Babe Ruth Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

by | Nov 16, 2018 | Uncategorized

Baseball legend George Herman “Babe” Ruth will receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United State’s highest civilian honor, today Friday, November 16. A White House press release listed Ruth among seven American icons who will be honored. His career spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. He was with the Yankees for 15 seasons, leading them to seven American League championships and four World Series Titles.

The first baseball player to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom was Morris “Moe” Berg, in 1945, from President Harry S. Truman. Berg was honored because of his service with the Office of Strategic Service (OSS) in the war after his Major League Baseball career was over. To learn more about other baseball players awarded the medal click here: http://bit.ly/2zd7acH

Babe Ruth and Morris “Moe” Berg traveled together to Japan in 1934 on an
American All-Star Baseball tour. Fascinating details about the trip and their
friendship will be featured in Aviva Kempner’s upcoming full-length
documentary about Moe Berg. Robert Fitts, author of Banzai Babe Ruth,
Vernona Gomez, daughter of Lefty Gomez and author of Lefty, An American Odyssey, and Julia Ruth Stevens, daughter of Babe Ruth, are all featured in the film. Home movies from Jimmie Foxx and Lefty Gomez featuring the Japan trip will also be included.

Julia Ruth Stevens and her family shared a statement about the award. They write, “One lesser known aspect of Babe’s life of which we are most proud are his efforts off the field, especially with children. Throughout his life, Babe visited thousands of children in hospitals and orphanages, often at considerable inconvenience. He regularly could be found standing outside the stadium for hours after baseball games, signing autographs. He paid hospital bills for people he barely knew. He supported over 100 charities and foundations over the course of his life. The family statement continues, “Of German descent himself, Babe publicly spoke out against the German persecution of Jews in the years leading up to the American entry into WWII and participated in numerous charitable events that raised funds for the war effort.”

Ruth is also known for using his famous name by participating in the German-American protest against the Holocaust, and helping to attract public attention to the Jews’ plight. Timing is everything, both on the baseball field and beyond, and the timing of Ruth’s protest was crucial: Precisely at the moment when U.S. officials were hoping to brush the Jewish refugee problem aside, Babe Ruth helped keep it front and center. During the last week of December 1942, the “Christmas Declaration by men and women of German ancestry,” appeared as a full-page ad in the New York Times and nine other major daily newspapers.

“We Americans of German descent raise our voices in denunciation of the Hitler policy of cold-blooded extermination of the Jews of Europe and against the barbarities committed by the Nazis against all other innocent peoples under their sway,” the declaration began. “These horrors…are in particular, a challenge to those who, like ourselves are descendants of the Germany that once stood in the foremost ranks of civilization.” The ad went on to “utterly repudiate every thought and deed of Hitler and his Nazis,” and urged the people of Germany “to overthrow a regime which is in the infamy of Germany history.” Read more about it here: http://bit.ly/2PXe93c

Ruth’s family says that “Everyone was equal in the Babe’s eyes – rich or poor, white or black. Living in a time when segregation was a common fact of life, he called many African Americans friends, including Joe Louis and Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. He regularly barnstormed during the offseason against Negro League teams and promoted the concept of integrated baseball well ahead of its time. Sadly, it was this open-mindedness, his advocacy for player’s rights, and his general outspokenness, that likely prevented him from fulfilling his other lifelong dream – to manage a Major League Team.”

We at Ciesla, salute Babe Ruth for being a true American Hero and are excited to see him recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his many contributions to American culture.

General William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan

by | Nov 12, 2018 | Uncategorized

(January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959)

As leaders gather in Paris to commemorate the end of World War 1, The Ciesla Foundation would like to share the story of a hero, General William J. “Wild Bill” Donovan.

In 1907, Donovan graduated from Columbia Law School and entered private practice.

In search of a way to serve his country, Donovan joined the New York National Guard in 1912 as a captain. He became part of the 69th “Fighting Irish” Regiment. Donovan also served on the Mexican border in 1916 after his guard regiment was called into federal service to assist the U.S. Army in tracking down the Mexican bandit Pancho Villa.

During World War I, Donovan served his country again, when his regiment was called into federal service. Donovan then became part of the 165th Regiment of the U.S. Army, also known as the “Rainbow” Division because of the cross-country makeup of its ranks. During his time leading the regiment, Donovan earned his nickname “Wild Bill.” The men in his battalion called him “Wild Bill” out of admiration for his coolness and resourcefulness during combat and because of the hard physical drills, he made them do to prepare for battle.

On July 11, 1941, after the shock of Pearl Harbor earlier that year, President Roosevelt appointed Gen. William J. Donovan, a decorated veteran of World War I and also known as “Wild Bill” Donovan to become the Director of the Office of the Coordination of Information (COI), The COI coordinated information collected abroad for the president. After the United States became involved in World War II, the COI became the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) in June 1942, with Donovan still in charge.

Donovan became known as the “Father of American Intelligence.”

He was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. He was wounded in action three times during World War I. On July 18, 1918, for bravery under fire on the River Ourcq during the Second Battle of the Marne, he was awarded the Medal of Honor. By the end of the war, Donovan had been promoted to colonel and was one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I. Upon returning from Europe after World War I, Donovan — along with Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. — was a co-founder of the American Legion.

He is the only person to have received all four of the United States’ highest awards: The Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Medal, and the National Security Medal. He is also a recipient of the Silver Star and Purple Heart, as well as decorations from a number of other nations for his service during both World Wars.

The OSS consisted of men and women from many areas and backgrounds — lawyers, historians, bankers, baseball players, actors, and businessmen. Their assignment was to conduct espionage, sabotage, and morale operations against the Axis powers, and conduct in-depth research and analysis on the nation’s enemies and their capabilities.

One of Donovan’s accomplishments in WWII was hiring Moe Berg, former major league baseball player, to work with the OSS and providing the US government with information about Germany’s efforts to develop an atomic weapon. Moe Berg gathered intelligence and contacted Italian scientists in an effort to keep them from working with the Nazis. He was sent to Zurich to attend a lecture given by Werner Heisenberg and determine the likelihood of a German A-bomb. He was given a gun to assassinate Heisenberg if necessary and a cyanide pill to take himself.

Upon learning of General Donovan’s death in 1959, President Eisenhower said: “What a man! We have lost the last hero.”