The Fifteenth Air Force was one of two Strategic Air forces in Europe, along with the Eighth Air Force. ...
The 5th Air Division (5th AD) originated on 19 October 1940 at McChord Field, Washington. Its initial mission was air defense of the northwest United States with three bombardment groups (12th, 17th and 39th) flying early B-17 Flying Fortresses (B-17C/D), as well as the B-18 Bolo and its B-23 Dragon variant.
With the United States' entry into World War II, the mission of the 5th Bomb Wing was changed to that of a strategic heavy bomber wing, in July 1942 being initially assigned to the new Eighth Air Force. However, the 5th Bomb Wing was reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force in October 1942, to support the Western Task Force being assembled for the Operation Torch landings, planned for November.
The 5th moved to North Africa in November, and its subordinate units began flying missions from French Morocco in late 1942. The 97th and 301st Bomb groups, both being transferred from Eighth Air Force, were the pioneer heavy bomb groups in North Africa.
Three weeks prior to the invasion saw a number of secret missions flown by the 97th BG. The first of these occurred on 18 October 1942 when General Mark Clark, commander of ground forces in the Western Task Force, flew to Gibraltar, along with a box containing $100,000 in gold 20 Franc coins, which were going to be paid to corrupt Vichy France officials in North Africa in order to secure their cooperation during the coming invasion. However after Clark landed in Gibraltar, the coins were lost overboard when they were on the final leg of their journey.
Also, on 5 November General Dwight Eisenhower and British General Kenneth Anderson was flown on a 97th BG B-17 were flown from Britainto Gibraltar. The following day, General James Doolittle, the newly named commander of Twelfth Air Force was flown to Gibraltar. Doolittle's B-17 was intercepted by four Ju-88s over the Bay of Biscay, forcing the pilot to dive sharply and make a run for it just above the ocean's surface. The co-pilot of the aircraft was injured by a strafing run of one of the German aircraft, and Doolittle reached for the first aid kit and attended to the wounded man. Afterward, Doolittle sat in the co-pilot's seat and helped fly the aircraft to Gibraltar.
Shortly after the invasion, the 97th and 301st moved from their bases in England to an airfield at Tafraoui, Algeria. The conditions in Algeria were sparse compared to that in England, but by 24 November the two groups attacked the docks at Bizerte, Tunisia.
As the American forces moved eastward, the 5th's units flew from Algeria beginning in January 1943, attacking coastal targets in Tunisia, and also concentrations of Rommel's Afrika Corps. The 5th BW moved to Tunisia in August. Targets included airdromes, marshalling yards, bridges, and troop concentrations. In February 1943, the 5th, in direct support of ground operations, bombed enemy troop concentrations in the Kasserine Pass. From its airfields in Tunisia, its subordinate units bombed Pantelleria, Sicily, and marshaling yards and airdromes on the Italian mainland. By October, the 5th Bomb Wing consisted of the two B-17 groups as well as two P-38 equipped fighter groups (1st, 325th FG).
On 1 November 1943, Fifteenth Air Force was established as a second American strategic air force in the European Theater. It was hoped that the 15th AF stationed in the Mediterranean would be able to operate when the Eighth Air Force in England was socked in by bad English weather. Twelfth Air Force would continue to operate, however it would be realigned as a tactical air force. The 97th and 301st were joined with three additional B-17 groups (2d, 98th 99th BG) with its reassignment to Fifteenth Air Force.
Missions were flown from Tunisia in November against a Messerschmidt assembly plant in Austria, and against some Italian targets, however the wing and its groups were in the process of moving to new airfields captured around Foggia in Italy in late September. Advanced echelons moved initially, working with engineering units to prepare the airfields and extend runways to accommodate the B-17. The 2d Bomb Group moved to Amendola airfield, while the 97th moved to the Foggia airfield, as its base at San Giovanni was still not ready. The 301st flew into Cerignola and the 99th into Tortorella.
Once settled into their new bases around Foggia the 5th began a series of raids, attacking enemy targets in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Bulgaria. In June 1944, its groups began "shuttle bombing" and landing on airfields behind the Russian front. On these missions, American aircraft took off from airdromes in Italy, made a bombing attack, and landed on airdromes in the Soviet Union. Then they reversed the process. In August 1944, the 5th Wing supported Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France.
The 5th Bomb Wing continued strategic bombing missions until the Germans surrendered in May 1945. It was inactivated in Italy on 2 November 1945.
Constituted as 5th Bombardment Wing on 19 October 1940. Activated on 18 December 1940. Assigned to Second Air Force. Inactivated on 5 September 1941. Activated on 10 July 1942. Moved to North Africa, October-December 1942, and began operations with Twelfth Air Force. Assigned to Fifteenth Air Force in November 1943. Redesignated 5th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) in Jan 1945. Served in combat until May 1945. Inactivated in Italy on 2 November 1945.
The group was first established as the 68th Observation Group in 1941 at Brownwood Army Air Field, Texas, on 1 September 1941. Its primary mission was observation aircraft training and antisubmarine patrols. The group moved to several different U.S....
The 82nd Fighter Group flew training missions from bases in Northern Ireland between October and December 1942. They then joined the Twelfth Air Force in North Africa, supporting the ground invasion of Tunisia, Sicily and Italy. Between October 1943...
The 97th Bomb Group flew the Eighth Air Force's first heavy bomber mission from the UK when they bombed a marshalling yard at Rouen on 17 August 1942. Just a month later though the Group were reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force and left England for the...
Constituted as 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 Oct 1942 and activated in Palestine on 31 Oct. Began combat immediately, using B-24 aircraft. Operated with Ninth AF from bases in the Middle East, Nov 1942-Sep 1943, and with Twelfth AF from Tunisia...
'As part of the 15th Air Force in WWII, the 483rd Bombardment Group (H) played a significant role in the eventual defeat of Germany's forces. Its four combat squadrons, the 815th, 816th, 817th and 840th flew a total of 5,623 sorties from 12 April 1944...
In addition to the above history, the 17th BG provided the crews for the Doolittle Raid on Japan in 1942
The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942. ...
Constituted as 99th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Jun 1942. Trained with B-17's. Moved to North Africa, Feb-May 1943, and assigned to Twelfth AF. Entered combat in Mar 1943 and bombed such targets as airdromes, harbor...
The 463rd BG entered combat on March 30, 1944. The target was the airdrome at Imoski, Yugoslavia. Thirty-nine planes dropped 117 tons of bombs from 20,000 feet. Although slight flak was encountered, all planes returned safely. The group flew a...
Military | Sergeant | B-17 Waist Gunner | 99th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | B-17 Pilot | 99th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 2nd Bomb Group
Military | Major General | Deputy Commanding Officer, 8th Air Force | 97th Bomb Group
Graduated from West Point in 1935 and joined the AAC. In 1942, he commanded the 97th Bomb Group in England, operations deputy of the 12th Bomb Command, and operations officer of the 47th Bomb Wing (1943). Served as Deputy Commander of the 8th AF....
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 10/4/44; Hunter 27/4/44; Dow Fd 10/5/44; Assigned 346BS/99BG Tortorella 19/5/44; in base taxi accident with Dick Schildmeyer 24/2/45; 97m Salvaged 26/4/45; WEARY WILLIE.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 18/2/43; Gt Falls 20/2/43; Salinas 18/3/43; Morrison 29/3/43; Assigned 341BS/97BG Chateau-du-Rhumel 16/4/43; Pont-du-Fahs 1/8/43; Depienne 15/8/43; transferred 346BS/99BG Oudna 14/11/43; Tortorella 11/12/43; 483BG Tortorella 31/3/44;...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 10/11/42; West Palm Beach 11/12/42; Assigned 340BS/97BG Biskra 31/12/42; Chateau-du-Rhumel 8/2/43; Pont-du-Fahs 1/8/43; Depienne 15/8/43; transferred 346BS/99BG Oudna 14/11/43; Tortorella 11/12/43; 22m/99 483BG Tortorella 31/3/44;...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 3/12/42; West Palm Beach 9/1/43; Assigned 97BG Biskra 20/1/43; Chateau-du-Rhumel 8/2/43; Pont-du-Fahs 1/8/43; Depienne 15/8/43; transferred 346BG/99BG Oudna 14/11/43; 27m/99 815BS/483BG Tortorella 31/3/44; Missing in Action Milan 30/4...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 15/11/43; Kearney 1/12/43; Assigned 346BS/99BG Tortorella 1/44; 79m Salvaged 9/2/45. SILVER METEOR.
|03 June 2021 14:23:54||Emily||Changes to type, name, us air force combat units of world war ii description, aircraft types, unit part of associations, unit encompassing associations and stations|
|18 November 2016 01:35:59||466thHistorian||Changes to description, aircraft types, unit part of associations and unit encompassing associations|
|27 September 2014 18:42:44||AAM||AAM ingest|
Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database


Dogs and cats used to be quite healthy until commercial pet food was first manufactured in the 1850's in England. Over a number of years our pets have become sicker and sicker with diabetes, pancreatitis, bad breath, skin disease, failing hearts and kidneys and failing immune systems which is becoming more common. Unfortunately, today people are programmed to feed commercial pet food. They are under the misconstrued belief that commercial processed food offers a complete diet for different life stages of our pets. Commercial pet food is extremely convenient for us, easy to store, easy to purchase and easy to feed, you are even told the quantity and frequency to feed. Listed below are a couple of reasons why we will NEVER offer commercial pet food to our animals: Cooked/ Heat TreatedDestroys many vitamins necessary for good health like the B Group Vitamins and Vitamin C and reduces the protein value.Destroys enzymes. Enzymes in raw food have two very important functions.1. They help with the digestion of food and they help slow the aging process. If our pets are fed cooked food it forces the pancreas to work harder to produce more digestive enzymes to help digest the food, resulting in several diseases so commonly seen in our pets of today, including pancreatitis and diabetes.2. Destroys Anti-Oxidants. Anti-aging factors called anti-oxidants are destroyed in the cooking process and therefore the food is less able to slow the degenerative diseases of old age, including cancer, kidney disease, heart disease and arthritis. Periodontal DiseaseIf dogs and cats are not fed raw meaty bones they are not able to brush and floss their teeth, The ripping, tearing and crunching necessary to consume a raw meaty bone washes, polishes and scrubs gums and teeth. 95% of dogs fed a commercial diet will show signs of periodontal disease by the time they are 4 years of age. Periodontal disease is not just a problem in the mouth; it has the potential to affect a number of vital organs in teh body. Bacteria associated with periodontal disease can enter the bloodstream and cause serious problems such as affecting the valves of the heart, causing permanent damage leading to heart failure. Likewise, bacteria can damage both the kidneys and liver also resulting in failure. Preservatives, Addititves, Colourings and FlavouringCommercial pet foods are full of ill health promoting colourings, flavourings, and preservatives that can cause hypersensitivity reactions, allergies and skin problems at the very least. High in Cereals, Grains and CarbohydratesGrains make up the majority of commercial pet food companies food source. The large amounts of cereals and grains in commercial foods are not chemically or physically suitable for dogs which do not have a digestive system to cope with grains,. Grains are one of the biggest sources of allergies in dogs and cause numerous health problems like obesity, pancreatitis, skin problems, diabetes, dental problems, arthritis, bladder stones and cancer. Excess SaltCommercial pet food can contain 10 to 20 times more salt than our dogs and cats require. This is very harmful to our pets at it increases blood pressure and can lead to kidney and heart disease.
Aust Ch. Staffwild High Voltage, fed Canine Country BARF since birth.


|    New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife|
New Jersey's largest known bat hibernaculum is the Hibernia Mine in Rockaway Township, Morris County. The mine was abandoned in the early 1900s and the first record of bats using the mine is from the 1930s. In the decades that followed, the mine continued to provide winter habitat for bats but frequent and constant human disturbance limited the mine's potential. Over the years a number of unsuccessful attempts were made by landowners to seal the mine to keep people out. However, sealing the mine would have also made it unavailable to the bats.
In July of 1994, the Endangered and Nongame Species Program successfully negotiated a long sought after agreement with landowners to install a special bat conservation gate to keep people out but allow free access by the bats. The gate was designed by Roy Powers of Virginia and constructed through the joint efforts of Powers, the ENSP, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Bat Conservation International. Shortly after the gate was installed the state acquired the property through the Green Acres Program and it is currently part of the Wildcat Ridge Wildlife Management Area and is listed as a Watchable Wildlife Site.
The ENSP conducts a biennial winter survey to assess the bat population in the Hibernia Mine. The most recent survey occurred in February 1999 when more than 30,000 bats were counted - the largest total since bat surveys began in the mine. Beginning in 2003, a Summer Bat Count was begun to document summer roosting locations throughout New Jersey and help to create a range map for the state's nine species of bat. The information will also help to determine roosting and foraging requirements and contribute to the protection of bats in New Jersey.
In 1997, the ENSP began a project to search for and protect additional mines and tunnels that support wintering bat populations. A number of new hibernacula have already been located and efforts are underway to protect them. In November 1999 a bat conservation gate was constructed and installed over the entrance to a tunnel in Worthington State Forest in Warren County. The gate was completed through the cooperative efforts of the ENSP, the Division of Parks and Forestry and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The site currently supports several hundred wintering bats but has the potential to support a much larger population. Time will tell if protecting the bats from human disturbance will allow the wintering population to increase. The ENSP will continue to search for and protect habitats that are important to bats.


Since time immemorial, people have been struggling for their rights and the rights of their family members of fellow citizens. In the modern era, those fighting for the rights of others are called human rights defenders. It has never been easy to struggle for human rights in the discourse of Member States of the UN. Human rights defenders have always been the priority of States to make efforts to protect these voices of dissent or the voices for human rights. Long after the evolution of International Humanitarian Law, the framework for the protection of human rights defenders found resonance in the discourse of Member States of the UN, When in 1984 the UN began the elaboration of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
Unlike in some countries where the number of cases of enforced disappearances and other forms of human rights violations is decreasing, Asian states are witnessing an upsurge in new cases. It is quite unfortunate that we do not have many examples of ways to solve this problem in Asia, which the governments can follow to end the vicious cycle of impunity.
In the Philippines, former president Ferdinand Marcos’ Martial Law had ended but the phenomenon of enforced disappearance has not. Suharto’s dictatorship in Indonesia had also collapsed but Aceh and West Papua continue to witness enforced disappearances. Nepal has seen an end to its armed conflict, yet the leaders who swore to protect freedom and democracy deny the people of justice. Sri Lanka has seen 60,000 people disappeared over the last several years. The Bangladeshi government claims to prosecute the alleged perpetrators of crimes committed in the 1971 war for independence, but its hands are also drenched with the blood of its own people. South Korea demands justice for the transgressions of North Korea, but hardly sees anything outside of it. In Kashmir, disappearances continue and India still refuses to tell the truth about the 8,000 people disappeared and has yet to prosecute perpetrators.
The year 2013 ended with the Government of Argentina bestowing upon me the Emilio Mignone International Human Rights Prize on 10 December 2013. It is a recognition of the significance of the struggle against enforced disappearances in Asia that submitted the highest number of cases to the United Nations.
At the end of 2013, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (Convention) garnered 92 signatories and 41 States parties. While Asia has rampant cases of disappearances, the only additional State party to the Convention is Cambodia. Not one Asian country has replicated the Philippines in enacting an anti-enforced disappearance law. In Nepal, a nagging insistence for false reconciliation between the victims and the perpetrators by merging the anti-disappearance bill with the truth commission blocks the road to a genuine and lasting peace. The much-awaited ratification of the Convention by Indonesia was not realized… No progress was seen in South Korea on victims of disappearances committed by North Korea.
The year 2012 ended with the enactment of Republic Act 10353 or the Philippine Anti- Enforced Disappearance Act of 2012. It was followed by the promulgation of its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) on 12 February 2013. The law signifies a moral victory for the families of the disappeared in the Philippines who, amidst many constraints, persistently campaigned for an antidisappearance law until their twilight years, and for some, till the very end of their lives. Giving cognizance to the invaluable contribution of the authors, families of the disappeared profoundly value the law as a major form of justice. A recognition of the cruelty of this state-perpetrated crime, it gives prime importance to the desaparecidos; recognizes their sacrifices and the sufferings of their loved ones; seeks truth, justice, rehabilitation, reparation and non-recurrence.
For this, the AFAD salutes the Families of Victims of Involuntary Disappearance (FIND) for the grand success of its campaign - making the Philippines the first in Asia to have an anti-enforced disappearance law. Such exemplary work may not exactly be replicated in other countries, but its very process is an experience that could serve as a guide for all those who struggle to erase enforced disappearance from the face of the earth.
Justice for all desaparecidos!
The struggle for truth and justice of victims and survivors of enforced disappearances has been waged for decades. In individual cases, it started when a person was made to disappear, but rarely ended even when the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared have been clarified. In many situations, the struggle continues beyond the clarification of the fate and whereabouts of the disappeared persons. The victims, as exemplified by those in Latin America, Africa, Europe and particularly in our region Asia, forge on with the struggle for justice, reparation, memory and guarantees for non-recurrence.
The Voice is a bi-annual publication of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD). It is providing you with the latest on human rights with focus on involuntary disappearance issue within the Asian region. AFAD welcomes contributions but reserves editorial rights.
Mary Aileen Diez-Bacalso
Sara La Rocca and Ivanka Custodio


Digital Trends' Watch a NASA astronaut jettison part of the ISS into space which was linked in says:
Writing in Air & Space last year about the process of jettisoning objects, veteran NASA engineer Mike Engle explained how launching decommissioned parts from the space station can be a risky process, a fact that prompted him to help create an official ISS Jettison Policy to ensure that such activities are carried out safely.
“Jettisoning trash from a spacecraft is no mere stroll to a dumpster,” Engle wrote. “First and foremost, you have to make sure that whatever you throw away doesn’t come back and hit you — a frightening possibility in the weird realm of orbital mechanics.”
The engineer added, “Simple trigonometry led to the conclusion that pushing an object away at two inches per second within a 30-degree cone centered on a line directly opposite the direction that the ISS was traveling as it orbited the Earth would be enough” to send the part safely on its way.
The same speed is mentioned in the Air and Space link it cites. From Tossing Out Trash From the Space Station Takes More Planning Than You’d Think:
Our idea was to have EVA astronauts manually push jettisoned items away in the direction opposite the station’s orbit. Analysis showed that a surprisingly small retrograde change in velocity was required: only about 1 to 1.5 inches per second would ensure no recontact. The drag of the jettisoned object would be greater than that of the ISS, further ensuring that the jettisoned object would keep moving behind and below the ISS until it eventually burned up in the atmosphere. In the case of the EAS, however, we scheduled a thruster burn to raise the ISS orbit after jettison just to make sure. Safety engineers insisted that we define a jettison “cone” to account for any directional errors, so that even if an object were at the edge of the cone, it would still fly away safely. Simple trigonometry led to the conclusion that pushing an object away at two inches per second (a rate easily achievable by an EVA astronaut) within a 30-degree cone centered on a line directly opposite the direction that the ISS was traveling as it orbited the Earth would be enough.
This seems to be a lot faster than that
In the video in this International Space Station tweet it looks more like two feet per second than two inches, an order of magnitude difference. I estimate that the antenna cover moves more than it's own length in one second.
.@AstroVicGlover jettisons a science antenna cover into space since it is no longer needed. It will eventually enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up safely.
Question: What's the root cause of the disparity between what the article says and what's shown in the video?


El Centro, California (NAPSI) - Increasingly, consumers want their portable computers to be thinner, sleeker and lighter weight. They also expect their computer to respond when they tap, swipe and touch its screen.
No longer a novelty, touch has rapidly become the primary way many consumers interact with their laptops, tablets and other mobile devices.
In the past, laptop computer screens used plastic as a cover material. Now, in order to support this touch-enabled world, notebooks are adopting sleek, glass covers that provide better touch capabilities, as they do for your smartphone.
Unfortunately, with touch comes the increased potential for the glass to scratch or break. Even careful interaction with these notebook devices can result in scratched cover glass and an unhappy user.
As many people know, replacing a screen can be expensive and sometimes cost as much as half of the full notebook price. Plus, the repair process can leave the user without a device for days, even weeks.
The good news is that a familiar name in the world of glass innovation—Corning—has addressed these issues by developing a glass solution specifically designed for touch screen notebooks. Called Corning® Gorilla® Glass NBT™, it’s designed to be tough enough to handle the surface pressures intrinsic to these devices and thin enough to enable accurate touch responses by the device.
In fact, Gorilla Glass is already used by 33 major brands on over 1,000 product models and 1.5 billion devices worldwide. It is clear that device makers now take the properties of the glass into account when designing a device.
The glass is chemically strengthened through an ion exchange process that creates a deep compression layer on the surface of the glass substrate. This layer acts as “armor” to help reduce the introduction of flaws.
The result is the cost-effective, damage-resistant solution that consumers have come to expect from the leading maker of cover glass solutions for smartphones, tablets, notebooks and other devices.
While Gorilla Glass was designed with touch screens in mind, the glass has also been used in a number of large-format applications, such as digital signage and glass markerboards. It’s believed that future applications are likely to include architecture, appliances, automotive and beyond.
To see the glass in action, visit http://www.corninggorillaglass.com/NBT-In-Action.
To learn more, visit http://www.corninggorillaglass.com/NBT-Info.


There’s a mural in rural Juchari on the wall of a medical clinic. It honors the tradition of family and the women who preserve its culture.
On a visit to Mexico City and several outlying regions, I witnessed the strength of Mexico’s women and their critical role as national freedom fighters. As America struggles to define its democratic values as a nation we can look to the south and our Mexican sisters as role models.
The indomitable character of Mexican women dates back to pre-Columbian times when Aztec beliefs centered on a cosmic balance of gender roles and power among the sexes. In the 15th century, Aztec women were equal contributors to society, inside and outside of the home.
They realized the same social, religious and political power as men. With the advent of the Spanish conquerors of 1531, women were enslaved and limited to childrearing and household chores to accommodate Spanish patriarchal society and their Christian beliefs.
But women continued to practice natural medicine and share their wisdom, often eclipsing the skills of European doctors. In Diego Rivera’s mural, “The Popular History of Mexico” which hangs in the National Palace of Mexico City, industrious indigenous women and their tenacious resistance are everywhere.
In fact, Diego’s wife, Frida Kahlo, exemplified this resistance. She remains a celebrated artist in many modern art circles and thousands of people from around the world to visit her blue house in Mexico. Her garden and living quarters are open to the public and arrestingly painful self-portraits and original artwork still grace the walls. Frida fought discrimination, advocating social and political reforms for women.
A 16th century San Agustin church in Patzcuaro’s Plaza, Michoacan tells another colorful story of a freedom fighter. There is a bronze statue of Gertrudis Bocanegra, one of many women actively involved in creating secret communication networks in support of the Mexican independence movement.
Juan O’Gorman’s massive fresco in the town church (now a library) tells a colorful pictorial story of heroic deeds, her torture and her death by firing squad. Like Leona Vicaro and other women active in the revolution, Gertrudis refused to relinquish the names of fellow insurgents after her capture by the Royal Spanish Army in 1817.
Women continue to fight suffering and injustice in Mexico, drawing strength from Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is Mexico’s most popular saint, immortalized in religious and cultural images throughout the country. Called the Queen of Mexico, she is credited with miracles including the perfectly preserved image of her on a tilma hundreds of years old. Our Lady’s image was added to the Mexican flag to unify the country, and the first President of Mexico (Manuel Fernandes) even changed his name to Guadalupe Victoria to honor her as a national symbol.
The image of the Mother of God permeates the country, in cities and the countryside, in church paintings, and even on rocks and walls along Mexican roadways.
Her name lives in many modern day crusaders like Guadalupe Hernandez Dimas (or Nanu Lu), a humanitarian nominated for a Nobel Peace prize in 2005.
I heard Guadalupe speak about her mission, describing the ancestry and culture of women within the context of four elements: women are the earth which provides nourishment, the air for breathing, the water that gives life, and the fire which represents God and our sun.
Respect for culture and pride are central themes as Guadalupe continues to promote a national women’s movement. She advocates for women and organizations to invest in health centers and community education to bring change. I witnessed the success of women in Jachari and Patzcuaro, where the infrastructure and delivery systems continue to provide critically needed efforts to address poverty and suffering.
With modern day freedom fighters like former first lady of Mexico, Margarite Zavala, and Congressional representative Amalia Garcia, Guadalupe’s message is spreading socially and politically across the nation.
Zavala and Garcia are focused on the problem of migrant children who leave their homes to reunite with parents living in the U.S., to escape violence from abuse or drug cartels. When they head to the American border as unaccompanied minors, some as young as 8 years of age, they are opportune targets for child traffickers and gangs.
As countries around the world struggle to keep up with the new and challenging demands of migrant populations displaced from homes and atrocities associated with the ravages of war, Mexico’s freedom fighters provide a compelling argument for giving women a greater voice at the table.
For any nation to be truly democratic and endowed with the freedoms of justice, liberty and equality, we have much to learn from Mexico’s women.
If you’d like to know more about the international organization I traveled with, visit: https://www.heartlandalliance.org/about/corporate-structure/heartland-alliance-international/


FREE RESOURCE Social Story Code Red – A Calm Explanation For Special Needs
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FREE RESOURCE Social Story Code Red – A Calm Explanation For Special Needs Students
I teach and live in Parkland, Florida, and want to share a booklet that I made for my students. I have not focused on the tragedy, but on a calming explanation of what “Code Red” means in our school district.
Staff members were told that we would be having an active shooter drill in February. Last week, I had told my husband that if he heard sirens or any activity at the school where I work, that he should not worry, because it was just a drill. Little did we all know that it was not.
Please hug your students and of course, your own children, too. Please feel welcome to email me if you have any other needs for your students and I will try and help.
Thank you very much.
© Copyright 2018 Autism Educators, Inc. (AutismEducators.com). All rights reserved by author. This product is to be used by the original purchaser only. Copying for more than one teacher or classroom, or for an entire department, school, or school system is prohibited. This product may not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view, uploaded to school or district websites, distributed via email, or submitted to file sharing sites such as Amazon Inspire or ANY sharing websites which include Facebook Sharing files. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Intended for single classroom and personal use only.
Given a social story related to a real drill or emergency, along with visual prompts as needed, STUDENT will follow directions without protesting, in order to demonstrate understanding of the importance of the situation,based upon teacher observation, by MONTH, YEAR.
This item is recommended for the following grade levels:
Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade