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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “American history” Category

2013 Enfield CT Memorial Day Speaker Urges Help for Returning War Veterans

Posted on May 31, 2013

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb “This current generation of warriors has stood shoulder to shoulder with past generations of warriors.” That message was delivered by 58th House District Representative David Alexander (D-Enfield), a captain in the Marine Corps reserves, to the crowd gathered May 26 on the town green in Enfield, Connecticut for the Memorial Day ceremony which followed a parade. Alexander, who completed four years of active duty in the Pacific and California, said he did not do anything extraordinary during that time. However, he said his fellow service members most certainly have, making sacrifices to serve the nation in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan just as other Americans had sacrificed since 1775, the time of the American Revolution. Alexander…

Tooting My Own Horn

Posted on May 24, 2013

Yes, I am going to unabashedly toot my own horn. I am quite pleased to have my work recognized again by the Connecticut Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. One of my feature photos won second place in its category in the 2012 Excellence in Journalism Competition. Announced last night, this marks the fifth time my work has been recognized by CTSPJ – previously with three awards for writing and another for photography. This most recent winning photo is of the woman who posed for famous American illustrator Norman Rockwell’s iconic “Rosie the Riveter.” Rockwell’s “Rosie” appeared on the cover of the May 29, 1943 edition of The Saturday Evening Post.  I took the photo, which ran in the local newspaper for which…

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Member Among WW II Veterans on Washington D.C. Day of Honor Trip

Posted on May 10, 2013

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Looking dapper in a black suit and dark blue shirt accented by a bolo tie, World War II veteran Earl Colebut was welcomed back at Bradley International Airport last Saturday night by about thirty fellow members of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. Family and friends turned out to greet Colebut who was among 100 veterans, who took a Day of Honor trip on April 27 to visit the WW II Memorial and other monuments in Washington, D.C. The soft-spoken Colebut said he served in Germany during the war. As is typical of veterans of his era, rather than elaborating on his wartime experience, Colebut described himself as a man of peace not violence and spoke of the…

Neil Diamond Joins Boston Strong To Sing “Sweet Caroline” at Fenway Park

Posted on April 27, 2013

Neil Diamond Leads “Sweet Caroline” at Fenway Park April 20, 2013 By:Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Hats off to singer/songwriter Neil Diamond who surprised officials and the crowd at Fenway Park on April 20 to lead the singing of his mega hit “Sweet Caroline.” The tune has become the anthem of the Red Sox’s historic ballpark located in downtown Boston, Massachusetts (see previous post: “Sweet Caroline” & Night Air at Fenway – Entwined As One Of Life’s Joys). For MLB.com, Jason Mastrodanato wrote that after arriving in Boston last Saturday, when a pre-game show was scheduled before the Red Sox game to honor heroes and victims of the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon terrorist bombings, Diamond called Fenway and said, “I’m here. Can I come?” Thrilling…

“Sweet Caroline” & Night Air at Fenway Park – Entwined As One Of Life’s Joys

Posted on April 19, 2013

By: Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Sitting in the night air at Fenway Park is one of the great joys of my life. Surrounded there by friends and family, all watching the team we love – the Boston Red Sox- play a sport we love, in a ballpark we love, in a city we love. Historic Boston, birthplace of American Democracy, the American Revolution and home to many of our nation’ s Founding Fathers and greatest patriots. Darkness falls, the enormous floodlights flick on illuminating the baseball diamond. The evening continues accented by a cup of Bud Light and a hotdog, followed by some popcorn. Innings pass as the players take their turn at bat or on the field. If the Red Sox are ahead, all…

Destination: Green Dragon Tavern Boston, MA

Posted on April 28, 2012

  Article & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Steeped in American history, no visit to Boston is complete without stopping in at The Green Dragon Tavern. Visitors are greeted at the front door by a statue of a Redcoat – a reminder that the British army kept a close watch on the tavern, dubbed by historians as the “Headquarters of the Revolution” for Samuel Adams, Daniel Webster and Paul Revere. It was from The Green Dragon Tavern that Revere set off on his famous ride to Lexington – “The British are coming….” Revere was alerted to British military strategy against the Patriots by lanterns in the nearby Old North Church – “one if by land, two if by sea…” Used as a meeting place…

Windsor “Walk of Light” Compelling 9/11 Tribute

Posted on September 16, 2011

Article & Photos by: Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb    Windsor, Connecticut provided a compelling tenth anniversary commemoration, recreating its award-winning tribute to the victims of 9/11, “Walk of Light.” Drawing viewers from near and far, and replicated elsewhere, for the third time since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States, nearly 3,000 luminaries inscribed with the victim’s names, decorated and personalized by local students and civic groups lined Windsor’s historic town green. In resounding voice Rev. Robert L. Littlejohn, Jr., pastor from the Pilgrim Way Baptist Church, shared moving words with the crowd gathered on the green, “America the beautiful …. We ARE a great nation……in spite of our pain and loss we must NEVER quit …. we must NEVER give in……