Storm+Warriors

The year is 1895 and young Nathan wants nothing more than to become a surfman. He wants to learn how to row the heavy surfboat, breathe life into half-drowned sailors and fight the fiercest storms and win. But his father angrily discourages his dream. “There’s a lot you don’t understand,” he says. “You won’t ever be a surfman. Now put it out of your mind.” Even small Pea Island, along the Outer Banks of North Carolina is not immune to the effects of post-Civil War racism. If Nathan wants to become a storm warrior, he must find another way to win the battle. Does he? Read Storm Warriors, a moving tribute to the brave African-American crew of the Pea Island Life-saving Station. This crew was awarded the Gold Life-Saving Medal - the highest honor in the United States Life-Saving Service - one hundred years after they had performed one of the most heroic rescues in history. The ceremony came as the result of research performed by 2 graduate students and a fourteen-year-old student's letter to President Clinton and Senator Jesse Helms in an attempt to right racial wrongs and to bestow honor long overdue. (Marsha Carlan, marshad_us@yahoo.com, Benton Elementary School) Source: []