Free a Man to Fight’ despite feeling abashed.The idle chatter and small talk ceased as an announcement came on the radio, from the 32nd President of the United States himself.
“My fellow Americans: Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far…And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer.”
Although she like her parents and the Meyer’s despised ‘That Man in the White House’, the devout Lutheran nevertheless bowed her head and clasped her hands.
“Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity…Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith…They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph…They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest-until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war…For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home…Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom…And for us at home - fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas - whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them - help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice…Many people have urged that I call the Nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts…Give us strength, too - strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces…And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be…And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other; Faith in our united crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose…With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil…Thy will be done, Almighty God…Amen.”
“Amen.” Private First Class Dean Meyer - U.S.S. Texas Marine Detachment, United States Marine Corps U.S.S. Texas (BB-35) - New York -class Battleship: Offshore of Pointe Du Hoc, 'Omaha' Beach, Normandy, France, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Wednesday, June 7th, 1944 - 10:00 AM
The eighty-four Leathernecks aboard the Texas were disappointed in the fact that a stand-down order was issued, they were anticipating joining the forces wading ashore and supporting the Rangers yet that was the catch.Earlier in the morning, the Rangers of the 2nd Ranger Battalion were suffering heavy losses and word was filtered down the chain of command to send in Marines from one of the offshore ships’ detachments to reinforce the Rangers with the ones slated to go being the detachment aboard BB-35.As soon as it was announced, the Marines aboard the Texas began making last-minute preparations: Wiping down weapons, distributing grenades, waterproofing field packs, and sharpening K-Bar fighting knives. Others were on the mess decks eating the traditional pre-landing breakfast of steak and eggs: A fact that concerned the Navy’s medical corpsmen who feared they would be treating stomach wounds later in the day. Those anxious to go ashore watched the ongoing action from the ship’s railings yet at the last minute they were ordered to stand down and none of the Marines would be allowed to go ashore, not even providing armed escort on landing craft ferrying Army troops or supplies. The scuttlebutt was that the Army didn't want to see headlines of the Jarheads 'rescuing' the Ranger Assault Group at Pointe Du Hoc and how that could be with wartime censorship was anyone's guess. The blunt fact however remained: There would be no significant participation from the United States Marine Corps in the European Theater of Operations."This is nonsense, we're United States Marines and our role is taking beaches.""Still, the Army will take it with overwhelming numbers, it's just that they're a sledgehammer instead of the Corps' fine blade.""But at what cost?" Dean commented as the Battleship continued to provide naval gunfire support for the GIs storming the coast. "It sounds pretty rough over there on Omaha."
Joslyn Paulina Sanson DeCastro
Province of Batangas - Luzon, Commonwealth of the Philippines / the Japanese-sponsored Republic of the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Wednesday, August 16th, 1944 - 4:21 PM
It had been two years, seven months, and eight days since the island of Luzon was conquered by the invading forces of the Rising Sun and life under occupation was unbearable, the Japanese had been merciless despite their proclamation that they were liberating fellow Asians from colonizers. Her father was publicly beheaded early on in the occupation after the Kempeitai noticed 'discrepancies' when they arrived at his gun shop in Tanauan to confiscate the arms and her mother had been violated. Now she and her two brothers, Fredy Beiceño and Dario Aranda, were conducting sabotage, targeting mostly power lines to impede the enemy's communication network. Still, it was not just the landlines, they also ambushed dispatch riders and the Imperial Japanese Army was presently running low on motorcycle riders carrying messages in satchels.While lying in the brush, Joslyn and Dario waited as Fredy - who was an electrician by trade before the war - scaled up the pole to damage the transformer and while a rifle would be sufficient ammunition for their Winchester Model 54s was finite.But before Fredy could complete his task, a patrol of six Japanese soldiers appeared, their bayonets gleaming in the sunlight and after spotting him they aimed their rifles up at Fredy without hesitation. Gunfire soon erupted, the cracks of their volley echoing through the tranquil forest, and Joslyn's heart stopped in her chest, watching in horror as the bullets found their mark, Fredy's body slumping before he fell to the ground. A cry of anguish escaped her lips as tears streamed down her face."Joslyn!" Dario grabbed her arm, trying to hold her back. "No! It's too late!"But Joslyn was already there, tears streaming down her face as she shook her brother's limp body. "Please, Fredy. Stay with me!"He let out a rattling breath, his eyes glassy and lifeless. "H-Help... Joslyn...""There's nothing we can do." Dario said, his voice heavy with regret. "We have to go. Now."Joslyn's grip tightened on Fredy's shirt. "But -""We can't stay here!" Dario insisted, his tone urgent. "They'll kill us too!"Though reluctant, Joslyn knew that her brother was right. They had to run, even if it meant leaving Fredy behind. With heavy hearts, the siblings fled into the jungle, the sound of gunfire fading behind them.The war had taken everything from them - their parents, their home, and now their brother. But Joslyn knew that they couldn't stop fighting. They had to keep resisting, for Fredy and for the Philippines. They owed it to their country, to their family, and to themselves.
Private Wyatt Earp Meyer - Fireteam Charlie, Third Squad, Third Platoon, How Company, Second Battalion, 381st Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry "Deadeyes" Division, XXIV Corps, United States Army
Catmon Hill - Dulag, Province of Leyte, Eastern Visayas, Philippines, Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, October 31st, 1944 - 12:00 PM
While back home Trick-or-Treating was ongoing, there was no respite from the horrors of war for Halloween as the American Deadeyes had to finish mopping up the hill of any Japanese presence, meaning that every last remaining enemy bunker had to be individually cleared out one by one."Flamethrowers moving up!" Someone shouted as men lugging the incendiary weapons strapped on their person pressed forward.Wyatt, however, peered through the aperture of his U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1, and waited patiently in case he and the other Deadeyes needed to deliver deliberate accurate fire that was zealously ingrained into them by General Easley yet in all fairness to Speck, the General was oblivious to the fact that Meyer's father was at Belleau Wood with the 4th Marine Regiment and knew the Provisional Small Arms Firing Manual for the United States Army and for the Organized Militia of the United States, 1909 by heart but Wyatt appreciated the emphasis nevertheless.Wyatt noticed someone emerging from a pillbox and recognized that it was an enemy officer unsheathing a sword, causing the Hoosier to immediately line up his sight and steadily squeeze the trigger rearward.
'Gotcha.'
Sergeant Ryan Meyer - Fireteam Baker, Third Squad, First Platoon, Able Company, Second Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment, 76th Infantry "Blue Devil" Brigade, Indiana Army National Guard, 38th Infantry "Cyclone" Division, United States Army
'Zigzag Pass' - Bataan, Philippines, Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Wednesday, February 14th, 1945 - 2:00 PM
The Hoosier National Guardsmen of the Cyclone Division knelt down and remained steadfast as some of the Japanese defenders launched an uncoordinated counterattack that just seemed to never cease, every time the natives from Indiana used to their humid continental climate back home with only the extreme southern portion of the state having a humid subtropical climate pressed forward into the tropical jungle, Japanese personnel intermittently poured out from somewhere amid the dense foliage or even the so-called ‘spider holes’ and shouted their infamous warcry:“Tennōheika banzai!” "BANZAI!”“Ah, hell, those slant-eyed monkeys are coming right at us!”“Mow those Nips down!” ‘They're just bogging us down.’ Ryan thought as he lined up the aperture of his M1 Rifle with the front post. ‘But we keep putting the relentless zealots down.’ One of the M4A3 Shermans supporting the 152nd Infantry of the 38th Division fired shrapnel from its 75mm M3 main gun and in conjunction with the hull and coaxial M1919A4 machine guns mowed down the irritating zealots.“Those bastards of Tojo never learn.” Weiss sighed.“No, but we’ll still slap those Japs back to Tokyo.” Another GI with the surname of Olson declared. “Don’t underestimate them.” Meyer admonished upon overhearing the discussion. “This war may be nearly over but the fighting against those reckless descendants of Samurai hasn’t ceased.”
Sergeant Paul Baltasar Meyer - Military Police Platoon, 82nd Airborne Division, United States Army
Épinal, Vosges, Lorraine, France, Europe, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, June 25th, 1945 - 10:45 AM
Paul decided to double check the numbers and recalculated the points for the Adjusted Service Rating Score in the hope of being eligible to be repatriated to the United States for discharge from military service as part of Operation: Magic Carpet and he had thirty-nine months in uniform total and was overseas for twenty-four months.Plus he had the Distinguished Service Medal, the Soldier's Medal for saving a fellow paratrooper during a training mishap, Campaign Star, and a Purple Heart.It still totaled eighty-three points, literally just two shy away from going home.The 82nd Airborne Division was rumored to be destined for occupation duty in Berlin beginning in August but Paul was yearning to not be among them in the Division's Military Police Platoon because he did his part and he desired going home, the same home he hadn't seen for over two years and persuading the pencil-pusher was in his mind better than waiting another month to return to the States.Paul and his family were unrepentant Francophobes, despising anything and everything about France with minuscule exceptions: The French people, French culture, the French government… And the soil he stood on was the Lothringen half of Elsaß–Lothringen, not Lorraine of Alsace-Lorraine! He thought he was going to be sent to the Pacific only to learn that he was heading to Europe instead and although the discovery of the camps infuriated him with himself coming across Wöbbelin, a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp, at the time he didn't see any need to be involved in a European war when neither the Brits nor Germans attacked Pearl Harbor and even when Nazi Germany declared war against the United States on December 11th, 1941 he believed that a diplomatic solution would be found yet now a reluctant fratricide for a second time germinated into disorientation, all of this because of Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his consort.But it was older than that, he knew of Napoleon humiliating the Prussians at the Battle of Jena-Auerstädt and the annexation of Minden into a client state known as the Kingdom of Westphalia ruled by his brother Jerome Bonaparte as the King. Then on January 1st, 1811 Napoleon transferred Minden to the department Ems-Supérieur of the French Empire; Minden became French soil and Mindeners were among those conscripted into the Grande Armée for the ill-fated 1812 expedition into Russia with most of them never being seen again.1813 was a War of Liberation and among the Landwehr seeking retribution against the Emperor considered to be the Devil Incarnate were those of the 2nd Westphalian Landwehr with the men from Minden and the County of Ravensburg alike inflicting vengeance en route to Waterloo at the Battle of Ligny against the elite Old Guard of the prestigious Imperial Guard no less and during that encounter the 2nd Westphalian Landwehr fought valiantly and lost ninety-three percent of their strength despite being a mere Landwehr Regiment, literally the lowest level of militia raised during the Napoleonic Wars who typically broke and ran yet that day the one thing on their mind was undoubtedly revenge.Then it was followed years later by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 - 71 with another Emperor of France, Napoleon’s incompetent nephew Napoleon III being captured at Sedan and in the aftermath of the conflict Elsaß–Lothringen became part of Germany yet despite the spanking it sparked French desire to avenge and henceforth how a simple assassination escalated into World War I and Woodrow Wilson to the contrary of his vow of keeping America out renege on his word and dragged the nation in despite having no business in the conflict at all.Needless to say, France was always going to be the Erbfeind, it was just that the circumstances became complicated, and ironically the French adage ‘The more things change, the more they stay the same’ reigned true. The sooner he left the better but bureaucratic red tape was standing between him and his life at home.His thoughts were interrupted by that of a Frenchwoman and he noticed that she was getting too close for comfort.“Salut beauté.” She greeted. “I have been saving a fine vintage and wondering if you care to join, Mousiner?”“Nein!” Paul rebuffed in Hochdeutsch instead of Platt, scorning the la demoiselle. “Take your prized wine and pour it in the Rhine River then pray to Blucher and Bismark instead of the two Napoleon’s, you ungepflegte Hure.”The slap may have been deserved from the standpoint of him disrespecting a woman but from his perspective Paul didn’t want to be involved with any Frenchy whatsoever and it would be a freezing in Hell before any Meyer became romantically involved with any wart-infested Gallic harlots.
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Louisville & Nashville Railroad Depot - Etowah, McMinn County, Tennessee, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday. July 29th, 1946 - 2:31 PM
It was only serendipitous that Paul found himself on the same northbound train as his brother Stephen and their friend Jack but to the paratrooper who saw the entire war in the European Theater of Operations from North Africa and Sicily to the Ardennes and across the Rhine, the majority of the Marine Corps as well as the Army Divisions allocated for the Pacific War had it rough on islands isolated from the comfort of civilization with tropical diseases taking their toll and of course then there were those who fought in the jungles of the China-Burma-India Theater with an appalling toll from ailments and even accidents far from the latest in wound care. He did not envy them and no matter their experience they encountered and endured their share of hell on Earth which made the fact that the trio were sitting on a bench in small-town America surreal as it seemed only just yesterday they were dodging mortar fire regardless if the shells were German, Italian, Japanese, or even courtesy of their puppets such as the Vichy French. “Well, the one thing I’m looking forward to the most is the Kartoffelsalat.” Stephen could almost taste the warm potato salad but not quite as none touched his buds in what felt like ages. “Now you’re making me hungry, Steve.” Paul griped but before Jack could interject and make some remark the trio were waylaid by a pair of Deputies.“Can you read?” One of them asked gruffly. “Yes, Deputy.” Jack confirmed, not disclosing the fact that before enlisting in the Marines he was with the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. Marion County, Indiana that is. “Now what’s the trouble?”“‘No Loitering’ and you three are in violation of the local ordinance.”The thing was that there was not a sign that prohibited such practice anywhere in sight. “Now, wait just a minute! Our train departs in thirty minutes!” Paul exclaimed. “We can be out of here and where’s that sign anyhow?”“Well, you can explain it to the judge.” The other replied as they detained the three Hoosiers.
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday. July 29th, 1946 - 7:45 PM
For the first time ever Paul experienced the meaning of ‘trumped up charges’ firsthand despite the fact that he had always been a law-abiding citizen and during the war was a Military Policeman in the 82nd Airborne Division yet not only did the corrupt McMinn County Sheriff’s Department made the homesick Hoosiers miss their train, they confiscated their last penny as ‘fines’ and now they were stuck in the wrong community with their only option being to freight-hopped on the next train like hobos yet it was unconscionable and the train could be heading anywhere other than their intended destination.“Well, it could be worse I suppose.” Stephen sighed as he kicked a pebble around while meandering. “We could’ve been shot for resisting arrest.”“Not funny.” Paul glared at his youngest sibling after giving him a smack on the back side of the head.“Well, bellyaching is not going to get us home any sooner.” Jack interceded but the trio halted midstep as they heard an engine behind them and a pair of lights which meant that there was an incoming car. At first the three believed that they were being confronted by the county authorities who were a disgrace to Law Enforcement but instead it turned out to be a great samaritan.“Do you three need a place to stay?”
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Barton Residence - Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Wednesday, July 31st, 1946 - 8:00 PM
“I want to say thank you again for your hospitality, Fred.” Paul thanked after wiping his mouth and he couldn’t believe the taste of the blackberry pie which was akin to perfection. “Now you’re always welcome here.” His wife, Mary, informed the trio but neither Paul, Stephen, nor Jack intended to stay permanently.“Is it alright I used your phone?"“Go on right ahead.”Paul sat up and pushed the chair back before walking to the nearest telephone located next to the sofa in the living room and he hoped that either of his parents would answer yet unexpectedly instead of his mother or even father Paul heard the voice of his fiancée who was apparently visiting instead of being in her native Tipton County.
“Hello?”
“Hiya, Luce.” Paul greeted before divulging the exact predicament. “Listen, we’re going to be a little late and we need a loan as our funds were confiscated by the local sheriff around Athens, Tennessee.”
“What? Oh, Paul…”
“We need someone to telegram money through Western Union or something and we’ll be on our way.”
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Thursday, August 1st, 1946 - 3:00 PM
As the money order had not yet arrived and with nothing better to do the three out-of-town guests decided to volunteer and thus far there have been no shenanigans at the polls. While neither Paul, Stephen, nor Jack could legally vote in the local election they impartially observed the process like hawks but the tranquility, unfortunately, did not last as the three Hoosiers as well as the local GI Poll Watchers were interrupted by the corrupt local authorities.“Where are those out-of-town interlopers!?!” One of the deputies with the surname of Wise inquired. “Right here.” Paul growled as he stepped forward. “Is there anything you want to say to my face?”Wise’s attention however turned to another individual, this time an elderly African-American farmer who came to cast his ballot. “I think you aren’t supposed to be here either, boy.”“Hey, you can’t just -” Before Paul could do anything, Wise struck him with brass knuckles with the blow slamming the voter to the floor then shot the hapless victim in the back with his service revolver and a group of men including Paul rushed over to check his condition.“Someone get a doctor!”
The Battle of Athens 1946
President Reagan's Remarks to the Citizens of Athens, Tennessee on September 24th, 1985
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Outside the McMinn County Jail - 202 North White Street, Athens, McMinn County, Tennessee, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Thursday, August 1st, 1946 - 8:30 PM
Among those taking cover behind one of the vehicles parked yards from the jail and surrounding the building were the two Meyer’s and lone Cameron with others prepared to take potshots from the Post Office across the street and admittedly the unintentional out-of-town guests neglected to consider the possibility of taking position inside the post office themselves as it did offer an excellent vantage point but oh well. “I hate that it came to this…” Paul muttered as he pulled the bolt of his United States Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1917 back and loaded the weapon firstly with a five-round stripper clip before pitching the clip followed by a loose unspent cartridge of .30-06 before closing the bolt. Although admittedly it was none of any of the three Hoosier’s business to be further involved in what was clearly a local matter, it had become personal and they were now along for the ride. “But as Thomas Jefferson said ‘The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of tyrants…”“Amen.” Stephen and Jack concurred. "WOULD YOU DAMN BASTARDS BRING THOSE DAMN BALLOT BOXES OUT HERE OR WE ARE GOING TO SET SIEGE AGAINST THE JAIL AND BLOW IT DOWN!" “ROT IN HELL!”In response, the locals fired their weapons at the besieged jailhouse and the fifty deputies were vastly outnumbered as they were held up by two thousand townsmen and returning war veterans alike but while the locals had a score to settle after enduring a long train of abuses and usurpations which had reduced them to live under absolute despotism, the three Hoosiers also felt obligated to throw off such government and to provide new guards for the future security of their fellow Americans.
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Meyer Farm - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, August 3rd, 1946 - 4:30 PM
After retrieving their luggage from the trunk of the taxi and waving the driver off, Paul as well as Stephen and Jack were finally home at last with only the unanticipated detour of sorts delaying their arrival.“Well, talk about a detour.” Jack chuckled only to not hear laughter in response. “Krauts…”“We’re glad that we made it.” Stephen sighed. “Better late than never.” Paul shook his head only to see his fiancée rushing out of the front door with a newspaper in her hand.“Welcome home, hero.” Lucy smirked as she showed them the headline and only then did they laugh.“Well, someone needed to do it.” Paul grinned before adding. “As it is our right, our duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for our future security."
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Saint John Evangelical Lutheran Church - 6630 Southeastern Avenue, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, August 6th, 1946 - 2:00 PM
It was a warm Tuesday afternoon and the groom, Paul Baltasar Meyer, stood nervously at the altar, dressed in his finest suit and he couldn't help but steal glances at the church entrance, eagerly awaiting the arrival of his bride, Lucy Adelia Schütte. As the church organ began to play, signaling the start of the ceremony, Paul's heart raced with excitement.Meanwhile, at the back of the church, Lucy was being escorted down the aisle by her father, Henry, and the father beamed with pride as he walked his daughter towards her future husband. Lucy, dressed in a beautiful white lace gown, held onto her father's arm tightly, trying to contain her nerves. She couldn't believe that the day she had dreamt of since she was a little girl was finally here but as they made their way down the aisle, Lucy couldn't help but take in the beauty of the church. The stained-glass windows, the intricate details of the altar, and the peaceful atmosphere all added to the significance of the moment.As they reached the altar, Henry placed Lucy's hand in Paul's, signaling the start of the ceremony. The pastor, dressed in his traditional robe, welcomed the couple and began the service.“Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness the holy matrimony of Paul and Lucy. “The ordained pastor of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod began. “In a world that has just emerged from the darkness of war, it is a joyous occasion to witness the union of two souls in love.” The pastor went on to speak about the importance of love and commitment in marriage, and how it was a sacred bond that should be cherished and nurtured. Paul and Lucy looked at each other with love and adoration, knowing that they were about to embark on a lifelong journey together.As the ceremony continued, Paul and Lucy exchanged their vows, promising to love and support each other through all the trials and tribulations of life. The words they spoke were heartfelt and sincere, bringing tears to the eyes of their loved ones, and the pastor pronounced them husband and wife, the church erupted in applause and cheers. Paul and Lucy shared their first kiss as a married couple, sealing their commitment to each other.As they walked back down the aisle, hand in hand, the church bells rang out, announcing their union to the world. The newlyweds couldn't contain their happiness as they greeted their family and friends, who showered them with love and blessings.“Can you believe we're finally married?” Lucy said, looking up at her husband with a smile.“I can't believe it either.” Paul replied, pulling her in for a hug. “I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.”
Paul Baltasar Meyer
St. Francis Hospital - Albany Street, Beech Grove, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Wednesday, July 2nd, 1947 - 8:49 PM
Paul had been pacing the sterile hallway for what felt like an eternity, the scent of antiseptic and fear clinging to the air. He was a man worn by the weight of worry, his brow furrowed with concern for his wife, Lucy, who was laboring inside. His best suit, usually reserved for Sundays, was now rumpled and stained with nervous sweat. The faint hum of the hospital lights seemed to amplify the agonizing silence, broken only by the occasional muffled cry from behind the closed doors."Mister Meyer?" Doctor Ettenberg's voice, calm but laced with a professional detachment, cut through the suffocating tension, pulling Paul sharply from his anxious thoughts. Dr. Ettenberg was a man in his late forties, with tired eyes that spoke of countless sleepless nights and difficult decisions. His white coat, though clean, bore the faint impression of a stethoscope worn habitually."Yes?" The farmer replied, stopping his frantic back-and-forth. The linoleum floor felt cold beneath his worn leather shoes, grounding him in the stark reality of the hospital."You can come in now and see your son."The words were like a shot of adrenaline, instantly dissolving the leaden weight in his limbs. Within seconds, Paul was rushing through the dimly lit ward, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He found Lucy in bed, pale but radiant, a weary but triumphant smile gracing her face as she cradled a small bundle in her arms. A son. The culmination of months of hope and worry. A wave of profound relief washed over him, momentarily blinding him to everything but the sight of his wife and child.He knelt beside the bed, gently kissing Lucy on the forehead, his eyes fixed on the sleeping infant. He was perfect, impossibly small and precious. Swaddled in a soft, blue blanket, he seemed to represent not just new life, but also hope for a brighter future, a fresh start in a world scarred by war. Lucy sighed contentedly, her hand reaching out to gently touch Paul's rough cheek. Her face, though pale with exhaustion, radiated a profound sense of peace."Paul? What do you think of our son?" Her voice was soft, filled with a love that transcended the pain she must have endured in bringing him into the world."Well…" Paul said, his voice thick with emotion, struggling to find the right words to express the profound joy blooming in his chest. "What did you name him?""Jake." Lucy smiled, a tired but genuine smile that reached her eyes, sparkling even in the subdued light. She carefully handed the infant to the father, entrusting him with the most precious thing in their lives.As Paul held Jake, cradling him with a tenderness he didn't know he possessed, Paul noticed the baby’s remarkable blue-gray eyes, still unfocused but already hinting at a depth of character. He felt a pang of nostalgia, struck by their uncanny resemblance to those of his Great-Grandfather Wilhelm, a veteran of the 32nd Indiana Infantry who fought valiantly in the American Civil War. He regretted that Wilhelm had passed away back in '37, unable to witness this new link in the family chain. The world had changed so much since then, from Samuel Finley Breese Morse revolutionizing communication with the telegraph and Doctor Richard Jordan Gatling constructing his hand-cranked multi-barreled rotary gun, ushering in a new era of technological advancement. But then again, the more that things changed, the more they stayed the same. The cycle of life and death continued, a constant thread weaving through the tapestry of existence, connecting generations past to present."Dad and Grandpa will be welcoming him." Paul murmured, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips, thinking of his own father and grandfather, now watching over them from beyond. He imagined them looking down, proud of their legacy, their lineage continuing through this tiny, fragile life."I would be more concerned about your mother coddling him." Lucy jested, a flicker of her old spirit returning, injecting a touch of levity into the moment. She chuckled softly, a sound that warmed Paul's heart and eased some of his lingering anxieties."That I have no doubt." Paul smiled, not disagreeing in the slightest.
Technician Fifth Grade Greta Anika Schütte - 126 Meteorologist, Women’s Army Corps, United States Army
Brazel’s Ranch - Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, July 7th, 1947 - 8:45 AM
The sweltering desert sun hung high above as Schütte stepped out of the olive drab 1941 Buick Century Series 60. The heat clung to her skin like a persistent shadow, and she wiped the perspiration from her brow, just as Lieutenant Colonel Sheridan Cavitt, Major Jesse Antoine Marcel, Senior, and Master Sergeant Lewis S. Rickett exited the vehicle. Though not from Counterintelligence, the WAC was only tagging along in case it was the missing balloon that had been launched from Alamogordo Army Air Field.The rancher, William Ware Brazel, who went by his nickname of ‘Mack’, led the group across the rugged terrain, expressing excitement and disbelief. “Well, as you can see, the debris is scattered for miles.” He declared, gesturing dramatically toward the ground. “I know there have been reports of saucers last week, and I reckon these are the remnants of one.”Greta stifled a groan. She analyzed the scattered remains and immediately recognized the unmistakable indicators. ‘Oh, please.’ She thought. This wasn’t the sight of an extraterrestrial vessel, but rather the tell-tale signs of a Project: Mogul balloon that had gone astray and as a participant in the classified program she recognized it right away, the pieces could not be mistaken for anything else. “We’ll take a look around.” Cavitt said, his tone neutral yet unyielding.“Could it be Martian?” Marcel wondered as he peered at the debris.“It’s not a flying saucer, sir, but one of our balloons.” Greta interjected, her voice steady as she addressed the disdainful gaze of Marcel. The Major however dismissed her with a wave of his hand, determination set in his features.“No, this is nothing like any balloon I have ever seen.” Marcel insisted, his voice rising in pitch and he became excited. “It must be from another world!” The O-5, however, measured Marcel with an authoritative glance, his voice firm. “I would listen to her, Jesse. The lady knows exactly what she’s talking about. You don’t have the clearance.”
Technician Fifth Grade Greta Anika Schütte - 126 Meteorologist, Women’s Army Corps, United States Army
Roswell Army Air Field - Roswell, Chaves County, New Mexico, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, July 8th, 1947 - 2:27 PM
The hangar bay buzzed with urgency. Greta waited patiently as Brigadier General Roger Maxwell Ramey unleashed his fury at Marcel as well as the base commander, Colonel William Hugh Blanch, and the public informations officer, First Lieutenant Walter Haut, from behind closed doors. Understandably Ramey was appalled at their hasty, impulsive, and absurd decision to announce the supposed recovery of a ‘flying disc’ by Uncle Sam when it was, in fact, the remnants of a classified sophisticated spy balloon - an egregious breach of protocol that threatened national security as the three officers had unwittingly jeopardized a top secret intelligence project they were not even privy to and there was a chance that they were either morons, insane, or even closeted communists who exploited an opportunity to sow subversion and undermine the Constitutional Republic while embedded within the only squadron capable of delivering nuclear weapons which obviously raised concerns of sabotage in addition to subterfuge and Greta was standing at the periphery, her heart racing as she absorbed every word of the General’s tirade.“AND I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU THREE BIRD BRAINS WERE INTOXICATED WITH TAINTED CORN!" Ramey thundered, his voice like a storm. “YOUR COMMON SENSE HAS BEEN CLOUDED! EITHER THAT, OR YOU’RE PINKOS SPYING FOR THE SOVIETS! UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, YOU THREE ARE UNDER ARREST AND UNDER INVESTIGATION! IF I CAN’T SEND YOU TO LEAVENWORTH I WILL DO MY UTMOST TO TRANSFER YOU ALL TO ALASKA TO SHOVEL SNOW UNTIL YOU RESIGN, ‘COMRADES’!”Greta winced, exchanging uneasy glances with the two Military Policemen flanking the recovered foil and electronics, their looks mirroring her incredulity. The sound of glass shattering echoed from within the closed doors, underscoring the General’s ire.“Geez, that lecture is worse than the one I received from my football coach.” One of the MPs whispered, half in jest as he attempted to lighten the thick atmosphere.“Well, they frankly deserve it. I can’t believe those blind morons went straight to the press with that flying saucer nonsense.” The other guard snorted, earning a resolute nod from Greta.“I’m just glad we found that strayed balloon, boys.” She quipped. “Of course, you can’t tell anyone about the gizmos.” A genuine smile broke through as she recalled how clever the technology had been, hidden within the fabric of what appeared to be something far simpler.Suddenly, a voice interrupted her thoughts. “Schütte, there’s a phone call for you.”Eager for any distraction, Greta promptly headed to the landline even though she did not know who was calling her. “Hello?” “Greta, is that really you? I’ve been trying to reach you for days.” The familiar voice of her sister, Lucy, brought a renewed warmth to her stern surroundings.“Well, Lucy, I’ve been busy, official Army business as we apparently lost a balloon for a time.” Greta replied, her tone light yet professional as she withheld the real details, about how it was in fact a spy balloon with sophisticated equipment and obviously of earthly origin. “But the taxpayers should be grateful that we found it.” “Make sure there are clear skies, but I was going to let you know that as of six days ago you have a nephew.” Lucy announced, her excitement palpable.“Congratulations, Luce! What’s his name?” Greta's eyes brightened with joy amid the chaos.
“Jake, Jake Gregory.”
“Jake Gregory Meyer, huh? Are you sure it’s not Jacob?” Greta inquired, a laugh bubbling up. “Well, no, but city folks often don’t get the basics. Honestly, who names their daughter Arabella?” Lucy exclaimed, and both women laughed lightly together.“Sorry, sis, I’ve got to go, duty calls. I’ll try to call back soon.” Greta said, glancing momentarily back at the closed office doors and the ruckus on the other side. And as she hung up, the towhead couldn’t refrain from shaking her head at the absurdity of it all, feeling that the three delusional idiots should have their commissions stripped and be transferred to the Navy to swab decks and scrape barnacles. Either that or receive shock therapy at some funny farm, any funny farm. “Flying saucers, bah.”
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Meyer Homestead -Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, November 2nd, 1948 - 11:30 PM
For Paul, this birthday was one to remember and not in a good way either as he sat in the armchair, waiting anxiously for the results to be tallied and when it did, disappointment was an understatement but he was not only disappointed by the fact that the incumbent was re-elected, he was also dispirited by the nominees of the Republican Party, specifically New York Governor Thomas Edmund Dewey and his running mate, the Governor of California Earl Warren."I still wish MacArthur was President." Paul sighed as he heard that Harry S. Truman - the 33rd President of the United States - had been re-elected on the radio. He actually boycotted this year’s election - a first to the otherwise politically active man - as there were neighbors who thought he would vote against his interest after being convinced by Truman that the traditional party of choice for farmers North of the Mason-Dixon including Indiana - the Republican Party - was the devil incarnate. The incumbent had also assailed the Republican-controlled Congress as a ‘Do-Nothing Congress’ as well as making the acronym of GOP stand for ‘Gluttons of Privilege’ instead of ‘Grand Old Party’.The reality was Paul in good conscience couldn’t vote for Thomas Edmund Dewey, whose policies were considerably more liberal than most of his fellow Republicans and maybe in some ways he was convinced that perhaps this iteration of Congress was anti-agrarian, he personally blamed Dewey for the direction and he wasn’t going to vote for any Democrat either as he was a proud Republican, just not this year.
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Meyer Farmhouse -Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Friday, September 23rd, 1949 - 7:00 PM
“I believe the American people, to the fullest extent consistent with national security, are entitled to be informed of all developments in the field of atomic energy. That is my reason for making public the following information: We have evidence that within recent weeks an atomic explosion occurred in the U.S.S.R.”
He couldn't believe it, Paul listened to the radio broadcast from President Truman in astonishment as it announced that the Kremlin had successfully tested their atomic bomb and his wife looked at him with dread while his boy of two years was absentmindedly messing with his model train.
“Ever since atomic energy was first released by man, the eventual development of this new force by other nations was to be expected. This probability has always been taken into account by us…Nearly four years ago I pointed out that ‘scientific opinion appears to be practically unanimous that the essential theoretical knowledge upon which the discovery is based is already widely known. There is also substantial agreement that foreign research can come abreast of our present theoretical knowledge in time.’ And, in the Three-Nation Declaration of the President of the United States and the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom and of Canada, dated November 15, 1945, it was emphasized that no single nation could in fact have a monopoly of atomic weapons…This recent development emphasizes once again, if indeed such emphasis were needed, the necessity for that truly effective enforceable international control of atomic energy which this Government and the large majority of the members of the United Nations support.”
“Well, it was inevitable.” Lucy sighed as she still stared at him worryingly. “If they could develop the bomb sooner than anticipated then God knows what else they cooked up.” Paul concurred while attempting to remain at ease but the prospects of the Reds having the most destructive weapon known to mankind was alarming and there was no sugarcoating it.
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 1950
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
IN KOREA the Government forces, which were armed to prevent border raids and to preserve internal security, were attacked by invading forces from North Korea. The Security Council of the United Nations called upon the invading troops to cease hostilities and to withdraw to the 38th parallel. This they have not done, but on the contrary have pressed the attack. The Security Council called upon all members of the United Nations to render every assistance to the United Nations in the execution of this resolution. In these circumstances, I have ordered United States air and sea forces to give the Korean Government troops cover and support.
The attack upon Korea makes it plain beyond all doubt that communism has passed beyond the use of subversion to conquer independent nations and will now use armed invasion and war. It has defied the orders of the Security Council of the United Nations issued to preserve international peace and security. In these circumstances, the occupation of Formosa by Communist forces would be a direct threat to the security of the Pacific area and to United States forces performing their lawful and necessary functions in that area.
Accordingly, I have ordered the 7th Fleet to prevent any attack on Formosa. As a corollary of this action, I am calling upon the Chinese Government on Formosa to cease all air and sea operations against the mainland. The 7th Fleet will see that this is done. The determination of the future status of Formosa must await the restoration of security in the Pacific, a peace settlement with Japan, or consideration by the United Nations.
I have also directed that United States Forces in the Philippines be strengthened and that military assistance to the Philippine Government be accelerated.
I have similarly directed acceleration in the furnishing of military assistance to the forces of France and the Associated States in Indochina and the dispatch of a military mission to provide close working relations with those forces.
I know that all members of the United Nations will consider carefully the consequences of this latest aggression in Korea in defiance of the Charter of the United Nations. A return to the rule of force in international affairs would have far-reaching effects. The United States will continue to uphold the rule of law.
I have instructed Ambassador Austin, as the representative of the United States to the Security Council, to report these steps to the Council.
Korean War Tribute
Scenes depicting the human wave attacks conducted by the Chinese Volunteer Army during the Korean War
Sergeant Paul Baltasar Meyer - Third Squad, Third Platoon, I Company, Third Battalion "Iron Rakkasans", 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment “Rakkasans”, 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, United States Army
187th Regimental Headquarters - Republic of Korea / “South Korea”, East Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Thursday, March 22nd, 1951 - 3:00 PM
"Unbelievable! First MacArthur was outprimaried by Dewey and now Truman relieved him!" Paul shouted irritably. "That Commie sympathizer should be impeached!""We know you're rather right-wing, Paul.""Still, Ridgeway was my Division commander during the last war and even though I prefer Mac, I'm confident in the competency of Ridgeway.""You really are proud of the All-Americans but remember that you're part of the 187th now, detached from the 11th Airborne."Their platoon leader burst in and slammed the door behind him, interrupting the exchange. "Well, men, get ready and try to get some rest, we’ll be conducting a combat jump tomorrow.”
Joseph McCarthy on Communism and its Threats
Senator Joseph McCarthy's actual speech at the 1952 RNC
Paul Baltasar Meyer
1952 Republican National Convention - International Amphitheatre, 4220 South Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, July 7th, 1952 - 9:00 PM
Although Paul never expected to receive the honor of becoming a delegate, especially for the 1952 Republican National Convention no less, it feasibly could have been fortuity as he was overseas in Korea after being recalled by the Army and assigned to the 187th Regimental Combat Team, being among those who jumped in the parachute assault during Operation: Tomahawk but shortly thereafter he unexpectedly received a hardship discharged after his mother was diagnosed with cancer and sent home but he was grateful that it turned out to be a misdiagnosis.But now here he was with his wife Lucy and while Corbin as well as Elke remained close to their mother, his primogenital son of five years and five days, Jake, proudly held up a sign emblazoned with NAIL THOSE REDS, TAILGUNNER! as the crusading Senator from Wisconsin himself stepped up to the podium to speak, a surreal moment for the Meyer's who fervently believed that McCarthy was at the forefront of uprooting a vast, well-organized Communist conspiracy from within American institutions, an untenable situation which uncompromisingly had to immediately be purged and the audience concurred as they cheered him on."One communist, one communist in the faculty of one university is one communist too many."But in spite of the intermittent whooping and cheers from the crowd, McCarthy still managed to successfully articulate his short speech. "One communist among the American advisors at Yalta was one communist too many. And even...even if there were only one communist in the State Department, even if there were only one communist in the State Department that would still be one communist too many.”"Better Dead than Red!"Paul looked down and couldn't refrain from smiling after overhearing the slogan that was shouted from beside him, his boy had learned so well and the father didn't doubt that Jake would become a lifelong Republican and in the Conservative Wing of the GOP no less."How adorable."Paul noticed that it was Janet Paterson Cuthill Jenner, the Scottish-born wife of Senator William Ezra Jenner who was presently a leading associate of McCarthy's valiant efforts to expunge the Communist infiltration from the Federal government and the family were already acquainted with the firebrand after meeting him through the other current Hoosier Senator currently in Congress, Homer Earl Capehart, the latter politician also happening to be a fellow member of the Antelope Club and just like Homer, Paul was undoubtedly a proud Loper."Good evening, Bill.""Nice to see you again, Paul." The statesman mentioned cordially before noticing the boy. "Jake is growing up.""That he is."William, like many, was still bewildered by the fact it seemed only yesterday when the boy before him only started to walk and the Senator first met Jake back in 1948 when he was only a year old and with his parents at a campaign event, when Bill was planning to run for Governor only to not be nominated but like a grandfather or even some long-lost uncle, the Old Right politician from Southern Indiana smiled at the youngster and immediately felt optimistic about the lad. "I'm sure he'll be a fine patriot." William complimented before patting Jake's natural straw boater with a red, white, and blue hat band as well as the paper label reading IKE affixed to the top of the hat.
Call Out The Corps
Corporal Stephen Yeager "Steve" Meyer - Fireteam Baker, First Squad, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps
Outpost Siberia, "Bunker Hill", Northeast of Panmunjom, Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea / “South Korea”, East Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, August 9th, 1952 - 12:01 AM
"Can you believe this?" "Believe what, Jack?" Stephen asked as his friend crumpled up his letter."Rebecca decided to write a column in the Indianapolis News to call for Truman's Impeachment or that he should resign.""Really?" Stephen quizzed, not completely surprised by the move as Rebecca could unexpectedly be assertive at times. "I'm curious about how eloquent she wrote it.""She's stubborn." Jack snorted. "But once she sets her mind there's no way she's backing down.""Well, even if her lambasting of Truman will convince him to depart I doubt that we will be heading home anytime soon." Stephen sighed. "We're in a quagmire."“Maybe Eisenhower in the Oval Office will fix things.” Jack smiled only to hear shouting."Chinks and gooks in the open!" One of the sentries warned before firing a shot from his Garand yet the distinct wails of incoming mortar and artillery caused the Marines to take cover."Get down!"The reinforced squad of fifteen Leathernecks immediately laid flat on the ground and staring at the scene in front of him, the Hoosier estimated that it was a company-size Chinese Communist Force striking Outpost Siberia.Like Edson’s Ridge back on Guadalcanal in the fall of ‘42 albeit he was using a Springfield M1903A1 then, Stephen immediately cranked the elevation pinion of his M1 Garand to three hundred yards, the nighttime assault preventing his preferred range of engagement from seven hundred yards at minimum if the terrain permitted and the confusion as well as the blackness of night reduced his effectiveness yet the silhouettes of the incoming Chinese horde could at least be shot at nighttime conditions or not and the fifteen riflemen were not going to let night get in the way of fighting back.The pair watched as Private First Class Ramón Núñez-Juárez laid down covering fire with his M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle and the Puerto Rican noticed that the pair were still present. “Go!” Ramón shouted. “I’ll be right behind you amigos!”“Come on, Steve, you heard him!” Jack mentioned and reluctantly Stephen left their fellow Leatherneck behind.
Dwight Eisenhower's Inaugural Address
Meyer Farmhouse -Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, January 20th, 1953 - 12:03 PM
The Meyer’s were at home and watching the historic inauguration unfold in the living room on their recently procured black-and-white television set, an inauguration of noneother than the former Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, 16th Chief of Staff of the Army, 13th President of Columbia University, the 1st Supreme Allied Commander Europe was being sworn-in as the 34th President of the United States. "I, Dwight David Eisenhower, do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help me God." Once the President-elect had been sworn in, Ike of course stepped forward and unfolded his prepared speech before giving his inaugural address.
“My friends, before I begin the expression of those thoughts that I deem appropriate to this moment, would you permit me the privilege of uttering a little private prayer of my own. And I ask that you bow your heads:”
And the family, like many across the United States as the rate of church attendance had been unprecedented in the nation’s history, did as requested, joining Eisenhower in prayer.
“Almighty God, as we stand here at this moment my future associates in the Executive branch of Government join me in beseeching that Thou will make full and complete our dedication to the service of the people in this throng, and their fellow citizens everywhere. Give us, we pray, the power to discern clearly right from wrong, and allow all our words and actions to be governed thereby, and by the laws of this land. Especially we pray that our concern shall be for all the people regardless of station, race or calling. May cooperation be permitted and be the mutual aim of those who, under the concepts of our Constitution, hold to differing political faiths; so that all may work for the good of our beloved country and Thy glory. Amen.”
“Amen.”
“My fellow citizens: The world and we have passed the midway point of a century of continuing challenge. We sense with all our faculties that forces of good and evil are massed and armed and opposed as rarely before in history.”
“This fact defines the meaning of this day. We are summoned by this honored and historic ceremony to witness more than the act of one citizen swearing his oath of service, in the presence of God. We are called as a people to give testimony in the sight of the world to our faith that the future shall belong to the free.”
“Since this century's beginning, a time of tempest has seemed to come upon the continents of the earth. Masses of Asia have awakened to strike off shackles of the past. Great nations of Europe have fought their bloodiest wars. Thrones have toppled and their vast empires have disappeared. New nations have been born.”
“For our own country, it has been a time of recurring trial. We have grown in power and in responsibility. We have passed through the anxieties of depression and of war to a summit unmatched in man's history. Seeking to secure peace in the world, we have had to fight through the forests of the Argonne to the shores of Iwo Jima, and to the cold mountains of Korea.”
“In the swift rush of great events, we find ourselves groping to know the full sense and meaning of these times in which we live. In our quest of understanding, we beseech God's guidance. We summon all our knowledge of the past and we scan all signs of the future. We bring all our wit and all our will to meet the question: How far have we come in man's long pilgrimage from darkness toward the light? Are we nearing the light - a day of freedom and of peace for all mankind? Or are the shadows of another night closing in upon us?”
“Great as are the preoccupations absorbing us at home, concerned as we are with matters that deeply affect our livelihood today and our vision of the future, each of these domestic problems is dwarfed by, and often even created by, this question that involves all humankind.”
“This trial comes at a moment when man's power to achieve good or to inflict evil surpasses the brightest hopes and the sharpest fears of all ages. We can turn rivers in their courses, level mountains to the plains. Oceans and land and sky are avenues for our colossal commerce. Disease diminishes and life lengthens.”
“Yet the promise of this life is imperiled by the very genius that has made it possible. Nations amass wealth. Labor sweats to create - and turns out devices to level not only mountains but also cities. Science seems ready to confer upon us, as its final gift, the power to erase human life from this planet.”
“At such a time in history, we who are free must proclaim anew our faith. This faith is the abiding creed of our fathers. It is our faith in the deathless dignity of man, governed by eternal moral and natural laws.”
“This faith defines our full view of life. It establishes, beyond debate, those gifts of the Creator that are man's inalienable rights, and that make all men equal in His sight.”
“In the light of this equality, we know that the virtues most cherished by free people - love of truth, pride of work, devotion to country - all are treasures equally precious in the lives of the most humble and of the most exalted. The men who mine coal and fire furnaces, and balance ledgers, and turn lathes, and pick cotton, and heal the sick and plant corn - all serve as proudly and as profitably for America as the statesmen who draft treaties and the legislators who enact laws.”
“This faith rules our whole way of life. It decrees that we, the people, elect leaders not to rule but to serve. It asserts that we have the right to choice of our own work and to the reward of our own toil. It inspires the initiative that makes our productivity the wonder of the world. And it warns that any man who seeks to deny equality among all his brothers betrays the spirit of the free and invites the mockery of the tyrant.”
“It is because we, all of us, hold to these principles that the political changes accomplished this day do not imply turbulence, upheaval or disorder. Rather this change expresses a purpose of strengthening our dedication and devotion to the precepts of our founding documents, a conscious renewal of faith in our country and in the watchfulness of a Divine Providence.”
“The enemies of this faith know no god but force, no devotion but its use. They tutor men in treason. They feed upon the hunger of others. Whatever defies them, they torture, especially the truth.”
“Here, then, is joined no argument between slightly differing philosophies. This conflict strikes directly at the faith of our fathers and the lives of our sons. No principle or treasure that we hold, from the spiritual knowledge of our free schools and churches to the creative magic of free labor and capital, nothing lies safely beyond the reach of this struggle.”
“Freedom is pitted against slavery; lightness against the dark.”
“The faith we hold belongs not to us alone but to the free of all the world. This common bond binds the grower of rice in Burma and the planter of wheat in Iowa, the shepherd in southern Italy and the mountaineer in the Andes. It confers a common dignity upon the French soldier who dies in Indo-China, the British soldier killed in Malaya, the American life given in Korea.”
“We know, beyond this, that we are linked to all free peoples not merely by a noble idea but by a simple need. No free people can for long cling to any privilege or enjoy any safety in economic solitude. For all our own material might, even we need markets in the world for the surpluses of our farms and our factories. Equally, we need for these same farms and factories vital materials and products of distant lands. This basic law of interdependence, so manifest in the commerce of peace, applies with thousand-fold intensity in the event of war.”
“So we are persuaded by necessity and by belief that the strength of all free peoples lies in unity; their danger, in discord.”
“To produce this unity, to meet the challenge of our time, destiny has laid upon our country the responsibility of the free world's leadership.”
“So it is proper that we assure our friends once again that, in the discharge of this responsibility, we Americans know and we observe the difference between world leadership and imperialism; between firmness and truculence; between a thoughtfully calculated goal and spasmodic reaction to the stimulus of emergencies.”
“We wish our friends the world over to know this above all: we face the threat - not with dread and confusion - but with confidence and conviction.”
“We feel this moral strength because we know that we are not helpless prisoners of history. We are free men. We shall remain free, never to be proven guilty of the one capital offense against freedom, a lack of stanch faith.”
“In pleading our just cause before the bar of history and in pressing our labor for world peace, we shall be guided by certain fixed principles. These principles are:
Abhorring war as a chosen way to balk the purposes of those who threaten us, we hold it to be the first task of statesmanship to develop the strength that will deter the forces of aggression and promote the conditions of peace. For, as it must be the supreme purpose of all free men, so it must be the dedication of their leaders, to save humanity from preying upon itself.
In the light of this principle, we stand ready to engage with any and all others in joint effort to remove the causes of mutual fear and distrust among nations, so as to make possible drastic reduction of armaments. The sole requisites for undertaking such effort are that - in their purpose - they be aimed logically and honestly toward secure peace for all; and that - in their result - they provide methods by which every participating nation will prove good faith in carrying out its pledge.
Realizing that common sense and common decency alike dictate the futility of appeasement, we shall never try to placate an aggressor by the false and wicked bargain of trading honor for security. Americans, indeed, all free men, remember that in the final choice a soldier's pack is not so heavy a burden as a prisoner's chains.
Knowing that only a United States that is strong and immensely productive can help defend freedom in our world, we view our Nation's strength and security as a trust upon which rests the hope of free men everywhere. It is the firm duty of each of our free citizens and of every free citizen everywhere to place the cause of his country before the comfort, the convenience of himself.
Honoring the identity and the special heritage of each nation in the world, we shall never use our strength to try to impress upon another people our own cherished political and economic institutions.
Assessing realistically the needs and capacities of proven friends of freedom, we shall strive to help them to achieve their own security and well-being. Likewise, we shall count upon them to assume, within the limits of their resources, their full and just burdens in the common defense of freedom.
Recognizing economic health as an indispensable basis of military strength and the free world's peace, we shall strive to foster everywhere, and to practice ourselves, policies that encourage productivity and profitable trade. For the impoverishment of any single people in the world means danger to the well-being of all other peoples.
Appreciating that economic need, military security and political wisdom combine to suggest regional groupings of free peoples, we hope, within the framework of the United Nations, to help strengthen such special bonds the world over. The nature of these ties must vary with the different problems of different areas.
In the Western Hemisphere, we enthusiastically join with all our neighbors in the work of perfecting a community of fraternal trust and common purpose.
In Europe, we ask that enlightened and inspired leaders of the Western nations strive with renewed vigor to make the unity of their peoples a reality. Only as free Europe unitedly marshals its strength can it effectively safeguard, even with our help, its spiritual and cultural heritage.
Conceiving the defense of freedom, like freedom itself, to be one and indivisible, we hold all continents and peoples in equal regard and honor. We reject any insinuation that one race or another, one people or another, is in any sense inferior or expendable.
Respecting the United Nations as the living sign of all people's hope for peace, we shall strive to make it not merely an eloquent symbol but an effective force. And in our quest for an honorable peace, we shall neither compromise, nor tire, nor ever cease.”
“By these rules of conduct, we hope to be known to all peoples. By their observance, an earth of peace may become not a vision but a fact. This hope - this supreme aspiration - must rule the way we live.”
“We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose.”
“We must be willing, individually and as a Nation, to accept whatever sacrifices may be required of us. A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”
“These basic precepts are not lofty abstractions, far removed from matters of daily living. They are laws of spiritual strength that generate and define our material strength. Patriotism means equipped forces and a prepared citizenry. Moral stamina means more energy and more productivity, on the farm and in the factory. Love of liberty means the guarding of every resource that makes freedom possible - from the sanctity of our families and the wealth of our soil to the genius of our scientists.”
“And so each citizen plays an indispensable role. The productivity of our heads, our hands and our hearts is the source of all the strength we can command, for both the enrichment of our lives and the winning of the peace.”
“No person, no home, no community can be beyond the reach of this call. We are summoned to act in wisdom and in conscience, to work with industry, to teach with persuasion, to preach with conviction, to weigh our every deed with care and with compassion. For this truth must be clear before us: whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.”
“The peace we seek, then, is nothing less than the practice and fulfillment of our whole faith among ourselves and in our dealings with others. This signifies more than the stilling of guns, casing the sorrow of war. More than escape from death, it is a way of life. More than a haven for the weary, it is a hope for the brave.”
“This is the hope that beckons us onward in this century of trial. This is the work that awaits us all, to be done with bravery, with charity, and with prayer to Almighty God. My citizens - I thank you.”
“Well, that was a magnificent speech.” Paul smiled as he tapped his corncob pipe. “Alright, kids, off to bed.”“Yes, sir.”
Jake Gregory Meyer
Meyer Farmhouse - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, November 6th, 1953 - 7:24 PM
Jake was reading the family's copy of History of Friedrich the Second Called Frederick the Great, Volume 6 by Thomas Carlyle, an edition that was published in 1901 and in particular the chapter on the Battle of Leuthen that occurred on Monday, December 5th, 1757 in which the Prussians led by Freidrech der Große himself were victorious over the Austrians and it may have been the only time ever in military history where a pre-war drilling ground where the Prussian Army conducted field maneuvers and tactical scenarios became a battlefield, the fact of which contributed to the victory due to the troops knowing the terrain like the back of their hands while the Austrian leadership by contrast was perplexed and couldn’t find their bearings on the map.Although the Prussians were admittedly outnumbered two-to-one by the Austrians, Frederick had one of the finest armies in Europe and the Prussian Infantry fired a remarkable four volleys a minute from their muskets with some capable of achieving a phenomenal five or even an incredible and unfathomable six shots every sixty seconds after pouring gunpowder down the bore, ramming the ball, cocking the hammer halfway, priming the pan, and cocking the hammer once more before pressing the buttplate firmly into the pocket that was formed by their right shoulder, and at last fired into the enemy ranks with the ball striking someone marching or standing in the approaching formation.Additionally, the Prussian Army as a whole maneuvered better than any of its contemporaries and could march faster, with the artillery able to rapidly and efficiently deploy in support of the infantry and the cavalry masterfully capable of striking with horses flank to flank and riders knee to knee and move at a full gallop.Ultimately, needless to say, Leuthen was the dream battle and the Austrians paid dearly on that freezing day in the Winter of 1757."Jake!""Coming, Mom!" He inserted a bookmark and reluctantly closed the book on Der Alte Fritz and his exploits during the Seven Years War - more commonly known in America as the French & Indian War - and with Prussian-like promptness rushed to the kitchen."Did you take any of the snickerdoodles?”“No, Mom, I didn’t.” Jake said candidly before the actual culprit herself confessed with equal sincerity.“I did, Mom.”Lucy sighed, if it wasn’t her cheesecake being touched without notice it was most certainly the sugar cream pie, the snickerdoodles, or during Christmastime: Gingerbread and Springles alike, a situation which had been transpiring for years in the household and it was unofficially their own familial Cold War with Lucy standing alone while even her husband tries to stealthily cut a slice of baked ham or turkey or of course the sugar cream pie. “Heather, you know that they were for the bake sale at Church.”“I thought they were the spares?”“No, they were coming next.” She glowered at her redheaded daughter before sighing. “Let me check the math but young lady next time ask instead of assuming.”
Jake Gregory Meyer
Meyer Farmhouse - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, November 28th, 1953 - 1:32 PM The air hung heavy with the scent of woodsmoke and dying leaves as six-year-old Jake Meyer carefully unfolded the letter. It was a crisp fall afternoon and outside the window in his room the wind whipped the last remaining leaves from the maple trees. But Jake barely noticed. This wasn't just any letter, this was a response from his hero, the United States Senator from Wisconsin Joseph Raymond McCarthy himself. He traced the bold signature with his finger, whispering ‘Joseph R. McCarthy’ with reverence. Sixteen months ago, Jake had met the United States Senator from Wisconsin in person, a whirlwind memory from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. His father, Paul Meyer, a proud delegate and staunch Republican, had lifted him up, telling him: ‘Jake, shake the hand of the man who's saving America’. Tailgunner, with his stocky frame as well as a sharp jawline and piercing gaze, had seemed larger than life and now, clutching the letter, Jake felt that same thrill. He started reading aloud, his voice hushed with awe.
Dear Jake,
It was a pleasure meeting you and your father at the Republican National Convention this past summer. Your father tells me you are a bright young man with a keen interest in our fight against the communist menace threatening our great nation.
Jake puffed out his chest, remembering the way his father had introduced him to the Senator. ‘This boy, Senator, he understands the importance of your work. He'll be voting Republican before you know it!’ The letter continued, the Senator's words echoing the concerns Jake heard every day at the dinner table, at church, even on their new Philco radio:
The threat we face from the communist conspiracy is very real. It hides in the shadows, seeking to undermine our American values, our freedoms, our very way of life. These subversives, these traitors, they could be anywhere, disguised as everyday citizens, even in our government.
A shiver ran down Jake's spine. It was terrifying, this invisible enemy, but the Senator, he was a fighter. He was rooting them out, exposing them for the threat they were.
And we need your help, Jake. We need brave young Americans like you to be vigilant, to speak out against injustice, and to defend the freedoms that our forefathers fought so hard to win. Remember, the right to free speech, enshrined in our Constitution, is under attack. These Communists, they fear the truth. They will try to silence anyone who dares to stand up to them. The fight for our nation's soul is not fought on battlefields alone. It is fought in our schools, our churches, our communities. It's fought with vigilance, with courage, and with the unwavering belief in the American ideal.
Jake looked up, his gaze drifting to the framed photographs on the mantelpiece. There, next to his parents' wedding photo and one of General Douglas MacArthur, was a picture of him shaking Senator McCarthy's hand. He was a soldier in this fight, just like the Senator. He had to be brave. The letter ended with a call to action:
Never be afraid to speak out against injustice, Jake. Never be afraid to speak the truth. And never hesitate to defend the principles that make our nation great. The future of America rests on the shoulders of young Patriots like you. Together, we will defeat this evil and ensure that America remains a beacon of hope and freedom for the entire world.
Sincerely,Joseph R. McCarthy
Folding the letter carefully, Jake clutched it to his chest. He was just a boy, but he had a role to play in this fight. He would be vigilant, he would be brave, and he would stand by Senator McCarthy, his hero, every step of the way.
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Meyer Homestead -Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, March 9th, 1954 - 8:00 PM
Paul clenched his fist as American journalists Edward Roscoe Murrow and Fred W. Friendly assailed Tailgunner Joe on See It Now , it just something he never imagined would transpire.The Anti-Communist Crusader from Wisconsin was in the United States Senate mucking up Washington, D.C. of any subversive Pinkos and Reds alike, a cancer that needed to be eliminated before it could spread and collapse the United States of America from within, and now he was being attacked."Someone should run those two out of town…" He growled as A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy was airing on screen unhindered. "It's unfortunate that McCarthy isn't a Hoosier as otherwise I would be voting for him." The father lamented before glancing at his precocious six year old son engrossed with his biography about George Washington, something that caused him to smile slightly in the face of the smear campaign against a patriot. "Still, at least our own Senator Jenner is aiding him in this fine crusade.""I'm just grateful that the Commies are being rooted out and exposed as we don't need any more Alger Hiss." Lucy smirked as she observed the whole lambasting from the kitchen. "Dinner is about ready. Would you like me to set the trays in the living room?""Sure, but remind me to send some letters to Mister Murrow and Friendly later."
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Paul Baltasar Meyer
Butler Fieldhouse -510 West 49th Street, Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, March 20th, 1954 - 8:00 PM
Paul felt the thrum of the crowd, a physical sensation that resonated in his chest, a low, constant vibration that made the metal railing beneath his calloused hand feel alive. He'd brought Jake and Corbin here, to the heart of Indiana's basketball fever, to witness a moment that was already being whispered about as legend. The State Championship. Milan versus Muncie Central. A battle that transcended the simple sport, a clash between the established giants and the determined underdogs. The air crackled with electricity, a tangible energy fueled by decades of rivalry and the hopes of two very different communities. It was a story that spoke to the heart of what it meant to be from Indiana, a story of grit and determination, of a small town that dared to dream big. It was a story he wanted his sons in particular to witness, to absorb into their very being.Five-year old Corbin, his second son, was watching the excitement beside him, in a seat adjacent to his old man. Corbin's eyes, wide and luminous, were fixed on the court, absorbing the spectacle of the packed fieldhouse. The bright lights, the swirling colors of the teams' jerseys, the sheer, overwhelming noise - it was a sensory overload for a boy raised on the quiet rhythms of rural life. Paul remembered his own first time in such a crowd, the disorienting swirl of sounds and colors, the feeling of being swallowed whole by a sea of humanity. He hoped Corbin wasn't overwhelmed, that he was able to feel the magic of the moment."What's happening, Dad!?!" Corbin yelled, his voice barely a whisper against the thunder of the crowd.Paul leaned closer, his voice gruff but laced with a hint of something akin to excitement. "It’s the State Championship, Corbin. Milan versus Muncie Central." He felt a surge of pride, a feeling he couldn’t quite explain. It was more than just a game; it was a representation of something bigger, something inherently Indiana."Milan?" Corbin squinted, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar name. "Like Uncle Dean's Milan?""That's right." Paul confirmed, his gaze sweeping the crowd. Dean, one of his younger brothers, had moved to Milan a few years back, drawn by the slower pace and the tight-knit community, much more than Acton, it was the very town his sister-in-law hailed from. Paul had initially been skeptical, worried that Dean wouldn’t thrive away from his place of birth. But Dean seemed happier than ever, deeply involved in the community, and tonight, Dean was here, somewhere in this sea of faces, sharing this moment with them. Paul scanned the rows of faces, a familiar warmth spreading through him as he spotted Dean, Catherine, and their boys, Isaac and Alvin York. They were a few rows down, Dean waving, a broad grin splitting his face. Catherine, her smile warm and genuine, also waved. Isaac and Alvin York, just a year younger than Jake and Corbin, were bouncing in their seats, their eyes mirroring Corbin’s wide-eyed wonder. Paul nodded back, a silent acknowledgment of the shared experience, a feeling of belonging that settled deep in his bones. They were all connected, not just by blood, but by this moment, by the shared hope that Milan could pull off the impossible.The game was a pressure cooker, a tense, nail-biting affair. Muncie Central, a team accustomed to victory, a team that carried the weight of tradition and expectation, was facing off against Milan, a tiny school that had defied all odds to reach this point. The clock on the scoreboard ticked down, each second a hammer blow against Paul’s nerves. The score was tight, a seesaw battle that had the crowd on its feet, their voices a constant, rising crescendo. He felt the tension radiating from everyone around him, a collective held breath that filled the arena.Paul glanced at Lucy. She sat on the other seat beside him, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her knuckles white. Her face was etched with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation. He knew she felt it too, the weight of expectation, the uncertainty of the outcome. He reached out and gently squeezed her hand, offering a silent reassurance."Why are they so loud?" Corbin asked, his voice trembling slightly.Lucy leaned over, her voice strained but laced with a hint of pride. "Milan's a small school. They're not supposed to win."Paul knew what she meant. They were farmers, people who understood the struggle against odds, the fight to survive against forces beyond their control. Milan, in a way, represented that struggle. They were the underdogs, the little guy fighting for his place, proving that even the smallest among them could achieve greatness. "I don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book we're gonna be winners.” Paul proclaimed. “Even in defeat, Milan would still prove that they could beat the odds.” The ball found its way into Bobby Plump’s hands. Paul had watched Plump play throughout the tournament. The kid had a fire in his eyes, a determination that mirrored the spirit of his team. He had a raw talent, a natural athleticism that was honed by countless hours of practice on the dusty courts of small-town Indiana. Plump dribbled, faked, then launched a shot from just inside the free-throw line."SHOOT, BOBBY!" Paul bellowed, his voice a raw, primal shout that was lost in the cacophony of the crowd. He wasn’t a man prone to outbursts, but this… this was different. This was a moment that demanded a release, a surge of emotion that couldn’t be contained, a visceral expression of hope and belief.The ball arced through the air, a perfect parabola against the bright lights of the fieldhouse. Time seemed to stretch, then snap as the ball swished through the net.The fieldhouse erupted. The sound was deafening, a tidal wave of pure, unadulterated joy that crashed over Paul and his family. He let out a guttural yell, a sound he rarely made, a sound that echoed the collective release of the crowd. Lucy, her face a mask of shocked elation, clapped her hands together, her lips moving in silent prayer. Corbin and his brother, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the moment, stared at the court, their mouths agape. They didn’t understand the nuances of the game, the intricate plays and strategies, yet the brothers understood the raw emotion that had gripped his family, the way it had transformed them in an instant."They won?" Jake asked, his voice barely a squeak, his eyes searching his father’s for confirmation.Paul, his face flushed as he stood, ruffled Jake’s hair, his hand rough but gentle. "They won, son. They won."The players on the court were a chaotic mass of celebration, their faces a mixture of exhaustion and pure joy. Paul watched, his heart pounding, a sense of awe settling over him. It wasn’t just a game. It was a moment, a snapshot of something bigger, something that resonated deep within him, something that spoke to the very core of his being.He looked at Dean, Catherine, and his nephews, their faces mirroring his own family’s joy. He thought of the small towns across Indiana, the communities that had rallied behind this team, the hope they represented. It wasn’t just about basketball. It was about believing that anything was possible, that even the smallest among them could achieve greatness.He looked at his family, at Lucy’s shining eyes, at the boy’s excited faces. He knew they would remember this moment. They would remember the roar of the crowd, the tension of the game, the sheer, unadulterated joy of victory. It was a reminder that even in the face of overwhelming odds, even when everything seemed impossible, there was always a chance for victory. A chance to prove that the little guy could win. And that, Paul realized, was a lesson worth learning. This game had been more than a game, this was more than Hoosier Hysteria, it was a living example of hope.
North 700 East and Acton Road - Clark Township, Johnson County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Friday, August 19th, 1955 - 4:30 PM
The family of six plus another on the way were heading home from Santa Clausland in their twelve-seat 1954 Packard Super Station station wagon, the trip scheduled to be the one day break from the harvest when Lucy noticed on her right there were some wayward travelers."Honey, it looks like a car veered off the side of the road.""I see it." Paul acknowledged, parking behind the vehicle, unexpectedly a 1930 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe but even with the fact that there was a luxury car motionless with the hood open and a few feet away from being stuck in a ditch the least he could do was to render aid to the hapless travelers and see if the driver would like another hand or that the vehicle would need to be winched out in the worst case but he turned to his two eldest boys. “Jake? Corbin?”“Yes, Dad?”“I need you both to assist me.” “Yes, sir.” Jake as well the second eldest, Corbin, acknowledged as they both stepped out of the vehicle to assist the stranded motorist. "Good evening."The man immediately tensed up after being startled by the voice but composed himself."My wife spotted your car on the side of the road while we were returning out-of-town and circumstantially I'm here to assist.""It's appreciated I suppose." The man declared reservedly, his mannerisms and the fact he was speaking in Transatlantic meant that they were certainly not residents of Indiana, nevermind anywhere in the heartland known as Middle America and Mainstreet for that matter but instead undeniably someone who could be identified as a full-born member of the Ivy League educated, country club golfing, white, upper-class, American Protestant elite of the Northeast."You're not from around here.""Salem, Massachusetts. I accepted an offer from Eli Lilly's Pharmaceuticals."“Ah, the place with the actual witch trials long ago.” Paul mentioned offhandedly with the emphasis on actual as just like Edward Roscoe Murrow the Central Indiana farmer still despised that pinko playwright Arthur Asher Miller who wrote The Crucible as an indirect hit piece on the great patriot Joseph Raymond McCarthy and Paul had been attempting the crusading Wisconsinite to turn cold turkey in order to properly vindicate himself against the communists subverters within the federal bureaucracy who had conspired to inflict the character assassination against him and therefore have a rejuvenation but mournfully thus far his pleading to go on the offensive against the Reds was to no avail.Jake sat the tool bag down after noticing that there was another individual besides the wayward man and his wife, a lone boy who appeared to be around his age waiting in the vehicle. "Nice to meet you." The farmboy greeted, extending his hand. "I'm Jake.""The name is Samuel." He replied shyly and slightly standoffish as if he was unsure to trust the son of a farmer even if America principally was egalitarian among men as 'all men are created equal'."Well, Samuel, I'm not that formal." Jake chuckled and then overheard the conversation between their respective fathers."It looks like the carburetor belt snapped.""I wouldn't have known.""Jake!?! Where's the tools?""I got to go." Jake apologized as he reached down to grab the handle before acknowledging. "Coming!""I'm sure I could rig something up but I can't guarantee it would get to the Circle. Where were you heading?""Meridian Hills.""Well, Mister…""Westbrook, Daniel Westbrook.""Paul Meyer, Daniel. I don't think I can have it be good enough to reach the homes in Washington Township as I'm not a mechanic but is there anywhere you stay for the night?""If not, our home is three minutes away and we have a guest room."Paul gave his expectant wife a look, unsure if accommodating the family of three who obviously were used to a finer lifestyle was a good idea even if the lodging was temporary and be only for the night."No, we don't even know the area but it could've been worse I suppose."
Meyer Farmhouse - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Friday, August 19th, 1955 - 4:52 PM
"I know it's not the finest but would you like a cigar?""Much appreciated." Daniel accepted the generosity and took a puff of the Blackstone."Just so you know I don't have any Brandy to go along with it and the closest thing I have is some Whiskey stashed in the cabinet.""I'm a Baptist." The expedite from The Baked Bean State confessed to the native-born Hoosier as he noticed a cross hanging on the wall as well as rosary beads."Oh. Well, the good thing with teetotalers is that there's more alcohol for everyone else.""Are you Catholic by chance?""I'm a Lutheran actually but my grandmother-in-law on the other hand is still a pious Mackerel Snapper." Paul revealed. The man chuckled as it made him reflect on his own situation although it was interfaith and not interdenominational. "I think I can somewhat understand where you're coming from as my wife is Jewish.""In that case, it's probably a good thing Lucy is cooking largemouth bass tonight as we don't know what meat is considered to be Kosher, just that pork is not."
Meyer Farmhouse - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, August 20th, 1955 - 3:30 AMAlthough early in the suburb and city, to dairy farmers being up by four in the morning was common due to their trade. When most consumers purchase milk from the grocer or have it delivered by the milkman to their doorstep they are incognizant of the fact that dairy cows need to be milked twelve hours apart and while eight in the morning would be fine, by eight at night it would be difficult as the bovines tended to sleep when the sun starts to set and dairy cows had to be milked every day. The Meyer’s could count on hands and at times neighbors but the family wasn’t ignorant of the fact that a small-time dairy farmer rarely had time for recreation, if ever but in Franklin Township agricultural labor was not in short supply yet on this particular morning, inside their bedroom, before starting his day, Paul decided to make a special request, at least on behalf of one of their guests."Can you make Pickert this morning?""Why?” Lucy inquired. “So they laugh at being served potato pancakes?""Henrietta is Jewish.""Really? I would've suspected otherwise given the background.""Something is telling me there's more to it than a lucrative job offer at Eli Lilly's and while it's none of my business, not to mention it could be any other reasons, it wouldn't surprise me if her religion was a factor in why they moved here.""Why Pickert in particular?""Aside from the fact that meat and dairy don’t go together, it's the only thing I know for certain would be considered Kosher besides Rye Bread and you might as well slice some-""Pumpernickel." Lucy finished.
Meyer Farmhouse - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, August 20th, 1955 - 6:00 AM"Are you usually up this early?" Daniel yawned after waking up and wearing an expensive robe."Had to help the hands milk the cows around Four but we decided to have a late breakfast."Dan saw eggs, sausage, coffee, milk, and apple juice but he then noticed on a plate were two dishes which could not be anything other than fare considered to be Kosher."Potato pancakes? Rye bread?""Pumpernickel actually." Paul corrected. "Just figured to not leave her out because of dietary restrictions.""I don't know what to say.""Daniel?""Call me Dan.""Well, Dan, I could drop you off at Meridian Hills and help unload.""You don't have to. I'm sure we could hire a limousine.""I don't think you'll find a limousine service around here, in Chicago perhaps but not in Indianapolis.""Town Car perhaps? I'm willing to even take a Taxi if that's all available.""I could grab the phone book and see."
Meyer Property - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, April 3rd, 1956 - 2:00 PM
"What are you doing?""Catching Crawdads, what you call Crayfish." Jake revealed as he headed to the creek near the woodline where Paintedhand Mudbugs resided. "And there's Leopard Frogs nearby, which means it's a good spot for those mudbugs.""And you're dragging me along because...?""You’re a New Englander." Jake shrugged innocently as he continued on his way. "It doesn't mean that I'm knowledgeable in setting pots!" Sam exclaimed as he followed. "I think we called them traps here." Jake chuckled."I also don't eat shellfish." Sam added. "It's not kosher and my mother would flail me alive if I did.""Does the Torah say anything about catching it?" Jake inquired."No." Sam admitted before shrugging. "So, where will the pot be set?"
Harland David Sanders Meyer Farm - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, August 11th, 1956 - 11:12 AM
It was a hot summer day, the kind where the sun blazed down from a cloudless sky, and the air shimmered with heat. Harland David Sanders, dressed in his signature white suit and black string tie, initially planned to head home. However, a sudden wave of nostalgia washed over him, and he decided to take a detour to visit an old friend and his godson.At sixty-five, Harland had lived a life as varied as it was colorful. He had served in the United States Army in Cuba as a wagoner, worked as a blacksmith’s helper in Alabama, a locomotive fireman, an attorney, an insurance salesman, and even owned a ferry boat company on the Ohio River between Jeffersonville, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky. He had served as secretary for the Chamber of Commerce in Columbus, Indiana, operated a service station in Corbin, Kentucky, and worked as an assistant cafeteria manager in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, serving meals to those unknowingly working on the Manhattan Project.For the past several years, however, Harland's focus had been on perfecting his fried chicken recipe, a secret blend of eleven herbs and spices. He had been traveling across the country in his cherished 1931 Ford Model A, demonstrating his recipe to restaurant owners in the hopes they would adopt it. It was not an easy task and had left him broke, but despite living off social security, Harland was determined to succeed.The Meyer farm brought back a flood of memories. Harland had once lived in nearby Greenwood just across the line in Johnson County and worked as a fieldhand on neighboring acreage. He had worked on this very farm many years ago for Walter Meyer and his family. As he stepped out of his car, the familiar scent of freshly tilled earth and blooming flowers filled his nostrils.Stefan emerged from the farmhouse, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Harland! It's been a while!" Stefan exclaimed, extending a meaty hand for a hearty handshake."The pleasure is all mine, Stefan." Harland replied with a warm smile. "Say, I've got a little something to show you."“What’s that?” Stefan asked, curiosity piqued.“Well, it’s nearly lunchtime, and I've got my car packed full of cookware. What do you say I whip up some fried chicken for you and the family?"Stefan's eyes lit up. "Seriously? That sounds wonderful! Let me call everyone to come out and meet you."“No, the pleasure is mine." Harland insisted.“Kids! Harland is here!” Stefan called out.“Who, Grandpa?” A young voice responded from inside the house, a boy of eight years with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.“Your godfather.” Stefan said to Corbin, who came running out with wide eyes and a big grin.Harland David Sanders Meyer Farm - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy Saturday, August 11th, 1956 - 11:30 AM Harland began to demonstrate his cooking method. "Watch closely now." He said. "Because I'm about to show you how to make the best fried chicken you ever had. That's why, no matter what else I do, I'm a cook first and foremost."Harland shared his time-honored techniques - how to select the plumpest, best chicken pieces, how to mix the secret blend of eleven herbs and spices, and especially the importance of applying a light coating of flour to create the crispiest exterior."The key is to fry the chicken in a pressure fryer.” He proclaimed. “And you must never, ever reveal my secret recipe to anyone! It's my very own secret recipe, and that's what makes it so finger-lickin' good."The children watched in fascination as Harland worked his magic, the mouthwatering aroma of frying chicken filling the air. Finally, he served it up in a big bowl."Now, who wants some of my chicken?" Harland asked cheerfully.Jake Gregory Meyer
Meyer Farm - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, August 11th, 1956 - 11:50 AM While hungry, Jake couldn’t help but admire the pieces on his plate, a thigh, and drumstick, as the texture was unlike any he had seen before, and it smelled delicious. The fried chicken was golden and crispy, the aroma tantalizing."This isn't like any chicken you ever had." Harland proclaimed.Jake took a bite and knew that Harland was right - the outside was crispy and golden, the inside juicy and full of flavor from the secret spices."Wow, this is so good!” Corbin said. “Grandpa Stefan? Mister Sanders needs to cook for us more often!"“Your godfather kindly entrusted us with his recipe. I can always make a batch.” Lucy smiled."I can agree with that!” Walter concurred. “Harland, this is a mighty fine meal!"“Well, Mister Meyer, it frankly took some experimenting to perfect it.” Harland admitted.“Oh, please, Harland, call me Walter.” The patriarch insisted. “You earned it.”
Jake Gregory Meyer
Franklin Township GOP Club - Franklin Township Trustee's Office, 6231 South Arlington Avenue, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, November 6th, 1956 - 9:10 PM
It was election day once more in the heartland and a Presidential election while at it with the incumbent - none other than Dwight David Eisenhower himself - and Vice President Richard Milhouse Nixon up for reelection and nine year old Jake was with his parents attending the fellowship after the voting drive to get people to the polls.While it appeared to be in the bag especially given it was Ike and that the few states that went for Adlai Ewing Stevenson II wouldn’t quite meet the threshold required for being victorious in the Electoral College, nothing was ever guaranteed in politics, something which was evident to those who supported MacArthur in ‘48 and Taft in ‘52 yet the Meyer’s only had some complaints with the President such as nominating Earl Warren to the Supreme Court.Still, the young boy remained silent after the newfangled television was rolled into the room, the very spot where until recently there was a radio to provide coverage of the results and the still expensive commodity was a symbol of the ongoing time of innovation which was unprecedented. Never before has there been a multitude of scientific breakthroughs and discoveries with inventions seemingly being patented daily and it was believed that by the year 2000 AD there would be self-cooking meal packs and phones with television screens where one was able to see the person they were speaking to, something that was boggling the mind of the mid-20th Century Hoosier yet the future was deemed near with even the most optimistic declaring that Interplanetary Travel was in sight, bold for when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was only recently established much to the ambivalence of the archconservative Meyer's due to being frivolous spending yet there also had to be some way to demonstrate to the Commies that America was superior, even if it was something his father was understandably skeptical about."I still don't think we'll make it to the moon by 1969." Paul confidently proclaimed as he removed his corncob pipe. "If God wanted us to go to the moon, he would've given Moses and the Israelites rockets instead of telling them to trek to Canaan but more likely the Israelites would've used them against Jericho.""You're still such a stick in the mud, Paul." “Hush, it’s on.”"It's getting late." Lucy declared as she beckoned to her son. "Time to go.""But Mom..""I think the boy can stay up for once, especially when it appears he's going to be Republican anyway." His father interceded. "But you're still going to school tomorrow." "Yes, sir." Jake acknowledged.
Meyer Homestead- Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Thursday, November 22nd, 1956 - 10:14 AM
It was Thanksgiving once again in the Hoosier State and throughout the United States of America but this year instead of having it at home, Jake and his seven siblings including one year old Clark were heading northward to their maternal grandparents for the weekend.“Are we all packed?” Paul asked for the final time before he would close the trunk of the twelve-seat 1954 Packard Super Station station wagon. “Because once we leave, there’s no turning back.”“I’m sure we have everything.” Jake declared.Stefan held the door open for his wife, Käthe, as well as his father Stefan who despite being eighty did not require assistance of even a cane. “Well, my boy, you’re raising the children right.”“Thanks, Dad.”
Wildcat Township, Tipton County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Thursday, November 22nd, 1956 - 11:24 AM
“Grandma! Grandpa!” Valerie shouted as she rushed in the front door to greet them.“Don’t be shy, Elke, honey.” Lucy prodded before deciding on a wild card. “I’m sure grandma made muffins.”“Muffins?” The eight-year old towheaded girl’s ears perked at the mention of her favorite treat.Lucy felt her husband’s hand on her shoulder. “You indulge them.”“They’re special.” Lucy simpered, not denying the astute accusation. “All of them are.”
Jake Gregory Meyer
Wildcat Township, Tipton County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Thursday, November 22nd, 1956 - 11:24 AM
Although not all of the family had arrived for the annual holiday gathering, Jake recognized Thomas right away due to his reticent nature. “Hello, Tommy.”“Jake.” He said sourly. “It’s good to see you, I suppose.”“Do you always have to be in a bad mood, Thomas?” Another familiar voice inquired. “Happy Thanksgiving, Jake.”“You as well, Connie.” Jake smiled before looking back at Thomas. “I brought a few cap guns if you’re interested.”“I’ll think about it.”“What got you so focused, Thomas?” Constance wondered but before she could press her twin brother, the blonde noticed Elke, Heather, and Valerie. “Well, well, how have you been girls?” Constance beamed as she noticed the three sisters. “You’re growing up, Val.”“I am?”“You’re taller, must be the corn.” Constance speculated but of course one amongst them was shy and dour. “Elke? What if I told you if there’s muffins?”“Where?”“I’ll show you.” Constance proclaimed as she took Elke by the hand and led her to the dining room where the delectable quick bread desserts were on a tray.Jake shook his head out of amusement, his eldest sister was just for the lack of a better word addicted to muffins with her favorite being the traditional blueberry.
Jake Gregory Meyer
Camp Atterbury - 3008 Old Hospital Road, Edinburgh, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Sunday, April 7th, 1957 - 3:30 PM
Jake was lying flat on the ground in the prone position buckled in his shooting coat and the loop sling was snug on his left bicep, increasing stability. The Hoosier barely moved as he adjusted the elevation of the M1903 with the A.F. Stoeger micrometer, finely tuning the rear leaf sight to the one thousand yard graduation before regaining his natural point of aim.As he peered through the barely visible bottom aperture on the ladder with his right eye, Meyer took care to observe the flags downrange to compensate for wind drift but thankfully there was no breeze and dead calm. Even so, he waited, allowing himself to be calm before firing.The nine year old boy exhaled and applied a slow and steady, rearward pressure on the trigger with his right index finger, sending a 173 grain projectile spiraling toward the target and ejecting the spent brass shell casing before closing the action to load the following M72 Match cartridge."Bullseye, dead center!" The range officer called out and Jake made a notation in his databook in regards to recording the hits and misses, not to mention the weather and wind conditions and other intricacies vital for maintaining the accuracy of the weapon as well as what could very well make the difference in a match."It seems like you're ready for the National Matches at Camp Perry." Stefan grinned at his grandson."I'm looking forward to it, Grandpa." Jake smirked.
Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, July 1st, 1958 - 6:45 PM
It was nearly time for dinner and as he headed to the bathroom to wash up, Jake heard the voice of his father and saw him beckoning to him from his den.“Jake? Come to my den for a minute."The eldest child who would soon turn eleven wondered what he exactly did wrong as only rarely did he enter his father's workspace where he did taxes and of course the bureaucratic and tyrannical federal regulations on agriculture courtesy of ‘That Man in The White House’ - Franklin Delano Roosevelt - and his imperious sycophants in Congress. "Dan and I were talking the other day and there is something that I would like to speak with you about. How does visiting Iraq sound?""Iraq?""Some country in the Middle East, the Cradle of Civilization.” He mentioned with a shrug. “We’ll discuss it at dinner.”
Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Tuesday, July 1st, 1958 - 7:15 PM
"Iraq?” Heather was goggle-eyed as she stared at her big brother after the matter was brought up at the dinner table. “I thought it would be Egypt?""That's a different field of archaeology, sis, Mister Northcott is apparently what's called an Assyriologist." Jake mentioned. "The Cradle of Civilization itself was around the Euphrates and I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if the Garden of Eden is nearby waiting to be rediscovered.""How long will you be gone?" Corbin asked.“Maybe a week.” Jake replied as he likely would not be there for an entire archeological season and admittedly a week could be a stretch."Paul, you can't be serious." Lucy implored after setting her fork down and looking at her husband as if he lost it. “An eleven year old in another land on his own?”"He’s not without supervision and I believe we could spare him and it's a good opportunity, he might even see where the Israelites were held captive in Babylon until permitted to return to the promised land." The father upheld.She still was apprehensive yet acquiesced as he wore the trousers and ultimately the decision of a husband and father in the household was final, something she unhypocritically abided by. "Very well."
Weir Cook Municipal Airport - Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, July 5th, 1958 - 3:00 PM
Of course, as a minor, Jake was not expected to travel internationally alone and as he entered the terminal he noticed a pair expecting him."Jake, I presume?""Yes, sir." He acknowledged. "Are you Mister Northcott?""Indeed. And this is my daughter, Emma.""Pleasure to make your acquaintance."Jake was surprised as the blonde spoke in something he didn't expect. It wasn't Transatlantic as spoken by the Coastal Elites in the Northeast and a few Hollywood stars in the slightest but rather its inspiration Received Pronunciation, there were subtle differences between the two tony sociolects but regardless it perplexed him."Is your daughter adopted by chance?"That remark earned crossed arms from the blonde dish as well as a glare of death followed by an exasperated sigh from her father."I'm aware of the peculiarities but I lived in Britain and married an Englishwoman in Dowdeswell. I actually fought in the Battle of Britain against the Luftwaffe." "I apologize, I didn't mean to judge." Jake apologized. "Appearances can be deceiving.""That's quite alright, I'm used to it." She sighed. "My brother Elias and I are related yet it appears George Bernard Shaw omitted mannerisms in that quote of his.""Where is he?" "He's in the Marines and assigned to a squadron at Beaufort in South Carolina."It was comical for the lack of a better word but something fathomable due to the familial circumstances.
Iraqi Airways Flight 296 - Cairo, Cairo Governorate, Arab Republic of Egypt, North Africa, Africa, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Sunday, July 6th, 1958 - 5:55 PM
After reaching Cairo aboard their British Overseas Airways Corporation flight from Heathrow, their trip still had another leg and they embarked aboard the Vickers Viscount medium-range turboprop airliner which would take them to Baghdad but they would have to travel by car to reach their final destination of Khafajah."Must you wear a coonskin hat?" Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier was still popular and just about every boy in America had his own coonskin hat. Although the show starring Fess Parker as the famed American frontiersman only ran from December 1954 until December 1955, reruns still aired on television and children wore coonskin caps to school, wore them to bed, wore them with plastic fringe frontier costumes while they played with their Crockett trading cards, their Crockett board games and puzzles, their Crockett color slide sets and their Crockett powder horns. They even pestered their parents for Crockett toy ‘Betsy’ flintlock rifles and Crockett bubble gum and Crockett rings and comic books and of course as he was being an adventurer in a way not to mention being from just two states directly north of Tennesee the Hoosier felt obligated to wear it during his trip to Iraq as the State of Indiana did have a pioneer heritage after all and Abraham Lincoln did had his formative years in Little Pigeon Creek."It was either this, a cowboy hat, a baseball cap, or a straw boater as I left the fedora at home." He simpered but the boy from Indiana shouldn't need a whip for archeology either although he did bring a russet leather haversack for convenience instead of a backpack."Rowing perchance?" She beamed, "I'm sure Cambridge will show the Oxonians this year."Momentarily perplexed, he realized that it was because he mentioned the specific hat, something that he rarely wore except at the GOP Club. "No, no." He chortled. "I mean more like what farmers wore back in the day.""Oh." She stood corrected. "Though I had done canoeing once, Dad bought a cabin in Brown County when I was nine and we occasionally spend the weekend there.""Though it may be two hours, I recommend getting some rest before Baghdad."Jake wasn't sure if he said anything that offended her given the difference in her upbringing and her stratum but instead of taking her advice, he decided to engross himself in a book that he brought along in order to get somewhat acquainted before arriving, specifically Sumerian Mythology: A Study of Spiritual and Literary Achievement in the Third Millennium B.C by Samuel Noah Kramer.
Khafajah - Diyala Province, Kingdom of Iraq, “Middle East”, West Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Sunday, July 6th, 1958 - 3:09 PM
"Syed? This is Jake." Emma introduced the arrival in a hat made of raccoon fur to Syed Anwar Rashid, who was the child of one of the local workmen, native workers who aided the archeologists in their excavating. “Jake, I would like you to meet Syed.”"Howdy do.""Welcome to Iraq, Mister Meyer.""Please call me, Jake." He chuckled. "I'm not one for formalities usually and I happen to be the son of a farmer." The Iraqi looked at him funny as if he was out of place and in fairness the Hoosier was given his background."Yes, I know." Emma deadpanned. "It's a peculiar arrangement."
Khafajah - Diyala Province, Kingdom of Iraq, “Middle East”, West Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, July 7th, 1958 - 7:42 AM
Jake still thought that this surprise was a mirage, that he couldn’t possibly be in the ‘Cradle of Civilization’ amid the Ziggurats, The Code of Hammurabi, and even remarkably accurate astronomy but one quick pinch to the wrist made him conscious to the fact that he was in one of the tents adjacent to an archeological dig site. He stretched and let out a yawn as he stirred from his slumber only to hear the flaps of the ‘door’ rustle.“Oh, I see that you’re awake.” Emma mentioned apologetically.“Good morning.” He greeted courteously as he grabbed his boots and checked to see if there were any bugs inside, especially the Arabian fat-tailed scorpion and the Hemiscorpius lepturus, the latter not having any common name whatsoever but was no laughing matter to the potency of the venom like its fat-tailed cousin.“Breakfasr is ready.” She mentioned. “There’s iced tea as well.”He stared at her blankly, the two words ‘iced’ and ‘tea’ did not go together in the minds of Brits or so he thought as before him was an exception.“What?” She then realized that it was regarding the beverage. “Well, it’s a dreadful climate for the usual.”“I’m not judging, just surprised.”The blonde, however, let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, well, hopefully, the country fried steak and grits are to your liking.”That utterance, of course, perplexed the Hoosier even further.
‘First the type of tea and now grits?’
Khafajah - Diyala Province, Kingdom of Iraq, “Middle East”, West Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, July 7th, 1958 - 8:00 AM
Breakfast was unexpected to say the least as he was predicting something more snobbish such as beluga caviar, truffles, pate de foie gras, even canned peasant but instead it was unexpectedly Southern with sausage-gravy and biscuits - not what the British call cookies but soft and fluffy American biscuits -, shrimp and grits, eggs, and country fried steak.“Out of curiosity, Jake, have you explored caves?”“A few.” Jake admitted as his father did have a cabin in Brown County and southern Indiana had plenty of them. “Why?” “Good, good.” Preston smiled. “I need you and Syed to go ahead of us as some of the passages could be rather incommodious.”Jake was hesitant as it sounded akin to boys being sent to the coal mines in the last century, child labor in other words, yet instead of arguing he aquiscened.
Khafajah - Diyala Province, Kingdom of Iraq, “Middle East”, West Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, July 7th, 1958 - 9:15 AM
“Come on, Yankee.” Syed taunted as he was ahead of the American inside the Ziggaraut.“I’m a Hoosier, not a Yankee.” Jake grunted as he slithered into the dark enclosure with their only source of illumination being their flashlights and the two boys continued trekking towards the suspected tomb of an ancient official.“So you said that you’re the son of a farmer, right?” “Yep.” Jake affirmed.“Which is surprising because aside from the oil workers the few westerners here are wealthy visitors.”“This was a birthday gift I didn’t ask for.” Jake confessed.“Alright, I think we could take a short break and rest.” Syed declared as he sat down and grabbed his canteen, something Jake concurred with. “We’ll start making our way again soon.”“No complaints from me.”“Now you said that this was a ‘birthday surprise’?” The Iraqi asked.“What’s with all of the questions?”“Curiousity.” Syed shrugged. “I mean I can tell you’re ordinary and someone I can talk to without being brushed off.”Jake nodded as his background was plain American middle class and Syed saw him as a peer compared to the other foreign children of their age who came here, primarily European elites.“I don’t know how much you’ve heard about America but it’s true that it’s a land of opportunity.” Meyer mentioned. “My forefathers came from Germany in the 1840s - before the Mexican-American War - with only some of their processions brought over from the Fatherland and my ancestor settled in Indiana after purchasing farmland with a loan from a bank then paid it off after a year through work. While rags-to-riches is rare and the streets are not paved in gold, achieving the American Dream is possible if you set your mind to it.”“I thought they were gold?”“Nah, it’s predominantly asphalt and gravel with dirt roads here and there.” Jake chuckled. “Your knowledge of English is good.”“I was taught by Mister Northcott.” Syed revealed. “What you think of Emma?”“She’s alright I suppose although aloof, too formal, and slightly snobbish.” Jake mentioned.“She’s a Brit with an American father.” Syed laughed. “Come, we have work to do.”
Khafajah - Diyala Province, Kingdom of Iraq, “Middle East”, West Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, July 7th, 1958 - 8:00 PM
It was night and the stars were gleaming down onto the fine sand of the fabled land once ruled for centuries by the earliest civilizations in the history of mankind from Sumer and the early Sumero-Akkadian city-states to the Akkadian Empire, Assyria, Babylonia, and the Sealand Dynasty. This was also where the populace of Sumer worshiped life before a dreary and potentially dehydrating life in the Sumerian underworld called 'Kur' if their bloodline died out and therefore would be unable to replenish their supply of wine from the mortal realm, the two youngsters, one being a prosaic farmboy from America's heartland who had only recently turned eleven and another a ten year old upper-crust Briton with an American-born father and holding dual citizenship were discussing the plan for the next day of excavations with only one among them being exhilarated."Honestly it's more of my father's passion."The ambivalent sentiment made him curious. "I thought you enjoyed archeology?""I don't mind reading about it, the history, the legends and myths of this land along those of the Nile but I lack enthusiasm for exploration." She sighed, almost as if the magic was plucked from her."Been to a few places, huh?""Since I was born I suppose." She mentioned. "I was born in Kenya and then left when the whole Mau Mau business started." Jake thought of the so-called Mau Mau Uprising which began in the Fall of 1952 and was still occuring in Kenya, she would have been four when the violence started."The only time honestly when I have stability is the Heathfield School in Ascot.”"While it isn't any of my business, I think I can understand why extensive traveling can get tiresome." He mentioned with sincere sympathy. "Sure, the occasional vacation is fine but I don't desire to be a migrant or move elsewhere, I intend on staying near Indianapolis because it's home."
A newsreel about the 14 July Revolution
Jake Gregory Meyer
Iraq Museum - Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq, “Middle East”, West Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, July 14th, 1958 - 7:55 AM
Although the archeological season was not over, Preston headed to the capital on business and Jake and Emma were presently up on the balcony of the Iraq Museum - informally known as the ‘National Museum of Iraq’ when the young Hoosier watched a scene below with infantry and military vehicles passing by the museum. “Is there a parade going on or something?”“I don’t believe so.” The towhead asserted after some mulling. “Why do you ask?”“There’s a convoy of tanks - actually armored cars and trucks heading to the palace.” Jake divulged as he pointed at the scene he was observing but that was when the two youngsters heard the voice of Emma’s father adjuring them. “Come, children, we’re leaving.”“Father? What’s going on?”“It’s a coup d’etat.” Preston revealed. “They announced their revolution on the radio.”Although the trio were unsure what occurred as they just heard gunshots from the palace, Jake looked down at his wristwatch and noticed that it was eight o’clock in the morning. “That explains it.” Jake deadpanned as he scurried away from the parapet where he previously rested his arms as he watched the formations heading to the palace and the trio rushed down the stairs. “Wait? My luggage -!”“I sent Admed to retrieve them.” Preston assured the boy. “At quadrupled pay and it’ll be at the embassy.” Although he mentally questioned the decision to send someone in their stead where there was a chance in the chaos he could be mugged en route, it was a catch-twenty-two as there may be no way for them to head to the hotel. As they exited the building and reached the street, a gust of wind blew the Hoosier’s fur hat off of his head.“My hat!” Jake ran out to the street to retrieve it but not without being chastised. “Young man, come back here this instance!” Preston exhorted and he was not the only one.“Jake, have you lost the plot!?!” Emma shrieked as her acquaintance decided to head back in the path of the incoming Humber Armoured Car to pick up his coonskin by the tail after it fell off his head and ran back to the vehicle. “Sorry about that.” Jake simpered as he put the headwear back on his head.But Emma could only facepalm after seeing the comical scene. “Unbelievable.”
Embassy of the United States of America in Baghdad - Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq, “Middle East”, West Asia, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Monday, July 14th, 1958 - 8:30 AM
The three only felt relief upon seeing at the entrance of the embassy a pair of Marine Security Guards with their M1 Garand at the ready and a detail of Leathernecks emerged from cover to open the gate to let them in. “Well, this was quite the experience.” Jake proclaimed. “And one abnormal for archaeology.”“That’s an understatement.” Emma concurred as they rode out the attempted change of regime inside the American embassy or if it persisted then wait until they and the others who sought sanctuary inside could be evacuated but the towhead gawped as she recognized someone unanticipated as did her father.“Clifford?”“Hello, Preston.” “Uncle Clifford?”“I’m glad you’re alright, it’s nasty out there and King Faisal and Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah are dead.” The WASP sighed in relief after seeing his niece yet of course he did not know the boy standing next to her. “Who’s this?”“Jake Meyer.” Preston revealed. “He’s a friend of Daniel’s son.” ‘I may not make it to Camp Perry this year.’ Jake thought.
Paul Balthasar Meyer
Beech Grove - Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, November 15th, 1958 - 3:22 PM
"I'm not going to support some organization that denies what I've seen with my own eyes." Paul insisted as he headed to his pick-up after dropping off corn to a grocery. The Liberty Lobby was not what it claimed in the slightest and after the first meetings he and his eldest soon learned that the organization founded by Willis Allison Carto which described itself as a pressure group for patriotism and the only lobby in Washington, D.C. registered with Congress which was wholly dedicated to the advancement of government policies based on our Constitution and conservative principles and presented itself as a patriotic populist organization seeking to restore constitutional safeguards and national sovereignty was actually quite different in purpose and even blatantly committing false advertising in order to gain widespread support.There was also the glaring fact in addition to the undisclosed iniquitous agenda for the organization that Curtis Bean Dall, a retired Air Force Reserve Colonel and ex-son-in-law of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s, was serving as chairman of the Liberty Lobby's Board of Policy and although Dall did divorce Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, the only daughter of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, former ties or not it was still a deal breaker to the Meyer’s as they despise the 32nd President of the United States and his wife Eleanor as well as the New Deal and the fact someone who was connected to ‘That Man in the White House’ only provided additional incentive for them to immediately cut all ties to such a reprehensible association."The Liberty Lobby believes in reigning in the Federal government and upholding the Constitution, Paul, you shouldn't have just walked away last week." ‘The Liberty Lobby is still not practicing what they preach and publicly claiming to want small government is also ironic because of Dall’s former father-in-law.’ Out of exasperation, he reiterated for one and hopefully final time why neither he nor his boy would attend any additional gatherings. "Dammit, Charlie, I will say it again: My membership is still discontinued, I want no further involvement nor association with your group - not even the newsletters! - and I'm not interested in supporting an organization that denies what transpired at Wöbbelin and even if I happen to agree with most of their views, I don't agree with all of them, especially not treating fellow men equally. The Liberty Lobby is a charade and a convenient scam by Klansmen.""Why support those Kikes?”Paul looked at Charlie in utter disbelief. "Come again?""You know who, that Jewish woman and her boy I met at that gathering last year. I can't believe that an outsider from Massachusett and a WASP no less uncharacteristically married a Christkiller.""You know what, Charlie, I hope you have a nice day." Paul grumbled sarcastically as he slammed the door.
Robert Welch speaking at the University of California, Los Angeles on May 17th, 1967
Robert Henry Winborne Welch, Junior - Business partner in the James O. Welch Confectionery Company
Dice Residence - Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America
Tuesday, December 9th, 1958 - 2:24 PM
After officially founding the John Birch Society, Welch was departing from Marguerite Dice’s residence when he noticed a farmer offloading lettuce, radishes, turnips and carrots as well as apples and pears on her doorstep."It’s a fine day unloading produce.""It could be worse weather but Miss Dice prefers it fresh." The presumably local farmer nodded. "Look like you're from Massachusetts but sound like you're from North Carolina.""I am." Robert confirmed, both shocked at and suspicious by the assumption. "How did you guess?""The license plate and your voice." The stranger revealed. "One of my fellow MPs during the war was from Charlotte and a neighbor and good friend of mine is from Salem, the one with the Witch Trial long ago.""Oh, really?" "Yep. There were homes being built just outside the city and he got hired by Eli Lilly's.""Nice to meet you, Mister…?""Paul Meyer." The locals revealed. "And this is my son, Jake.""Robert Welch." The visiting out-of-state businessman replied, introducing himself. "Say, the reason why I stopped was because I noticed the Taft bumper sticker on your vehicle and you might be interested to know that there was a meeting here earlier about forming an Anti-Communist action group with fellow like-minded Conservatives."Paul's ears perked up at the mention of anti-Marxism and conservatism. "Oh, really?" "We've decided to call it the John Birch Society in memory of the late missionary John Birch, who was killed by the Communists in China."The farmer nodded, not believing his luck. "Where do we sign up?"
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Tom’s Barbershop - 338 Market Plaza Drive, Greenwood, Johnson County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Wednesday, January 7th, 1959 - 2:00 PM
“Mark my words, we’ll be having a Communist nation off the coast of Florida.” Paul grunted after watching the news while his hair was being cut by the owner, Tom Davis. It was announced that the United States government recognized the new regime after Fulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was overthrown. “Oh, I’m not sure about that.” Tom disagreed as he snipped off another strand. “Fidel could be a useful ally.”“Just wait and see because outside of the Middle East the only other head of state who had a beard in this century was Lenin.”
Paul Baltasar Meyer
Meyer Farmhouse - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Sunday, October 4th, 1959 - 9:00 PM
"This is ridiculous." Paul muttered as he read the newsletter on the recliner. "Ike a Commie?""What's the matter, Dad?" Paul glanced up from the latest edition of American Opinion and looked at his son who was about to turn on the radio and tune it to The Dan Smoot Report . "The Society is accusing Eisenhower of being a closet Communist and during his Presidency no less.""That's unbelievable! I would believe MacArthur was secretly a Martian before believing Eisenhower is some Pinko."Paul snorted at the poor comparison from his boy, especially since it sounded like something his youngest, Clark, would say, not the eldest. "Well, some of this I can believe, some of it is just nonsensical, and most I'm just unsure about.""The world can be crazy at times."Shaking his head in disgust, Paul reached for the German-American Journal published by the Deutsch Amerikanischer National Kongress, another organization the entire family joined shortly after its founding in December of last year. "Ah, much better and no insanity." The father remembered something after spotting the latest editions of the National Rifle Association's very own American Rifleman as well as Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, The American Arms Collector, Gun Digest, Guns & Ammo, Guns magazine, and even Shotgun News , not to mention addition publications from the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars on the coffee table."Yes, Dad?""Make sure your mother gets her newsletters by the Daughters of the American Revolution. There should be ones from the Sons of the American Revolution and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War for you as well.""I will, Pa."
Caitlyn Lorelai “Kate” Behnke - Investigative Reporter, Chicago Tribune
Tribune Tower - 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Friday, October 7th, 1960 - 2:45 PM
Caitlyn was at her desk taking occasional sips of her coffee and using her Remington Rand Model 17 Typewriter to produce a rough draft of her latest expose. The five foot ten woman with golden blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes was a fourth-generation German-American from Lincoln Square on Chicago’s North Side and the youngest child of a veteran fireman who would have to retire from the Chicago Fire Department in three years and she also has four siblings; two brothers, Jefferson and Mitchell, as well as two sisters, Alivia and Gillian, yet despite being granted a scholarship to attend Northwestern University and joining the Tribune, she never forgot her roots and she was a vigorous crusader against the corruption that was embarrassingly endemic in her beloved Windy City which was why she was obligated to publish this bombshell story on a scheme she uncovered, a conspiracy between the former American Ambassador to Great Britain, the Mayor’s Office, and the Italian American Mafia to manipulate votes in Chicago as well as in the State of West Virginia, thereby upending the upcoming 1960 Presidential Election in favor of John Fitzgerald Kennedy yet while typing it out she was interrupted not by her immediate supervisor nor the owner of the newspaper but rather by one of the middle management, specifically the assignment editor.“Kate?” The voice of Clayton Kirkpatrick called. “You have a minute?”“Sure, boss.” She affirmed as she sat up and pushed her chair in before walking to Kirkpatrick’s office.“Close the door.” He directed. “Look, Kate, I’m aware of how important this story is to you but I think it is in your best interest - and the nation’s best interest - to drop it.”Caitlyn was perplexed by the request. “What do you mean?”“I don’t want you to pursue this story any further.” Clayton reiterated albeit in a different manner yet the intrepid reporter remained firm.“Let’s not be hasty -”“You know who was in my office earlier?”“No.”“I received a personal visit from Sam Giancana.” The assignment editor disclosed. “Which means your source is likely wearing cement shoes and was plunged into Lake Michigan.”Caitlyn was flabbergasted as to how could she miss the Capomandamento waltzing his way into Kirkpatrick’s office, nevermind how he even learned about her scoop in the first place!?! Caitlyn had kept a tight lid and took care due to the sensitivity, it made her feel like she was in the world of espionage instead of unraveling what was quite possibly the most scandalous affair in the entire history of American politics.“For your sake, I’m ordering you to discontinue pursuing this matter any further.” “Is dat you speaking, Clay, or Giancana?” The reporter asked in her thick North Side accent. “I’m not afraid of any Wops and Sam can send any of his Dago cutthroats after me if he insists.”“Listen, sweetheart, there’s a much bigger world outside of Lincoln Square, and if you think your press credentials can protect you, think again!” “What happened to you, Clay? Do you still have a conscience? Integrity?”“Alright, missy, starting tomorrow morning you’re officially a society reporter! And if you can’t handle the transfer or cover the latest in what those rich hobby farmers are up to over in Barrington Hills then hand me your resignation! Your choice!”Barrington Hills. A rural enclave near Chicago with farming and horse raising yet the farmhouses were mansions. The prestigious bucolic village was essentially a slice of the countryside exclusively for the wealthy without having to be that isolated from the Windy City and for the oofy snobs to also pursue equestrianism without having to venture southward to Kentucky, heck, even the teams for the local schools were intentionally called the Broncos and the Colts. The fact that Clayton believed that a blue-collar city girl such as herself was somehow suitable for the assignment caused Caitlyn to roll her eyes. She left the office without a word but if Clayton Kirkpatrick believed he could silence her, nevermind Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Senior and the Sicilian slit-throats then they should all think again even if it meant taking her story to a rival publication or even the radio as someone surely had the guts to inform the American people of the truth before they cast their ballot.
Lucy Adelia (neè Schütte) Meyer
Meyer Farmhouse - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Saturday, December 10th, 1960 - 1:40 PM
Lucy was inside the kitchen sitting at the table with Rebecca, Susan, and Ellie as the two members of the Minute Women of the U.S.A. as well as the British-born and Australian-born ‘honorary members’ respectively discussed the disastrous 1960 Presidential Election.“That Kennedy, that man born with a silver spoon in his hand believes he’s such a Boy Scout.” Lucy griped. “Nixon, while no conservative, at least has experience!”“I believe many forgot his father’s appeasement to Adolf.” Susan deadpanned while rolling her eyes. “What’s not to say he will be more diplomatic to the Reds?”“Well, this harebrained ‘Peace Corps’ idea he announced in Ann Arbor certainly sounds like it.” Rebecca concurred. “Let’s not forget the clear nepotism as he appointed his brother to the position of Attorney-General, an appointment which has yet to be confirmed by the United States Senate.” Ellie added which led to additional grumblings among the quad. The informal meeting of the four ultraconservative women who were also a devout Lutheran, a pair of pious Catholics, and a faithful Presbyterian, however, were interrupted as Lucy’s, Susan’s, and Ellie’s eldest boys walked in from the front door.“Hey, Mom, instead of hibernating, the squirrels are after the birdfeeder again.” Jake announced. “I’m going to get the .22 from the cabinet.” He then walked to the nearest gun cabinet and retrieved a Remington Model 511-P Scoremaster in .22 Winchester Magnum and equipped with a patridge-type blade as the front sight and a ‘point-crometer' peep for the rear sight.“Thank you, sweetie. Would you like any hot chocolate, boys?”“Sounds nice, Misses Meyer.” Bruce accepted. “Thank you.”“I would like some as well, please.” Cason smiled. After a few minutes making the concoction with boiled water and measuring powder from a can of Swiss Miss then seeing the three boys off to ‘war’ against the vile bushy-tailed menace ransacking her precious birdfeeder even in the middle of winter, Lucy returned to the table and resumed the conference.“Squirrels, Lucy?” Rebecca deadpanned in evident disbelief.“They’re collectivists just like Communists, Socialists, and comrade Eleanor Roosevelt.” The towheaded blonde third generation German-American homemaker originally from Tipton County deadpanned. “That’s…an astute observation I suppose.” Susan mused even though it was in humor.“Though if I may be honest the native coyotes here have been rather paltry at dealing with those whimsical yet odious rodents.” The redhead from Down Under sighed. “If the climate here was any different I believe that importing Dingos would be worthwhile, or perhaps even better, Quolls as they would effectively massacre the squirrel population but it’s too cold for the predators.”The three other women were perplexed as although Dingos were well-known as were Koalas and Kangaroos, even the Tasmanian Devil courtesy of ‘Looney Tunes’ , they were nescient of any other endemic Australian wildlife. “Quolls, Ellie?” Rebecca pressed, feeling somewhat bemused as it sounded like something for cartoons. “Quolls are essentially Australian opossums with white spots instead of stripes.” The first generation Australian-American summarized to her three friends with a simper after taking a sip of her coffee and placing the mug down onto the wooden drink coaster. “Only that they’re of a different species and possums are also on their extensive menu.”“Well, Ellie, when you put it that way, I can only imagine how a Bobcat would fare against an entire pack of Dingos.” Lucy sighed as the redhead originally from Bega, New South Wales certainly knew how to effectively articulate dark humor.
John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address
Jake Gregory Meyer
Meyer Farmhouse - Acton, Franklin Township, Marion County, Indiana, United States of America, North America, Earth, Sol System, Milky Way Galaxy
Friday, January 20th, 1961 - 1:09 PM
“Vice President Johnson, Mister Speaker, Mister Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President Nixon, President Truman, Reverend Clergy, fellow citizens: We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom -symbolizing an end as well as a beginning- signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.”
“The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe - the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.”
“We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans - born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.”
“Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
“This much we pledge - and more.”
“To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do - for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.”
“To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom - and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.”
“To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required - not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.”
“To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge - to convert our good words into good deeds - in a new alliance for progress - to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.”
“To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support - to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective - to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak - and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.”
“Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.”
“We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.”
“But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course - both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.”
“So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
“Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.”
“Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms - and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.”
“Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.”
“Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah - to ‘undo the heavy burdens…and let the oppressed go free.’"
“And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.”
“All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.”
“In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.”
“Now the trumpet summons us again - not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -.not as a call to battle, though embattled we are- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, ‘rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation’ - a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.”
“Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?”
Over two years have passed since he unwittingly became a first-hand witness to a literal coup d’etat in the Middle East, a reminder that the world was in flux and back home a new administration was taking the reigns away from its predecessor, the presidency of Dwight David Eisenhower - the 34th President of the United States and a Republican - ceased effective upon the swearing in of his successor, a Democrat with silk-stocking Irish roots.
"....In this long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility, I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people, or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor light our country and all serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world. And do so, my fellow Americans, ask not what you can do for your country, ask what you can do- ask not what you can do for your country, ask what you can do for your country. Fellow citizens of the world, ask what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
Jake, like all within the Meyer household of course, didn't agree with everything declared in the inaugural speech by the President-elect, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, but the words 'ask not what you can do for your country, ask what you can do for your country' resonated with every American no matter the political spectrum but of course then came the internationalist line.
“My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
“Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.”
“He doesn’t sound like an American Catholic at all but more like a one-world atheist.” His mother sneered as she heard the conclusion. “Honey…” His father attempted to conciliate her but she was still fuming. “You heard him…” Lucy scowled as she watched the newly sworn-in President depart from the podium after giving his address. “Prolonged multilateralism is still one step towards cosmopolitanism and the advent of the New World Order.”