Tennessee has its share of native-born heroes. Others have come to call it home at different life stages. One such hero we call our own is naval aviator Rosemary Bryant Mariner. Her career is unparalleled in aviation history, and she literally broke the glass ceiling of the skies. As we watched the flyover of the women Naval pilots at the Super Bowl, this barrier breaker was … [Read more...] about Nicknamed “Viper”, Rosemary Mariner was an Ace Pilot, Glass Ceiling Breaker and Hero
Heroes
POW, Patriot and Poet Extraordinaire. The Hero William Lawrence
Every state has a poem. They all express the loyalty, love, and beauty of each individual state of our great nation. Some have humble origins; others are as old as the state itself. Tennessee’s is unique. It was born of tragedy, but the poem is a triumph and a reflection of the man who wrote it solely in his mind. He had no paper or pencil to create his ode to the state of … [Read more...] about POW, Patriot and Poet Extraordinaire. The Hero William Lawrence
An Unconventional Alliance Saves Countless Lives
In 1944, a brilliant surgeon, Dr. Alfred Blalock, after years of research, collaborated with two others to develop a cure for blue baby syndrome. Dr. Blalock, born in 1899 in Culloden, GA, became the chief of surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in medicine, served as President of the American College of Surgeons and consulting editor … [Read more...] about An Unconventional Alliance Saves Countless Lives
A Green Beret, a Number One Record, and a Life of Trauma
If you were a teenager in the 1960s and 1970s, you grew up listening to protest and antiwar songs. Every singer or band from that era had at least one. It was a time of cultural upheaval and an extremely challenging time for military members. Young men marching in uniform in parades or returning home in uniform were ridiculed, spit on, and shamed. One man’s song, however, was a … [Read more...] about A Green Beret, a Number One Record, and a Life of Trauma
POW, Patriot, Hero
I grew up in a time of national turmoil. Body counts and horrific scenes from Vietnam were the regular features on the nightly news. By 1971 Americans were tired of the fatalities, the horrors, and the cost. Attempts at negotiation were made, but the peace talks in Paris were stalling, and increasingly the war was unpopular. I was a junior in high school that year. Young men … [Read more...] about POW, Patriot, Hero
