News Flash: 1944

On a more banal note, it's interesting to see that two out of six (or seven?) men in this shot are wearing straw boaters. These comfortable and practical hats lasted way past the 20's, obviously.

Every one of the faces in this picture show the troubling realization that someone they loved might be involved. In WW2 everyone had a dear one or maybe several dear ones fighting for the armed forces. The men wear a look of bravado, yet resignation that it has to be done. The women almost sorrowful disappointment. In those days, the soldiers and their families did not know where they would be deployed next until they got there. The ever-present, unanswerable question looms large - "Is he there on this day of certain carnage?"

The facial expressions tell the whole story of the home front on DDay. Very evocative.

On the morning of 911, from work we tried to get on the internet and find out what was going on in NY. As everyone else in the nation was apparently trying to do the same thing, we got nothing but blank computer screens as the new-fangled information thing was overloaded.

So, someone in a back lab area dragged up an old TV from somewhere and set it up in the office area. Most of the engineering staff stood together in front of the old-fashioned TV just like these folks and quietly watched the news from "the front" all morning.

"News Flash 2001" looked a lot like "News Flash 1944".

the bravery and sacrifice that would be needed and done that day. A huge thanks and heaps of gratitude go out to those that made it happen, and kept the world free.

For some reason, I can't remember what I was doing on that day, but I do remember December 7, 1941 (my 7th birthday), the day FDR died, VE-Day and VJ-Day.