#it's a reference to the motto of the United States Postal Service

[letmetellyouaboutmyfeels]

Not entirely sure I’m actually alive as I type this seeing as I haven’t gotten more than five hours of sleep a night for the last week and a half but we persevere. And frankly what kind of fanfic author would I be if I didn’t post in spite of sleep deprivation and also death. NEITHER RAIN NOR SLEET NOR SNOW...

Anyway, happy day-before-the-finale! I hope you’re all as ready for our funerals as I am! I’m not ready. help.

Title: Fractals from the Lightning Bolt

Rating: T for vague sexual references and I wanted to be on the safe side

Pairing: Buck/Eddie

Chapters: 20/54

Chapter Summary: Yet another post-Buckley parents spec fic because I was just in a Mood apparently.

[nyhistory]

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.

The motto (thought not officially) of the United States Postal Service was suggested by one of the architects of the James A. Farley Building, which serves as New York City’s main post office. The inscription can be seen carved across the entablature on the building:

“The firm of McKim, Mead & White designed the New York General Post Office, which opened to the public on Labor Day in 1914. One of the firm's architects, William Mitchell Kendall, was the son of a classics scholar and read Greek for pleasure. He selected the "Neither snow nor rain . . ." inscription, which he modified from a translation by Professor George Herbert Palmer of Harvard University, and the Post Office Department approved it.”

-Postal Service Mission and “Motto”

The Angarum, to which the original Greek line refers, were the royal riding post in the Persian Empire during the Achaemenid period, praised by Herodotus in his history of the Persian Wars, for their speed and dedication.

photographs, from top:  George P. Hall & Son, Manhattan: United States General Post Office, Eighth Avenue between W. 32nd Street and W. 31st Street, undated. (detail); Frederick Kelly, Post Office, New York City, April 19, 1962.

[nmaahc]

5 You Should Know: Roles African Americans Played in WW2

Photo: Volunteer Combat Soldiers, African American soldiers train somewhere in Germany, before going to the front, about February 1945. They took reductions in rank to fight, National Archives and Records Administration 

African Americans saw World War 2 as a chance to finally end a “separate but equal” nation. They fought for the right to fight--and to claim an equal place in a democratic society. Through protests, publicity, and persuasion, they influenced President Franklin Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802, which banned discrimination in defense industries. While E.O. 8802 set the stage for further African American progress in the military, the military segregation persisted. Explore the heroics of famous African American Regiments that served in segregated ranks during World War 2.

The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion on D-Day

Photo: Soldiers of the all-black 320th Very Low Altitude Battalion prepare a barrage balloon for launch on Omaha Beach during D-Day, June 6, 1944. The battalion was the only black combat unit to take part in the invasion. Some 700 black Soldiers served in the unit, Army Signal Corps file photo).

Many photographs of the Normandy invasion on D-Day show low tethered, miniature blimp-like balloons floating above the beaches. They were the work of the Africans American 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion. The balloons forced German planes to fly higher than usual and made their targeting less effective in attacks against Allied forces. In addition to the men of the 320th, another 1,200 African American soldiers landed on D-Day in truck and quartermaster units.

Women in the Fight

Photo: Inspecting WACs, Eight hundred women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion arrived in England in February 1945. Their commander was Maj. Charity Adams, seen here inspecting her WACs, National Archives and Records Administration.

More than 6,500 African American women served in the military during World War 2. Women Army Corps (WACs) served at installations with large numbers of African American soldiers, and the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion served in Europe. Black nurses served throughout the Pacific and in Europe. Women also served as Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVEs), SPARs (Coast Guard), and supported the Army Air Corps. Fighting a dual battle against sexism racism, they epitomized the World War 2 women’s motto: “Free a Man to Fight.”

African American Tank Battalions

Photo: 761st Tank Battalion soldiers are seen here in Coburg, Germany, on April 25, 1945, preparing to clear scattered Nazi machine-gun nests, National Archives and Records Administration. 

Three African American tank battalions deployed overseas during World War 2. The 761st arrived in France in October 1944 and initially served under the Third Army. The 784th arrived on Christmas Eve 1944 and went into combat on December 31. The 758th Tank Battalion arrived in Italy in December 1944 and served with the 92nd Division, fighting in the North Apennines and Po Valley Campaign and until hostilities ended in Italy.

War in the Pacific

Photo: Seabees Training, Seamen in the 34th naval Construction Battalion, (NCB) conduct landing-craft training near Norfolk, Virginia, about 1942, National Archives and Records Administration. 

By war’s end, African American had served throughout the Pacific. The 93rd Infantry Division was deployed from Guadalcanal to the Philippines. From January 1943 to October 1944 the Navy deployed the 34th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees) to Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands. All Montford Point Marines who served overseas deployed to the Pacific. At the 383rd/335th Station Hospital in Burma, African American nurses cared for black soldiers who helped build a major supply route, the Ledo Road.

The Red Ball Express

Photo: Keep ‘Em Rolling, The 4185th Quartermaster Service Company rolls on an express route near Liege, Belgium. Throughout the war, African American truckers generally referred to themselves as the Red Ball Express, Photo courtesy U.S. Army Transportation Museum.

The Red Ball Express was a huge truck-convoy system that operated in France from approximately August 25 to November 16, 1944. Largely African Americans, the soldiers drove trucks deep into enemy territory to supply Allied forces advancing from Normandy. On an average day, roughly 900 vehicles hauled general supplies, gasoline, ammunition, and much more. Several other routes, including the Green Diamond Route and the ABC Route, were established to continue supplying Allied forces as the crossed the Belgium border and moved towards Germany.

Bonus: Tuskegee Airmen

Photo: [Capt. Andrew D. Turner], who in a few minutes will be escorting heavy bombers en route to enemy targets, signals to the chief of his ground crew before taking off from a base in Italy. He is a member of the 15th U.S. Army Air Force, which has been smashing enemy objectives in Germany and the Balkans with both fighter and bomber craft. The pilot's plane, a Mustang, is named for a type of wild horse that once roamed in America." ca. September 1944. 208-MO-18K-32981. 

Established in 1941, the 332nd Fighter Group (99th, 100th, 301st, and 302nd squadrons) deployed overseas after nearly two years of training. At war’s end, they had flown more than 15,500 sorties, destroyed at least 111 enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat and 350 on the ground, and destroyed 57 locomotives and 17 vessels. Tuskegee Airmen also flew bombers in the 477th Bombardment Group, which never deployed overseas. Many Tuskegee Airmen remained in service and flew combat missions in Korea and Vietnam.

When the United States entered the World War II in 1941, the Army had approximately 99,200 African Americans. None, however, served in the Air Corps or specialty branches. The Navy and Coast Guard had a few enlisted members, the Marine corps none, and there were only 45 African American women nurses. By 1943 African Americans were serving in all branches of the armed forces, including the Army Air Corps and the Women’s Army Corps. By the war’s end 1.2 million African Americans had contributed to the victory.