Metro visitors: Gordon Brown and Robert Ross.
 

FUNCTIONAL LITERACY PROGRAM

The tragedy of illiteracy is that those who cannot read lose personal independence and become victims of unscrupulous manipulation, poverty and the loss of human feelings which give meaning to life. Illiteracy is demeaning. It is a major obstacle for economic, political, social and personal development. Illiteracy is a barrier to international understanding, cooperation and peace in the world. 

Literacy education was considered a program priority by Rotary's original Health, Hunger and Humanity Committee in 1978. An early 3-H grant led to the preparation of an excellent source book on the issues of literacy in the world. The Rotary-sponsored publication, The Right to Read, was edited by Rotarian Eve Malmquist, a past district governor from Linkoping, Sweden, and a recognized authority on reading and educational research. The book was the forerunner of a major Rotary program emphasis on literacy promotion. 

In 1985 the RI Planning and Research Committee proposed, and the RI board approved, that the Rotary clubs of the world conduct a ten-year emphasis on literacy education. Many Rotary clubs are thoughtfully surveying the needs of their community for literacy training. Some clubs provide basic books for teaching reading. Others establish and support reading and language clinics, provide volunteer tutorial assistance and purchase reading materials. Rotarians can play a vitally important part in their community and in developing countries by promoting projects to open opportunities which come from the ability to read.
("The ABCs of Rotary" by Cliff Dotchterman - reprinted with permission).
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Mr. Mendenhall spoke about his bombing missions against the Germans on D-Day, the invasion at Normandy, France at Omaha and Utah Beaches on June 6, 1944. He flew 65 total combat missions, 2 on D-Day, and was awarded the highest Air Force decoration medal: the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was also awarded several other medals, including the Air Medal, with several Oak Leaf Clusters.

Mr. Mendenhall was called a Squadron Lead Bombardier Navigator, flying B-26 Martin Marauder twin-engine medium bombers, a squadron composed of 36 bombers in the 9th Air Force.

The squadron headed off to France, over 90 miles of ocean. The water was covered with all types of warships. At the beach the crew could see strings of blood in the water and strings of bullets coming down from the hill. A mortar launched by the Germans exploded off his right wing and rocked the plane. He could see flat guns with Germans seated on them. He shouted to the gunner and plane started to vibrate with the outgoing machine gun fire. Ice cold air swept into the plane, their speed slowed and the plane suddenly jumped up as one ton of bombs were dropped on the guns. The pillboxes and guns practically dissolved in the explosion. 

As they turned back over land toward the airbase he could see wrecked gliders scattered over the Normandy countryside. When they landed back in England their instructions were to leave the engines running and fragmentation bombs were loaded for a second run with the propellers still going. Someone threw in boxed of K-rations for their breakfast and lunch.

The squadron flew back to France and went inland this time to hit German troop transports, supply trucks and tanks that were moving toward the coast. This was also a successful mission. Normally the bombers would have flown at about 12,500 ft. but that day they were only at 8,000 ft, within the range of their own fragmentation bombs. 

No planes were lost from his squadron that day.

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If interested, please e-mail Tony St Romaine, or see Kristen Smarr or Jane Phillips for additional details.
 

 Web Editor:  Tony St Romaine

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