Coming In On a Wing And a Prayer
Sixty years after-the-fact, Erskine Arbeiter is finally being awarded his long overdue two Purple Hearts. The then Staff Sergeant Arbeiter, was a B-17 waist (side) gunner, with the 369th Bombardment Squadron, 306th Bombardment Group, 8th Army Air Corps during World War II from October 1944 until May 1945. On 1 February 1945 and
19 March 1945, Sergeant Arbeiter and his crew were flying combat missions over enemy-occupied Europe when their B-17 came under heavy artillery fire and sustained direct hits. On 1 February 1945 Sergeant Arbeiter sustained a head injury and on 19 March 1945 he received a foot injury as a result of flak from enemy fire. With each of
his injuries Erskine refused to remain in the hospital and as a result, the
doctor refused issue his two Purple Hearts due him at that time. Following Arbeiter’s discharge there were several attempts made to obtain his two Purple Hearts but for various
reasons they all failed until this last try.
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Veterans Day: The
11th Hour – 11th Day – 11th Month
The 11th hour, the 11th day of the 11th month have a tender significance to our Great Country, Veterans and
Citizenry. It was the end of World War I, supposedly the war to end of all wars. As can be seen, through this brief history of Veterans Day, it took Congress 8 years before officially recognizing Veterans following World War I in November 1918. Many States began paying tribute to
Veterans immediately following WWI perhaps putting pressure on Congress to officially pass the beginning resolution of what was then known as a Legal Holiday, then Armistice Day, later to become Veterans Day.
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Hellish Hawaiian Morning
December 7, 1941, the news began crackling over the radios that the Japanese attacked at 0800 hours. What had begun as the normal quiet Sunday morning of sleeping in or going to church services with some ships bands playing on the decks or recuperating from the Saturday night parties, all hell was to break loose and change the course of life forever. Many civilians asked each other, where is Pearl Harbor? Perhaps up to this time, only the rich and famous knew where Honolulu, Oahu, of ...
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Quiet Heroes
Some people have been a bit offended that actor Lee Marvin is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington National Cemetery. His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the
heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer.
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Heroes Indeed
These four heroes were active ministers within their communities coming from different parts of the country. After the attack on Pearl Harbor the
four enlist in the U.S. Army as Chaplains. They first become acquainted when they were assigned to Chaplains School at Harvard but
following graduation were given duty at different Army Bases. In October of 1942 they were reunited when they were transferred to Camp
Myles Standish in Taunton, Massachusetts. In January 1943 the four Chaplains were given orders to embark to Greenland on a troop transport ship.
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The Bataan Death March and Beyond
Everybody knew the war with Japan was coming, but when it did come it literally "caught us with our shorts
down" as stated by Alf Larson a survivor of the Bataan Death March. On Dec. 7, 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and incapacitated the Pacific Fleet. On the same day (except divided by the International Dateline) Japan attacked The Philippines, Malaya and Hong Kong ...
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Bataan Death March – POW’s Cadmus, Weikel & Kleiwer
Hello…yes, I am Maribel Cadmus…yes, George Cadmus was my husband… yes, I knew Ivan Weikel…yes, I have met David Kleiwer…yes, Ivan was a survivor of the Bataan Death March…yes, Ivan and George were in the prison camps in the Philippines…yes, George and Ivan were transferred to a Japanese POW camp where they joined Marine fighter pilot David Kleiwer…yes, Ivan has a son, Neil Weikel..
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"Gold Star Dad" Dale Schrock
With his hands held to his head he said, “I am sorry, but it still gets to me, even today after 33 years, I just can’t help it” as he wiped away the tears.The anger has faded some but the tenderness and love for his son, Vernon Earl Schrock, has not dimmed in this “Gold Star Dad” Dale Schrock.
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