By Phil Metzler In the spring 2023 issue of VBC Magazine, we ran an article about the Berlin Airlift of 1948-1949. Army veteran Phil Metzler of Lancaster, PA, responded by sharing his own memories of serving in Berlin, not in the Airlift, but thirteen years later during the second Berlin Crisis. Below is his
Photo credit: Rose Carlo Gantner VBC member Richard Sand reports that on May 22, 2023, former Navy pilot Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) introduced House Resolution 8978: “To award a Congressional Gold Medal to members of the Red Cross Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas (SRAO) program, also known as the ‘Donut Dollies,’ who served
Elizabeth Anne Helm-Frazier retired from the Army as a Master Sergeant after twenty-five years, ten-months, and twenty-six days of military service. Elizabeth held a variety of high-profile positions in personnel (MOS 75-Echo) and career counseling (MOS 79-Sierra). She was US Army TRADOC’s Career Counselor of the Year, San Antonio’s Mentor of the Year, and
Join us on Saturday, September 16 at 7:00pm ET (4pm PT) to mark National 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion Day with a screening of the documentary The Six Triple Eight, followed by a conversation with filmmakers James Theres and Elizabeth Anne Helm-Frazier. Until ten years ago, few Americans had ever heard of the 6888th
By Bob Podurgiel Common Milkweed seed pods are about 4 inches long, inflated looking and covered in little bumpy projections. They are green initially, turning brown as they mature. They split open revealing 50-100 seeds each with a white, fluffy coma (“parachute”) that allows wind dispersal (National Park Service) On warm summer
By Todd DePastino The story about the accidental Tootsie Roll airdrop at the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir ranks among the greatest in American military lore. But it probably isn’t true. Legend has it that during the desperate fight at Chosin, Marines ran out of 60-millimeter mortars, useful for delivering high, arcing fire over
