Comments on: “I Was Looking Forward to a Quiet Old Age”

By: Kinsey

Kinsey — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 21:57:57 +0000

I just wanted to say that I have read and reread Paris Underground for the last 30 years or more. My grandmother gave it to me many years ago. Whenever I feel like I need to understand what courage really is, I read about Etta and Kitty again. I would like to think I would be so brave, but I am afraid I wouldn’t measure up to Mrs. Shiber’s standards. She was an ordinary woman who behaved amazingly in terrible times.

By: J.T. Post

J.T. Post — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 22:17:13 +0000

Pardon me for pointing this out, but a service organization for French veterans is identified more than once in this piece as “The Foyer du Soldat.”

That appears to be an incomplete name. The image of a poster shown here gives its name as “Le Foyer du Soldat Aveugle,” suggesting that it aided disabled veterans. (“Aveugle” is French for “blind.”)

Not a significant error but worth clarifying.

By: Karen Abbott

Karen Abbott — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:26:41 +0000

Hi Bill,

Thanks, and thanks for pointing out the typo (I’ve made a correction).

Karen

By: Bee

Bee — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 20:40:26 +0000

I had never heard of Etta Shiber before reading this article. She and her comrades were incredibly brave. Thank you for bringing her story to light.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Makes one wonder what she would’ve done in a similar situation, and shows that the most unlikely of heroes may reside in a PTA mom, your matronly neighbor, or an unprepossessing homemaker. Excellent article.

By: Carolyn

Carolyn — Thu, 31 May 2012 20:01:19 +0000

I have enjoyed this article.

By: Bill Spaniel

Bill Spaniel — Thu, 31 May 2012 19:52:30 +0000

Thank you for an excellent article about a great, but forgotten, hero of World War II. She should have received a medal from the British government.

Incidentally, early in the article, you misname Etta as Emma. Nevertheless, a good piece.

By: Nate

Nate — Thu, 31 May 2012 02:30:35 +0000

Thanks for telling this great story!