Posts Tagged ‘POW’
An Angel in Fatigues
“Now don’t worry, you won’t be in any wars . . .” – US Army recruiter’s promise to Ruby Bradley in 1933 In a little-known chapter of WWII and Korean War history, thousands of women served and sacrificed as nurses. Although often overlooked, their expertise, dedication, and courage under fire were an important part of…
Read MoreDoolittle Raiders: Mission Completed
Seventy-seven years ago today, one of the most storied and dangerous bombing missions of WWII began. The Doolittle Raiders, as the 80 men in the top-secret mission were called, were on their way to strike a blow at the heart of the Japanese empire: Tokyo. On April 18, 1942, as the first of 16 Army…
Read MoreThe Fighting Irish of the Korean War
As a young boy, I remember how proud my grandfather, Patrick J. Sullivan, was of his Irish ancestry. As the son of an Irish immigrant from County Kerry, he was also proud of the USA and everything it stood for. From his humble beginnings in Holyoke, Massachusetts, to his international career as a US Public…
Read More1,010 Days of Hell
“They closed in steadily on us. There was no rush, no storming our positions. We kept knocking them down like ducks in a shooting gallery but they kept coming.” – Marine SSgt James Nash Chosin: Hellfire Valley Throughout the horrific night of November 29, 1950, Major John “Jack” McLaughlin and his men fought off wave…
Read MoreA Lifetime of Waiting
You Are Not Forgotten Their stories are heartbreaking. For decades, thousands of families – over 7,700 – have wondered when and if their son, husband, brother, or uncle will return from the Korean War. They’ve spent a lifetime waiting for a letter, a phone call, or a visit from a government official. But there’s been…
Read MoreOn a Hill Far Away
We’ll never know the terror 18-year-old Marine PFC Edward “Eddie” Thorn experienced in the final minutes of his life, but we do know that what he and hundreds of other Marines went through at the Chosin, or “Changjin,” Reservoir was unimaginable. Shivering on a wind-swept, snow-covered hill on the night of November 28, 1950, PFC Thorn…
Read MoreHonoring Our POW/MIA’s – You Are Not Forgotten
As a school kid in the 1970’s, I remember seeing the six letters “POW” and “MIA” on bumper stickers, billboards, and flags and wondering, “What do they mean?” and “Does it stand for something, or is it just a person or new fad?” I wasn’t sure, and as a know-it-all middle schooler, I wasn’t about to…
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