Hi-di-ho, friends! It's summertime and also time for my next 1940s Experience Photo Project. One Photo at a Time. Although, a little late for its beginning, this month I'll be taking a sentimental journey back to my beloved city: The Big Apple. New York City's five boroughs (and its surroundings) were the wartime heartbeat of American activity from ship construction, troop em/debarkation, military R&R, and even spy activities! I'll be featuring places, events, and landmarks dear to my heart and some that I featured in novels. I hope you'll stop in from time to time to learn a little forgotten history! What better way to begin this trip to the city that never sleeps than with a salute to one of America's greatest symbols of freedom.
* * * "The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World" * * *
During World War II ,the Lady in the Harbor was not illuminated during the night as a result of brownout rules. However, it did remain open to visitors, and a handful of incandescent lights served as a guide for airplanes in the dark. On December 31, 1943, the statue was briefly illuminated and on June 6th, 1944, the statue's light flashed with a Morse code symbolizing VICTORY in honor of the D-Day invasion at Normandy.
On May 8, 1945, V-E Day, the War Production Board officially ended the nationwide brownout. For the first time since April 1942, New York City would turn on its lights. At 8:00, Lady Liberty lit her torch and all its lights to her magnificent pre-war glow.
For my New Yorker friends, I bet you can relate to my little tale of pride: Every time I drove across the Verranzano-Narrows Bridge, I searched for the beautiful Lady in the Harbor way in the distance, She's seen so much since 1886 and represents the story of all eight of my great-grandparents' individual journey to New York, the quest for freedom and the sacrifices made during wartime to ensure liberty.
For More Information on The Statue of Liberty (and Ellis Island,) visit the foundation: HERE
See you soon, friends for my next stop in The Big Apple. Be sure to check back and KEEP 'EM FLYING!