Suggested edit: Asa Kent Jennings was born into a family of ministers and faithful methodist churchgoers. Attended Syracuse University, he was channeled into missionary by the YMCA"s student volunteer movement service. Forced to drop out of school over lack of funds, he got a job as an assistant secretary for boy's athletics at the Utica (NY) YMCA. He tried to make a living as a minister for various rural NY churches but generally found himself working for the YMCA in various capacities to pay his bills. At 24, he married his wife Amy and at 25 yjey had their first born, a daughter named Ortha, who died soon afterwards. At the age of 27 he contracted Typhoid fever, recovered, relapse and then worked through a long convalescence. At 28 he was diagnosed with TB which his wife was told was too advanced to be treated and to make him comfortable as his case was hopeless. Initially withholding the details of his illness from him, he and his wife embarked on a two year battle for recovery. During his illness and recovery he was diagnosed with Pott's disease (TB infusing to the spine) that resulted in the eroding of the vertebra and cartilage so that his spine curved and began to collapse. This resulted in a full body cast. HIs wife stayed by his side and much to surprise of the medical professionals, he survived losing 5 inches of height and developing the hunchback that marked him for the rest of his days. In 1907 he was back at work as a pastor and his second child, a son named Asa Wilbur was born. He and Amy would have two more children, Bertha and Willard. In 1918 he elected to work as a YMCA Army Chaplin at bases in Virginia and New Jersey ministering to soldiers traveling to France and WWI. He was very popular with the men and was one of 49 YMCA members sent to France in the aftermath of WWI to minister to men awaiting return to the USA. Reverend Jennings, once an itinerant minister from upstate New York arrived in Smyrna, Turkey in August 1923 to work for the YMCA in the month before the complete defeat and collapse of the Greek Army in Turkey. The collapse and evacuation of the Greek Army allowed Turkish forces and local Muslim population to openly attack christian Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians throughout Turkey. In Western Turkey where the final defeat of the Greek army occurred outside of Smyrna, the violence escalated significantly and thousand fled before the Turkish forces culminating in hundreds of thousands refugees trapped in the port city of Smyrna along with its existing Greek population. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Smyrna was one of the richest and most cosmopolitan cities in the eastern Mediterranean. Before WWI Smyrna was a city of half a million and mostly Greek.
At the time there were more with more Greek citizens in Smyrna than Athens. Upon the evacuation of the Greek Army, the situation in Smyrna rapidly became deteriorated and became increasing desperate for the refugees and local population alike. The Turkish military and the local Turkish population openly robbed, raped and killed christians at will. Throughout the sacking of Smyrna, non-muslin men between the age of 16 to 45 were routinely rounded up, arrested or killed outright. After arrest, executions usually followed shortly afterwards. Women, children and old men were often forced marched into the interior of Turkey to die of exhaustion, neglect, starvation, murder, rape, etc., in actions reminiscent of the Turkish Armenian death marches and genocide of 1914 to 1916. Jennings, despite his own medical issues remained in Smyrna despite the ability to evacualte to a US Navy ship (he placed his family on the ship) where in the midst of everything he established on his own a series of safe house for christian refugees and worked to organized food relief for refugees . Circumstance shortly would thrust him center stage where he, working with the assistance of the British, French, Italian and US Navy, would arrange and oversaw the largest sea evacuation of refugees in the 20th century. It was through his efforts an estimated two to three hundred thousand women, old men and children were evacuated to Greek islands and Greece. Details of his life and experiences during the the Smyrna sacking can be found in Lou Ureneck's book, "The Great Fire." Mr Jennings deserves to be better known.
Contributor: john (49249802)
At the time there were more with more Greek citizens in Smyrna than Athens. Upon the evacuation of the Greek Army, the situation in Smyrna rapidly became deteriorated and became increasing desperate for the refugees and local population alike. The Turkish military and the local Turkish population openly robbed, raped and killed christians at will. Throughout the sacking of Smyrna, non-muslin men between the age of 16 to 45 were routinely rounded up, arrested or killed outright. After arrest, executions usually followed shortly afterwards. Women, children and old men were often forced marched into the interior of Turkey to die of exhaustion, neglect, starvation, murder, rape, etc., in actions reminiscent of the Turkish Armenian death marches and genocide of 1914 to 1916. Jennings, despite his own medical issues remained in Smyrna despite the ability to evacualte to a US Navy ship (he placed his family on the ship) where in the midst of everything he established on his own a series of safe house for christian refugees and worked to organized food relief for refugees . Circumstance shortly would thrust him center stage where he, working with the assistance of the British, French, Italian and US Navy, would arrange and oversaw the largest sea evacuation of refugees in the 20th century. It was through his efforts an estimated two to three hundred thousand women, old men and children were evacuated to Greek islands and Greece. Details of his life and experiences during the the Smyrna sacking can be found in Lou Ureneck's book, "The Great Fire." Mr Jennings deserves to be better known.
Contributor: john (49249802)
Suggested edit: Asa Kent Jennings was born into a family of ministers and faithful methodist churchgoers. Attended Syracuse University, he was channeled into missionary by the YMCA"s student volunteer movement service. Forced to drop out of school over lack of funds, he got a job as an assistant secretary for boy's athletics at the Utica (NY) YMCA. He tried to make a living as a minister for various rural NY churches but generally found himself working for the YMCA in various capacities to pay his bills. At 24, he married his wife Amy and at 25 yjey had their first born, a daughter named Ortha, who died soon afterwards. At the age of 27 he contracted Typhoid fever, recovered, relapse and then worked through a long convalescence. At 28 he was diagnosed with TB which his wife was told was too advanced to be treated and to make him comfortable as his case was hopeless. Initially withholding the details of his illness from him, he and his wife embarked on a two year battle for recovery. During his illness and recovery he was diagnosed with Pott's disease (TB infusing to the spine) that resulted in the eroding of the vertebra and cartilage so that his spine curved and began to collapse. This resulted in a full body cast. HIs wife stayed by his side and much to surprise of the medical professionals, he survived losing 5 inches of height and developing the hunchback that marked him for the rest of his days. In 1907 he was back at work as a pastor and his second child, a son named Asa Wilbur was born. He and Amy would have two more children, Bertha and Willard. In 1918 he elected to work as a YMCA Army Chaplin at bases in Virginia and New Jersey ministering to soldiers traveling to France and WWI. He was very popular with the men and was one of 49 YMCA members sent to France in the aftermath of WWI to minister to men awaiting return to the USA. Reverend Jennings, once an itinerant minister from upstate New York arrived in Smyrna, Turkey in August 1923 to work for the YMCA in the month before the complete defeat and collapse of the Greek Army in Turkey. The collapse and evacuation of the Greek Army allowed Turkish forces and local Muslim population to openly attack christian Greeks, Assyrians and Armenians throughout Turkey. In Western Turkey where the final defeat of the Greek army occurred outside of Smyrna, the violence escalated significantly and thousand fled before the Turkish forces culminating in hundreds of thousands refugees trapped in the port city of Smyrna along with its existing Greek population. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Smyrna was one of the richest and most cosmopolitan cities in the eastern Mediterranean. Before WWI Smyrna was a city of half a million and mostly Greek.
At the time there were more with more Greek citizens in Smyrna than Athens. Upon the evacuation of the Greek Army, the situation in Smyrna rapidly became deteriorated and became increasing desperate for the refugees and local population alike. The Turkish military and the local Turkish population openly robbed, raped and killed christians at will. Throughout the sacking of Smyrna, non-muslin men between the age of 16 to 45 were routinely rounded up, arrested or killed outright. After arrest, executions usually followed shortly afterwards. Women, children and old men were often forced marched into the interior of Turkey to die of exhaustion, neglect, starvation, murder, rape, etc., in actions reminiscent of the Turkish Armenian death marches and genocide of 1914 to 1916. Jennings, despite his own medical issues remained in Smyrna despite the ability to evacualte to a US Navy ship (he placed his family on the ship) where in the midst of everything he established on his own a series of safe house for christian refugees and worked to organized food relief for refugees . Circumstance shortly would thrust him center stage where he, working with the assistance of the British, French, Italian and US Navy, would arrange and oversaw the largest sea evacuation of refugees in the 20th century. It was through his efforts an estimated two to three hundred thousand women, old men and children were evacuated to Greek islands and Greece. Details of his life and experiences during the the Smyrna sacking can be found in Lou Ureneck's book, "The Great Fire." Mr Jennings deserves to be better known.
Contributor: john (49249802)
At the time there were more with more Greek citizens in Smyrna than Athens. Upon the evacuation of the Greek Army, the situation in Smyrna rapidly became deteriorated and became increasing desperate for the refugees and local population alike. The Turkish military and the local Turkish population openly robbed, raped and killed christians at will. Throughout the sacking of Smyrna, non-muslin men between the age of 16 to 45 were routinely rounded up, arrested or killed outright. After arrest, executions usually followed shortly afterwards. Women, children and old men were often forced marched into the interior of Turkey to die of exhaustion, neglect, starvation, murder, rape, etc., in actions reminiscent of the Turkish Armenian death marches and genocide of 1914 to 1916. Jennings, despite his own medical issues remained in Smyrna despite the ability to evacualte to a US Navy ship (he placed his family on the ship) where in the midst of everything he established on his own a series of safe house for christian refugees and worked to organized food relief for refugees . Circumstance shortly would thrust him center stage where he, working with the assistance of the British, French, Italian and US Navy, would arrange and oversaw the largest sea evacuation of refugees in the 20th century. It was through his efforts an estimated two to three hundred thousand women, old men and children were evacuated to Greek islands and Greece. Details of his life and experiences during the the Smyrna sacking can be found in Lou Ureneck's book, "The Great Fire." Mr Jennings deserves to be better known.
Contributor: john (49249802)
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