Traveling
Tuesday: Maryland
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| from www.getadrawing.com |
Yesterday’s release, Murder of Convenience is set in Baltimore, so I thought I’d take
the opportunity to focus on the state of Maryland and how they “did their bit”
for the war effort.
As with all states, Maryland sent its citizens off to
war, and even before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the state was preparing its
National Guard units for combat. The 29th Infantry Division
comprised of members from Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of
Columbia compiled one of the most distinguished records in the war with two
Medals of Honor, forty-one Distinguished Service Crosses, 816 Silver Stars,
5,151 Bronze Stars, and countless Air Medals. In addition, the division
received a Presidential Unit Citation.
Production of war materiel commenced as over 900 factories
were converted from manufacturing peacetime commodities, such as Bethlehem
Steel at Sparrows Point who produced nearly twenty tons of steel. The Bethlehem
Fairfield shipyard build 374 Liberty ships, and shipyards around the state
repaired over 10,000 vessels. Between them the George L. Martin Company and Fairfield
Aircraft Division assembled over 16,000 planes.
Aberdeen Proving Grounds (a military installation
where weapons or technology are tested or experimented with, or where military
tactics are tested) and Andrews Air Force Base are perhaps the state’s most famous
locations, but numerous airfields were created for training pilots and air
crew. Many of these airports were converted to municipal airports, while others
were returned to agricultural use. Hundreds of “temporary” buildings survive
today and used for other purposes.
In 1940, University of Maryland was tapped by the U.S.
Surgeon General to help form a Medical Reserve Corps. Two years later, two
dozen graduates were activated for duty with the 42nd and 142nd
General Hospitals and served in Australia, the Philippines, and Fuji.
Eventually, more than 150 graduates went on to serve in all branches of the
military.
I lived in Gaithersburg, Maryland for ten years and
had no idea it was one of the twenty POW camps located in the state. Fort Meade
received the first POWs in 1942 and ultimately housed more than 2,000
prisoners. POWs worked on local farms as well as at Bethesda’s Stonyhurst
Quarry where they broke and loaded flagstone. Others cut pulp wood at Smith
Point.
Victory gardens were a part of everyday life of
course, but Henry Irr, president of Baltimore Federal Savings and Loan raised
the production bar by sponsoring a statewide competition that included bonds as
prizes. Not to be outdone, Constance Black, wife of Baltimore Sun executive Harry Black, converted the hill behind her
mansion to a Victory Garden and then opened a neighborhood farm stand.
These are just a few of the way, the tiny state of
Maryland pulled her weight during WWII.
May 1942: Geneva Alexander flees Philadelphia and
joins the USO to escape the engagement her parents have arranged for her, only
to wind up as the number one suspect in her betrothed’s murder investigation. Diagnosed
with Retinitis Pigmentosa, she must find the real killer before she loses her
sight…or is convicted for a crime she didn’t commit.
Set in the early days of America’s entry into WWII and
featuring cameo appearances from Hollywood stars, Murder of Convenience is a tribute to individuals who served on the
home front, especially those who did so in spite of personal difficulties,
reminding us that service always comes as a result of sacrifice. Betrayal,
blackmail, and a barrage of unanswered questions… Murder of Convenience is the
first in the exciting new “Women of Courage” series.
Purchase link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JVT42FW
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