The Berlin Airlift lasted only fifteen months, from June 1948 to September 1949, yet it changed the course of modern history. It demonstrated that the Western Allies could resist Soviet expansion without firing a shot, sustained more than two million West Berliners through one of the Cold War's first great crises, and laid the
By Brad Washabaugh Few problems of modern warfare are more agonizing than friendly fire. Getting wounded or killed by the enemy is one thing. But receiving fire from your own side has historically carried a hint of shame, and sometimes has been covered up by military authorities. But friendly fire is a perennial problem
By Bill Mayhue, LTC (Ret.) Military humor is unique, and few things inspire more jokes that the huge compendia of jargon that the branches of services accumulate and dispense every year. For retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Bill Mayhue, that language shaped the way he viewed one of life's most memorable missions: getting his wife
By Donn Nemchick The Veterans Breakfast Club is proud to congratulate our youngest VBC member, Henry Schoepke, on his graduation from high school in Wisconsin. Many VBC members have watched Henry grow up over the years through our online programs. He has been a familiar face on Zoom, participated in a VBC Scuttlebutt episode
By Todd DePastino One of the pleasures of running the Veterans Breakfast Club is discovering other people like us who have spent years building communities around veterans and their stories. Earlier this year, VBC friend and Vietnam Donut Dolly Ginny Close reached out to tell us about Vietnam veteran Keith Goudy and the remarkable
By John DeBarber Peter DeBarber recently sent us this brief memoir of his WWII Navy veteran father, John DeBarber. Like many veterans of World War II, John left behind only a modest written account of his service. The few pages capture his journey from a high school student worried about being drafted to a
