Patty Hearst

Before the kidnapping

     Nineteen years old and possibly one of the most famous women in the country at the time in 1974, Patty Hearst was kidnappeed on February 4th around 9 o'clock in the morning.  In apartment number 4, 2603 Benvenue Street Berkely, California a man knocks on her dor requesting to use her telephone to make a call about a car he had hit downstairs in the parking lot. Little did she know what was about to happen...
     Men rushed into her appartment, beating her fiancee with a broken wine bottle and kidnappng her.  These were members of the newly formed terrorist group called the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA).  Their purpose as a terrorist group was to destroy the US "capitalist state", and overtake the US government by means of a guerilla war. 

Donald Defreeze

     Hearst was a very popular woman at the time, and was very renowned for her grandfather's money and his legacy.  She was very gorgeous and very educated, even though she did struggle through soem hardships at a young age.  She was caught experimenting with drugs such as LSD, early sexual activity, and lying to a nun about her mother having cancer to get out of a final examination in a high school course.  Needless to say, she was a hurting young girl. 

     Some may consider the SLA a not very aggressive group in terms of killing people, but that would be very wrong.  Their leader, Donald Defreeze, was a resent escapee from the Vacaville prison and was thriving for a way to get back at the US government.  So he started the SLA out of the Black Control Association.  This did not mean that this was an all black association though.  They got all of their money from bank roberries, their arms were all stolen, and they trained in the origin of their group (right outside Berkley, California).  Right out of the gate, the SLA shot two Oakland school officials, killimg on and seriously injuring the other.  The SLA was a violent group no doubt.

SLA symbol

     This particular kidnapping was the biggest news around the country for a good month.  The public was appalled to hear about this happening.  Little did they know, that shortl after on April 3, 1974, the SLA released a tape to a local radio station with Patty Hearst declaring her alliagence to the SLA.  She had been brainwashed.  Twelve days later, this photo was taken:


Hearst robbing a bank

This was at the Hiberia Bank in Berkley (owned by one of her good friend's father).  No one could explain what was going on.  The public was crazed by the thought of their "average/likeable" young lady, caving in and joining the group that kidnapped her.  "Tania" was the name she took on with her new look as an SLA member.  The weirdest thing baout this though, was that the primary reason for her kidnapping was to get the public's attention.


Newspaper headliner

     She surpassed the SLA's expections and shocked the country.  Defreeze had created a monster, and had to show her off to the world.  The FBI sent out their biggest search party in history to finish the SLA for good and capture/rescue Hearst.  Luckily, the SLA was not flawless and the FBI was not stupid.  On May 16, 1974, two SLA were witnessed taking an amunition belt from a local store, and were tracked all the way back to a secret SLA safehouse.  The next morning, the FBI sent the building up into flames killing six SLA members including Defreeze.  Hearst had escaped with a few other SLA members.  After over a year of searching on September 18, 1975, Patty Hearst was found in San Francisco and arrested.
     Charged with seven years in prison for bank roberry and other crimes even though notibly brainwashed, Patty Hearst was on the path to recovery.  President Carter had her released from jail after only two years in prison, when she married her body guard, Bernard Shaw, just two months after her release.  They have two daughters together.  Hearst released her autobiography in 1982, and when made into a movie in 1988, she met John Waters.  Waters was a famous movie director that offered her an acting job and a new career.  She appeared in "Cry-Baby"(1990), "Serial Man"(1994), "Pecker"(1998), and "Cecil B. Demented"(2000), all driected by Waters.  Hearst is now back to herself and living strong everyday, forgetting the way she affected 1970s society the wat she did.





Sources
 - FBI
 - Princeton
 - Law2
 - CNN
 - NBC
 - PBS

The 369th Infantry

     The 369th Infantry was the first African American National Guard regiment in the state of New York.  I have incorrectly just identified them considering that, when being the National Guard in New York, their name was the "Fifteenth New York". Every single member of this regiment was drafted straight out of Harlem, hence the also common ncikname, the "Harlem Hellfighters". And if you can not remember any of those, the also went by the "Self-made Regiment" or the "Men of Bronze".


Lots of soldiers as they leave for war

     Established on June 2, 1913, the 369th was not even strictly organized until 1916.  But this infantry included 2,053 soldiers and 54 officers.  Of the soldiers, all were black, but when it came to the officiers, it differed between black and white.  In fact there was a dispute about whether or not the leaders were chosen farily and not just by the color of their skin!
     James Reese ("Big Jim") Europe was New York's hottest ragtime band leader and perhaps the most well known member of the regiment.  But with any need they had, there was always someone to fill its need.  For instance, they had no armory of weapons, so Harlem lended its dance hall into a makeshift armory and weapons became a no-longer necessity.


A book on the "Harlem Hellfighters"

     As far as the war goes, training was only three weeks in before this brave group was called into battle and sent into Brest Harbor (France) on December 27, 1917.  But this was only after making a scene about leaving.  Now you might suppose I mean in a bad way, but in fact it wasn't at all! Instead of accepting the invitation to march in the Farwell Parade with the rest of the United States' troups, they had a seperate parade acknowledging their uniqueness.  This was key and very influencial and supporting for the members of the infantry.




A few brave men

     Bringing it back to April 6, 1917, enlistment was at a very high point and everyone was urging and trying to become part of this so-called "elite group."  They had never fought before, but they had that passion in their heart's to prove themselves... and they did.  Skipping ahead a year, looking at April 1918, the infantry became a new part of the 16th Divison of the 8th Corps of the 4th French Army under General Henri Gourard.  And as opposed to common belief, the 369th fought its entire combat life with the French Army.  Although it was only in combat for 6 months, they were straight with very few resources provided.  They had 1500 casualties and only 900 replacements sent, I'm not so sure that wasn't a racist thing...  All 1500 casualties came from just the four campiagns they went on (Champagne-Marne, Meuse-Argonne, Champagne 1918, and Alsace 1918).  Needless to say, they were not provided for nearly as well as they should have been, considering they were the most decorated regiment to return back from the war (Distinguish Service Cross Award among many others), it is unjust and unfair the way they were provided for! 


One of the bravest black souls during WWI

Sources

-Blackpast.org: I learned about the casualties and support numbers
-New York State Division of Militray and Naval Affairs: I learned all the exact dates and some more minor details
-Journal of Military History, Volume 68, Number 1, pages 269-270: I learned about a book that was written on my topic as well as that the hellfighters fought with the French the whole time
-Encyclopedia of African American History, Volume 2, pages 369-371: I learned a lot of basic facts and the history of its assembling
-AVL-EBSCO-National Archives: I learned about all of the regiments decorations
-Brigham Young University, "American Negro in The World War: I learned more about the decorations and the racial distinguishments within the regiment

Postcard Sources

·        http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&sid=a34436f9-3418-449c-af03-a1df7d99a281%40sessionmgr15&hid=9&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=27523189

·        http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/gwf_cruise.htm

·        http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq42-2a.htm

·        http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn85066387/1907-07-28/ed-1/seq-5/;words=fleet+white+great?date1=1890&rows=20&searchType=basic&state=&date2=1910&proxtext=%22Great+White+Fleet%22&y=6&x=12&dateFilterType=yearRange&index=1

·        http://www.loc.gov/rr/news/topics/greatfleet.html

The Great White Fleet In Class

Today during class I researched the different places the Great White Fleet went through on their circumnavigation of the world.  I found it quite interesting the different experinces they lived through.  Being in the Navy around this time period would have been appealing because they would get to see the world and experience a higher level of patriotism from the common citizen.  Today was the best day of my research and I learned a lot about the Great White Fleet and the joy it brought to not only the United States of America, but the entire world.