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1920s
Hale County map showing Swastika (S of Plainview)
Courtesy
Texas General Land Office |
History
in a Pecan ShellSwastika,
perhaps due to the name's association with the Nazis, has been removed from even
the most detailed county maps. It first appeared on the General Land Office 1920s
map of Hale County and remained for both the 1930 Highway map and the 1940 state
county map. It thereafter disappeared, with not so much as a cemetery shown for
the town’s presence.
The Swastika, one of the most widely used symbols
of good luck, has wide-ranging religious significance as well. The name is from
the Sanskrit and it has appeared on inscriptions, carvings, jewelry and at least
one vegetarian barbeque sauce can. It was a talisman for early aviators and Charles
Lindbergh had it painted on the Spirit of St Louis. Texas
Guinan’s boyfriend used it as a logo on the doors of his fleet of taxis in
1920s NYC and it even appeared on a unit patch
for the U.S. Army’s 45th Infantry Division.
But after the Nazis appropriated
it for their political party, it fell out of favor. A history of the town may
be available for a researcher in the Hale County area, but currently, there’s
no content available for our coverage. Just the appearance on the old county maps.
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Subject: Swastika,
TexasThe swastika
or 'sun wheel' is a sacred symbol among American Indians. That's why the
45th Infantry--the Oklahoma National Guard--used it as their patch. It was replaced
by a stylized thurnderbird. It was featured on the rosette of the warbonnet of
the 'Screaming Sioux,' which was the squadron emblem for the Lafayette Escadrille,
made up of volunteer Americans who flew for the French (it was actually the air
arm of the French Foreign Legion) during WW
I. It was also, prior to WW
II, used widely by the Boy Scouts in the US, but not overseas. Today it is
illegal to display a swastika in most of Europe.
During WW
II, fighter pilots in Europe painted small swastikas on their planes--one
for each German plane shot down. Bomber pilots often painted small swastikas on
their planes for each mission flown. Scale models of those aircraft, today, are
marketed all over the world. Instead of swastikas, the decal 'score marks' are
usually small yellow crosses on those models. However, on models of planes from
the Pacific the decals are accurate--representations of Japan's 'rising sun' flag.
Captain
Bong's P-38 had 50 rising suns on it. He was the highest-scoring ace in US history.
He was brought back to the States to train pilots and was killed when a P-80 Shooting
Star, the first US operational jet fighter, flamed out on takeoff. He was testing
the new aircraft.
- C.
F. Eckhardt, May 05, 2010 |
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U.S. Army’s 45th Infantry Insignia
Courtesy
Wikipedia Commons |
"Sign of Good Coal"
Courtesy
Texas State Library and Archives |
Swastika on Vegetarian Barbecue
Sauce
TE photo | |
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