The following is from a speech from the Nation Public Relations Office.
It was a different era, but the face of war was as horrifying as ever. Trench warfare, mustard gas and what was then called “shell shock” took their toll on many of our World War I dough boys. Newspapers in the United States reported incidents of disabled veterans, starving and ignored by the government, collapsing on street corners. Some communities, not wanting to deal with their disabled warriors, hid them from sight. Major American cities had “ugly ordinances,” which required disfigured people to cover their injuries – even those sustained in war. These heroes were forced to wear masks or hoods in public to conceal their faces or face arrest and imprisonment. Continue reading
Blackwell-Frazier American Legion Post #142 Hominy, Oklahoma 