The 60th anniversary memorial event that took place on 2022. (Wreath Across America)
Sixty-one years ago on March 16, 1962, Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 (FTLF 739) and its crew, departed on a secret mission sanctioned by the President John F. Kennedy, to fly to Vietnam. This secret Vietnam reconnaissance mission went missing with no trace of the plane or its passengers ever found. Onboard were 93 United States Army soldiers and 11 civilian crewmembers.
On Thursday, March 16, 2023, at 12pm ET, national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) will be holding a special live ceremony to remember all those lost that day and honor their families.
Very little is known about what happened to FTLF 739, its crew and passengers, and due to the circumstance surrounding this mission, the names of those lost have not yet been added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. However, today many families and loved ones of these heroes still fight to have their loved ones recognized for their contributions to our freedom and shared history.
Of the 93 soldiers who were on the flight, two were from Michigan: Specialist James Taylor from Olive Branch and Private Stanley McEntee from Detroit.
Presently, the only monument that bears the names of these American heroes was erected by a private citizen, Wreaths Across America founder Morrill Worcester, on his balsam tip land in Columbia Falls, Maine.
“When I first heard the story about this mission, I was shocked to learn that nothing has been done for these families,” said Morrill Worcester. “I said that day, that we would do something to make sure these people are honored and remembered, and to hopefully give some closure to these families.”
The inscription on the FTLF 739 monument in Maine reads:
“Missing in action; Presumed dead. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 went missing on March 16, 1962, with 93 U.S. Army soldiers on board. These men and their flight crew perished in what would become one of the biggest aviation mysteries out of the Vietnam War era.
“The names of those who gave their lives and who remain missing are inscribed here so the they will be said aloud and their memory will live on.”
Alissa VanderKooi said that her grandfather, Henry Pestka, would not often speak of his past life as a Jew in Nazi-occupied Germany.
“On that rare occasion that he would speak of this dark period of his life, his focus was never on the darkness but always on the light. His ability to see the light through the darkness is something that we pass on from generation to generation,” VanderKooi said.
“Ways to Say Goodbye”by Ariel Schlesinger. (Photo by D.A. Reed)
One such story Henry chose to tell his granddaughter was of a paint store worker who would offer him a piece of bread when he was brought in by Nazi soldiers to buy paint. Even after a soldier threatened to kill her, the worker worked out a signal with Henry so she would know if, depending on who his guard was that day, it was safe to give him the bread.
“This memory that my grandfather chose to share with me was one of the kindness of a stranger during the darkest of times,” said VanderKooi.
In honor of Pestka and the millions of Jews who perished in the Holocaust the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park through a partnership with The Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids recently dedicated the Holocaust memorial Ways to Say Goodbye. The piece, which was made possible through a donation from Pestka family, was created by artist Ariel Schlesinger in 2019 and was originally on display in the United Kingdom.
“As time goes on and memories of the Holocaust fade, it is important to remember the barbarity human beings are capable of,” said Steve Pestka, son of Henry Pestka. “It is equally important to contemplate the strength of the survivors and their ability to continue and rebuild their lives. It is our hope that this work of art will promote an appreciation of our shared humanity and a reminder that hatred and intolerance continue to this day and the consequences of the ultimate dehumanization of human beings.”
Henry’s Story
During World War II, the Pestka family were prisoners of Auschwitz, a concentration camp in Poland. Both of Henry’s parents and all of his siblings perished during the Holocaust. Henry was the sole survivor of his family and attributed his survival to being given a job as a painter.
Henry Pestka’s son, Steve, speaks to the crowd during the June 30 dedication. (Photo by D.A. Reed)
After surviving the Holocaust, Henry lived for a short time in Paris before joining his only living relatives, an aunt and uncle who had moved to New York City before the war. He was not a fan of the big city and remembered one of his father’s friends, Sam Weissman, who had moved to America from Poland before the war and came to live in Grand Rapids. Henry wrote a letter to Weissman and asked if there would be any work for him in Grand Rapids. Weissman assured Henry he would be able to make a living in West Michigan.
It was in Grand Rapids that Henry found the family and community he previously lost.
“He felt embraced by the people here and the sense of community he so desired,” VanderKooi said. “He never spoke of the hardship of learning a new language or being an outsider. Instead, he always spoke of the warm embrace he received from his community and the opportunities made available to him.”
Henry married Weissman’s niece Beatrice Bergman and began a family. He built a very successful real estate development business becoming known as a pillar of the community. Henry passed away in 2013 at the age of 93, and the sense of belonging he found in Grand Rapids is what prompted the Pestka family to choose West Michigan as the place to honor his memory and those of the six million Jews lost in the Holocaust.
“We are deeply grateful for this gift adding such an important work of art to our permanent collection,” said David Hooker, President & CEO of Meijer Gardens in supplied material. “Our community will forever benefit from this extraordinary gift which serves to educate and promote peace.”
Saying Goodbye
Artist Ariel Schlesinger speaks to a guest after the June 30 dedication. (Photo by D.A. Reed)
Ways to Say Goodbye, a 20-foot-tall aluminum cast of a fig tree with shards of glass inserted among the branches, can be found in the Garden’s outdoor Sculpture Park and is considered an exceptional work of contemporary sculpture dealing with themes of profound loss and grief. Modeled after a living fig tree in northern Italy, Schlesinger chose this metaphor of the Jewish people and their history because of its symbolism of the Jewish struggle for survival both during and after the Holocaust. While appearing fragile and clinging to life, the fig tree is also representative of great endurance.
The shards of glass in the tree represent Kristallnack, or Night of Broken Glass, which took place on Nov. 9-10, 1938. On those nights, the Nazi regime encouraged Germans to riot against Jews and nearly 100 Jewish people died.
During the ceremony, Schlesinger, who is most known for his public sculpture outside the Jewish Museum in Frankfurt, posed the question: “How is it possible to relate to complete horror through artistic representation?” The artist admitted the weight of his task, “which is (to) acknowledge traumas, grief, and losses in the form of public remembrance.”
“While this is not an act of representation, but rather recognition…of an important aspect of our beings,” Schlesinger continued. “To celebrate humans’ resilience even after catastrophe. Here, people will come, look, and survey this dream. The images reflected in the viewer’s eyes will also include sky, clouds, the trees around. Everyone sees what their heart and soul see. With our past, imagining a better future for all.”
A place to remember, reflect
Frederik Meijer Gardens CEO David Hooker with Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids Executive Director Nicole Katzman (Photo by D.A. Reed)
Meijer Gardens and the Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids see Ways to Say Goodbye as a gathering place for the Jewish community of Grand Rapids, offering a place to reflect, pray, and remember, while also being a teaching tool for educators both locally and nationally to address the Holocaust and its legacy.
“For our generation, (the Holocaust) is unfathomable,” said Pestka family friend, Shannon Gales. “So it’s wonderful that they are doing this and honoring the memory to continue to remember.”
David Alfonso, MD and JFGR Board Chair said, “It is incumbent upon us, as well as the generations that will follow us, to tell their stories so that we may embody the saying, ‘Never Again.’ We hope that this sculpture will serve as a beacon of light, a means of inspiration and education, for future generations that will view it and carry on its message of hope and remembrance.”
VanderKooi agreed: “History, the good and the bad, has a way of repeating itself and it is our responsibility, not just as Jews, but as a society, to educate ourselves about the bad in order to prevent it from being repeated or denied.”
Cantor Rachel Gottlieb Kalmowitz ended the ceremony with these inspirational words: “Let the pain of our memories and the love of those lost spur us to educate and inspire, to mourn and to hope, and to do all that we can to ensure the voracity of our words when we say, ‘Never Again.’”
To learn the stories of Henry Pestka and other West Michigan Holocaust survivors, visit West Michigan Holocaust Memorial, a Jewish Federation of Grand Rapids website made possible by the Finkelstein Brothers Endowment.
At times, the Great Lakes reveals its lost treasures. (Photo supplied by author)
By Shetan Noir WKTV Community Contributor
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
The brass sound of a bell ringing 29 times can be heard outside of the Mariner’s church of Detroit.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
It happens every Nov. 10 in honor of the lives lost when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank. But that day has since become a Memorial Day for all lives lost to maritime disasters.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Places like the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, near Whitefish Point in Michigan’s upper peninsula, give tribute to the wrath of the Great Lakes storms, the ships that have been wrecked and all the lives that were lost.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
The Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle also provides a memorial called the Annual Lost Mariners remembrance. This is the 21st year of the event.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
The Great Lakes are well known for violent storms with some gales being so destructive that the loss of lives and ships is unimaginable.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
The Alpena Gale storm that was also called the White Hurricane of 1913 or the “Big Blow” swept through all the Great Lakes from Nov. 7 to 10 in 1913. More than 250 lives were lost to the watery depths, 19 ships were destroyed and another 19 were left stranded.
The side paddle steamer Alpena was one of those ships caught in the storm. Her name is now associated with the storm that wrecked her.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
On Nov. 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald was claimed by the Gales of Lake Superior , her companion ship the the SS Arthur M. Anderson was only a short distance behind her when the 35-foot high waves swallowed the Edmund Fitzgerald down.
A song once claimed that the Lakes never give up their dead when the skies of November turn gloomy. Whether its the North wind or the witch of November that comes calling the Great Lakes Gichi-gami, michi-gami, karegnondi , erielhonan and ontarí’io all respond the same with white capped waves raising up like gravestones and winds that break mast and sails.
So in honor of those lost to maritime disasters, the bells ring 29 times in November.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
Shetan Noir is a Michigan based author and weird travels journalist. She teaches classes on the paranormal history of the Great Lakes at local community colleges. Noir is available for podcast, radio and television appearances and can be contacted at shetannoir@yahoo.com.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, WKTV 25 will be airing a special half hour memorial tribute “Princess Diana: A Tribute To England’s Rose.”
The show will air Monday, Aug. 28, at 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.; and Friday, Sept. 1 at noon.
“I did the special because I have always admired Princess Diana and wanted to honor her,” said producer and longtime WKTV volunteer Kim Johnson.
Princess Diana was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961. The Spencer family was of British nobility. She married Prince Charles, the heir apparent to Queen Elizabeth II, on July 29, 1981. The marriage ended in divorce in 1996.
Princess Diana with John Travolta (By United States Federal Government – from the Ronald Reagan Library)
Diana remained the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her marriage during and after her marriage. he was celebrated for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. She was involved with dozens of charities including London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, of which she was president from 1989.
A year after her divorce, Diana was was fatally injured in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997. The sudden and unexpected death of an extraordinarily popular royal figure brought statements from senior figures worldwide and many tributes by members of the public. People left public offerings of flowers, candles, cards, and personal messages outside Kensington Palace for many months.
Her funeral was Sept. 6, 1997. At the funeral, Elton John performed a rewritten version of his song “Candle in the Wind,” which he retitled “Goodbye England’s Rose.” Diana was laid to rest on on an island on the grounds of the Spencer Family home, Althorp Park.
