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Larry Ponder, the son of John Ponder, his sister and a few family members recently visited the Pentagon where they were presented newly issued honorable discharges and an apology.
In 1940, Larry Ponder's father and uncle were kicked out of the Navy after signing onto a letter to a Black newspaper detailing racist treatment they'd received while serving on a warship.
Family members attended a June 16 ceremony at the Pentagon, where Navy officials apologized for expelling 15 black sailors who exposed racism aboard the USS Philadelphia in 1940. The Navy issued honorable discharges for the sailors, all of whom have died.
Kicked out of the Navy in 1940 for publicly criticizing the racist abuse they suffered on their warship, 15 Black men were posthumously exonerated at the Pentagon on Friday.
Schools urged to start A-bomb training Lackawanna County Judge Otto Robinson, county coordinator for civilian defense, announced that public and parochial school officials in Lackawanna County will be receiving letters calling upon the schools to start atomic bomb survival training with their students. The letters will contain samples of training and procedures for the A-bomb training for the school leaders. In addition to A-bomb survival training, Robinson said that the countyâs civilian defense corps is also looking to boost first aid training in the county. He said the civilian defens...