Military members rely on letters from home to maintain morale, something jeopardized for World War II troops overseas — that is, until an all-black group of women soldiers known as the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion stepped in to help. On Tuesday, over 76 years after their disbandment, two Arizonans from the 6888th Battalion, Major Fran McClendon and Corporal Lydia Thornton, received the highest honor given to Americans: the Congressional Gold Medal.
McClendon and Thornton served their country by a special motto the “Six Triple Eight” battalion invented as they fixed the military’s mail delivery systems broken by the war: “No mail, low morale.” Their battalion successfully devised a new tracking system and cleared a two-year backlog of mail in England in under three months, half the assigned time of six months, handling around 17 million pieces of mail. They did the same for another backlog in France, again sorting millions of pieces of mail in half the amount of expected time.
“Really, I didn’t think like this could ever happen and I never looked forward to it until people started talking about it,” said McClendon, now 101 years old. “These are the memories, that people are now understanding what we accomplished while we were there.”
Two Arizonans joined the ranks of George Washington, Martin Luther King Jr. & Thomas Edison to receive the Congressional Gold Medal – the highest honor an American can receive. A well deserved honor for Maj. Fran McClendon and Cpl. Lydia Thornton. @AZVETShttps://t.co/VFX2FOhNRC
Thornton passed away 11 years ago at the age of 89. Her daughters accepted the Congressional Gold Medal on Thornton’s behalf. Thornton also served as a Spanish translator during the war.
The Six Triple Eight were the only battalion of all-black women to serve abroad in the war.
The women were awarded the medals during a ceremony at the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Mesa. The physical medals are still being produced; McClendon and Thornton’s family will receive them once they are finished.
In March, President Joe Biden signed an act into law awarding all 855 members of the Six Triple Eight with Congressional Gold Medals.
Even until the end, members of the Six Triple Eight have expressed their pride in being able to serve the country they love.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Attorney General Mark Brnovich won’t challenge or appeal the pending ruling in the Arizona Republican Party’s (AZGOP) lawsuit to declare no-excuse, mail-in voting as unconstitutional.
Solicitor General Brunn (Beau) Roysden pledged in a court filing to honor the ruling, whatever that may be. The AZGOP filed with the Mohave County Superior Court last Tuesday after the Arizona Supreme Court denied jurisdiction to the AZGOP. The AZGOP then refiled their case with the Superior Court earlier this month.
“[The State of Arizona] agrees to be bound by the outcome of this litigation, including any appeals, with respect to the declaratory and injunctive relief requested,” stated Roysden.
17 defendants were named in the lawsuit: all 15 county recorders, the State of Arizona, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.
🚨ALERT: The Arizona Republican Party filed a second lawsuit to end the state’s 30-year long no-excuse mail-in voting system, claiming that it violates the state constitution. Their first lawsuit on the same issue was dismissed by the AZ Supreme Court. https://t.co/yb80UcmmN1
— Democracy Docket (@DemocracyDocket) May 18, 2022
In their initial complaint totaling nearly 60 pages, the AZGOP claimed that Hobbs prevented enforcement mechanisms for valid signature verification by not adding those procedures to the Election Procedures Manual (EPM). Additionally, the party claimed that Hobbs lacked legal authority to implement drop box voting.
The AZGOP insisted that Hobbs’ actions were only possible due to a “longstanding deviation” from election procedures outlined in the Arizona Constitution. According to the party, Arizona’s no-excuse, mail-in voting system violates the constitution because several provisions direct voting to take place at the polls.
“Stated simply, Arizona’s ‘early voting’ statutes — which provide for the ‘absentee’ or ‘no-excuse mail-in’ voting — violate the Arizona Constitution, in whole or in part,” claimed the lawsuit. “[I]n-person voting at the polls on a fixed date is the only constitutionally permissible manner of voting.”
The AZGOP requested that the judge compel Hobbs to include the signature verification guide in the EPM, remove mentions of the drop box in the EPM, and cease enforcement of absentee voting laws.
However, should the courts decide that no-excuse, mail-in voting doesn’t violate the state constitution, the AZGOP requested a definitive explanation as to how the constitution permits absentee voting.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Northern Arizona University (NAU) students will have to take a 12-credit general studies program focused on diversity. Following initial reports on their plans, NAU hid the DCCC page behind a university login page. (Archived link here). In doing so, they also blocked access to links leading to the DCCC meeting dates, agendas, and minutes; diversity requirements; how individuals could propose a “Diversity Designation” course; and an outline of their curriculum creation and review processes.
The Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) approved NAU’s new diversity program last October.
It appears that NAU shielded the DCCC website from the public eye after City Journal reported about the new diversity curriculum. A web cache of the page taken on May 14 allows individuals to see the DCCC website, not an NAU login page. City Journal issued their report on May 24, offering an in-depth assessment on how NAU’s aim for the program was to only include critical theory’s definition of diversity.
NAU also removed DCCC’s notes (archived here) from last September that acknowledged how the level of ambition the undertaking demands. Yet, the DCCC projected that it would cause NAU to take the lead on their competition.
“The 12 credits of diversity requirements are unprecedented and puts [sic] NAU at the forefront of higher education,” read the notes.
"The celebration of diversity helps accelerate our progress toward a more perfect union. I am more optimistic than ever of the potential of our university and the values and support of our community. Happy Juneteenth!" –@naupresidentpic.twitter.com/w8GKrwzTIK
The initiative is the latest from the Diversity Curriculum Committee (DCC) formed by NAU’s Faculty Senate. The committee declared in their proposal that NAU is lacking in diversity requirements. (Archived link here).
The DCC explained that students will be required to take three credits in each of the following areas: U.S. Ethnic Diversity, Global Diversity, Indigenous Peoples, and Intersectionality. Within those areas, there will be focuses catered to the arts and humanities, scientific literacy and methods, and social and political worlds.
More won’t just be required of the students; the DCC proposed that NAU hire a director for the new diversity program; increase hires in Ethnic Studies, Applied Indigenous Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies; establish retention mechanisms for faculty engaged in “diversity objectives;” create a faculty learning community focused on diversity; create a faculty professional development program on diversity curriculum; hire a Chief Diversity Officer; ensure course releases or other compensation for female and minority faculty; require faculty to engage in more diversity work and challenges; and establish a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program within each college in NAU.
NAU plans to initiate a soft launch of their revamped diversity program this fall, with a full launch in fall 2023.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Monday, Attorney General Mark Brnovich issued a warning about cartels recruiting Arizona teens to traffic illegal immigrants across border.
The cartels recruit teenagers through social media ads. They promise to pay up to $2,000 for each illegal immigrant passenger they transport in vehicles, nicknamed “load cars,” to either Tucson or Phoenix.
Brnovich noted that his office has partnered with local, state, and federal agencies to prevent human smuggling in a task force known as “Operation Safe Streets.” At present, their task force averages two to ten load cars stopped a day.
Additionally, Brnovich reported thousands of smugglers coming to the border.
Load car drivers may face a slew of charges including kidnapping and unlawful fleeing.
In March, the youngest load car driver to date was arrested in Cochise County. The 14-year-old had two illegal immigrants in his car.
Earlier this month, Governor Doug Ducey petitioned the major social media companies — Twitter, Snap, Facebook, and Tik Tok — to take down “load driver” posts.
“Inaction only enables cartels to victimize countless youths and families,” wrote Ducey. “Just as your companies work to protect youth from obscenity and violence on your social media platforms, it’s time to protect them from criminal solicitation as well.”
It doesn’t appear the social media giants have taken action.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
A new and innovative tuition-free charter school in Mesa will grant high school students trade certifications along with their diplomas.
American Leadership Academy (ALA) Applied Technologies will offer students the opportunity to earn certifications in automotive technologies, aviation technologies, business and finance, construction technologies, cosmetology, education, first responders, health services, hospitality, or general technology. Each of the 10 programs will have its own lab, workshop, kitchen, or salon to accomplish industry training.
All their trade programs begin junior year, with the exception of Aviation Mechanics and Cosmetology due to certification hour requirements. Transportation to school won’t be provided. ALA estimated that each grade level would have 600 students, or 60 per grade level in each program.
In a recent promotional video, ALA featured one alumna and its emergency medical services (EMS) program.
ALA operates 12 other schools across the valley: nine K-6 schools, and three schools covering the 7th through 12th grades. They are all A-rated schools. The academy operates around the acronym “R.A.I.S.E.” meaning respect, accountability, integrity, service, and classroom; it also aims to instill a “moral and wholesome environment” for students.
According to their latest construction update from last week, the new school has entered its final stages of the building process.
Registration remained open as of press time.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
