Early life -- Growing up in Brooklyn -- The Great Depression -- World War II -- Edith's Red Cross experiences: an overview -- The adventure begins: the trip overseas -- Getting started -- Settling in -- Dance club -- Interactions with the locals -- Interactions with the troops -- Attack in the harbor -- Comforts -- Honoring the dead on Easter -- The end of the war in North Africa -- Visiting Mr. Reeves -- The hospital train -- Ministering to the troops -- Reflections -- Time to go home -- Think we'll forget? -- Race relations after the war -- The postwar years -- My life after the war -- Working for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission -- Living on the Greenbrae Boardwalk -- Honoring Edith -- Conclusion.
Summary:
"Edith May Witt served her country by joining the Red Cross in World War II as a staff assistant (or "club woman") in Oran, Algeria and worked throughout the Mediterranean theater, including several assignments in Italy. Edith Witt was also a talented writer and left behind a rich archive that illuminates the wartime experiences of civilian women. After her death, Peter A. Witt, Edith's nephew, painstakingly sifted through countless papers and letters, building a nuanced and annotated portrait of the war through one woman's extraordinarily perceptive eyes. And yet he found that Edith's devotion to service did not end with the war. From marching to Selma with Martin Luther King Jr. in 1965 to building community organizations in San Francisco in the 1970s to push for decent and affordable living, Edith Witt remained a tireless advocate for social justice. Today, the Edith Witt Internship through the Poverty and Race Research Action Council and the Edith Witt Senior Living Center in San Francisco honor the life of this remarkable woman. Edith's War is a welcome contribution to the social history of World War II and an inspiring tale of one woman's life of advocacy and service that encourages readers to embrace thoughtful action in their own lives."--Publisher.
Series:
Williams-Ford Texas A&M University military history series ; Number 159
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.