Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Ten Hut! Air Raid Drills, Black Out Drills and The US Office of Civilian Defense





May, 1941


DEAR AMERICA:

Ten Hut!

We Are The U.S. Office of Civilian Defense.

We've got your backs and your shores!

THERE IS GONNA BE A WAR!


Love, Regards, and Best Wishes
US Office of Civilian Defense!



Join us next, as we SALUTE the capable efforts, and role of the US Office of Civilian Defense WWII  Era!

ALL OF ME...CAROLE LOMBARD

One witness reported...

"It was a beautiful clear night and you could see for miles. It hardly seemed minutes before the plane faded away over the Charleston range when I saw a flash and then big tongues of flame rising from the mountainside. The plane cracked in two like a piece of kindling wood."  

Shock spread throughout the nation.  War time America!  Exactly when every man, woman and resource of hope, inspiration, sustenance, empowerment, humor and joy was so desperately needed on the homefront and in the campaigns....an element SIMPLY CEASED TO BE, IN THE SPAN OF A MOMENT.






Songs by Crooner Russ Columbo
Said to be Carole's Great Love


January 16, 1942, Carole Lombard, accompanied by her beloved mother, was returning home to California from a successful World War II Bond Drive Rally in Indiana at the behest of  then President Roosevelt. Some say "by the toss of a coin",  heads or tails, homeward bound by train or plane was determined.  That's it then...determined by a simple gesture and perhaps exactly as Lombard had wished it to be... in a plane, along with fate to accompany them, they knew their last entombment of life.

As they boarded the Transcontinental and Western Airlines DC-3 airplane that would take them home, Caroles' final words to the admiring fans and crowds wishing her well and adieu were a reflection of her ever selfless dedication to her country in a time of dire need..

"Before I say goodbye to you all, come on and join me in a big cheer! V for Victory!"  And the crowd blushed, cheered, applauded and bade their, indeed all of Americas' legend... goodbye.

After refueling in Las Vegas, TWA Flight 3 took off and 23 minutes later, crashed into "Double Up Peak" near the 8,300-foot (2500 m) level of Mount Potosi, 32 miles (52 km) southwest of Las Vegas. All aboard, 19 passengers and three crew, were killed.

The Great Carole Lombard had died.

Shocked silence and devastation reverberated world wide in the wake of news announcing Carole Lombard's death.  Fans, admirers, family and friends retreated into a somnabulant pose as they mourned the loss of their heroin, their legend and the girl next door.

After her death, the Van Nuys News ran an unusual front page tribute: "Down deep in their hearts, those who had chatted with her over the back fence or across a garden row knew that Carole Lombard wanted more than anything else to be a model housewife and a good neighbor. And she was just that. She was a lovable person, just as much at home in blue denims and gingham's as she was in furs and jewels.".

Gone forever to mortals, was one of the most amazing Actresses America had ever possessed. While her life was, fleeting, her stardom remains enduring and enchanting, with the bittersweet melody of  the essence and epitome of a tragic ending. Carole's was a story that never made a full play unto the end...literally, some still say, by the flip of a coin.

In a world where mere written words fail emotion and are lacking inexplicably in the most part, what I actually mean to say here, communicate, or divulge, I find it best to share the aura of the woman, Carole. But remember, gentle readers? This is presented through the myopic vision of one who dearly admires her legend, is a sentimental and soft hearted sort identifying with her on so many levels. Knowing full well that there are those among us who yet inhabit today and can recollect or verify vague and indeed vivid memories of Carole Lombard far better than I,  please bear with me as I am merely and only able to study her from history, and share with you, gentle readers,  gleanings.  In sharing, I will spare "many the's minutia" and particulars which made up her life in total, naturally.  I hope to inspire, within your very hearts, a totally new emotion,  the thrill of revelation and unveiling of an Iconic Legend who once inspired thousands...this woman, and unforgettable character of altogether Carole Lombard....an American Legend.


Carole was writ large in signifying, expressing and embodiment of one of the Greatest American Legends of All Time. She was then embued with a flavor seemingly of other worlds beyond our grasp and is now truly in every sense of the word...celestial.

Alongside any loyal coterie of Lombard fans, it can easily be agreed that Carole was a classic and timeless beauty with undefined sexual allure for her own time and history. For all intents and purposes, she was always charming and verbose, witty and intelligent, playful, capricious, hinted at intrigue and remarkably kind hearted.   Admired and loved by many, as well, for her genuine sense of humor and direct language, she had won American hearts in a time when the country had been drowning in the Depression .  Her High Spirits and love for the world, apparent bounce and energy coupled and tippled together have touched my heart and found me tossing back a few 'ello and oh' deah endearments. She too, was the girl next door.  What an unrestrained contagious and remarkable approach to life, Carole possessed!