WORLD HISTORY AND LOCAL GIST

Swipe ⬅️ John Meintz, an American farmer tarred and feathered by a mob for his German heritage and allegedly not supporting war bond drives, 1918 🪶 Tarring and feathering is a form of public torture and punishment used to enforce unofficial justice or revenge. It was used in feudal #Europe and its colonies in the early modern period, as well as the early American frontier, mostly as a type of mob vengeance. The victim would be stripped naked, or stripped to the waist. Hot wood tar was then either poured or painted onto the person while they were immobilized. The victim then either had feathers thrown on them or was rolled around on a pile of feathers so that they stuck to the tar. The image of a tarred-and-feathered outlaw remains a metaphor for severe public criticism.

Salzburg, Austria - June 2, 1945, Audie Murphy Audie Murphy of B Company, 15th Regiment, Third Division.  At Salzburg, Austria on 2 June 1945, Lieutenant General A.M. Patch, Commander of the 7th Army presented Murphy with the Medal of Honor and Legion of Merit for his actions at Holtzwihr. When asked after the war why he had seized the machine gun and taken on an entire company of German infantry, he replied, “They were killing my friends.” Murphy was born on June 20, 1925, in Kingston, Texas as the seventh of 12 children. Murphy’s mother died just before his 16th birthday in 1941. He tried to enlist in both the Army and Marines but was rejected for being both underage and underweight. His older sister helped forge his birth certificate and signed an affidavit where he was finally accepted into the Army on June 30, 1942. He was just 16 years old. In late February 1943 he was shipped out to Casablanca, Morocco as part of B Company, 1st Bn. 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry ...

On this day lost, but never forgotten... Kazimierz H. Slomiany was born on February 25, 1945, to Mr. and Mrs. Feliks Slomiany.   His home of record is Wallington, NJ.  The family emigrated from Poland. Slomiany was drafted into the US Army in 1965.  He had only been in the United States for five years.  He served as the family translator, and on these grounds he requested to be excused from the draft but his request was denied.  He became a member of a helicopter combat unit and attained the rank of Specialist 4 (SP4). Slomiany was killed in action on June 19, 1967, during a firefight.  He had planned to apply for American citizenship when he returned home. Sources: Newspaper clippings, Findagrave, https://njvvmf.org/faces/bio/1292.

The iconic Iwo Jima Flag Raising occurred on this day in 1945.  Of the men in the photograph Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporal Harlon Block, and Private First Class Franklin Sousley were all killed in action. The other three Marines in the photograph were Corporals (then Privates First Class) Ira Hayes, Harold Schultz, and Harold Keller. These men all served as members of the 5th Marine Division. This flag raising was the second that occurred atop Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima towards the end of the Pacific War. This image quickly became the symbol of the resilience of the US Marines during WWII. The photo was taken by Joe Rosenthal.

These men are Arthur and Douglas Skinner.  Both men were killed in action in WWII in 1945 the same day. Arthur in Europe at the Battle of the Bulge and Douglas in the Philippines.     These were my father ‘s only two uncles on his mother’s side and my Dad was named after Arthur and Douglas. I am a Jr and I am named after my father who is named after these two heroes. It is something I am proud of and I have Arthur’s folded American flag above my fireplace on the mantle today.      It is a reminder to me everyday of the millions who have served this country and the many thousands who paid the ultimate sacrifice preserving our freedom and always reminding me that freedom isn’t free.      So let’s remember these and the many blessed souls on this blessed day. Their day Veterans Day  God bless our troops and God bless The United States of America

  "1962, Oskar Schindler arrives for a first visit in Israel to meet 300 of the Jews he saved from certain death in Holocaust. A powerful picture in time." Many times a day, we get chances to  accomplish something meaningful yet we look the other way.  Driving past an old man walking and not offering a ride. (He didn't ask for one, why stop and offer!) Walking past beggars on the street and justifying we have done our share elsewhere so we pass upon the opportunity. (He should get a job) Offering your seat on a bus to someone older. (I got here first, I am also tired) Preparing food for the needy and delivering it to them yourself. (I have a busy schedule, no time) There are a so many things we can do for others, yet we don't.  We are satisfied with our level of devotion so we simply look the other way.  Oscar Schindler did the unthinkable.  He put his family and himself in danger for strangers. People he didn't know and had never met.  Yet, he risked ...

Today is Yom Hazikaron, the Day of Remembrance for the Fallen Soldiers of Israel and Victims of Terrorism. Recently researchers at Hebrew University conducted an extensive survey of young Israelis, asking the question, “Who embodies heroism to you?”  Over and over, they heard the same name: Roi Klein. Roi was born in Raanana, Israel in 1974, the son of two Holocaust survivors. Growing up, Roi was known as an exceptionally kind and thoughtful child who was devoted to daily Torah study. Like every Israeli, he was drafted into the IDF at age 18. He served in the elite counter-terrorism unit of the Golani Brigade. Roi became an officer, and was the Deputy Commander of the 51st Brigade at the time of the Second Lebanon War in 2006.  During the Battle of Bint Jbeil, Roi and his men were ambushed by Hezbollah terrorists. Roi was treating one of his wounded men, when a terrorist threw a grenade at the group. Roi immediately threw his body on the grenade to save his men.  As the g...

On this day lost, but not forgotten.  Roger J. Spence was born on April 8, 1945 to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy J. Spence, and lived in Roselle Park, NJ. A native of Camden, Del., Sgt Spence came to Roselle Park with his family 14 years ago. He had two brothers: Dennis and Roy, and one sister named Pamela. He graduated from Roselle Park High School in 1963, and went on to attend Rutgers University for one and a half years, then transferred to Wilks College, Pennsylvania for two and a half years. In high school Roger enjoyed participating in wrestling and track, receiving seven varsity letters. In his senior year, he was captain of both the wrestling and track teams. He won the District Championship in his weight class for wrestling. He was inducted into the US Army in September 1967. He did his basic training at Fort Dix, NJ, and received Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Jackson, SC. Spence was then sent to Fort Benning, GA, to Non-Commissioned Officers Training. Upon completion...

Gone but not forgotten: The 82-day battle for Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. 📸 Pfc. Urban R. "Frenchy" Vachon of the 1st Marine Division gives his Carbine Rifle a break and smokes a cigarette to steady his nerves after hours of fierce fighting during the Battle of Okinawa in April of 1945. The man sitting behind him is legendary war correspondent Ernie Pyle who was killed by Japanese machine gun fire ten days later. The 82-day battle for Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific War. Pfc. Vachon and the 1st Marine Division arrived on Okinawa on April 1, 1945. Their initial mission was fighting alongside the 6th Marine Division to clear the northern half of the island. After meeting their objective, they turned south where they encountered heavy resistance and an abundance of rainfall. When Okinawa was declared clear, Pfc. Vachon had survived the brutal fighting, however, the 1st Marine Division paid a heavy toll losing 1,655 Marines killed in acti...

Dear Brandon and WalkAway Friends: Hope you don’t mind that I’m checking back in. I grew up in a Republican household with working class parents who’d spent their childhood living through the Great Depression, their teenage years living through the Second World War, then they started fighting the Cold War in their mid-20s. I’m a Boomer, I’m old, and, wow, I was so lucky. My parents had watched their older brothers and cousins volunteer or get drafted to fight in WWII and they weren’t going to let those sacrifices be forgotten by the next generation. My parents had no problem talking about democracy at the dinner table.  They were both working hard, but they were so grateful to be Americans, such fervent believers in free markets, free speech, freedom of religion. NO exceptions of American rights for people who didn’t look/speak/worship like us, because we were all Americans.  My parents were practicing Christians who strived to live virtuous lives. Their three children were gi...

Willard Ross Brymer Sr. - A "true" killer. Murderer of Oscar "Ringo" Bonavena. Deserves no mention however detailed information should be told.   This was one guy not to mess with. A no conscious individual with the strongest of convictions. A sizable heavyweight himself, had actually done plenty of amateur boxing. If that wasn't good enough, always armed and ready "to go." Ross Brymer, 55, brothel guard / paroled killer (1945-2000) "Former Nevada Brothel Bodyguard Found Dead RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Ross Brymer, a former Mustang Ranch bodyguard who served time for killing boxer Oscar Bonavena at the brothel's gate, was found dead Tuesday. He was 55. Brymer's body was found in a friend's home. The cause of death wasn't immediately apparent, and autopsy results weren't expected for about two weeks. Brymer served 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the 1976 slaying of the Argentinian boxer. Bonavena w...

Jan Czezowski posted about a tree with a massive hole in it big enough to hide in … or put a body in? In April 1943 four local boys were poaching in Hagley Wood, on Lord Cobham’s estate, Woucestershire when they found a huge Wych Elm. Thinking the location to be a particularly good place to search for birds' nests, a boy attempted to climb the tree to investigate. As he climbed, he glanced down into the hollow trunk and discovered a human skull. As they were on the land illegally, Farmer put the skull back and all four boys returned home without mentioning their discovery to anybody … but eventually one of them told theeir parents. When police checked the trunk of the tree they found an almost complete skeleton, with a shoe, a gold wedding ring, and some fragments of clothing. The skull was valuable evidence, in that it still had some tufts of hair and had a clear dental pattern, despite some missing teeth. A pathologist quickly established that it was that of a female who had been...

MAY 7, 1945 Okinawa.    One of the most heartbreaking photos from the Second World War shows US Marine Colonel Francis Fenton (pictured kneeling) conducting the funeral of his son Private First Class Mike Fenton, near Shuri, Okinawa, May 1945. Father and son met once during the fighting when their paths crossed at a partially destroyed Okinawan farmhouse.  After exchanging news the two family members returned to their work. They would never talk again. On May 7, 1945, while beating back a Japanese counterattack the younger Fenton, 19, was killed.  When his father received the bitter news, he traveled to the site of his son's death and knelt down to pray over the flag-draped body. Upon arising, Colonel Fenton stared at the bodies of other Marine dead and said: 'Those poor souls. They didn't have their fathers here'

"It was the ultimate hunting trip." Chuck Mawhinney grew up hunting in the forests of Oregon with his father, a World War II Marine Corps veteran. As he developed into a superb marksman, the Marines couldn't wait to send him into Vietnam — all they had to do was promise that he could wait to deploy until after deer-hunting season ended. When he got to Vietnam in 1968, Mawhinney simply took the astonishing skills he'd learned hunting deer and applied them to hunting people. By the end of the war, Mawhinney was the deadliest sniper in the history of the Marine Corps, responsible for killing anywhere between 103 and 216 people. Only one enemy ever entered his scope and managed to survive. In one incident, he single-handedly stopped a Viet Cong assault with 16 dead-on headshots in just 30 seconds.  See the photos and go inside the astounding true story of Chuck Mawhinney here: https://bit.ly/3G7cJsL

The Vietnam War: A Complex and Controversial Chapter in US History The Vietnam War, a brutal conflict that raged from 1955 to 1975, stands as a defining moment in American history. Rooted in the ashes of French colonialism and fueled by the Cold War, the war pitted the communist North Vietnam against the US-backed South Vietnam. It was a long, bloody stalemate that left a deep scar on the nation's psyche. Seeds of Conflict: French colonial rule in Vietnam for nearly a century fostered a strong nationalist movement led by Ho Chi Minh, a communist revolutionary. Following World War II, the Viet Minh, a communist-led coalition Ho led, fought for independence against the French in the First Indochina War. The US, wary of communist expansion, began supporting the French financially and militarily. The Cold War Heats Up: The 1954 Geneva Accords partitioned Vietnam into communist North and democratic South. However, the fragile peace couldn't hold. The US, fearing a domino effect of c...

July 12, 1964 - Communist Viet Cong guerrillas (pictured) inflicted a staggering defeat on South Vietnamese Government troops in a two-day battle just ended, U.S. military sources reported today.  The Viet Cong killed, wounded, or captured 200 South Vietnamese soldiers. During the fighting, the Communists ambushed and battered a major Government relief force sent to the rescue of the Vinh Cheo outpost, 120 miles southwest of Saigon. It was the second major battle in Chuong Thien Province in which the Viet Cong demonstrated massive strength by assembling as many as three battalions in offensives that held captured ground for as long as two days. A force of more than 1,000 Viet Cong guerrillas attacked this small Mekong Delta outpost — one of the Government’s last remaining footholds in Communist-dominated Chuong Thien Province — and all but destroyed the village of Vinh Cheo.  The provincial chief, Lieut. Col. Ly Ba Pham, said today that the Communists also had seized more than...

On This Day | Just after 4pm on 18 August 1966, in a rubber plantation in Vietnam’s Phuoc Tuy Province, three platoons of Delta Company, 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment (6RAR) engaged a mass concentration of enemy Viet Cong. The ensuing battle — known today as the Battle of Long Tan — was desperate and relentless.    Commanding one of these platoons was 21-year-old National Serviceman Lieutenant Dave Sabben, an advertising layout artist from Sydney. Under torrential downpour and an unremitting deluge of enemy fire, numbers 10, 11 and Sabben’s own 12 Platoon held out in what would become the army’s costliest engagement during the Vietnam War. Outnumbered by at least 10 to one, Delta Company suffered one-third of its men dead or wounded.    These boots (pictured below), known amongst soldiers as ‘GP’ or ‘General Purpose’ Boots, were worn by Sabben during the ferocious battle. He generously donated them to the Anzac Memorial in 2006, where they are now on d...

Jan. 31, 1963 - A U.S. Army captain was killed today during a running gun fight between Communist guerrillas and South Vietnamese soldiers in the jungle north of Saigon.  The Defense Department identified the dead officer as Capt. Leon J. Kramer (pictured), whose mother, Mrs. Helen Kramer, lives in Trenton, N.J. His death brought to 64 the total of Americans killed in action or by other causes in South Vietnam since the U.S. became involved in the anti-guerrilla war.  The captain was serving as infantry adviser to a Vietnamese Army unit pursuing two Viet Cong companies in the north central highlands of Quang Ngai province, 360 miles north of Saigon. The troops closed in on the Communists this morning.  In the fighting that ensued, the captain was hit in the chest by a Communist bullet. U.S. sources said the Vietnamese troops continued to pour rifle fire into the Red positions until the Viet Cong broke off the action and fled into the jungle.

On this day in 1966, SGT Richard C. Youngbear (A/2-502) earned the Silver Star for his actions during Vietnam.  Full citation: SGT Richard C. Youngbear (A/2-502 IN) was awarded the Silver Star Medal (Posthumously) for distinguishing himself on 3 February 1966 while serving as fire team leader of a reconnaissance patrol in the vicinity of Tuy Hoa, Republic of Vietnam.   At approximately 0330 hours, while on guard on the patrol’s perimeter, Sergeant Youngbear detected a hostile patrol that had approached to within ten meters of his position under concealment of darkness.  Sergeant Youngbear, realizing that he had no time to alert the whole patrol, immediately engaged the insurgents with a deadly volume of automatic weapons fire.   Although wounded in both legs by the Viet Cong fire, he courageously engaged the insurgents.  As two of his men were coming to help him he shouted for them to pull back and take cover.  Although hit several more times, Ser...

Kyōichi Sawada - February 22, 1936 – October 28, 1970) was a Japanese photographer with United Press International who received the 1966 Pulitzer Prize for Photography for his combat photography of the Vietnam War during 1965.  Two of these photographs were selected as "World Press Photos of the Year" in 1965 and 1966. The 1965 photograph shows a Vietnamese mother and children wading across a river to escape a US bombing.  The famous 1966 photograph shows U.S soldiers of the 1st Infantry division dragging a dead Viet Cong fighter to a burial site behind their M113 armored personnel carrier, after he was killed in a fierce night attack by several Viet Cong battalions against Australian forces during the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1966.  Sawada primary camera was the Leica.....

Military History For the Day These were the terrifying dangers of being a ‘Tunnel Rat’ in Vietnam If fighting the well-defended Viet Cong on their home turf wasn’t dangerous enough, imagine having to crawl your way through a series of extremely tight and narrow underground tunnels to capture or kill them. Armed with only a flashlight, a single pistol, or maybe just a knife, a “Tunnel Rat” didn’t have much in the way of defense. “The most dangerous part would be psyching up to get into the tunnel,” Carl Cory says, a former 25th Infantry Div Tunnel Rat. “That was the part that was most frightening because you didn’t what you were getting into.” In 1946, the Viet Minh were the Viet Cong resistance fighters who began digging the tunnels and bunkers to combat the French, whom they would eventually defeat. By the time the Vietnam War broke out, the Viet Cong had over 100-miles of tunnels with which to spring deadly ambushes on American and South Vietnamese forces before vanishing. The numero...

Remembering First Lieutenant Sharon Ann Lane, of Canton Ohio. Born on July 7, 1943, Sharon Ann Lane decided to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse by attending the Aultman Hospital School of Nursing in September 1961.  After graduating from Aultman in 1965, she worked at the hospital until May 1967, when she decided to try her hand in the business world. After three quarters at the Canton Business College, she quit to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps Reserve on April 18, 1968. Second Lieutenant Lane began her training and reported to Fitzsimons General Hospital in Denver, while being there, she was promoted to First Lieutenant.  On April 24, 1969, she reported to Travis Air Force Base in California with orders for Vietnam. On April 29, she arrived at the 312th Evac Hospital at Chu Lai where she was assigned as a general duty staff nurse to the Intensive Care unit, but a few days later was reassigned to the Vietnamese ward.   On the morning of June 8, 1969, the 312th E...

Viet Cong Death On the morning of March 2, 1968, soldiers from Company C, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment walked into the "Eight Minute Ambush," one of the worst single-encounter loss of life incidents in the Vietnam War. While the company crossed a bridge at Hoc Mon, a large enemy force opened up from both sides. Eight minutes later, the Viet Cong broke contact leaving half of the company dead and another quarter wounded. One soldier's heroism stood out in the effort to drive back the enemy as stem the loss of life. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ SP4 Nicholas Cutinha watched as every officer in his company was killed or wounded. With the soldiers pinned down and disorganized, Cutinha took charge. He grabbed his machine gun and ran forward toward the coming enemy. The sight of him drew enemy fire, and one bullet struck his leg. As the fire intensified with mortars, rockets, and mines, Cutinha assumed command of all the survivors in his area and initiated a withdrawal, while providing c...

American forces liberated more than 60,000 prisoners from Dachau concentration camp on April 29, 1945. When they arrived, soldiers found railcars filled with bodies and emaciated prisoners. After all Colonel Alexander Zabin had seen of war, Dachau was something worse:  “It is all a horrible memory, a nightmare I can never hope to forget. I wish that all the people back home could walk through this place. Then they would realize that any sacrifice they have made—even the loss of their loved ones—was not made in vain. To liberate this camp alone was sufficient reason for our war with Germany.” Established in March 1933, Dachau was the first regular concentration camp constructed by the Nazis. The camp, just outside of Munich, was originally established to hold political prisoners.  Learn more: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/dachau