Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
Semper Fi!
Y
ou may have seen the recent,
heart-touching photo showing
Jewish U.S. Marine Corps Sgt.
Matt Jaffe holding a baby during the evacu-
ations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The war there
ended as it began, with Marines guarding
the airport, but Jaffe showed the world the
compassionate side of the Marine Corps
(USMC).
Unfortunately, this tender moment was
followed by a despicable
terrorist bombing that killed
13 U.S. servicemen — 11 of
them Marines — with others
wounded. About 170 Afghan
civilians were also killed and
many more were wounded.
As someone who served in
the Corps, I felt the impact
of both stories. They also led
me to inquire about Jewish Marines in the
William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish
Detroit History. I found plenty of great
reading.
Note: While I’m writing about Marines,
the Archive also holds a tremendous num-
ber of stories about Detroit Jews serving
with honor in the Army, Air Force, Navy
and Coast Guard — and the Israel Defense
Forces.
One of the earliest stories was about
Jewish Detroiter and Marine Leonard Koch
returning from WWI with a “scarred war
diary.
” Koch fought in numerous battles,
including Chateau-Thierry, one of the most
storied battles in USMC history (May 23,
1919, Chronicle).
The JN and the Chronicle closely followed
Jews in the Marines during WWII and
after. You may have known some of them.
Monte Korn, well known postwar for his
financial advice on radio and TV
. He was
a Marine (Feb. 28, 2013 JN). Local lawyer
William Weinstein become the first Jewish
Michigander and only the second Jewish
American to become a Brigadier General in
the USMC (Aug. 25, 1967 JN). Sgt. Sheldon
Schwartz of Novi was a Medal of Honor
awardee. This medal is only given to the
bravest of the brave (Nov. 6, 2009 JN).
And it is not just Detroit Jewish men who
served and serve in the Marines. Evelyn
Nyman was the first Michigan woman to
enlist in the Marines during WWII (obitu-
ary in Dec. 21, 2006 JN). Dorothy Florence
joined the USMC in 1944 (Oct. 13, 1944
Chronicle). In 1945, Dr. and Mrs. Morris
Schiff welcomed their daughter, Cookie,
home after two and a half years in the Corps
(Dec. 14, 1945 Chronicle).
Jewish Detroiters also do their part to
support Marines. For example, a front-page
photo for the Aug. 8, 1943 JN shows USMC
Capt. Frank Upton receiving a contribution
for the cigarette fund, a project that was
sponsored by the JN (while no one would
have a “cigarette fund” drive today, during
WWII most in the military smoked and
greatly appreciated extra cigarettes).
This tradition of Michigan Jews sup-
porting Marines continues today. For
example, see the story about the friends
of Lance Corporal Jordan Leitson in the
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) on
board the USS Carter Hall. They
sent him and his buddies lots of goodies
(July 25, 2013). MEUs, by the way, are
stationed on U.S. ships around the world,
ready to go into action at a moment’s notice.
Appropriately, in 2019, the USMC held
its first Jewish Heritage Month recogni-
tion for “the invaluable service and selfless
contributions Jewish Americans, both mil-
itary and civilian, give to our country and
Corps.
” This means Sgt. Jaffe and all Jewish
Marines. Semper Fi!
Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation
archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.
org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
54 | SEPTEMBER 30 • 2021
SGT. ISAIAH CAMPBELL/USMC/JTA
As someone who served in
Schwartz of Novi was a Medal of Honor
SGT. ISAIAH CAMPBELL/USMC/JTA
Sgt. Matt Jaffe, a U.S. Marine assigned to the
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), holds
a baby during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai
International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, in
this photo taken on Aug. 20, 2021.
board the USS Carter Hall. They