When are those P-40’s going to arrive to “raise hell on the other side of the line?” March 1942

Where are the planes? March 7th In the Philippines, the ever-encroaching forces of the Imperial Japanese Army must have seemed relentless. The under gunned and under-protected American and Philippine forces were subjected to an increasingly powerful Japanese force. Fall of the Philippines Only in the Philippines, almost on Japan’s southern doorstep, was the timetable of […]

“We thought they would be taller” The Americans Arrive in Northern Ireland, January 1942

I don’t normally write much about the War in Europe on my blog since it doesn’t fit well with my core interests. But a story from the newspapers of January 28, 1942, caught my eye. The story was about the arrival of the US Army in Belfast Northern Ireland. Debbie and I travelled to Northern […]

The Battleship Ferryboats – Taking the Doughboys for a Ride

Taking care of the Army… Again Dedicated to my Army friend Phil When World War 1 ended, the United States had many soldiers that were stationed in France and Belgium. They had been sent there to help “Defeat the Hun” and now they were ready to come home. My Great Uncle Alex was an Army […]

The hardest work you will ever love should not cost you your vote.

In the short time I have spent on this planet, I have had a number of jobs. All of them have had their challenges and rewards and I feel blest for having had the experiences I have had. Beyond any shadow of a doubt though, my time in the service was probably the roughest and […]

Does anyone have a Liberty Pole I can borrow?

I will have to admit that as much as I love history, and particularly American history, I was not aware of the significance of the Liberty Pole or the red Phrygian cap that often sits atop the pole. Maybe it’s because I am originally from Western Pennsylvania and those particular symbols probably left a bad […]

Blinders? Why no, these are my new leadership Goggles!

For over a century the leadership of the U.S. Army and Navy were in agreement about how the United States coast would be managed: the Army would defend the beaches and out to the range of their coastal guns, and the Navy would protect anything beyond that range. The advent of the airplane challenged that […]