Playing cards to pass the time War can be hell… and war can be absolute boredom. There are few better ways to pass the time than by playing cards. They’re easy to carry: small and lightweight, they fit into a rucksack, duffel bag or Alice pack without having to sacrifice any piece of essential gear. […]Playing… Continue reading Playing cards made history — Pacific Paratrooper
I first shared this post in 2018, but as "Jeannie's" story is nearly ready for launch (and is currently up for pre-order!) it seemed like a good time to share it again. Launch Date: Nov 1, 2021! Choosing the right name is a difficult task- at least it is for me. As a child, the… Continue reading Musical Interlude: “I Dream of Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair”
"The U.S. Navy destroyers USS Lamson (DD-367), left, and USS Haraden (DD-585) at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington (USA), in early 1945. They were to receive repairs for damage inflicted by Kamikaze attacks in December 1944. Lamson is wearing Camouflage Measure 31 Design 23D. Haraden's camouflage is Measure 31 Design 3D." Photo taken in early 1945. Image courtesy of the… Continue reading America Builds Up: The Bremerton Naval Yard on Our American Stories
Hello again Readers, Writers, and History Lovers! Today, I'm pleased to be a guest on Our American Stories. Last time, I was invited to talk about The Battle of Midway. Today, I'm talking about an earlier period in the U.S. involvement in WWII: The Doolittle Raid and the Battle of the Coral Sea. Here is… Continue reading The Doolittle Raid and The Battle of the Coral Sea on Our American Stories
The Benedictine monastery on Monte Cassino, rebuilt after its war time destruction. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Information about the license is linked here. Yesterday I wrote about one of the defining battles of the Italian campaign: the Allied struggle to break through the German's Gustav Line at Monte Cassino. The scope of the topic convinced… Continue reading Monte Cassino: Concluded
Our travel route- roughly. 🙂 Map image courtesy Wikimedia commons: links here. I added the red and black arrows. Avoiding the craziness of flying with a family of five, the Clare family embraced the alternative craziness of driving across more than half of the U.S. It was a long haul—about 2300 miles each way— offering… Continue reading Road Trip!!! Part 2: From Wisconsin back to Washington
“”Sinking Sun”: painting by Griffith Baily Coale, oil on canvas, 1942. Description: A U.S. Marine stands at parade rest on the bow of a PT boat as she moves slowly out to sea from Midway to give decent burial to Japanese fliers shot down on the islands during the battle. The red ball of the… Continue reading The Battle of Midway on “Our American Stories”
Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum under their Non-Commercial license. © IWM NA 24123 Sometimes history reads like fiction. This photo first came to my attention in Richard Doherty's "Eighth Army in Italy: 1943-45"1 and I finally found it in the Imperial War Museum's archives. Original wartime caption: This Sherman tank, during a night… Continue reading A Sticky Situation
“Tanks of an Armored regiment are debarking from an LST [US 77] in Anzio harbor [Italy] and added strength to the U.S. Fifth Army [VI Corps] forces on the beachhead (WWII Signal Corps Photograph Collection)” Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons While temperatures in my region of the U.S. are spiking to unusual highs, it's time to… Continue reading Through the Rivers and Over the Mountains: The Italian Campaign in WWII Part III
“Tanks of an Armored regiment are debarking from an LST [US 77] in Anzio harbor [Italy] and added strength to the U.S. Fifth Army [VI Corps] forces on the beachead (WWII Signal Corps Photograph Collection)” Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Hello Readers! Happy first day of Spring! Time has flown. Between finishing the third quarter of… Continue reading Getting a Foothold: The Italian Campaign in WWII Part II
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