Memorial? What price a legacy?
Bruce Bird admittedly is not a young man, but even old souls can still burn with passion and determination and yearn for a sense of mission accomplished.
Memorial Day found the
76-year-old setting up a display of military artifacts in Cummings Park in Stamford to honor the fallen men and women of the U.S. military — and also to raise awareness of the 1.2 million blacks who served in World War II.
It is something he, along with Mabel Jorgensen, do at least three times a month at locations around the state — and part of a normal routine for a man who has been fixated on the military since he was a young boy of 8 and began collecting military memorabilia.
But it was nearly 40 years ago when the military buff recognized the achievements of blacks during World War II largely were absent from history books, and he was determined to bring them to the forefront.
And he and Mabel have been on mission since 2011 to establish what they call the Black WWII History Museum here in Connecticut.
Their efforts to make this happen are well known in Stamford, where they set up displays — which includes uniforms, weaponry, rifles, artillery shells, blueprints, photographs and more — outside BevMart at 835 E. Main St. as well as at other locations.
While the names of black military groups such as the Tuskegee Airmen are familiar, the names of others who served in World War II are not bell-ringers — such as
1st Lt. Vernon J. Baker, who received the Medal of Honor for his heroics, or Harriet M. Waddy, who was one of the two highest-ranking black officers in the Women’s Army Corps in WWII.
While Bruce did not mention those names, he was like a historian reciting the history of black soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines as he guided me about a month ago around the garage crammed with artifacts at the Stamford home he shares with Mabel.
I am a veteran but I admit I don’t know much about the black soldiers who served in WWII or any other war, for that matter.
And as a veteran, I don’t separate us into racial categories or identify another veteran by his or her cultural heritage. By accord, we are all veterans who served with one purpose: to defend the United States.
But acknowledgment by the government of the accomplishments of black soldiers during that war were a long time coming and, due to that, many are not really associated by much of the public with the war that solidified America as a superpower.
I found that out some years ago when I wanted to do a story on the legacy of black soldiers in WWII for Memorial Day and found the only museum dedicated to that history was located in the small town of Pownal in Vermont, population just over 3,500.
That was a big surprise to me as I expected the museum to be located in a more urban environment.
The only other museum I could find dedicated to black soldiers was the African American Civil War Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., that honors the 209,145 black soldiers in the Civil War along with approximately 20,000 Navy sailors.
I was even more surprised to find the same guy who ran the museum was now the guy showing me around the garage where war memorabilia was on display. He was not able to keep the Vermont museum up and running due to lack of traffic and support.
But Bruce and Mabel are having a tough time generating the support they need to fund a museum here. They do have willing partners that offer temporary solutions such as allotting space for temporary displays, and volunteers, including Tracy Morris, have come aboard to help spread the word through social media.
But a permanent space remains elusive — and the photos accompanying this column may be the only glimpse the public gets to see of some of the weaponry and other artifacts held by black soldiers during wartime. The rest are in storage.
But how much is a legacy worth?
Bruce and Mabel estimate they need not only a donated space for a museum, but also about $80,000 annually to run it.
That is a challenge — and I don’t know if Bruce and Mabel will ever reach their goal.
But I do know to raise the flag of victory requires unity, sacrifice, belief in the cause and hope for the future from those in formation.
The men and women who served did so willingly and while they were in that uniform — wherever they served and in whatever function — for a period of time, they carried the safety of the U.S. on their shoulders.
Bruce said he will never give up his quest but recognizes time is not on his side.
“I won’t be here forever,” he said.
But what he leaves behind very well could be.
Memorial? What price a legacy?