A Different Kind of WWII Hero

The following was culled from an article at nypost.com, edited by yours truly: I don’t recall having ever heard of Vera Lynn, who has passed away at 103. Born in London, she shot to fame during WWII, nicknamed “The Forces’ Sweetheart.” She started singing in social clubs at age 7 and dropped out of school by 11 to tour with a variety show. By 17 she fronted a band. She hosted a wildly popular BBC radio show during the war titled Sincerely Yours in which she sent messages to British troops abroad and performed the songs they requested. We’ll Meet Again and The White Cliffs of Dover were hugely popular. The half-hour program aired during the highly coveted slot following the Sunday night news. “Winston Churchill was my opening act,” she once said. She is also quoted as saying: “I entertained audiences from 2000 to 6000. And the boys would just come out of the jungle and sit there for hours waiting until we arrived and then slip back in once we’d left.” She appeared in three musical films during the war. And her success did not end in 1945. Her Auf Wiedersehen Sweetheart in 1952 became the first record by an English artist to top the American Billboard charts, staying there for nine weeks. She also had another #1 in 1954, My Son, My Son. Her music has been used on many soundtracks, including American TV shows The Simpsons, Gotham, Castle and The Blacklist (From IMDB). Pink Floyd devoted one of the songs from The Wall to her, Vera. In 2009 she topped the British album chart with a greatest hits collection, We’ll Meet Again — The Very Best of Vera Lynn. It reached #1 despite competition from remastered Beatles’ albums! Her autobio is titled Vocal Refrain. Also published was a book of her music. She devoted a great deal of time to charity, including those that helped veterans. Here’s an awesome two-minute clip of her entertaining troops, who sing along:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5C4meGkNyc

Just as he set an example in his use of hydroxychloroquine, President Trump is about to launch an event I imagine he hopes will go a long way in eliminating the fear of Corona among Americans. The indoor Oklahoma venue will be a huge test lab. Let’s hope he is as way out in front of this as he has been on most issues.

I didn’t make much money but I soaked up plenty of Vitamin D on this gorgeous day. My thanks to the woman who bought a Bill Blas tote bag and a massive paperback novel whose title escapes me, and to the woman who purchased an equally large book in Russian.

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