March
30, 2015
Greetings
from the words of change,
In
the nineteen thirties John Steinbeck emerged as significant American
writer. He became famous for telling the
true story of the people he met along the back roads and back alleys and the
cracks and crevices of our country. I
imagine most of you have read something from his lifetime of writing.
He
wrote one short story you have never read.
It is called ‘With Your Wings’.
Seventy
years ago Orson Welles broadcast a variety show on CBS radio. It was aired across the country and around
the world, lifting the spirits of families here and servicemen serving in harm’s
way.
On
the last program of the weekly show Welles read a short story written for him
by John Steinbeck. This morning I
listened to a recording of the broadcast, and I realized what a dramatic impact
the story must have had. The story
disappeared after the show ended. It was
never published anywhere.
A
few months ago it was finally reprinted in a quarterly magazine from here in
Michigan. I heard about it on the radio
in an interview with the man who had researched the story and finally found the
original text and arranged to have it published. When I finally opened the magazine I felt a
little pang of disappointment. A quick
glance showed it was barely two pages. I
read it twice before it dawned on me how important the story might have been.
In
1944 the United States was embroiled in a world war. Millions of men and women served around the
world, and through their dedication changed the course of humanity.
In
the midst of these heroic sacrifices, the country struggled with another
challenge. All of the armed services were
segregated, a reflection of the civilian attitudes that plagued the nation. Even
after President Truman signed an executive order ending military segregation in
1948, it was generations before real progress was made.
John
Steinbeck was in many ways an idealist, one who held out great hope for our
country. He also lived very close to the
ground, and knew about the inequities, the challenges of the downtrodden. He did not sugarcoat the dark side of the
human experience, but in his writing there is always a sense of optimism. He believed that we would eventually rise
above our foibles and, one person at a time, become a better people.
This
was the man that Orson Welles called upon to write ‘With Your Wings’. Steinbeck had just a few years before written
‘The Grapes of Wrath’ which depicted the story of struggle of the desperately
poor in the dustbowls of the thirties, and ultimately the grit that brought
them through that time, and the rebellion that was born in the labor camps.
I
listened to the crackling, fuzzy recording of Orson Welles reading the
story. It was dramatic and passionate. The story of a pilot getting his wings, the
weight of responsibility, wrestling with fear, wanting to be home with family. He told the story well, leading us on an
emotional homecoming, family waiting, neighbors surrounding him to welcome a
hero. And then in the last few
sentences, we realize he is talking about a Negro pilot.
Over
a million African Americans served in during WWII, and of those only a tiny
fraction became officers and pilots. They
were heroes in more than one sense of the word.
Mr. Welles and his friend John Steinbeck, in their own small way,
offered a salute to these brave men.
In
the last seventy years much has changed.
And still not enough. You don’t
have to look far to see that there is still a world war going on. In this country, and around the world, human
beings still battle with prejudices born of ignorance.
‘With
Your Wings’ is a reminder of a time that seems impossible now and by contrast
shows us how far we have yet to travel.
And in all of that is an encouraging message that says we will
eventually become a better people, one person at a time.
Hope
this finds you being that person,
David
Copyright
© 2015 David Smith
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