Written by Todd DePastino At the conclusion of our VBC Happy Hour on May 8 with Korean War veteran Bud Mendenhall, our resident historian Greg Yoest gave us a quick thumbnail history of the German surrender in 1945 in World War II. Boy, was it complicated. In short, the Germans surrendered very early on
written by Todd DePastino In the world-changing year of 1945, one of the biggest shocks came on April 12, the day the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt, unexpectedly died. He was only 63 years old. Few could imagine a future without him. It's hard to appreciate today, but FDR's sudden death
Iwo Jima Landing in Color.mov from TanSideOut on Vimeo. Join author Steven McCloud for a ground-breaking look at the color film footage of the landings at Iwo Jima, 19 February 1945. McCloud is the author of BLACK DRAGON: The Experience of a Marine Rifle Company, published by Texas A&M University, and is the CEO
Written by Walter James De Mamiel (1920-2022) as told to Susan De Mamiel March 22, 2022We recently received a memorial donation for Walter James De Mamiel, who passed away on November 24, 2022, at age 102. Walter was a Gunner's Mate, Petty Officer First Class, aboard the light carrier USS Cabot (CVL-28), which saw combat throughout the
Written by Todd DePastino The large Chinese surveillance balloon first spotted last week above Montana and then shot down by military aircraft off the Carolina coast brings to mind the last time balloons menaced the United States. During World War II, Japan tried to set North America ablaze by launching 9,000 fire balloons into
