Need I admit it on every post? Yes, I have a book problem. So many intriguing titles come up on my radar that I am constantly adding to my stacks of books in the house and my Amazon wishlists. Some sit in the queue for years while others jump into line ahead of them. I'm still trying to get around to reading all of the classics of American history, not to mention working through all of the great history books that come out every year. For example, can you believe I'm just now getting around to reading Dee Brown's "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee?" And not that new version either. I'm reading the paperback version from 1971 that I found in a used bookstore years ago...but I digress...
In 2010 I saw a book about the Donner Party that looked interesting at the time, but I put it on the back burner while I was into a WWII phase with occasional injections of Civil War and French and Indian War books. Lately I have been getting into western history (Wild West?) subjects and California history so I went down to the library (my library's online catalog has wishlists too!) and checked out "The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of A Donner Party Bride" by Daniel James Brown. I liked it. I would urge you to give it a read.
If, for some reason, you've never heard the story of the Donner Party, here's the gist: In 1846, the first major year of travel on the Oregon Trail and the California Trail, several families including a few single workers, their oxen, horses, dogs, etc. take a recommended "shortcut" that in fact puts them more than a month late in crossing the Sierra Nevada mountains. They are trapped for the winter at the top of the mountains, running out of food, eating all of their animals, and eventually some of their own people who died from starvation and exposure. After the survivors were rescued the event became stuff of legend. Donner Pass along Interstate 80 and a California State Park were named for the pioneer group and every student in California public schools learns the tale.
I'm sure I've mentioned before that one of the hallmarks of a good book for me is when I either learn about something I didn't know, or some mythology was dispelled. That was certainly the case with Indifferent Stars. Having grown up in California I held on to the sanitized version of the Donner Party tale as taught to me in school. I thought that they were a cohesive group of family and friends who, under the leadership of (obviously) the patriarch of the Donner family and through no fault of their own, were caught by early snow storms in the mountains and suffered the consequences. A cautionary tale indeed, meant to make the junior high version of the Roving Historian understand the hardships of the pioneers.
Here's the truth as illuminated by Daniel Brown:
The group of three families and some single hired men that became known as the Donner Party did not really come together until they left Fort Bridger in modern day southwest Wyoming. The wagons caught up to each other attempting to make it through "Hastings Cutoff," a supposed shortcut blazed by historic ne'er-do-well Landsford Hastings. The cutoff turned out to be a trail uncut for wagons through the Wasatch mountains of Utah. Rather than saving time it cost the pioneers weeks, thus causing the emigrants to get caught in the Sierras by impassable amounts of snow.
The party was under the leadership of George Donner in name alone. Actually Franklin Graves, the father of the bride referred to in the subtitle of the book, turns out to be a more capable, while informal, leader of the group. Rather than operating as a cohesive team fighting against the elements, the situation more or less turned into "every family for themselves." There were actually three different camp sites in the pass and, with few exceptions, each family hoarded their own supplies. Yes, there were several, independent, incidences of cannibalism.
Daniel Brown writes well. But it is the story itself that makes "The Indifferent Stars Above" a page-turner. There is intrigue, there is murder, there is stupidity, selfishness, and cowardliness. Yet this story also has examples of self-sacrifice, bravery, and fortitude. You'll have the opportunity to transport yourself across time and try to understand what would make a man pack up his family and everything he owns to travel to a mythical land that the only things you know about it were read in a tourist guidebook and where there is a rather good chance that someone you know will die along the way. You will certainly appreciate the hardships of the emigrant trail in reading this "worst case scenario." Much more than the junior high version of you could ever comprehend.
Recommendation: Make Your Own Documentary
I really enjoy watching documentaries. Heck, I like the American Experience better than most movies that have come out lately. I was seriously thinking about writing Ken Burns an email and telling him he's not working hard enough; I'm tired of waiting so long between premieres. So it shouldn't come as a shock to you that I (and I suspect there are many others out there) have always had a closeted desire to make documentaries myself.
Geek that I am, the first thing that I do when something bright and shiny floats by in my mind is to go to Amazon or the library and look for a book on the subject. Like my dad told me when I was a kid: "Anything you can think of, someone's written a book about it. In the library you can learn how to do anything." A few months ago I picked up the book "Making Documentary Films and Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries" by Barry Hampe. I've had it on the shelf for a while and I recently picked it up and read through it. You know how it goes, more bright shiny things distracting me, but I can honestly say I wish that I had read it sooner. Why? Because, along with technique, the book gives you an appreciation for how much work goes into producing, writing, filming, and production of the simplest of documentary films.
Right out of the gate let me say that this book is not for those who want to make a two-minute short for YouTube. The author acknowledges that with the technology available to us today, just about anybody can become a documentary filmmaker. But the book is written for those who might want to work on a production that rivals a full-length film, like Mr. Burns' Prohibition. That's not to say that there isn't a great deal of useful information for those of us who want to do short videos.
Probably the most valuable part of the book for me was Chapter 20 The Script. I'm proud to say that I've written a book and a number of articles, but I had no idea how to write a script for a documentary. Trust me, from my limited experience in playing with my little handheld Panasonic Video Camera, and Pinnacle Studio for editing and voice-over, I know that the end result will be tremendously more professional if you write down what you are going to film and what you are going to say long before you start filming. The author devote sixteen pages to writing and formatting the script, which is all I really felt I need. (Although I know that there are many volumes dedicated to the art and science of script writing.) The "Two-Column Script Format" (pg 201) just makes sense. The book includes a chapter sample of a script and a full treatment of a couple of documentary scripts is included in the appendix.
The author, Barry Hampe, has had a long and full professional career having participated in the making of over 200 documentaries. He talks to his reader in a forthright and straightforward style. This book is about no-nonsense information, presented in an interesting and palatable form. This might not be the sole-source for you if you want to make documentary films but I think it should be on your reading list. After all, I now know what "shooting B-roll" means. ;-)
Geek that I am, the first thing that I do when something bright and shiny floats by in my mind is to go to Amazon or the library and look for a book on the subject. Like my dad told me when I was a kid: "Anything you can think of, someone's written a book about it. In the library you can learn how to do anything." A few months ago I picked up the book "Making Documentary Films and Videos: A Practical Guide to Planning, Filming, and Editing Documentaries" by Barry Hampe. I've had it on the shelf for a while and I recently picked it up and read through it. You know how it goes, more bright shiny things distracting me, but I can honestly say I wish that I had read it sooner. Why? Because, along with technique, the book gives you an appreciation for how much work goes into producing, writing, filming, and production of the simplest of documentary films.
Right out of the gate let me say that this book is not for those who want to make a two-minute short for YouTube. The author acknowledges that with the technology available to us today, just about anybody can become a documentary filmmaker. But the book is written for those who might want to work on a production that rivals a full-length film, like Mr. Burns' Prohibition. That's not to say that there isn't a great deal of useful information for those of us who want to do short videos.
Probably the most valuable part of the book for me was Chapter 20 The Script. I'm proud to say that I've written a book and a number of articles, but I had no idea how to write a script for a documentary. Trust me, from my limited experience in playing with my little handheld Panasonic Video Camera, and Pinnacle Studio for editing and voice-over, I know that the end result will be tremendously more professional if you write down what you are going to film and what you are going to say long before you start filming. The author devote sixteen pages to writing and formatting the script, which is all I really felt I need. (Although I know that there are many volumes dedicated to the art and science of script writing.) The "Two-Column Script Format" (pg 201) just makes sense. The book includes a chapter sample of a script and a full treatment of a couple of documentary scripts is included in the appendix.
The author, Barry Hampe, has had a long and full professional career having participated in the making of over 200 documentaries. He talks to his reader in a forthright and straightforward style. This book is about no-nonsense information, presented in an interesting and palatable form. This might not be the sole-source for you if you want to make documentary films but I think it should be on your reading list. After all, I now know what "shooting B-roll" means. ;-)
National Public Lands Day...
And our trip to Sol Duc Falls...
Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park. |
Saturday, September 29, 2012 was National Public Lands Day. In honor of that day, access to many State and National Parks, as well as other federal lands was free. When I heard about that, I thought it would be a nice "date day" to take Sheila up to Sol Duc Falls in Olympic National Park. Of course we had fun and enjoyed remembering the other times we'd visited (it took us a while to piece together that we had first visited sometime around 1995, then took relatives there again in 2005, and 2009). This morning, being the geek that I am, I thought about our day trip yesterday and then decided to do a little checking up on what National Public Lands Day was all about and the history of Olympic National Park and the Sol Duc area. Here's what I found out:
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is an annual event whose purpose is to educate Americans about the environment, our natural resources, and our responsibilities as stewards of those resources. Participating agencies and organizations plan educational events and volunteer projects to enhance the use of publicly held lands. The first NPLD was in 1994 with three sites and 700 volunteers participating. That initial success created an annual event. Last year, more than 170,000 volunteers worked at 2,067 sites across the United States. According to the NPLD website, here's some of what those volunteers accomplished:
- Collected an estimated 23,000 pounds of invasive plants
- Built and maintained an estimated 1,500 miles of trails
- Planted an estimated 100,000 trees, shrubs and other native plants
- Removed an estimated 500 tons of trash from trails and other places
- Contributed an estimated $17 million through volunteer services to improve public lands across the country
Bridge over the Sol Duc River, at the falls. |
This year eight federal agencies as well as those at the local, regional, and state level participated, making the NPLD the nation's largest single day volunteer event for public lands. To my chagrin, I did not know any of this when I set out on Saturday morning. Next year, rather than just enjoying a free day in a National Park, I promised myself I would volunteer.
Sol Duc Falls, Olympic National Park
If you've never been, go. I think that Olympic National Park is one of the most beautiful places on earth. That's why between bouts of wanderlust, Sheila and I have lived in the Puget Sound three different times in our lives. Olympic National Park is 632,000 acres of preserved wilderness. This park includes alpine meadows, glacier topped mountains, temperate rain forest, and about 63 miles of wild northern coastline.
Sol Duc Hot Springs Hotel, c. 1913. Image courtesy of the Forks, WA Timber Museum. |
Americans came to the Olympic Peninsula beginning in the 1850s, attracted by the natural resources available here, meaning land, lumber, and fish. The first step in protecting the area that would become the National Park was in 1897 when President Grover Cleveland designated portions of the peninsula as the Olympic Forest Reserve. FDR signed the Act that created Olympic National Park in 1938. In 1976 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Olympic part of an international
system of Biosphere Reserves. For more in-depth history of the park, check out this pdf from the NPS.
Visitors in the 1920s travel to Sol Duc Hot Springs. Image courtesy of the Clallam County Historical Society. |
The bridge at Sol Duc Falls, c. 1920. Image from Univ of Washington Library Special Collections Division, PH Coll 341. |
On the north side of Olympic National Park is the Sol Duc Valley, carved out of the mountains by the Sol Duc River. Along with excellent hiking opportunities, you'll find two attractions at Sol Duc: the Sol Duc Hot Springs and Sol Duc Falls. I don't know who the first European settler was to see Sol Duc Falls. However, in the very early twentieth century, large tracts of timber were purchased around what would later become national park and national forest land. On of these "timber barons " Michael Earles, built a grand hotel at the sight of a natural mineral hot spring on the Sol Duc river. The hotel opened on May 15, 1912 and one of the obvious attractions for city folk coming to take a mineral bath was the waterfalls a short 2 to 3 mile hike up the river. Visitors have been making their way to view the falls ever since. Unfortunately, the hotel was short-lived, burning down in an accidental fire in 1916. But the reputation of the hot springs and waterfalls had already gotten out. The National Park Service eventually purchase the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort in 1966 and made it park of the park. The trail up to the falls is an easy hike of only eight tenths of a mile. The falls are beautiful year-round, but come in the spring and early summer when the rain and snow melt make for a magnificent experience. You'll know why Native American people, the Quileute, named this river valley "Sol Duc," which means sparkling waters.
These historic images, and others, can be viewed at the Olympic Peninsula Community Museum online.
History of the Labrador Retriever
Did you know that the Labrador Retriever did not come from Labrador? Actually, the dogs originated in Newfoundland. The fishermen of the island used a type of dog they called a "St. John's" dog that would dive in the water to retrieve lost fishing gear. The dog became coveted by hunters of waterfowl and the next thing you know some well-to-do English types had taken some of the dogs to Great Britain to breed as hunting dogs. To distinguish from the larger "Newfoundland" breed of dog, the Brits started calling the St. John's dogs "Labrador dogs." Hey, both islands are in Canada, right?
As you know, my main interest is military history. But on occasion I like to go do something different. So for the Thinky Tees store I wrote a brief history of the Labrador Retriever. (I actually appreciated the break from an article on U.S. Navy destroyers I'm working on.) Go read the long version, it turned out to be a really fascinating story. I enjoyed learning where and how our most popular breed of dog came to be.
Book Recommendation:
Along those same lines of "doin' somethin' differnt," I went back the other day and re-read a book that we used in one of my college classes. I had liked it so much in school that when I ran across it on the shelf in the local library I had to check it out and read it again. In Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression author David E. Kyvig reviews the advent of incredible technologies that we take for granted today. It's a fascinated read where you'll discover when household electricity became readily available. With it came an incredible age of technological innovation that brought to your home everything from items that ushered in social change, like the radio, to what we now consider mundane conveniences, like washing machines and vacuum cleaners. I absolutely give it five stars. ;-)
As you know, my main interest is military history. But on occasion I like to go do something different. So for the Thinky Tees store I wrote a brief history of the Labrador Retriever. (I actually appreciated the break from an article on U.S. Navy destroyers I'm working on.) Go read the long version, it turned out to be a really fascinating story. I enjoyed learning where and how our most popular breed of dog came to be.
Book Recommendation:
Along those same lines of "doin' somethin' differnt," I went back the other day and re-read a book that we used in one of my college classes. I had liked it so much in school that when I ran across it on the shelf in the local library I had to check it out and read it again. In Daily Life in the United States, 1920-1940: How Americans Lived Through the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression author David E. Kyvig reviews the advent of incredible technologies that we take for granted today. It's a fascinated read where you'll discover when household electricity became readily available. With it came an incredible age of technological innovation that brought to your home everything from items that ushered in social change, like the radio, to what we now consider mundane conveniences, like washing machines and vacuum cleaners. I absolutely give it five stars. ;-)
66 Years
I've mentioned before that I enjoy different newsletters and "this day in history" type factoids. Every morning I look forward to my History Channel "This Day in History" email. Today's lead article informed me that on August 20, 1911, the first around-the-world telegram was sent. Started by the New York Times to see how long it would take to travel the 28,000 plus miles around the globe, the message left New York at 7:00 pm and was passed by 16 different operators to arrive back to the sender sixteen and a half minutes later. The article also points out that 66 years later, to the day, on August 20, 1977, NASA launched the Voyager II spacecraft. Voyager II was the one that carried the copper phonograph record called "Sounds of Earth" with greetings in 60 languages, etc.
In only 66 years we went from sending Morse code by cable around the world to sending a record across the solar system. Amazing. That number, 66, stuck in my head. Later, I recalled that it was 66 years from the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk (December 17, 1903) to Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon (July 20, 1969). More amazing. Okay, I know it's just coincidence. But already this morning I talked on a cell phone, sent a text message, and I'm about to publish my observation on the Internet for anyone in the world to read. It sure makes me wonder what we'll be doing 66 years from now.
In only 66 years we went from sending Morse code by cable around the world to sending a record across the solar system. Amazing. That number, 66, stuck in my head. Later, I recalled that it was 66 years from the Wright Brothers' first flight at Kitty Hawk (December 17, 1903) to Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon (July 20, 1969). More amazing. Okay, I know it's just coincidence. But already this morning I talked on a cell phone, sent a text message, and I'm about to publish my observation on the Internet for anyone in the world to read. It sure makes me wonder what we'll be doing 66 years from now.
In The News: Wreck of German Submarine Found off Massachusetts
I've been doing some reading on U.S. Navy destroyers in WWII recently. So when I saw this item come up in the news, it really got my attention. Marine archaeologists recently found the German submarine U-550 on the bottom of the Atlantic ocean, about 70 miles south of Nantucket Island.
On April 16, 1944, while on its first deployment, U-550 attacked the tanker ship SS Pan-Pennsylvania. The Pan-Pennsylvania was at that time the largest tanker in the world, carrying a cargo of 140,000 barrels of aviation gasoline. The tanker had fallen behind the rest of her convoy that was making its way from New York to Great Britain, making her an inviting target. The torpedo attack set the cargo on fire, killed 25 of the Pan-Pennsylvania's crew of 81, and eventually sink the huge tanker. While the escort destroyers USS Joyce (DE-317), USS Gandy (DE-764), and USS Peterson (DE-152) went to work rescuing the surviving crew, U-550 hid under the mayhem.
As the Joyce was about to withdraw, the German submarine moved from its hiding place and was picked up by sonar above. Joyce laid a spread of 13 depth charges that drove U-550 to the surface. The crew of the U-boat meant to fight it out and began to fire its deck gun at the American ships. All three escort destroyers returned fire, with Gandy moving to ram the soft target of U-550's conning tower. The German sub's attempt to move out of the way caused Gandy to strike about 30 feet from the stern. Meanwhile, Peterson dropped two more depth charges that exploded near the submarines hull. The U-boat's guns were silenced. Joyce hailed the Germans, demanding they abandon ship. With his vessel doomed, the German commander chose to scuttle his boat rather than let it fall into American hands. Another explosion was heard, only this time from within the hull of the German submarine. Only 40 minutes after the Joyce had first detected her, U-550 was sunk. The USS Joyce was only able to find 13 surviving Germans, one of whom died while in route to England.
A little over 68 years later, on July 23, 2012, the wreck of U-550 was found by a private group of shipwreck hunters funded by Joseph Mazraani, a successful attorney from New Jersey. Some of the members of this group have been searching for this wreck for two decades. They are currently working on a project to document the wreckage of ships from the Battle of the Atlantic. To see some great pictures taken of this engagement during WWII and some links to videos, visit the Discovery Channel page for this event. If you are not familiar with this part of WWII naval history, I've picked out an excellent video (10 minutes, in color!) for you, courtesy of YouTube:
On April 16, 1944, while on its first deployment, U-550 attacked the tanker ship SS Pan-Pennsylvania. The Pan-Pennsylvania was at that time the largest tanker in the world, carrying a cargo of 140,000 barrels of aviation gasoline. The tanker had fallen behind the rest of her convoy that was making its way from New York to Great Britain, making her an inviting target. The torpedo attack set the cargo on fire, killed 25 of the Pan-Pennsylvania's crew of 81, and eventually sink the huge tanker. While the escort destroyers USS Joyce (DE-317), USS Gandy (DE-764), and USS Peterson (DE-152) went to work rescuing the surviving crew, U-550 hid under the mayhem.
As the Joyce was about to withdraw, the German submarine moved from its hiding place and was picked up by sonar above. Joyce laid a spread of 13 depth charges that drove U-550 to the surface. The crew of the U-boat meant to fight it out and began to fire its deck gun at the American ships. All three escort destroyers returned fire, with Gandy moving to ram the soft target of U-550's conning tower. The German sub's attempt to move out of the way caused Gandy to strike about 30 feet from the stern. Meanwhile, Peterson dropped two more depth charges that exploded near the submarines hull. The U-boat's guns were silenced. Joyce hailed the Germans, demanding they abandon ship. With his vessel doomed, the German commander chose to scuttle his boat rather than let it fall into American hands. Another explosion was heard, only this time from within the hull of the German submarine. Only 40 minutes after the Joyce had first detected her, U-550 was sunk. The USS Joyce was only able to find 13 surviving Germans, one of whom died while in route to England.
A little over 68 years later, on July 23, 2012, the wreck of U-550 was found by a private group of shipwreck hunters funded by Joseph Mazraani, a successful attorney from New Jersey. Some of the members of this group have been searching for this wreck for two decades. They are currently working on a project to document the wreckage of ships from the Battle of the Atlantic. To see some great pictures taken of this engagement during WWII and some links to videos, visit the Discovery Channel page for this event. If you are not familiar with this part of WWII naval history, I've picked out an excellent video (10 minutes, in color!) for you, courtesy of YouTube:
Book Review: “Man of War” by Charlie Schroeder
Spoiler alert: I didn’t like it and the book made me mad.
Charlie Schroeder never uses the term “living historian” which is a more appropriate moniker for what these folks do. Sure, some are strange and “out there.” Others are just interested in running around in the woods and playing army. But Schroeder never emphasizes the dedication to historical accuracy, and the commitment of time and money that many of these people give to the public. What about the guy who demonstrates glass plate photography and the women who spend time carding wool? Take a look at the picture to the left. Is anyone going to doubt that guy’s dedication to history? Charlie doesn't talk about the positives of reenacting. Without dedicated living historians, most documentaries and movies would suck. I have a high degree of respect for people who turn other people (of all ages) on to history in a real first person way. You know, like those living historians did for Charlie at Old Fort MacArthur Days as he describes in the beginning of his book. Mr. Schroeder has done a great disservice to those living historians whose main goal is to educate the public, rather than just play dress up. Don't judge the living historians you encounter at our state and national parks based on what you read in this book.
In 1999 Pulitzer Prize winning author Tony Horwitz wrote a book titled "Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War." In major portions of the book Horwitz tagged along with Civil War reenactors that to the uninitiated came across as quirky at best, totally insane at the worst. But the theme of the book was that even though the Civil War (at the time) was over 140 years old, that period of American history had an effect on the lives of people today. I like that book. I've been a fan of Horwitz ever since I read it.
Charlie Schroeder took Horwitz’ idea of participating with reenactors (he pays homage to Horwitz on page 46) with the intent of including reenactors of all periods of history. Like the rest of us, Charlie wanted to know why these people do what they do, why they choose a certain time period or event, why civilians willingly “choose to experience war,” and “why people liked to spend their weekends without any of modern life’s creature comforts” (pp.39-40). In my opinion, he failed to answer any of these questions.
Before researching "Man of War: My Adventures in the World of Historical Reenactment" (Hudson Street Press, May 2012), Schroeder says that he knew virtually nothing about American history but that he became interested in part by attending a living history event in southern California called Old Fort MacArthur Days, where seventy-five different reenactment groups were displaying periods from Roman to Vietnam (p. 11). It reminded me of an event I had attended at the AHEC called "Army Heritage Days." That experience at Old Fort MacArthur Days (and obviously reading Confederates in the Attic) gave Charlie the idea that he would travel around the country participating in reenactor events and get into these people’s heads. He spent the next year traveling the country, participating with Roman, Viking, Colonial, Civil War, WWII (Nazis), and even Vietnam era reenactors.
Schroeder blames his prior lack of knowledge – along with his apathy – on his high school history teacher, who would give out extra credit for attending the varsity basketball game. He also says that he used to make fun of the kids who participated in the Renaissance Fair, calling them “Ren Rats” (p. 14). It doesn’t appear that he changed his attitude much over the years. In fact, one gets the impression that Charlie Schroeder had already made up his mind that reenactors are a bunch of wackos. Most, according to Charlie, are politically right-wing and he goes about trying to prove it by quoting a number of fringe political statements he heard while on his year-long adventure. Charlie doesn't "get it," therefore he decided to just mock it. He seems to have cherry picked the oddest and strangest among this group of history fanatics in his attempt to prove the myth that they are all a bunch of crackpots.
I'm very disappointed that Mr. Schoeder never got down to some serious Q & A with his victims to tell me why they do what they do and what it means to them. The book served to document a succession of missed opportunities, after having devoted so much time and money traveling around the country. I believe that the book was supposed to be humorous and “whimsical.” I did chuckle a few times but Charlie thinks he’s funnier than he really is. Actually, he comes across as rather elitist. If you don’t think he “doesn’t get it” and isn't mocking those who love history in the first person, wait until you get to the end. Charlie’s circus stunt "history ambush" walk between the two California missions in the last chapter was just idiotic.
A living historian interpreting a Native American warrior during the French and Indian War. Photo taken by the Roving Historian at a reenactor event at the AHEC in 2007. |
Gingerbread Man's Dog Tag Found Near Rome
Here's a great news item: The Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal reports that the dog tag of a 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion paratrooper was unearthed by gardeners in a suburb of Rome. Sgt Mike Baranek of Akron, a WWII veteran of the 509th PIB in North Africa and Italy, made three combat jumps, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, four Bronze Stars, and two Purple Hearts. The Geronimo returned home to Ohio after the war. He passed away in 1980.
The Italian gardeners, Olga Romagnolo and a friend, sent the dog tag to Nellie Baranek, Mike’s widow, in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Nellie will be sending the tag on to Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada where Mike’s granddaughter, Tammy Mahoney, is receiving treatment for breast cancer. The finding of the dog tag is viewed as a heavenly sign by Mahoney, who believes her grandfather is watching over her.
For pictures of Mike Baranek taken during WWII and the recently found dog tag, visit the 509th Parachute Infantry Association website's "soldier page" for Sgt Mike Baranek.
For pictures of Mike Baranek taken during WWII and the recently found dog tag, visit the 509th Parachute Infantry Association website's "soldier page" for Sgt Mike Baranek.
Working on the Locks
For those of you who have known me for a while, or the two or three who have been reading this blog from the start, you know that I did a project for my MA in History at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Seattle back in 2009. The site is more commonly known as "the Ballard Locks" for the Seattle neighborhood in which it is located. The Army Corps of Engineers site along with the co-located Carl English Botanical Gardens is typically listed as one of the top three visitor attractions in Seattle. The volunteer group we started to accomplish that archive project is still going strong. Since I've moved back to western Washington, I've been able to visit at the locks and help out the organization the best way I can (being that I live a two-hour journey by car and ferry away) by helping out with their blog.
In case you had not checked in for a while, I thought I would put the "Friends of the Ballard Locks" back on your radar. One of their members, Kyle Stetler, let us know in his article for the FOBL blog that June 25th is the 102nd anniversary of the passage of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1910, which appropriated the funds to begin construction of the locks. A good investment, I'd say.
The Abner Coburn along with the tug Wanderer move east through the Ballard Locks, circa 1916. |
In case you had not checked in for a while, I thought I would put the "Friends of the Ballard Locks" back on your radar. One of their members, Kyle Stetler, let us know in his article for the FOBL blog that June 25th is the 102nd anniversary of the passage of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1910, which appropriated the funds to begin construction of the locks. A good investment, I'd say.
Remembering the Cold War
For me, one of the frustrating things about getting older is that what seems like ancient history to young people just happened yesterday in my mind. But after finding a couple of videos on YouTube that have to do with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment during the Cold War, I counted up the years. It’s been almost 23 years since the fall of the “Iron Curtain,” and going on 24 since I left the "Fulda Gap." It did seem like yesterday, at least until I took a look at these old clips.
We saw the Wall come down on television but we never really celebrated the end of the Cold War here in the United States. It just sort of ended one day without notice and Bob’s your uncle, it wasn’t there anymore. But we won it, sure enough. And we did our job so well we never had to experience the horrors of the war we imagined with the Warsaw Pact. It brought a smile to my face when I read an article at military.com and saw the pictures of all those Russian tanks we were so afraid of. They’re for sale… and currently gathering rust in the Ukraine.
I have not written much about my own military service in this blog. I share a portion of it here, just to contribute part of my own "oral history." I served in the 11th ACR, the Blackhorse Regiment, as an aviation officer and scout helicopter pilot from 1985 to 1988. During those Cold War years, the mission of the 11th Armored Cavalry was to patrol approximately 230 miles of the East German border. We linked up with the 2nd Armored Cavalry to our south, and the British Army of the Rhine on the north. The Regiment’s headquarters was based in the town of Fulda, about twenty miles from the border.
Just before I came to the unit, the Regiment had made a promotional video that everyone called “The Blackhorse Movie.” Self-serving and corny, but man, as a new lieutenant in the Blackhorse, I thought it was cool. I had a copy of my own until the VHS tape finally disintegrated. But isn’t YouTube wonderful? Someone posted a copy. It’s just under fifteen minutes long, but I think you’ll enjoy it. It’s got a good history lesson on the beginning of the Cold War in Germany:
Fast forward two years to a day or so before Thanksgiving in 1987. The whole community was abuzz, because the Today Show was going to broadcast live from the “frontiers of freedom” in Fulda, Germany. That same week the morning show had been filmed at an Air Force base in England and on the deck of an aircraft carrier at sea. The largest building available was our aircraft hangar on Sickles Army Airfield, so that’s where they would broadcast from. For days prior to the broadcast our operations were curtailed. No training flights, only the required daily border surveillance missions. The hangar had to be cleared out and all of the aircraft were lined up on the runway. I assumed that any conflict with the Soviets would be put on hold until Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel had left town.
I had just recently been made the squadron’s S-2 (staff intelligence officer). I was given a mission to lead a flight of helicopters carrying a camera crew up to a border outpost (O.P. Tennessee). The flight was delayed due to forecasted clouds over a pass we had to fly through to get to the border. When our squadron commander took command a few months earlier, he gave a speech where he promised that safety was paramount and there would be no more launching of “weather birds” to prove the Air Force weather forecasters wrong. Well, when he saw me on the flight line he sternly reminded me that these were important people with a schedule to keep. He strongly suggested that I get in my little helicopter and go see for myself whether or not the pass was open. So much for no weather birds. We eventually got the camera crew up to the border. The Russians were kind enough to send up a couple of their aircraft to see why we showed up with so many aircraft ourselves. So the NBC folks shot a great segment and for a brief moment you could catch a glimpse of the tail of my aircraft on television.
Here’s a segment of that episode of the Today Show I found on YouTube:
I didn’t go to the hangar to watch the filming. Instead I stayed in my office and watched it on television. I was told that as soon as it was over, Jane Pauley and Bryant Gumbel walked off stage without looking back. But Willard Scott (the jovial weatherman before Al Roker) stayed and signed autographs for every soldier and family member who wanted one.
Photo from article "Soviet Tanks As Far As The Eye Can See" |
Bridge in West Virginia Named for 509th PIB Veteran
Photo from WBOY.com Channel 12 in Upsur County, West Virginia. |
The dedication ceremony was held at the bridge in Upshur county on Sunday May 27, 2012. An honor guard from the 1/509th at Fort Polk was present, as well as members of the 509th PIB WWII Living History Group. Victor Osburn's nephew Joe Osburn, who was instrumental in having the bridge dedicated to his uncle's memory, had graciously sent me an invitation to the ceremony. Unfortunately, being in the process of relocating to the other coast, I was unable to attend. However, I was able to watch a well done video clip from local TV news WDTV covering the dedication. Congratulations, Joe. It looks like the event was a success.
509th PIB News Roundup for Memorial Day
The Boldest Plan is the Best: The Combat History of the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion During WWII, I've been keeping up with news about the unit and its veterans. Here are a couple of news items that came up on the radar today:
- According to the Avon (Connecticut) News, Morton N. Katz will be the keynote speaker for the Memorial Day events in Avon. Katz served as a lieutenant in the 509th PIB during World War II. He served in North Africa, Italy, France, and Belgium. Katz is active in the local VFW Post 3272 and continues to practice law in Avon.
- The Bullard Banner News ran an article about 509th veteran Lloyd Wells of Upshur County, Texas. Mr. Wells is also a veteran of North Africa, Avellino, Anzio, Southern France, and the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately, Wells lost his medals (and his house) during the Texas wildfires last year. On May 19, Wells was presented with his medals once again at a surprise ceremony at a local museum. The article goes on to tell us that Lloyd Wells, just short of his 92nd birthday, still works full-time at Walmart in Gilmer, Texas, assembling bikes, barbecues, and furniture.
What I noticed about both news items is that these veterans, both over the age of ninety, are still working full-time. It never ceases to amaze me...those paratroopers just don't know how to quit.
Please take a moment this Memorial Day weekend to thank a veteran for their service, and remember those who have fallen. I've included a picture from the National Archives for you that didn't make it into the book. It was taken during a happier moment in Geronimo history. Enjoy the holiday.
- According to the Avon (Connecticut) News, Morton N. Katz will be the keynote speaker for the Memorial Day events in Avon. Katz served as a lieutenant in the 509th PIB during World War II. He served in North Africa, Italy, France, and Belgium. Katz is active in the local VFW Post 3272 and continues to practice law in Avon.
- The Bullard Banner News ran an article about 509th veteran Lloyd Wells of Upshur County, Texas. Mr. Wells is also a veteran of North Africa, Avellino, Anzio, Southern France, and the Battle of the Bulge. Unfortunately, Wells lost his medals (and his house) during the Texas wildfires last year. On May 19, Wells was presented with his medals once again at a surprise ceremony at a local museum. The article goes on to tell us that Lloyd Wells, just short of his 92nd birthday, still works full-time at Walmart in Gilmer, Texas, assembling bikes, barbecues, and furniture.
What I noticed about both news items is that these veterans, both over the age of ninety, are still working full-time. It never ceases to amaze me...those paratroopers just don't know how to quit.
Please take a moment this Memorial Day weekend to thank a veteran for their service, and remember those who have fallen. I've included a picture from the National Archives for you that didn't make it into the book. It was taken during a happier moment in Geronimo history. Enjoy the holiday.
New Home Base: Sequim, Washington
Here's Jim at Railroad Bridge Park, and there's a new bike trail to conquer! |
Between getting ready to move, moving across the country, and settling in to our new home, I've been out of the loop for about a month. Before I left Pennsylvania, I completed researching the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment at the AHEC and NARA. That of course is my next writing project, as a companion to The Boldest Plan is the Best, about the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion. I wanted to complete the story of the first airborne units to deploy in WWII, before the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions went overseas. However, as I learn more about my new surroundings I'll be passing on some information here. For instance, did you know that back in the 1970s, some mastodon bones were found in the area? They contained a spear point that dates the inhabitants of the area to pre-Clovis period, which means that travelers have been coming to the Sequim for more than 14,000 years!
As the two or three regular readers of this blog know, my interests are mainly in the twentieth century. Luckily we've arrived in time for the 117th Irrigation Festival. Sequim, and the Dungeness Valley, are in a rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains. So unlike the rest of Puget Sound, the area gets only approximately 15 inches of rain a year, which is about the same as southern California. In 1895 the local farmers began an irrigation project that brought economic prosperity to the area. The annual celebration of that agricultural endeavor is the oldest in Washington state. More to follow as I head down to join my local historical society. ;-)
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