“All in all I would like to be appreciated as a man” Recently Virginia Tech and the National Endowment for the Humanities launched a project to transcribe the handwritten comments of a thousands of soldiers who responded to a survey during and in the aftermath of World War II. The results were published in 1950 under the title The American Soldier, a four volume series by … Continue reading In Their Own Words
By now I imagine and, having done my part, fervently hope, everyone knows 2020 is the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. If not, there’s one more opportunity to catch up on the events, the issues, and the ordinary and extraordinary people who lived through the war years. On August 30, the New York Times devoted its Book Review to books … Continue reading Like Minds — A WWII Reading List
From a even a quick glance at Anthony J. Marchione’s photo, the man’s youth is evident. He was a handsome young man, too, slightly built, all of five foot six and 125 pounds. He’d celebrated his twentieth birthday in Okinawa on August 12, 1945, an American airman in the prime of his life. Three days later, the Japanese surrendered. Six days later he was dead. … Continue reading The Last Airman to Die in WWII
You might not think of our men and women in uniform as “readers,” but you would be wrong. The army, navy, marines, air force, and coast guard all consider reading (and reading widely) as critical for career advancement. Courtesy of DODReads.com, a site dedicated to furthering reading and lifelong learning—especially for those who aspire to a career in the armed forces—you can peruse the list … Continue reading Soldiers as Readers? Indeed.
Georgia Men Among the Crew of the Ill-fated USS Indianapolis in 1945 Seventy-five years ago, only minutes past midnight on July 30, 1945, the Imperial Japanese submarine I-58 launched two torpedoes in the dark waters of the south Pacific. They sped toward the USS Indianapolis striking her in the bow and at midship. The story of what transpired following the attack is well known to navy veterans and WWII historians and … Continue reading The USS Indianapolis + 75 Years
“Rommel, you magnificent bastard, I read your book.” George C. Scott utters those words in a scene from the 1970 film Patton. With that gloating comment, the general reveals to the audience how he defeated the infamous Wehrmacht field marshal. He read his book. I would venture the same goes for almost anything in life including learning about D-Day and the battles waged in Normandy or enhancing a … Continue reading Ten on a Topic: Understanding Normandy
The Neyland home, a bright white house with a long narrow front porch, sits back from the street and is surrounded by the last of spring’s pink and lavender blooms. It’s a quiet street, two blocks off a thoroughfare in Marietta, Georgia, and four thousand miles from where James once stood guard and witnessed the start of the invasion of Normandy on a night in … Continue reading A Witness to the Start of D-Day
Meet Dr. Jean Gilnord Mathurin, medical officer in the United States Navy and firm believer in the power of books. And, keep reading to learn more about the military and its reading recommendations. Dr Mathurin is a Haitian immigrant who raised himself from dishwasher to a US Naval Medical Officer. He shared his perspective on books and what he believes are the keys to success … Continue reading A Military Man Is Mentored through Books
Despite the airwaves being dominated by news of the pandemic, I hope that people everywhere remember that 2020 is the 75th anniversary of another global event—the end of World War Two. I like to think that with so many efforts underway to memorialize the events, battles, and the people who served that it would be impossible to escape knowing the significance of 2020. I am … Continue reading One of 400,000
Am I the only one to notice? It seems I cannot scroll through another Facebook news, or Twitter feed, or Youtube channel without seeing a post or video of a 100-year-old WWII veteran celebrating life. I thought, in these dire times engendered by the coronavirus, it might be worth highlighting a few of these remarkable people. Each and every one has an inspirational and uplifting … Continue reading At the Century Mark
