Valor
Valor Friday
For the several thousand men who landed at Normandy on 6 June 1944, many wouldn’t make it to VE Day just shy of one year later. As with the men that fought, the equipment was even more disposable. So it’s unusual that a tank like the M4 Sherman pictured above, named “Bomb”, would make it […]
Valor Friday
If there’s a more Civil War-era name than Galusha Pennypacker, it’s his given name of Uriah Galusha Pennypacker. He was born somewhere in the vicinity of 1840-1844, the dates are uncertain. His gravestone lists 1 June 1842 as a birth year. His family had deep roots in his native Pennsylvania. His great-great-grandfather had immigrated from […]
Valor Friday
I came across the story of Cathay Williams, the only known female Buffalo Soldier, and found it interesting. From the National Park Service; Cathay Williams was born to an enslaved mother and a free father in Independence, Missouri in 1844. During her adolescence, she worked as a house slave on the Johnson plantation on the outskirts of […]
Valor Friday
Here’s a cool story I happened across. Lieutenant Crane’s B-24 Liberator gave out on him over Alaska in the winter. Somehow he managed to survive alone, for months, and walked his way to rescue. It’s a story that sounds worthy of a movie. From Military.com; How This Airman Survived 3 Months in the Alaskan Wilderness […]
Valor Friday
Continuing last week’s theme on exceptionally long service… As I’ve said previously, really, really long service was more common in the 19th Century (in America at least). In the 20th Century, mandatory retirement ages meant that it’s very difficult to spend more than four decades in uniform, but I have noted previous exceptions. My first […]
Valor Friday
It’s been a while since I talked about some folks who had exceptionally long military careers. A year and a half ago, I spoke about some here. I’ve come across a few more since then, so let’s take a look. Benjamin Bonneville was born in 1796 in Paris just after the French Revolution. When he […]
A doctor with heart
During the ramped-up Russian attacks on Ukraine, one story stands out. Kyiv was burning as Dr. Borys Todurov sped through the city in an ambulance, undeterred by the deep thuds of explosions and the terrifying sounds of Russian drones flying overhead. Todurov’s patient – a child – was seriously ill in a hospital. He had […]
Valor Friday
This week’s article will be a little different. For the Independence Day holiday last week, actor Kurt Russell connected to his own past. It’s a pretty cool story. I also learned that Kurt is a veteran, having served in the California Air National Guard in the 70s. From Military Times; How did you celebrate Independence […]
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