December 2020 Newsletter
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Freedom’s Voice The Monthly Newsletter of the Military History Center 112 N. Main ST Broken Arrow, OK 74012 http://www.okmhc.org/ “Promoting Patriotism through the Preservation of Military History” Volume 7, Number 12 December 2020 Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Pearl Harbor Day Important Dates At 7:48 a.m. Hawaii time (11:48 a.m. Oklahoma time), on Military History Center Closed Sunday, December 7, 1941, 353 Japanese fighters, bombers and torpedo planes launched in two waves from six aircraft December 25 and 26 – January 1 thru January 4 carriers, began their surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and aircraft parked at nearby Happy Hanukkah air fields. President Roosevelt called December 7, 1941, “a date which will live in infamy”. From the Editor During this year, we have focused on the 75th anniversary of World War II. We have begun a new series recognizing Okla- homans, who lost their lives in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. We have told the stories of several of these remarkable men and women. We have also begun a series on the Korean War in recognition of the 70th anniversary of the war. We featured one of the museum’s exhibits or artifacts each month. We also presented articles and events that further our mission of “Promoting Patriotism through the Preservation of Military History”, including written history, and which we hope are of interest to our readers. We enjoy bringing you the newsletter. We hope you enjoy reading it, and with each edition, learning something new of One of USS Oklahoma’s anchors at the USS Oklahoma Memorial our nation’s military history and those who made it. Oklahoma City The management and volunteers of the MHC wish each and every one our readers and their families a very “Merry Christ- mas” and a healthy and “Happy New Year”. Regent Preparatory School at the MHC Tulsa’s Regent Preparatory School students, Alex Dupree, Lola Webb, and Shepard Mickey, donated their time on Satur- day, November 14, as a service project to clean the front win- dows of the museum and to change out the mural in the Flag Plaza to one depicting the attack on Pearl Harbor. A big “thank you” goes out to these exceptional young people. Alex Dupree, Lola Webb, and Shepard Mickey (Contributed by Keith Browne) MHC Receives New Statue John Thomas, provided the "No One Left Behind" statue. Carolyn Cur- ry, Head Artist at Hobby Lobby, painted the statue. (L. to R.) Tom Mancino, Carolyn Curry and John Thomas Remembering Lindsey Donaldson connections all over the world, and she did it the old-fashioned Peter Plank way—through megahertz. On Veterans Day she arranged for our aircraft to broadcast during our flyover of the Tulsa Veterans Day Parade. Her call sign, WW2ADT. Lindsey loved her three dogs, she loved the outdoors, and she loved her favorite holiday, Christmas. We will miss her upbeat quick responses to things like “that’s fabs” and “you're adorbs.” She had her own pop terms for things, and not a one was negative. She didn’t know how to go there. We should all be so lucky. Above all, Lindsey loved Jeeps. Any Jeep. It could have been the WWII Jeeps at our facility or the newest Jeep designs com- ing out of Detroit. It didn’t matter. She was a “Jeeper,” a “Jeepster”, a “geo tracker.” She loved Jeep culture, and she Today, our jump team is mourning the loss and yet commit- knew that special “Jeep wave” that Jeep owners give each oth- ting ourselves to paying forward the life of Lindsey Don- er. Through the help of her best friend and member of our aldson—teammate, friend to our veterans, and loving soul to team, David Snell, she finally found a red Jeep that became all. Lindsey lost her life in a motor vehicle accident on Wednes- hers, and which she cherished. She named it “Rosie.” Lindsey day (November 11), just after leaving our Veterans Day exhibi- experienced true joy driving her Jeep. She was driving it tion in Tulsa. Wednesday at the time of her accident, doing what she loved, Lindsey was a force multiplier when it came to boosting finishing a day in the presence of the team that she loved. people's morale. She was all about supporting our mission and Lindsey now smiles back at us from a distant shore, walking vision. As a member of our Air Wing, Lindsey quickly found a in a greater light which we cannot fully comprehend and rejoic- place as the unofficial CIC, “Cheerleader in Charge.” She boost- ing with those whose multitude we cannot number. As a Chris- ed people’s spirits with her bubbly personality, and her positive tian, that was her faith. We believe that she would want us to nature rubbed off on everyone as she went about her work. share that. That's invaluable in any organization and never to be discount- As we face the loss of Lindsey—and we are all in shock and ed. dismay—Lindsey’s advice to us would be, “We can do it!” Central to Lindsey’s story is that her grandmother was a re- Those were the words of the famed caricature of Rosie the Riv- al-life Rosie the Riveter. During WWII, her grandmother helped eter, whom Lindsey so admired. As a team and a family, we assemble C-47s at the Douglas plant in Oklahoma City. Her remain steadfast in the face of a loss like this. And, despite our grandmother may have driven the rivets in the very aircraft we grief, we still must hold ourselves accountable to keep Lind- jump from. That was among the reasons Lindsey joined our sey’s spirit alive, in the little things we do and in the big ones. team. We will miss you, Lindsey. We are humbled that you shared All of us here feel a special connection to history when we the gift of your life with us, and we are resolved to pay it for- board our aircraft. But to look at, touch, and even smell those ward. Our thoughts and prayers go out to your family and aircraft—which smell like a classic car—and know that your friends with our deepest sympathies. own grandmother may have helped build them? That’s a bond Yes, Lindsey, “We CAN do it! And, we will. All the Way!” that only Lindsey could boast. She cherished it. Lindsey was a hands-on person. If you got to know her, it was likely because you were working on a project with her. A favorite story of our team is that one day she asked if there was anything she could do to help. One of our ground crew asked if Museum Hours and Admission Fee she would be willing to learn how to drive rivets. She replied, Tuesday – Friday: 10:00 – 4:00; Saturday: 10:00 – 2:00 “Yes!”, and that solidified her connection with her grandmoth- Closed Sunday and Monday and major Federal holidays er. Lindsey volunteered at the Military History Center in Broken Adults – $5.00 Arrow. Both there, and on our team, she looked for any oppor- Members and Children under 18 – Free tunity to reach out to veterans. When she was paired with one, her sparkling enthusiasm overflowed. She took the time to For more information, call (918) 794-2712 care about our veterans in a way that made them feel respect- ed and cherished, and that’s a gift to them that can never be www.okmhc.org underestimated. Lindsey let friendships within our team happen naturally. But once you got to know her, you discovered that she was outgoing and thrived on maintaining connections. In today’s world that typically means through Facebook and social media. In Lindsey’s world, that meant ham radio. Yes, Lindsey had In Memoriam In Memoriam Stephen Jeffery “Steve” Olsen Arles E. Cole Steve was born on January 19, 1941, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Arles E. Cole was born in December 20, 1923, on a farm near At some point after his birth, his family relocated to Tulsa. Porum (Muskogee County), Oklahoma. He enlisted in the Navy He graduated from Cascia Hall High School in Tulsa in 1959 on December 31, 1940, just after his seventeenth birthday. He and graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a de- received his basic training at San Diego followed by four gree in architecture and a member of Phi Delta Theta Frater- months at the Navigational School. His first posting was on the nity in 1964. He also married Patricia Boerner in 1964. They USS West Virginia, where he went aboard on August 31, 1941. were married for fifty-two years. Steve was a Captain in the West Virginia was sunk during the Pearl Harbor attack, De- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He served two and a half years cember 7, 1941. A bomb, that turned out to be a dud, created during the Vietnam War in Frankfurt, Germany, and was a hole through which Cole was able to crawl out to the main honorably discharged. deck. Once there, he helped other crew members escape and Steve volunteered throughout his life with Catholic Chari- noticed the flag was down and raised it. Cole was later assigned ties, the Church of Saint Mary, Board Member with Hillcrest to the minesweeper/tugboat, Turkey, to supplement her short Health Systems, Tulsa Regional Medical Center and The Cen- crew. After receiving additional navigational schooling, he was ter for the Physically Limited.