Learning Japanese at Fort Snelling during World War II

One of the first things we saw when we got to Fort Snelling was a row of storyboards posted along the sidewalk leading to the visitors’ center. One of them showed a photo of three young Asian-American women in uniform, with a quotation above them: “I was born in the states, in Nebraska, and I’m…

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Hazel Ah Ying Lee: Chinese-American WASP

Hazel Ah  Ying Lee was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1912. She was the daughter of Chinese immigrants—the second of eight children. Lee was nineteen when she experienced her first flight, at the end of a friend’s flying lesson.  She was hooked. She immediately began to save up the money for flying lessons from her…

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The Belgian Girls: A Q & A with Kathryn Atwood

  It was inevitable that Kathryn Atwood and I would find each other because our interests overlap. She has written multiple books of historical non-fiction for young adults on women and war. In her newest book, The Belgian Girls, she shifts to fiction, using her deep knowledge to create a vivid picture of life in…

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