Fighting for the Forest by P. O'Connell Pearson

Author:P. O'Connell Pearson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Published: 2019-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

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As the presidential caravan of cars got to the first of the Shenandoah camps in operation in August, the recruits stood at attention like soldiers ready for inspection. There were no salutes or drills, though. As Roosevelt had said, this wasn’t the military. The moment they got the signal, the boys broke formation and crowded around the president’s car, cheering and jostling to shake hands with the man who had changed their lives.

At Big Meadows, Roosevelt sat at the head of a long plank table on the edge of the field that gave the camp its name, the field where Native American peoples had spent summers thousands of years earlier. Out came platters of steak with mounds of mashed potatoes, green beans, salad, and rolls, followed by fresh apple pie for dessert.72 It looked like a real feast and this was a special occasion, but the food was typical of what the boys had for dinner regularly. The guests breathed in the sweet, clean air. Around them, birds sang, bees hummed. It was hard to imagine a nicer scene.

The president ate with enthusiasm and then spoke to the young men around him. “It’s very good to be here at these Virginia Civilian Conservation Corps camps,” he said as the cameras rolled.

I wish I could see them all over the country. I hope … they are in as fine condition as the camps that I’ve seen today. I wish that I could take a couple of months off from the White House and come down here and live with them, because I know I’d get full of health the way they have.73

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