Today, Westport honors our veterans.
After the Memorial Day parade there will be speeches across from Town Hall. A wreath will be laid; “Taps” will echo.
If your MO is to bolt as soon as your Little Leaguer or Brownie marches by — try something different. Stay; head over to the ceremony. It’s the least you can do to honor those who served our country.
You’ll be inspired — and so will your kids.
Tania Long
On Veterans Green, check out the World War II memorial. Read the names of hundreds of Westporters. Think about what they — and so many others in town — sacrificed, so we can watch a parade, have a picnic, enjoy ourselves.
I don’t know whether “Tania Long” is on that list. She was a war correspondent for the New York Times.
But look at her photo — she’s in uniform. The picture was taken in London on February 1, 1943.
“06880” reader Charlie Taylor spotted this on the National Archives website. It lists her hometown: Westport, Conn.
I have never heard Tania Long’s name before. I don’t know anything about her life here — if she went to Staples; what she wrote; whether she came back to Westport after the war.
Or if she came back anywhere.
I don’t know Tania Long at all. But today is her day, as much as every veteran’s.
I’ll be thinking of her.
(If you’ve got any information about Tania Long, click “Comments” at the top or bottom of this post.)
Thank You Dan,
For the reminder of what this day should mean. To many of us think we are celebrating the beginning of Summer, myself included. I am a military brat. My father was a Marine and very proud of it. There is something very special about those who serve our country and we do not always take the time to acknowledge that.
Semper Fi.
To Joey Karmanosky whose name is on that wall of World War II veterans and Ms. Long, who we hope made it home to a full life, and to those millions who didn’t: THANK YOU! THIS IS YOUR DAY!!
Tania Long was a war correspondent for the “Herald Tribune” in the late 1930’s in pre-war Europe. She covered the German invastion and then worked for the OSS (CIA now) for a time during the war. Her mother lived in Westport, Connecticut and she visited often. She moved to Canada after the war do start a business and lived a full and apparently, happy life. Gutsy woman for any time but especially during the Big War.
For those of Det Bravo,DaNang, South Vietnam, I bid you Happy 144th Memorial Day! Some of you went down with the EC-121 shot down over North Korea and some of you endured the Puebo incident but those days of summer in 1969 were chaotic, scary but a bond was formed that will never be broken with death or distance apart. Fly high, Navy air!
Outside Observer is too modest to tell you but her father was one of only two Marine pilots to fly combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He was just inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame, along with Neil Armstrong. 37 years of his service to his country. Happy Memorial Day, General Tom Miller. We will miss you today as all others. Semper Fi!
Wikipedia has a long bio of her referencing a Westport connection ” When Ray was assigned to the United Nations in 1964, the Daniells moved to New York City, thus enabling Tania to pay frequent visits to her mother in Westport, Connecticut.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tania_Long
Here’s another interesting link to Westport:
Tania Long was an old family friend of Sigrid Schultz who also lived in Westport. Sigrid was an American correspondent for the Chicago Tribune (was its Berlin Bureau Chief just prior to America’s entry into WWII and was one of the first to predict the coming of the war). Sigrid bought a home in Westport for her mother and eventually moved into it herself. She died there in 1980. Sigrid donated her house to the Town of Westport and it was later torn down to create the Baldwin parking lot.
Here’s are links to some info about Sigrid:
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/whi/feature/angora/about.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigrid_Schultz