rapidfire
Saluting Valor
As the nation observes the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, it’s worth noting the Medal of Honor — perhaps this country’s most es- teemed military decora- tion — has its origins in that conflict. President Lincoln signed a law Dec. 21, 1861, allowing the Navy to present this award to “gallant and distinguished” servicemembers. Since then, more than 3,400 servicemem- bers of all branches have received the Medal of Honor.
Visiting a Novel in the Keystone State
T To recognize “150
years of courage and sacrifice on the part of the millions of men and women who have defended our freedoms in uniform,” commemorative coins now are available in either gold or silver at
www.usmint.gov.
he Johnstown Flood in Penn- sylvania took the lives of more than 2,200 people on Memorial
Day 1889 when the South Fork Dam col- lapsed. Originally built to provide a water source for a canal-and-portage railroad system, the dam later supported establish- ments like the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club, an elaborate summer retreat for the wealthy. When the dam gave out in 1889, modifications and original poor construction were faulted. Kathleen Cambor’s novel In Sunlight, in a Beautiful Garden (Farrar, Straus, and
Giroux, 2001) is set in Johnstown just before the catastrophe. It gives a real sense of the times, with Civil War veterans still brooding over their battles — what we today call PTSD — and includes small details of daily life in an area driven by its steel mills. Cambor’s characters speculate often on the dangers of the dam. While the novel’s ending is no surprise, the novelty of guessing who will survive maintains the sus- pense in this elegant, yet quick-paced, book. Today, the Johnstown Flood National Memorial is about 30 miles from I-99 in Penn-
sylvania and includes the fishing and hunting clubhouse and some of the original cottag- es. From the visitors’ center, a trail leads to the remains of the dam and former lakebed. — Col. Glenn Pribus, USAF-Ret., and Marilyn Pribus
*online: Visit
www.nps.gov/jofl for more information about the Johnstown Flood National Memorial. 22 MILITARY OFFICER MAY 2011
PHOTOS: LEFT, U.S. MINT; INSETS, COURTESY JOHNSTOWN FLOOD MUSEUM; TOP, JOHNSTOWN DISCOVERY NETWORK
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