Some of the narrative was from first hand accounts I have read.
Others are from real life veterans I knew, or family history.
The "Doughboy" in the WWI remembrance is my Grand Dad Cupp.
He did not finish his training before Armistice Day and did not go to France,
but men from his family and my Grandmother's did, and saw action.
The account of WWII is my Uncle Bill Cupp, who did serve in both WWII and Korea.
My Aunt Katherine "Kitty" told Phyllis and I the story about the troop trains.
It is her personal memory.
The soldier in Korea was my HS Math teacher, Mr. Calvin Hall.
He was actually in Korea for two winters.
The story related is true, and he told us of many other combat encounters.
The 'Nam Vet is a composite of guys I knew.
The POW mentioned is the elder brother of one of my best friends from Hialeah.
He was the youngest F4 pilot in the Navy, only an Ensign flying from the U.S.S. Independence when a SAM missle shot him down over Hanoi in 1964.
He spent over eight years in captivity, never knowing until his release that his "Back Seat" EWO also survived the crash and made it home.
He is one of the most amazing men I have had the privilege of meeting, and a solid Christian Gentleman who did not let the appalling treatment he received make him bitter.
The present day Vet is a composite from young men I know, including my son.
Volunteers all.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Memorial Day, "I did what I had to do."
"I was happy on my farm. I had a wife and four young'uns and crops to git in.
But when the call to arms came, I went.
Never heard of Gettysburg before. Never thought I'd never leave there either.
Neither did some of those ol' Johnny Rebs who we fought with.
They were pretty brave boys, most of them left farmin' too.
A lot of us are still there.
Walk the field between Seminary Ridge and Cemetary Ridge and you may hear us, rustlin up some firewood to boil coffee, or just carryin' on like young men always do.
President Lincoln gave a purty good speech later on that year.
People still remember him, don't forget us.
We did what we felt we had to do"
"Never much cared what went on over in the old countries.
Ol' Kaiser Bill was a raisin' Hell over there, didn't see how that meant a whole heap to us.
But in the Winter of '18 when I got drafted, I went.
Saw some pretty bad things with the old First Division, "The Big Red One"
Something called a Salient near a place called Meuse Argonne got a lot of us killed and hurt bad.
I was lucky, came home pretty much healthy.
Still can't look at a Poppie flower without thinkin' of some of my buddies who weren't so lucky.
We all did what we had to do."
"We saw Hitler and the Japanese start to get uppity as early as '33.
Had problems of our own then, millions out of work.
Ma used to feed the Hobos that came through the farm from the rail yards where Pa was lucky enough to have a job.
If we got food we are supposed to share it, she'd say.
In '42, my sister Kitty would stand next to the rail trestle for the N&W and watch the troop trains heading to Norfolk, loaded full of boys.
They'd wave and yell at her, full of themselves.
A lot of them are still in France, North Africa, and all over the Pacific.
I went to the Solomons with a P.T. boat squadron, later to Korea on a cruiser.
Never hurt, but was fearful homesick a lot.
We all did what we felt was our duty.
Didn't hate the Germans or the Japanese, but had to stop them for the folks back home."
"I haven't always taught Geometry to you knuckleheads.
Back when I was young in 1952, I spent the Winter in Korea.
Freezing, frostbitten toes, months without a hot meal or a bath or a decent place to sleep.
Once when I knelt by a stream full of melting mountain snow trying to shave in the springtime, a North Korean mortar round landed nearby.
We learned to ignore the first one. The second one got me to runnin'.
The third one landed right where I'd been kneeling!
We hated Korea, and still aren't real fond of communists or Red Chinese.
But we all did what we had to do."
"Nam? Where the Hell is Viet Nam? I sure didn't want to be there!
Just wanted to finish College and get a job.
But my "Uncle" sent me greetings and said Welcome to the Army, son!
So I went.
Bugs, heat that made Miami seem like a mountain resort, and little people in black outfits trying to kill us was my life for the next 13 months.
Some of my brothers were Marines, some in the Air Force and Navy, some never saw the bush.
One spent over eight years as a POW, courtesy of the North Vietnamese.
To this day he doesn't hate them, says "Hate just eats you up, doesn't change a thing"
He's a better man than I am, for certain.
Almost sixty thousand of us never got home, and almost three thousand more are MIA.
Walk next to our wall next time you're in D.C.
Remember us. You'll probably see several of we lucky ones who made it home there, leaning against a particular spot with a buddies name on it. Weeping like a baby.
Thank one of us when you get a chance.
We didn't run to Canada, we did what honor and love of country led us to do."
"We don't have to serve. No draft since dad was a young pup in '72.
But we feel it is important.
This country still stands for something in this lousy, selfish Me First World of 2009.
Less than two percent of we Americans do serve.
Seems like only our families care.
People don't hate us like they did my Uncles who went to The 'Nam.
Pretty much respected for the most part.
But no one gives us much thought on a given day.
The grunt from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Force on his third deployment has a wife at home. Probably appreciate it if someone mowed the yard for her while I'm gone.
The three Guardsman from North Carolina who hit the IED over the weekend won't be coming home.
Don 't forget them, and if you know their families, just go over and sit with them or bring some food.
We are always out there, sitting in the cold and desert heat, fighting bugs, boredom and people that hate us and our way of life. People who would kill all of us if I wasn't here, with thousands of my brothers and sisters who volunteer to lay it on the line.
We all do what we have to do."
But when the call to arms came, I went.
Never heard of Gettysburg before. Never thought I'd never leave there either.
Neither did some of those ol' Johnny Rebs who we fought with.
They were pretty brave boys, most of them left farmin' too.
A lot of us are still there.
Walk the field between Seminary Ridge and Cemetary Ridge and you may hear us, rustlin up some firewood to boil coffee, or just carryin' on like young men always do.
President Lincoln gave a purty good speech later on that year.
People still remember him, don't forget us.
We did what we felt we had to do"
"Never much cared what went on over in the old countries.
Ol' Kaiser Bill was a raisin' Hell over there, didn't see how that meant a whole heap to us.
But in the Winter of '18 when I got drafted, I went.
Saw some pretty bad things with the old First Division, "The Big Red One"
Something called a Salient near a place called Meuse Argonne got a lot of us killed and hurt bad.
I was lucky, came home pretty much healthy.
Still can't look at a Poppie flower without thinkin' of some of my buddies who weren't so lucky.
We all did what we had to do."
"We saw Hitler and the Japanese start to get uppity as early as '33.
Had problems of our own then, millions out of work.
Ma used to feed the Hobos that came through the farm from the rail yards where Pa was lucky enough to have a job.
If we got food we are supposed to share it, she'd say.
In '42, my sister Kitty would stand next to the rail trestle for the N&W and watch the troop trains heading to Norfolk, loaded full of boys.
They'd wave and yell at her, full of themselves.
A lot of them are still in France, North Africa, and all over the Pacific.
I went to the Solomons with a P.T. boat squadron, later to Korea on a cruiser.
Never hurt, but was fearful homesick a lot.
We all did what we felt was our duty.
Didn't hate the Germans or the Japanese, but had to stop them for the folks back home."
"I haven't always taught Geometry to you knuckleheads.
Back when I was young in 1952, I spent the Winter in Korea.
Freezing, frostbitten toes, months without a hot meal or a bath or a decent place to sleep.
Once when I knelt by a stream full of melting mountain snow trying to shave in the springtime, a North Korean mortar round landed nearby.
We learned to ignore the first one. The second one got me to runnin'.
The third one landed right where I'd been kneeling!
We hated Korea, and still aren't real fond of communists or Red Chinese.
But we all did what we had to do."
"Nam? Where the Hell is Viet Nam? I sure didn't want to be there!
Just wanted to finish College and get a job.
But my "Uncle" sent me greetings and said Welcome to the Army, son!
So I went.
Bugs, heat that made Miami seem like a mountain resort, and little people in black outfits trying to kill us was my life for the next 13 months.
Some of my brothers were Marines, some in the Air Force and Navy, some never saw the bush.
One spent over eight years as a POW, courtesy of the North Vietnamese.
To this day he doesn't hate them, says "Hate just eats you up, doesn't change a thing"
He's a better man than I am, for certain.
Almost sixty thousand of us never got home, and almost three thousand more are MIA.
Walk next to our wall next time you're in D.C.
Remember us. You'll probably see several of we lucky ones who made it home there, leaning against a particular spot with a buddies name on it. Weeping like a baby.
Thank one of us when you get a chance.
We didn't run to Canada, we did what honor and love of country led us to do."
"We don't have to serve. No draft since dad was a young pup in '72.
But we feel it is important.
This country still stands for something in this lousy, selfish Me First World of 2009.
Less than two percent of we Americans do serve.
Seems like only our families care.
People don't hate us like they did my Uncles who went to The 'Nam.
Pretty much respected for the most part.
But no one gives us much thought on a given day.
The grunt from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Force on his third deployment has a wife at home. Probably appreciate it if someone mowed the yard for her while I'm gone.
The three Guardsman from North Carolina who hit the IED over the weekend won't be coming home.
Don 't forget them, and if you know their families, just go over and sit with them or bring some food.
We are always out there, sitting in the cold and desert heat, fighting bugs, boredom and people that hate us and our way of life. People who would kill all of us if I wasn't here, with thousands of my brothers and sisters who volunteer to lay it on the line.
We all do what we have to do."
Friday, May 15, 2009
Escapism
As a young Junior high boy in the mid-sixties (that's 1960's, not 1860's!) I and my fellows watched the original "Star Trek" T.V. series.
Set in the 23rd Century, we liked it because of the characters, the 'Space Western' Plots, and the portrayal of a humanity that survived the Atomic Cold war era we were living in.
And perhaps the short skirt uniforms that the female crew members of the Enterprise and the Alien races wore had something to do with it.
The cheesey special effects, complete with plastic space ship models hanging by sometimes visable wires and the hammy over acting of Bill Shatner did not dull our devotion.
The movies which revived the franchise and subsequent sequel/prequel T.V. series never quite captured the original intent, movie two "The Wrath of Kahn" being the only exception.
All attempts in recent years of going back to the sixties, "Mission Impossible" "Bourne" "Wild Wild West" etc have been major failures for the most part.
Last weekend we saw the much anticipated "Star Trek" which takes the original crew back to their academy days and their first mission together on the brand spanking new NCC-1701 Starship Enterprise.
And Wow, what a great summer blockbuster ride at warp speed it is!
Even if one has no familiarity with the genre', this is a great Sci-Fi action adventure flick!
From the opening sequence where the Evil rogue Romulan Nero attacks and destroys the Starship Kelvin, briefly and heroically commanded by James T. Kirk's father George, to the final confrontation between Jim Kirk and the Enterprise and Nero, the pace never slackens.
The plot depends on a time travel basis, convoluted at best.
Many of the givens you old timers are familiar with are different, from Captain Christopher Pike's first command of the Enterprise to Kirk losing his father at birth.
Even one of the old cast reprises his role as a very old man who travels back in time to aid his old friends (and himself, according to Einstein an impossibility)
The special effects are quite spectacular, but what makes this movie so enjoyable are the characterizations of all too familiar figures.
Casting is superb, from Winona Ryder and Ben Cross's portrayal of Spock's parents, to Simon Pegg's hysterical Montgomery Scott, "Scotty", always my favorite character.
Chris Pine is perfectly cast as a young, bitter impetuous James Tiberious Kirk (the origin of that awful middle name is revealed in the first sequence) Zach Quinto is excellent as the young Spock, and Leonard "Bones" McCoy quickly became my favorite in this movie.
After delivering a diatribe about all of the horrible things that can happen to a person who travels through space (a recurrent theme for McCoy in the original) to Kirk, Kirk replies "But we're joining Star Fleet. They kind of operate in space!"
McCoy reveals a great deal about his cranky nature "My ex-wife took the whole D*** planet in the divorce. Space is as far from her as I can get!"
And we finally learn Uhura's first name. I won't spoil it here.
Nods are given to the old school Trekkers.
On a beautiful hi-tech bridge, the "throttle" for the Warp Drive looks like a stick shift from a 1968 Mustang.
The engineering section could be a boiler plant in present day Iowa, and the ship was built on Earth in a traditional looking ship yard.
Realism is more apparent, shuttle craft actually have visable chipped paint from heat, and ships must calculate and "pop out" of warp drive at a planned destination, flying blind for the most part in route.
This tries to address to some degree knowledge gained about Quantum Physics since the original.
But this is after all, Science Fiction, and escapist entertainment at it's best.
Spend the eight bucks and sit back and enjoy the ride!
Set in the 23rd Century, we liked it because of the characters, the 'Space Western' Plots, and the portrayal of a humanity that survived the Atomic Cold war era we were living in.
And perhaps the short skirt uniforms that the female crew members of the Enterprise and the Alien races wore had something to do with it.
The cheesey special effects, complete with plastic space ship models hanging by sometimes visable wires and the hammy over acting of Bill Shatner did not dull our devotion.
The movies which revived the franchise and subsequent sequel/prequel T.V. series never quite captured the original intent, movie two "The Wrath of Kahn" being the only exception.
All attempts in recent years of going back to the sixties, "Mission Impossible" "Bourne" "Wild Wild West" etc have been major failures for the most part.
Last weekend we saw the much anticipated "Star Trek" which takes the original crew back to their academy days and their first mission together on the brand spanking new NCC-1701 Starship Enterprise.
And Wow, what a great summer blockbuster ride at warp speed it is!
Even if one has no familiarity with the genre', this is a great Sci-Fi action adventure flick!
From the opening sequence where the Evil rogue Romulan Nero attacks and destroys the Starship Kelvin, briefly and heroically commanded by James T. Kirk's father George, to the final confrontation between Jim Kirk and the Enterprise and Nero, the pace never slackens.
The plot depends on a time travel basis, convoluted at best.
Many of the givens you old timers are familiar with are different, from Captain Christopher Pike's first command of the Enterprise to Kirk losing his father at birth.
Even one of the old cast reprises his role as a very old man who travels back in time to aid his old friends (and himself, according to Einstein an impossibility)
The special effects are quite spectacular, but what makes this movie so enjoyable are the characterizations of all too familiar figures.
Casting is superb, from Winona Ryder and Ben Cross's portrayal of Spock's parents, to Simon Pegg's hysterical Montgomery Scott, "Scotty", always my favorite character.
Chris Pine is perfectly cast as a young, bitter impetuous James Tiberious Kirk (the origin of that awful middle name is revealed in the first sequence) Zach Quinto is excellent as the young Spock, and Leonard "Bones" McCoy quickly became my favorite in this movie.
After delivering a diatribe about all of the horrible things that can happen to a person who travels through space (a recurrent theme for McCoy in the original) to Kirk, Kirk replies "But we're joining Star Fleet. They kind of operate in space!"
McCoy reveals a great deal about his cranky nature "My ex-wife took the whole D*** planet in the divorce. Space is as far from her as I can get!"
And we finally learn Uhura's first name. I won't spoil it here.
Nods are given to the old school Trekkers.
On a beautiful hi-tech bridge, the "throttle" for the Warp Drive looks like a stick shift from a 1968 Mustang.
The engineering section could be a boiler plant in present day Iowa, and the ship was built on Earth in a traditional looking ship yard.
Realism is more apparent, shuttle craft actually have visable chipped paint from heat, and ships must calculate and "pop out" of warp drive at a planned destination, flying blind for the most part in route.
This tries to address to some degree knowledge gained about Quantum Physics since the original.
But this is after all, Science Fiction, and escapist entertainment at it's best.
Spend the eight bucks and sit back and enjoy the ride!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
"Maybe you have a Spectre looking over your shoulder."
So said James Bond to the evil Emilio Largo in Thunderball.
Largo was the Eye-patched, sophisticated villain and number two for the criminal organization Spectre that Bond fought in all of the Sean Connery 007 flicks.
Now our own modern day Specter (Arlin, of course) has given me great amusement over the last week or so.
Always a Republican of convenience, he switched parties last week and 'joined' the Dems.
After promising as recently as April 16th that he was elected as a Republican, and would stay one.
In his rambling public pronouncement he first stated his reason for switching to be Republican Economic policy.
Then a few lines later, he admitted that he had little chance of winning the Republican primary next Spring.
It was a classic example of self serving politcal double speak.
Now this week he expressed surprise that he would be a Junior member in the Dem majority.
I guess he expected to take over Harry "Cryptkeeper" Reids job as Senate Majority Leader.
In an interview the other day he also stuck his foot in his mouth when he stated that he hoped Norm Coleman (R) would win out over Al "Stuart Smalley" Franken in the ongoing, stomach churning endless recount in Minn-E-Soda.
Forgetting that he is now a Dem.
"Oops, I guess for a moment I forgot what team I'm on!"
Just look in the mirror, Senator and you will remember.
For all of you voters in The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, cradle of Liberty, a word of advice.
You can do better in the Democrat Primary next spring with virtually any other candidate.
Skippy the Wonderdog would be more loyal to you.
It would be nice to see this selfish old fossil shown the door, once and for all.
Largo was the Eye-patched, sophisticated villain and number two for the criminal organization Spectre that Bond fought in all of the Sean Connery 007 flicks.
Now our own modern day Specter (Arlin, of course) has given me great amusement over the last week or so.
Always a Republican of convenience, he switched parties last week and 'joined' the Dems.
After promising as recently as April 16th that he was elected as a Republican, and would stay one.
In his rambling public pronouncement he first stated his reason for switching to be Republican Economic policy.
Then a few lines later, he admitted that he had little chance of winning the Republican primary next Spring.
It was a classic example of self serving politcal double speak.
Now this week he expressed surprise that he would be a Junior member in the Dem majority.
I guess he expected to take over Harry "Cryptkeeper" Reids job as Senate Majority Leader.
In an interview the other day he also stuck his foot in his mouth when he stated that he hoped Norm Coleman (R) would win out over Al "Stuart Smalley" Franken in the ongoing, stomach churning endless recount in Minn-E-Soda.
Forgetting that he is now a Dem.
"Oops, I guess for a moment I forgot what team I'm on!"
Just look in the mirror, Senator and you will remember.
For all of you voters in The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, cradle of Liberty, a word of advice.
You can do better in the Democrat Primary next spring with virtually any other candidate.
Skippy the Wonderdog would be more loyal to you.
It would be nice to see this selfish old fossil shown the door, once and for all.
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