| To
our cheerleaders, the nickname is pure marketable genius. To our athletes, it's
an inspiration, a stronghold to defend. To the rest of our cynical, baggy-eyed
students, it's just another cheap pun. An
apology, cynics. The nickname is a shameless pun (obviously Zion-Benton
= Z-B = Zee-Bee). Shameless, too, is the myriad of puns that can be derived from
the name (you better BEE-lieve it!). However, not so shameless is the pun that
put the "Fighting" in the "Fighting Zee-Bees." In
fact, there is a rich legacy behind our school's nickname - it all began with
World War II. After the Allies had made Victory in Europe (in 1945), America turned
its attention toward Japan in the Pacific Ocean. However, it could not just attack
the main island. First of all, the distance between the United States and Japan
was immense. Second, and most important, there were thousands of small islands
in that immense distance of ocean - and Japan had had over 10 years to build strong
defenses on some of them. While a part of the U.S. Navy fought for control of
the fortified islands (two famous ones being Iwo Jima and Okinawa), another part,
called the Construction Battalions, took advantage of the islands that weren't
being heavily defended to build airstrips, harbors, and re-fueling stations. The
work of the Construction Battalions (simply called C.B.'s) was vital to closing
the gap between the U.S. and Japan. The men who served in these units later became
know as "Seabees," and because they often faced hostile Japanese soldiers
who were left on the islands, the men had to be prepared to defend themselves
in addition to their work. After that, they were called the "Fighting Seabees."
Zion-Benton Township
High School, built by the Public Works Administration in 1939, later became known
as the "Fighting Zee-Bees" in appreciation of the men who performed
this dangerous and vital service to their country. Regardless
of any puns, we are honored to remember these heroes. |
