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War Stories Spring 2013 University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange War Stories Newsletters Center for the Study of War and Society Spring 2013 War Stories Spring 2013 Center for the Study of War & Society Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_warstories Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation Center for the Study of War & Society, "War Stories Spring 2013" (2013). War Stories Newsletters. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_warstories/8 This Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for the Study of War and Society at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in War Stories Newsletters by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. the Center for the study of War stories War & soCiety DISPATCHES FROM THE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF WAR AND SOCIETY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE Spring 2013 web.utk.edu/~csws 865-974-0128 DIRECTor’s NoTE We have once again had a very productive year at the center. We hosted nationally and internationally known scholars. Professor Wilfred McClay of the University of Tennes- see, Chattanooga, lectured on post-war mor- al questions. Joachim Tauber, from Lüneburg, Germany, lectured on World War II and the Holocaust, and author Rob Simbeck spoke on women pilots during World War II. LEFT: CORNELIA FOrt The amazing record of graduate research fel- ABOVE: CORNELIA FOrt, SECOND FROM LEFT, lowships won by doctoral students active in AND FELLOW PILOts Barbara TOWNE, EVELYN SHARP (ALSO KILLED ON DUTY), Barbara JANE center programs continued when Brad Nich- EricksON AND BERNICE BattEN, BESIDE VultEE ols won two fellowships—one to the UT Hu- Basic TrainER planE. MARCH 7, 1943, twO WEEks BEFORE FOrt’S crash. manities Center and the other for later work at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. We also were proud to learn that our undergraduate interns won awards at UT’s exhibition of undergraduate research Johnson Lecture Focuses on (see page 3). First Woman to Die on Active Duty Recently, I was honored to give a featured The center welcomed award-winning author and extraordinary speaker Rob talk at the National World War I Museum at Simbeck in March. Simbeck is the author of Daughter of the Air: The Brief Soar- the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. ing Life of Cornelia Fort. It is a beautifully written book sprinkled with Fort’s artful letters back home. Though Fort was portrayed in the filmTora, Tora, Tora At the center, we continue work on our digi- and there was a small airport in Nashville named for her, she remains a largely tal archive project. However, all of this activity unknown figure. We hope to rectify this injustice. wouldn’t be possible without you, our friends In the early 1920s, prominent Nashville doctor Rufus E. Fort made his three and donors. We thank you most deeply! sons take an oath on the family Bible that they would never take up flying. What —Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius, Director he didn’t realize was that his young daughter Cornelia was listening to every word, and she wasn’t made to take the oath. Cornelia lived an idyllic and adventurous childhood at Fortland, the family CSWS STAFF estate, which was also a working farm. But as she matured, she became uncom- VEjas G. LIULEVICIUS , director fortable being part of Nashville high society as a debutante and member of the CYNTHIA L. TINKER , program coordinator elite Cotillion Club. She begged her father to let her attend Sarah Lawrence Col- ROSEMARY B. MARINER , scholar-in- lege. She graduated in 1939 and returned home with new confidence and eager residence for excitement. JOrdan KUCK , graduate assistant It was in Berry Field in Nashville, during her first flight, that Cornelia found WILL RALL, graduate assistant her calling—even though she knew her father would disapprove. From the mo- ment the plane lifted, Cornelia’s life was transformed. Over the next few weeks spring 13 the Center for the study of Wa r soCiety 1 UT AT WAR Johnson Lecture(continued) General Clifton B. Cates was one of the few officers of any service who com- she continued her lessons, soloed, and manded a platoon, company, battalion, in June received her private pilot’s li- regiment, and division cense. She had earned it more quickly in combat. He was than any Nashville student before her. only the second She received her commercial license in Marine Corps com- February 1941, becoming only the sec- mandant to continue ond Nashville woman ever to do so. By serving following his March 10, she had earned her instruc- commandancy. tor’s rating and took a job teaching for He was born in a local flyer before moving to the blue 1893 at Cates Landing, skies of Fort Collins, Colorado. Tennessee. He gradu- In August 1941, she was offered a job ated from UT with a bachelor of laws in as an instructor in Honolulu, Hawaii, and 1916. In 1917, he accepted a Marine Corps jumped at the chance to teach the many commission. military personnel and defense workers During World War I, he earned the Navy on the island. On the morning of Decem- YOUNG CORNELIA FOrt FEARLEsslY RIDES Cross for heroism at Bouresches and ber 7, she was flying with her student when ABOVE: ONE OF HER CHILDHOOD PONIES. Belleau Wood. At Soissons he received she saw a military airplane flying toward the Silver Star. The French government them. Cornelia grabbed the controls from off on another routine flight to Dallas. awarded him the Legion of Honor and her student to pull up over the aircraft. It The group of six planes (Cornelia and the Crois de Guerre. was so close it rattled their windows, and five male pilots) were flying in forma- After WWI he participated in the oc- she finally saw the painted red balls on tion, which she had never done before, cupation of Germany and served in the wings. and breaking the 500-foot distance Washington as an aide to the Marine Looking toward Pearl Harbor, she saw rule. The group was flying south of Corps commandant and a military aide billowing smoke, and above, formations Sweetwater, Texas, at about 3:30 p.m. to President Woodrow Wilson. of silver bombers. As Cornelia began her when Cornelia’s wingtip struck another When the United States entered WWII, descent, she realized the plane was the plane’s landing gear. Cates was director of the Marine Corps target of machine-gun fire. She quickly The other pilots said that she never Basic School in Philadelphia. He left this dropped the plane to the runway. Bullets made an attempt to right the plane or post for the field, in command of the splattered all around as they jumped from release the emergency hatch as the First Marines at the landing at Guadalca- the plane and ran for cover. The airport plane spun to the ground. At the age of nal in August 1942, for which he received manager was killed, and two other civilian 24, Cornelia Clark Fort became the first the Legion of Merit. planes did not return. woman in US history to die while on ac- He was commandant of the Marine Cornelia returned to the mainland tive duty. Corps School at Quantico, before receiv- in early 1942 and began making a short ing command of the Fourth Division in film to promote war bonds, which led We are extremely grateful to Mr. Sim- July 1944. Cates played a pivotal role in to several speaking engagements. In beck for such a marvelous, moving the Tinian campaign and the seizure of September, she joined a select group in presentation about this remarkable Iwo Jima. the newly established Women’s Auxil- heroine as we remember her during the In 1948, Cates was promoted to iary Ferrying Squadron—precursor to seventieth anniversary of her ultimate general and served as commandant of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (the sacrifice. Copies of Daughter of the Air: the Marine Corps until 1952. He again WASPs). She was the second woman The Brief Soaring Life of Cornelia Fort served as commandant of the Marine accepted into the service, which ferried are still available. Please contact Rob Corps Schools before his retirement in military planes to bases within the Unit- Simbeck at 615-758-7393 or robsim- 1954. During his thirty-seven-years in the ed States. [email protected]. We urge everyone to Marines, he was wounded several times In February, she was stationed at the read this remarkable story about one and won almost thirty decorations. In 6th Ferrying Group base at Long Beach, of the most fascinating and courageous 1970, Cates was buried with full military California. They flew a steady stream of women of World War II. honors at Arlington National Cemetery. BT-13s to Love Field in Dallas, Texas. On Sunday, March 21, Cornelia took 2 the Center for the study of Wa r soCiety spring 13 Center Boasts Award-Winning Interns The Center always boasts a talented crop findings from a host of disciplines, includ- of undergraduate interns. Whether inter- ing history, political science, business, viewing veterans, transcribing interviews, civil engineering, and even theater and or writing papers, our interns consistently performing arts. produce top-notch work. Now, thanks to For the first-ever CSWS entry, our this semester’s group, that work can of- interns’ project, “Oral History Projects of ficially be called award-winning. US Veterans of World War II,” detailed Kendal Youngblood, Robert Prater, their personal experiences in transform- and Patrick Hollis were among the winners ing a veteran’s interview into a historical at the 2013 Exhibition of Undergraduate resource.
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