Asa Kent Jennings
Asa Kent Jennings was a small-town minister from upstate New York. On September 1922 in the city of Smyrna, Turkey the Turkish army made a plan to kill all the Christian residents (both Armenians and Greeks). They set fire to the city, and everyone was in panic. During this time the United states, France, Britain, and Italy were in the harbors of Smyrna but at this point didn't want to get involved. Eventually Britain saved a few thousand people but, hundred of thousands of people were left to die. It was dreadful no one wanted to help any of these residents get to safety. They were running out of time because the Turkish army was trying to get all of the refuges away from the harbor and to the center of town to kill them. Until Asa Kent Jennings decided to help. He set up first-aid stations for pregnant women to help them in abandoned homes. He later said he "felt the hand of god on his shoulder". So he wanted to help even more because god was now on his side. During the next week he was able to get a fleet of ships and the U.S navy to help with his rescue plan. With the help of a young brave naval officer they evacuated around a quarter million of women and children from Smyrna to safety of the Greek islands and the cities of Piraeus and Salonika. Later in 1933 Jennings died, but never forgotten and remembered as the hero of the 20th century.
Asa Kent Jennings was a small-town minister from upstate New York. On September 1922 in the city of Smyrna, Turkey the Turkish army made a plan to kill all the Christian residents (both Armenians and Greeks). They set fire to the city, and everyone was in panic. During this time the United states, France, Britain, and Italy were in the harbors of Smyrna but at this point didn't want to get involved. Eventually Britain saved a few thousand people but, hundred of thousands of people were left to die. It was dreadful no one wanted to help any of these residents get to safety. They were running out of time because the Turkish army was trying to get all of the refuges away from the harbor and to the center of town to kill them. Until Asa Kent Jennings decided to help. He set up first-aid stations for pregnant women to help them in abandoned homes. He later said he "felt the hand of god on his shoulder". So he wanted to help even more because god was now on his side. During the next week he was able to get a fleet of ships and the U.S navy to help with his rescue plan. With the help of a young brave naval officer they evacuated around a quarter million of women and children from Smyrna to safety of the Greek islands and the cities of Piraeus and Salonika. Later in 1933 Jennings died, but never forgotten and remembered as the hero of the 20th century.