This post has absolutely nothing to do with the Manors, but I have mentioned in passing to many of you about the film in which I make a brief appearance while discussing my grandfather's role in World War One. Some of you asked me to let you know when the film will be shown, so that is why I mentioned it in the the Fall Newsletter and again here in this posting.
In the summer of 1918 President Woodrow Wilson, at the urging of our allies in Britain and France, sent an infantry regiment to North Russia to join the fight against the Bolshevik Red Army with the hope of resurrecting the war against Germany on the Eastern Front. The 339th Infantry, along with the first battalion of the 310th Engineers and the 337th Ambulance and Hospital Companies, whose men were primarily from the Detroit and Michigan areas, were chosen for this task. My grandfather, Clement Grobbel, was a corporal in Company I of the 339th Infantry Regiment.
These men landed in Archangel, Russia in early September of 1918 and soon found themselves braving the cold arctic weather while fighting fierce battles in temperatures of fifty-degrees below zero. They fought numerous battles in Northern Russia for eight long months after WWI had ended until they were finally withdrawn in June of 1919. On the voyage home they began calling themselves "Polar Bears”.
"Voices of a Never Ending Dawn" is their story, told using their own words. This film was produced and directed by Pamela Peak, whose grandfather was also a "Polar Bear". It will have its television broadcast premiere from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, Sunday, November 8, 2009 on WTVS - Detroit Public TV, Channel 56. WTVS can be found on Comcast channels 6 and 240 (HD). You can visit the film's official web site by clicking here.
I am the president of the Polar Bear Memorial Association and I've created the Association's web site which has a lot of content and links to information about the Polar Bears.
