Worth fighting for
Vol. 5, Issue 22
“There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo… and it’s worth fighting for.” --Samwise Gamgee, “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”
THE GOOD NEWS
Join a quest to save a nest
In the dark of night, female sea turtles crawl onto the beach, dig a nest and lay their eggs.
Last summer, nearly 300 loggerhead, green, leatherback and Kemp’s ridley turtles did so on Cape Hatteras National Seashore. When the eggs hatched two months later, the baby turtles followed the slope of the beach and used the light of the moon and stars reflecting off the water to find the ocean.
At that point, the wee hatchlings instinctively swim for a day or two until they reach the Gulf Stream and the seaweed “nurseries.” They will remain there until adolescence -- about 10 years.
These endangered reptiles face many threats, including climate change, poaching, pollution and the destruction of their nesting beaches. The nests and hatchlings are also vulnerable to predators and weather events. It is estimated that only 1,000 to 10,000 hatchlings will reach adulthood.
To help the mama turtles lay their eggs and the baby turtles reach the ocean, park rangers monitor and protect the nests during the sea turtle breeding season. But any champion of these creatures can participate in the Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest program.
Sponsored by Outer Banks Forever, a nonprofit partner of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and Wright Brothers National Memorial, the program allows animal lovers to “symbolically adopt a sea turtle nest” that is monitored by National Park Service rangers.
Donors receive an adoption certificate and updates about their assigned nest, including how many baby turtles made their way out to sea. These donations are then used to fund projects that protect and enhance the sea turtles’ habitat.
FMI: Click here.
A promise kept
It took 82 years, but a promise made during World War II was finally kept.
After the fall of Java in 1947, U.S. Army Pvt. Garth Oliver and Australian Cpl. Mervyn McCready were among the 32,000+ troops captured while fighting the Japanese and forced to become prisoners of war. While enduring extreme hardship, starvation and torture, the pair developed a strong friendship, the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette reported.
During the more than three years they spent in captivity, Oliver and McCready lived in POW camps and were ordered to toil on the Thai-Burma Railway. It was also known as the “Death Railway” because during the 12 months it took to build, one man died for every railway sleeper laid along its 250-mile length, per Historic UK.
The U.S. Army Air Force discovered their POW camp in September 1945. Ground forces freed the prisoners a short time later. Oliver and McCready swapped dog tags and vowed to meet one day to return them.
“As the famous story goes, having just survived with nothing but their lives and their dog tags and now parting ways, they exchanged them,” McCready’s grandson, Capt. Aaron McCready said. “Mervyn gave Garth his bottom dog tag, his living tag, as a token of their mateship — symbolic of ‘I owe you my life.’”
Although both soldiers made it home, they were never able to conduct that exchange. McCready died in 1956 at the age of 50. Oliver died in 1980 when he was 62.
But earlier this month, Capt. Aaron McCready traveled from Australia to Jacksboro, Texas, to meet with Oliver’s descendants, return the dog tag and fulfill that promise.
“They were mates,” McCready said. “They looked after each other, and together, despite the challenges, they came out on top, together.”
FMI: Click here.
The bathing beauty
SUPPORT A BIT OF GOOD NEWS
A Bit of Good News is a reader-supported newsletter featuring positive news. Subscriptions are free. But, if you want to aid my efforts — and can afford to do so — paid subscriptions are only $5/month, or $50/year. Everyone who purchases a subscription will receive the newsletter, gain full access to the archives and be automatically entered into a monthly giveaway for books, gift certificates and other prizes.
Know someone else who might enjoy A Bit of Good News? Feel free to forward a copy to them:
THIS WEEK’S POLL
PREVIOUS POLL
THIS WEEK IN (POSITIVE) HISTORY
On June 18, 1847, Thomas Martin Easterly took the earliest known photograph of lightning.
On June 19, 1862, slavery was outlawed in U.S. territories.
On June 20, 1969, David Bowie recorded “Space Oddity,” his first song about the fictional astronaut, Major Tom.
On June 21, 1893, the Ferris wheel debuted at the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
On June 22, 1963, “Little” Stevie Wonder released his first single, “Fingertips.” He was 13 years old.
On June 23, 1868, Christopher Latham Sholes received a patent for his invention, the “Type-Writer.”
On June 24, 2012, Billboard.com named Olivia Newton-John’s 1982 hit single, “Physical,” as the sexiest song of all time.
THIS WEEK’S FUN HOLIDAYS
June 18 is International Picnic Day, International Sushi Day, World Tapas Day, National Go Fishing Day, National Splurge Day, National Wanna Get Away Day, Cheesemakers Day and Clean Your Aquarium Day
June 19 is International Box Day (For Cats), World Sauntering Day, National Garfield the Cat Day, National Take Back the Lunch Break Day, National Watch Day and Juneteenth
June 20 is International Surfing Day, National American Eagle Day, National Dog Dad Day, National Ice Cream Soda Day, National Vanilla Milkshake Day and Kouign Amann Day
June 21 is International Yoga Day, World Giraffe Day, World Humanist Day, World Motorcycle Day, World Music Day, National Cookie Dough Day, National Peaches and Cream Day, National Seashell Day, National Smoothie Day, National Take Your Dog to Work Day, National Turkey Lovers Day, National Wagyu Day, National Yard Games Day, Father’s Day, Go Skateboarding Day, Native American Veterans Day, the Summer Solstice and Tall Girl Appreciation Day
June 22 is World Rainforest Day, National Chocolate Eclair Day, National Kissing Day, National Limoncello Day, National Onion Ring Day and Take Your Cat to Work Day
June 23 is International Olympic Day, International Women in Engineering Day, National Detroit Style Pizza Day, National Hydration Day, National Pecan Sandies Day, National Pink Day, National Porridge Day, National Typewriter Day, Let It Go Day and Pink Flamingo Day
June 24 is International Fairy Day, National Patch Day, National Pralines Day, Celebration of the Senses Day, Swim a Lap Day and Upcycling Day
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
FMI: Click here.
HOW TO SPREAD JOY/KINDNESS
* Start a gratitude journal with your friends
* Become a Big Brother or Big Sister and provide support for a child in need
* Remember to post happy birthday messages on social media
RECOMMENDED SUBSTACK
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Mario Amé, Unsplash, Outer Banks Forever, National Park Service, Max Gotts, the Island Free Press, Good, Good, Good, the Jacksboro Herald-Gazette, the Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Historic UK, The Associated Press, Find a Grave, Garth Oliver, YouTube, KFDX+, NBCDFW, Cooper & Niklas, The Dodo, The Moonlight Reader Society, History.com, This Day in History, Britannica, Time and Date, On This Day, the Library of Congress, IMDb, This Day in Music, National Today, National Day Calendar, Holidays Calendar, Water.org, The Art of Noticing, Emily Charlotte Powell, While I Was Drawing, Counting Beans, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions. Note: Generative AI was not used during the ideation, creation or publication of this newsletter.
KEEP IN TOUCH
Love our newsletter? Click the heart button and urge others to subscribe! Read a positive/uplifting news story lately? Or have an inspiring quote to share? Let us know.