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