Additional Resources Relating to Denny Meyer's Interview
These beginning resources attempt to build the background of Denny Meyer's stories. You will be able to access information pertaining to Holocaust suvivors, the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and anti-war protests.
Online Resources:
Holocaust suvivors:
- A website devoted to telling the stories of Holocaust suvivors.
- The United State Holocaust Memorial Museum has a suvivors and victims resource center to hear stories and also locate suvivors.
- The root of Denny's story is how his parents relocated from Europe to the United States. To better understand how Jewish refugees arrived in the United States, read about America's policy of Jewish refugees during that time, how refugees in general dealt with relocation, and how the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust affected immigration. Also, Denny's main focus was on his mother. Read this article about how Jewish women adapted and survived in the United States.
Civil Rights Movement:
- Topic pages of the civil rights movement from both Gale US History in Context and Credo Reference.
- A comprehensive look at the civil rights movement from the History Channel.
- For a quick look at the movement, refer to CNN's civil rights movement timeline.
The Vietnam War:
- An overview of the Vietnam War from Gale US History in Context.
- Another overview of the Vietnam War, complete with pictures and links for even more information from Credo Reference.
- "History and Hindsight: Lessons from Vietnam" is a 1985 New York Times article written by Charles Mohr. In this article, Mohr describes the major points of the war and the problems he now sees with the United States involvement.
- A look at the Vietnam War with a strong emphasis on the French colonization leading to the United State's involvement. Found through Credo Reference, from France and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History.
- Map of Vietnam, Laos,Thailand, and Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Shows battles, places where US dropped bombs, location of US bases, and more. Found through Credo Reference, from Chambers Dictionary of World History.
- A series of maps of Vietnam and the surrounding areas during the war. Found through Credo Reference, from the Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History.
Anti-War Protests:
- An article about the anti-war protests during the 1960s.
- One of the largest anti-war protests occurred in Washington D.C. in 1969. From the New York Times Learning Network blog, a recap of this protest and well as the article written directly after the event.
Books from NYPL's Catalog:
Holocaust survivors:
- The Holocaust Survivors by Tabatha Yeatts, published 1998, shares a variety of experiences with people who were at concentration camps during World War II.
- Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay is a popular novel about a woman's journey to retrace the steps of young Jewish girl in the Holocaust. This book was also recently made into a movie.
- Post-Holocaust Politics by Arieh Kochavi, published 2001, goes into detail about how both Britian and the United States dealt with Holocaust refeguees immigrants.
- FDR and the Jews look at President Roosevelt's decision about Nazi Germany and helping the Jewish people during World War II. Written by Richard Breitman, published 2013.
- Flight from the Reich by Deborah Dwork, published 2009, describes the variety of ways Jews escaped Germany and entered other countries (like Meyer's mother did to come to America).
Civil Rights Movement:
- Rhoda Lois Blumberg's 1991 book entitled Civil Rights: The 1960s Freedom Struggle looks at the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 60s as well as provides detailed biographies on the movement's more famous leaders.
- Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement by Patricia Sullivan, published 2009, looks at the creation of NAACP and its history over the years. This is the group that Meyer protested with when he was 13 in Long Island.
- Dangerous Liasons: Blacks, Gays, and the Struggle for Equality, published 1999. This book looks at both group searching for equality and the challeges they faced.
General Histories of the American War in Vietnam:
- America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975 by George C. Herring, first published 1979. This book is considered a staple in Vietnam information, and currently this book is in its fourth updated edition.
- Lyndon Johnson's War: America's Cold War Crusade in Vietnam, 1945-1968 by Michael Hunt, published 1996. A look at the war during the Johnson administration. The reader can see how the administration decisions impacted life in the jungle and life at home.
- The Vietnam War: A Concise International History by Mark Atwood Laurence, published 2008. In this book, Laurence attempts to view the war from all sides, bringing in global history to strengthen his variety of perspectives.
- Where the Domino Fell: America in Vietnam, 1945-1990 by James Stuart Olson and Randy Roberts, published 1991. Olson and Roberts create a concise history of America's involvement in Vietnam beginning at the end of World War II. This book also looks at how our popular culture has taken in war over the years. Also available to read at the Schwarzman Building.
- The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990 by Marilynn Blatt Young, published 1991. This book equally looks at the Vietnam War from both the American and Vietnamese sides to allow the reader to see both perspectives.
For more books on Vietnam, refer to resource pages of other Vietnam War veterans such as Gerald Brown.
Anti-War Protests:
- Carl Oglesby looks at the anti-war protests from his own personal experiences in his book Ravens in the Storm, published 2008.
- Peace and Freedom: The Civil Rights and Antiwar Movement of the 1960s by Simon Hall, published 2005, looks at both movements and their rise during the 1960s. This book is available to look at in the Schwarzman Building as well as the Schomburg Center.
- Telltale Hearts: The Origns and Impact of the Vietnam Anitwar Movement by Adam Garfinkle, published 1995, examines the beginning of the antiwar movement and the last impact it has had on the United States.
- An American Ordeal: The Antiwar Movement of the Vietnam Era by Charles DeBenedetti, published 1990, looks at the movement beginning in the late 1950s and follows it through until the end of the Vietnam War.
Items Related to Stories Told in Interview:
- Meyer talks about Gad Beck, a gay teenager who pretended to be a member of Hitler youth while helping Jewish family and friends. Beck passed away in 2012 and both the Huffington Post and the Jerusalem Post wrote articles about his life's legacy when he died. In 2001, Beck was profiled by the Miami Herald following the publication of his memoir, An Underground Life. Finally, Beck made a film appearance in the 2002 documentary Paragraph 175.
- Meyer grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. A brief history of the people who have lived on the Upper West Side can be found on NY.com or read Upper West Side Story by Peter Salwen, published 1989, for a more extensive look at the area and its people.
- When Meyer first went to college, he returned to New York City and attended the Borough of Manhattan Community College. He later decided to attend University of Miami.
- A brief article from the New York Times about flag burning over two centuries in the United States. Credo Reference also has a page on flag desecration in the United States.
- Station information on the Great Lakes Navel Base that Meyer was trained at. in the 1960s.
- From Credo Reference, a summary of the USS Forrestal fire. While Meyer was not on board when this fire happened, the incident lead the USS Forrestal back to the United States and Meyer was later assigned to this ship.
- While Meyer never set foot in Vietnam, he was a part of the helicopter sqaudron and helicopters were incredibly important during the Vietnam War. From Credo Reference is an article about how these helicopters were used and why they were essential in Vietnam. Also, read a story about helicopter pilots in the war and their roles and responsibilities.
- In his interview, Meyer talks about Admiral Zumwalt who wanted to build a "new Navy." From the Navy's website, a biography and resume of this admiral. Or, find out more through Credo Reference's page on Zumwalt.
- When Meyer talks about "relocation" (moving supplies without paperwork being fully filed out) he mentions the movie Iraq for Sale. Watch a trailer of the movie and find out more on the film's official website.
- Meyer talks about interviewing two cadets who cofounded the gay and lesiban on campus club at the Air Force Academy. Read their interview on Meyer's site.
Resources Relating to Gay Veterans, DOMA, and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell":
- The website for the National LGBT Veteran Memorial located in San Antonio, Texas.
- From Credo Reference, a topic page on Don't Ask, Don't Tell complete with links to journals, news, and books. Or see Gale US History in Context for a longer article about Gender and the Military.
- The End of Don't Ask, Don't Tell: The Impact in Studies and Personal Essays by Service Members and Veterans is an anthology published in 2012 that examines the impact on the military with the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Or, check out the anthology Our Time: Breaking the Silence of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
- From the Washington Post, a timeline of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
- In 2012, the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" celebration its one year anniversary. Several articles were written from all different new soruces such as The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and Huffington Post.
- From the Family Research Council, a basic facts sheet about The Defensive of Marriage Act. Or see the Credo Reference page on this act.
- Beginning March 2013, the United States Supreme Court began to look at the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Many new sources have covered this story with the angle of the impact on military family. These sources include NPR, The Daily Beast, and The Stanford Daily.
Additional Articles on Meyer:
- Meyer's website he maintains, Gay Military Signal.
- A 2010 article about Meyer's activism from The New York Jewish Week newspaper.
- A 2011 article from Pavement Pieces about Meyer's reaction to Don't Ask, Don't Tell being repealed.
- At the 2011 LGBT Vets Celebration, Meyer made a brief speech, which is located on YouTube.
- A 2012 blog post when Meyer was a guest blogger for Out Serve Magazine.