Despite a desire to serve their country in any capacity they could, at the start of the Second World War the military was reluctant to allow blacks to enlist. If they did enlist local draft boards often passed blacks over in favor of white recruits, resulting in fewer than 4,000 black troops and a mere dozen black officers in the ranks in late 1941. Eventually, … Continue reading The King and the War
75 years after the war ended my hometown unveiled a memorial to World War II veterans, and veterans of all wars. On the anniversary of D-Day a crowd (yes, a crowd) in relatively tiny Cumming, Georgia braved the near-winter breezes and just a sprinkling of sun to view the ceremony outside city hall on 100 Main Street. Perhaps fittingly, for today’s generation, the sculpture recognized … Continue reading WWII on Main Street
Historians have traced the origin of dog tags to ancient times. Roman Legionnaires wore a lead emblem bearing their name on a rope they tied around their necks. The Chinese used them in the mid 1800s and the Prussians in the Franco Prussian War in the 1870s. But in America, Civil War soldiers resorted to writing their names on scraps of paper they carried in … Continue reading On Veterans Day: Keepsakes
A couple of weeks ago, three local WWII veterans gathered around a table at a bookstore in Acworth, Georgia, to chat with guests. The three, Jack Smith, Dick Bailey, and Bob Mero sat together with several of their photographs, citations, medals, books, and other mementos displayed on the long table in front of them. I’ve been fortunate to befriend Jack and Dick over the last … Continue reading Bob Mero in Normandy and Georgia
Thousands of stories from World War II veterans have been recorded through the efforts of programs such as the Veterans History Project. Still they represent just a small number of the thousands of stories untold. Recently, the Atlanta History Center shared one interesting tale, this, from Iris Fensom Magid. Iris tells of life in London during WWII. She lived through the Blitz and distinctly remembers … Continue reading Tales from the UK Homefront
It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance by solemn actions of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more. John Adams Courtesy of a post today from the U.S. Naval Institute And so … Continue reading July 4: Guns, Bells, and Bonfires
Churchill died in 1965. Where was I and why do I not remember his passing? My father had a number of Churchill’s books on the bookshelves in our home, but I never opened one. As anyone else with more than a passing interest in Churchill, I’ve watched movies and documentaries about Churchill, read other books on the man, but none by him. But earlier this … Continue reading Winston: Bigger than Life
Live with Dave Hamilton! Dave piloted a C-47 into Normandy on D-Day carrying as he calls it a “stick” of paratroopers into the battle. During a webinar today, he recounted his experiences from signing on to fly, crossing the Atlantic to his station in Europe, to participating in the Normany invasion and the Battle of Bastogne. He describes his experiences of dodging anti-aircraft fire, landing … Continue reading D-Day Re-envisioned
Quick! In what city is The National WWII Museum located? If you answered, Washington, DC you would be wrong. New Orleans has the honor of hosting the museum. New Orleans? Why, other than it is a great place to visit? Think Higgins Boats, those low slung, battleship gray, flat bottom barges with ramps for unloading men and material. Those very same boats portrayed in WWII … Continue reading The National WWII Museum
FDR and MacArthur (and me) Two men we could use today. Although they had their disagreements, they left this country better than they found it. Both were larger than life and both suffered greatly in their rise to greatness. Their lives were perhaps mirror opposites. FDR, struck with polio at the age of 39, fought to overcome his disease, hiding it from the public–a feat … Continue reading Bring ’em back
