Jul 28: This is a speech made by one of the few pilots who flew the fastest airplane in the world during the Cold War years, Brian Shul. He is a survivor of a crash in Vietnam that nearly claimed his life and went back to fly the SR-71 for the US Air Force. He is very engaging; the entire video is excellent to watch, even if it is done in segments. Note: about 1 hour long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=BZRP1q1PGUk
Jul 2: VA Video Series: The official blog of the US Department of Veteran Affairs (https://www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/category/the-american-veteran/)
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Award-winning VA video series, The American Veteran, receives 2017 regional Emmy Award 07/02/2018 09:00 AM EDT WASHINGTON - A video story produced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs - focusing on a Navy Veteran and comedian who recovered from a possible career-ending stroke in 2016 with the help of VA doctors and therapists - received an Emmy Award at a ceremony June 23 in Bethesda, Maryland. |
Jun 30: Vietnam Veteran meets WWII NAvajo Code Talker
Guys:
When I went to Boot Camp in June of 1963, our DI briefly mentioned the Navajo Code Talkers from WWII. I did a little research on them after ITR, and found out that they had confused the Japanese by speaking Navajo on the radio. That's all I knew. These guys were really cheated by the US Gov't and History, because what they really did was Classified Top Secret until 1968. By then, WWII was in the rear-view mirror and Vietnam was in the news. There were only 430 Navajo Code Talkers total, 29 to start out with. These guys, recruited to fight the Japanese, were never told what they were going to do until after Boot camp, and ITR. They then went to radio school and developed a code that was never broken. Keep in mind, most if not all of these guys were High school grads at best, and hadn't ever been off the reservation until joining the Marines.
I've visited northern Arizona, the Navajo reservation, 5 times hoping to meet one of these guys, but no luck. On Father's Day I took my 2 grown sons up to Monument Valley to see the place where many westerns were filmed. By sheer luck, on the Sunday we were going to go back home, Peter MacDonald Sr. showed up at our hotel to give a talk on what it was like to be a Code talker. There are only 9 left of the original 430; he is the youngest and in the best shape. He was 15 when he joined the Marines; he had no birth certificate, which wasn't uncommon for reservation Natives at that time. His cousin, who was a code talker, and later was killed at Peleliu, vouched for his age. His story was incredible and I was proud to have a picture taken with him!
Below are comments by my oldest Son, Matthew, about our experience with Peter:
On June 16th my father, brother and I toured, “Monument Valley” on the Navajo Reservation, Arizona. We were a few miles outside of Kayenta, Arizona and learned a lot about the Navajo people, and their contribution to U.S. National security.
My father is a history buff and followed the, “Navajo Code Talkers”, who made the difference in helping us win World War II in the Pacific and in taking the island of Iwo Jima. Please see the link and photos below. We also heard a presentation by former Active Duty Marine and Navajo Code Talker, Peter MacDonald Sr. He gave us a start-to-finish presentation dealing with why and how the Navajo language was selected. After his presentation, I took a photo of Mr. MacDonald and dad.
The Navajo Code Talking Marines did the impossible – check out their story with the link below and see how Mr. MacDonald is working on preserving their memory.
Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code
Peter MacDonald Sr. - http://petermacdonaldsr.com
Navajo Code Talkers Association: http://www.navajocodetalkers. codes
Pictures are available on our Photo Gallery Page - Navajo Code Talker
June 13, 2018: WWII LST still in active service as the Cape Helopen Ferry.
June 13, 2018:
This is a WWII film clip, stored for 61 years in two suitcases of 16mm home movies. They were inherited by filmmaker William Lorton, from his great uncle who served as a Flight Surgeon. The movies included 3 hours of war footage, including the crash landing of a Spitfire in 1944. Investigation by the filmmaker identified the pilot in the crash as an 18 year-old American, just out of high school.
The Yank was trained to photograph B-17 damage to German targets. To do so, he flew a British Spitfire fitted with extra fuel tanks replacing the Spitfire's guns. In other words, he flew huge distances, unarmed, behind enemy lines and without an escort. In broad daylight.
He gladly did it. The Greatest Generation?
This clip includes a 2005 interview with the pilot, then 83 years old. He remembered everything. Watch as the filmmaker surprises the pilot with the original footage of his crash landing.
Click this link: American Spitfire Pilot in WWII
June 8, 2018:
A reminder of the Second Revolutionary War - The War of 1812, which most of us have forgotten about.
https://www.prageru.com/videos /americas-2nd-war-independence
The Last Herk Out of Vietnam - Only In Arkansas
Lest we Forget. Before you on the link below, know it’s about 13 minutes long, an eternity in today’s sound-bite world!!! I found it to be a very moving video honoring the 88,000 American airmen killed in WWII…it is truly a superbly done tribute to pilots who died in the war. The gentleman who did the sculpture was the “last man standing” in the group he flew with … he began the project at the age of 90 … where do we get such men!!!
> mOOn out!!!
>
> https://lestweforgetsculpture. org/
Veterans Furniture Center (VFC) website including a 12 minute video on the way VFC operates to help formerly homeless Veterans in Phoenix. https://www.veteransfurniturec enter.org/veterans-video.html
Following the Footsteps of My Father on Vimeo A great human interest story, and history lesson. Ardennes, Belgium December 1944 (Approximately 14 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=jvEido2p3Bc Some prominent Veterans - who knew?
The Great Escape Tunnel Untouched for almost seven decades, the tunnel used in The Great Escape has finally been unearthed. The 111-yard passage nicknamed "Harry" by Allied prisoners was sealed by the Germans after the audacious breakout from the POW camp Stalag Luft III in western Poland. Click on the link for more information.
Vietnam War Casualties Listed by Home of Record. Cross Reference Vietnam Casualties by City and State. http://www.virtualwall.org/ iStates.htm