Written by Beth Reuschel Beth Reuschel is a professional military records researcher who helps families discover their legacies of service. The VBC is partnering with Beth to guide family history seekers through their own research journeys. She’ll offer tips and tricks for those who want to plunge into the archives and retrace the footsteps
On October 1, the US Naval Institute tweeted this story of Seaman Apprentice John Urtchok who, in 1943, was swept off the deck of his destroyer. He flailed in rough seas for 40 minutes before another huge wave lifted him onto the deck of a different destroyer. Where did this story originate? It's a
Written by Todd DePastino For much of our history, Halloween wasn’t about candy and costumes. It was about vandalism. All that changed in World War II, when Americans invented trick-or-treating. Paper-mache jack-o’-lantern (National Museum of American History, Smithsonian) Several Octobers ago, I woke up, looked out the window and saw pumpkins smashed,
Survivor of the Bataan Death March RemembersAnyone who has joined us on VBC Happy Hour knows Henry Schoepke, our much-loved teenager from Wisconsin. Henry is an avid student of history, a supporter of veterans, and an autograph collector. One of his many projects is to write thank you notes to 500 World War II veterans.
Efforts are underway to fly Great Britain's only Douglas C-54 Skymaster to Germany in 2024 for the 75th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. The Skymaster, serial number 56498, flew in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War before being struck from the list of military aircraft in 1972. Now, the British
During World War II, Pan Am Airways became the most important civilian component of the US military airlift, flying over 90 million miles worldwide in support of the war effort. The period saw many firsts, including the first circumnavigation of the globe and the first flight of a US President abroad. Joining Glenn Flickinger on
