18 | APRIL 28 • 2022

ON THE COVER

continued from page 17

what you did for freedom for
this whole world. And we are
not going to let Vladimir Putin
take over Ukraine. We’re going
to give the Ukrainians every-
thing they need to beat them
back. It’s a tribute to you that
we’re just not going to let that
happen.”
U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens
was not in attendance but
expressed her support on
Facebook. She said, “Incredibly
inspired by The Michigan
WWII Legacy Memorial hon-
oring our veterans in Royal
Oak today. Thrilled to see this
gem in our community!”

A GROUNDBREAKING
— AT LAST
As a light mist descended
upon the memorial site, the
WWII veterans and original
“Rosie the Riveters” were
escorted into place for the
official groundbreaking.
Twenty glistening new shovels,
decorated with the memorial’s
logo and date of the ground-
breaking, were at the ready for
those who were able to per-
form the ceremonial digging
into the large mound of dirt
before them.
As his WWII comrades
performed the symbolic
groundbreaking, Jewish War
Veteran Art Fishman, 95,
senior vice commander emer-
itus of the JWV-Department
of Michigan, took to the stage
to share his sentiments. He
emphasized in his remarks
that it was incumbent upon
those in attendance that we
must also “Remember the
heroes that are not here. They
are the ones we dedicate this
day to.”
For Fishman, who served
in both the Army Air Corps
and Navy during WWII, the
memorial project has captured

his heart and soul since its
inception. His hours of volun-
teering, attendance at events
and community connections
to advance the project’s cause,
are far too many to mention.
“We are building this
memorial so that children
who will see this will ask ques-
tions and ask for explanations
why there is a WWII legacy
memorial,” Fishman said.
The Michigan WWII Legacy
Memorial has in fact estab-
lished an educational compo-
nent to the project for use by
instructors.
“I have been part of this
dedicated group for the past
nine years,” Fishman contin-
ued. “I never thought I’d live
so long as to see this as one of
the burning candles of my 95
years. Thank you for lighting
this candle.”
Fishman concluded his
remarks as his fellow veterans
and Rosies were joined along-
side dignitaries and memorial
board members for photo
opportunities.

GLOBAL REACH
Two other members of the
Jewish community had a
profound impact on the day’s
activities — Carolyn Krieger,
owner of CKC Agency, a
Metro Detroit
public relations
firm, and Alison
Schwartz, vice
president of
public relations
for the company.

CKC counts several nonprofit
Jewish organizations among
its clientele. Schwartz spear-
headed the campaign, helping
bring overwhelming exposure
to the memorial project.
When the dust had literally
and figuratively settled on
The Michigan WWII Legacy
Memorial groundbreak-
ing, CKC’s outreach gar-
nered press coverage by more
than 500 media outlets across
multimedia platforms includ-
ing television, radio, internet,
social media and print.
Thanks in large part
to CKC’s coordination of
an Associated Press story
featuring Michigan WWII
veterans and “Rosie the
Riveters,” the memorial and
groundbreaking event
were covered in the media
from coast to coast and
beyond our borders, includ-
ing in London, Singapore,
Canada, Israel and the
Philippines.
My personal favorite inter-
national media item was
JWV member Art Fishman
featured on the Hispanic
version of the Celebrity.land
website, which is billed as
“the global source for celebri-
ty news.”
JWV member Marty Myers,
95, shared a lighthearted
moment about his age on
Channel 7 Action News. The
media buzz, though, didn’t
distract him from the mean-
ing of the moment.
“As I sat there, I could not

forget the thousands of men
and women who died 75-80
years ago,” he said.

REFLECTIONS FROM
THE GROUNDBREAKING
In the days following the
event, I phoned several of
the Jewish WWII veterans
who were in attendance. The
following three, all in their
late-90s, offered the following
reflections about their experi-
ence at the groundbreaking:
• Sydney Harris (age
99), U.S. Army, 1944-1946;
Rifleman, 87th Division, 3rd
Army under Gen. Patton;
Purple Heart recipient; mem-
ber of JWV Lt. Raymond
Zussman Post 135, said, “It
was very nice because we
played a vital part in WWII.
We made the guns, we
made the tanks, the bomb-
ers. We were, as President
Roosevelt said, ‘the Arsenal of
Democracy.’”
• Jack Caminker (age 99),
U.S. Navy Air Corps., 1943-
1946; Stateside Deck Officer
and member of JWV Lt.
Raymond Zussman Post 135,
said, “The gathering was out-
standing, and the represen-
tation was outstanding. I was
delighted to see the Jewish War
Veterans. I think we should
be grateful to Royal Oak. It’s
something every community
should do to remember the
boys and girls from WWII. I
was impressed that the politi-
cians were there.”
• Herman Kasoff (age 97),
U.S. Army, 1943-1945; 3rd
Ranger Battalion, later 1st
Special Services Force and
two-time Purple Heart recip-
ient, said, “We had quite a
turnout there. Guys I haven’t
seen in years. I can’t believe
after all these years there’s a
WWII Memorial.”

“REMEMBER THE HEROES THAT
ARE NOT HERE. THEY ARE THE

ONES WE DEDICATE THIS DAY TO.”

— WWII VETERAN ART FISHMAN

Carolyn
Krieger