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As the sun shone across London this weekend a number of events were taking place to commemorate the Battle of Britain, veterans standing shoulder to shoulder with serving military figures and civilians to remember their comrades who battled so doggedly for their country during the summer of 1940 and throughout World War II. A permanent reminder of the debt owed to 'The Few' was revealed on Saturday 15 September 2007 in Westminster when the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Fighter Association unveiled the Battle of Britain Heritage Walk. The 45 minute walk links five sites of significance to...

With his regular ongoing title cancelled 20 years ago, Sgt. Rock returns to DC Comics in 2008 in the six-issue mini-series, "The Lost Battalion," written and illustrated by Billy Tucci ("Shi"). In a somewhat ironic twist, CBR News spoke with the Eisner-award nominated creator on the sixth anniversary of 9/11 about the iconic military figure - a connection not lost on Tucci. "Above all else this is a human story," said Tucci of his factually-based Rock story. "It's based on actual events and I've worked very hard crafting around the truth. I want to pay homage to the men and...

My Dad served during WW2 in the US Navy from somewhere around June, 1943 until January, 1946 in the Pacific. He was assigned to the USS SAN JUAN, a cruiser, and his duty on board was that of storekeeper. The USS SAN JUAN received 13 Battle Stars for her WW2 service. My Dad was on board when the ship received 7 Battle Stars. Almost needless to say, he saw a lot of heavy, heavy action. The USS SAN JUAN went all over the Pacific during the time my Dad was on board. Here is a link to the website should...

Nearly six years after 9/11, what's striking is how little has changed in America - and in its war effort. And yet if we can't change ourselves, what are the chances that we can change others? When President George W. Bush declares that the Global War on Terror is "the concentrated work of generations," one has to wonder if he really means it. Certainly there's been little concentration on effective war mobilization, and other countries have noticed. As we look back to study wars that the United States has won - and why - the most obvious metric is the...

Flag Waving Democrats January 10, 2007 President Bush made his speech tonight outlining a new strategy for the War on terror in Iraq. Even before he made the speech, Democrats and RINOs were lining up in opposition to any increase in troop strength, labeled as a “surge” in their semantic laced calls. Newly ordained Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (D.Ca.) says, "If the president is proposing an escalation, we want to see a justification for the mission." She added that any funding for a surge would be "subjected to some pretty harsh scrutiny." What more “justification” does she need...

I have a quick two question poll I'd like to ask. I think I know what the answers will be but just to confirm how depsicable the NYT has become I thought I'd ask it anyway. 1:Bill Keller and the current times staff is in chrage in 1944. They become aware that we have broken the Japanese code through a secret program called MAGIC. Do they splash it on the front page? 2:Bill Keller and the NYT become aware that we have broken AQ's code and are able to listen in on their every plan and thought thorugh a secret...

Ernest Crews Lacy, Jr. No. 13068 • 6 June 1920 – 28 April 1945 Killed in action in Germany, aged 24 years Interment: American Military Cemetery, Margraten, Holland ON 28 APRIL 1945, BUCK LACY was killed by enemy small arms fire while leading a patrol across the Elbe River in Germany. The tragedy of his death was particularly untimely, coming only ten days before the cessation of hostilities in Europe and after the victory for which he fought had already been won. A brief review of his life is in order. Buck was born at South Boston, Halifax County, Virginia,...

James Emerson Bush, Jr. Graduate No. 13253 • 11 November 1921 – 27 May 1944 Died when shot down by Japanese Zeros over Shinshow, China, aged 22 years Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia JAMES EMERSON BUSH, JR. (“Bushie” to his family) now rests in peace in Section 34, Grave 2403, of Arlington Cemetery. His West Point ring, with a touch of magic, brought him there from an obscure grave in Shinshow, China. “Bushie” was the first of three sons of Colonel and Mrs. James Bush to graduate from West Point. From his earliest days he had two loves —...

E-mail Author Author Archive Send to a Friend Version November 09, 2005, 8:10 a.m. Patriotism Is Not All That Question time. Let us now sing the qualified praises of questioning patriotism. Last Sunday, Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes fame appeared on Chris Wallace’s must-watch show, Fox News Sunday. Having the CBS liberal lion appear on the upstart Fox — particularly after Fox had so much fun with the 60 Minutes "Memogate" story — made it the journalistic equivalent of an exciting crossover episode. You know, like when Happy Days was continued on Mork & Mindy. The fact that Chris...

FREDERICKSBURG TEXAS — Another Hill Country native leading his troops into battle halfway around the world spoke this weekend to mark the 60th anniversary of Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz’s homecoming at the end of World War II. U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael W. Hagee told the crowd of nearly 200 at the National Museum of the Pacific War that the same leadership traits that made Nimitz a successful commander could be found today in the men and women fighting in the streets of Bagdad. “The world has changed because of advanced communication, and often young Marines cannot wait to...

THE Japanese were a "cruel enemy" in World War II, Prime Minister John Howard said today at a ceremony marking Tokyo's surrender 60 years ago. Without naming Japan, Howard said 20,000 Australians were captured in the space of a few weeks in 1942 – a reference to the sweep through South-East Asia by Japanese forces and the fall of Singapore in February. The Australians "passed into captivity only to endure years of forced labour, starvation and brutality at the hands of a cruel enemy," Mr Howard said at a ceremony at the war memorial in Canberra. "Our prisoners of war...

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Willard "Mac" McLain's story of survival after his bomber was shot down over occupied France is like the plot of a movie, a five-month journey of intrigue and danger, avoiding the murderous Nazi Gestapo while moving secretly through an underground network of French resistance fighters. As America observes the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II this month, the 83-year-old McLain is among a dwindling number of men and women still around to tell the tales. When McLain visits the VA hospital in Tampa, veterans of the Korean War, Vietnam War and the Gulf...

From James Doohan At the outbreak of World War II, aged 19, he joined the Royal Canadian Artillery, and was eventually commissioned as a lieutenant. His first combat assignment was the invasion of Normandy at Juno Beach on D-Day. Shooting two snipers along the way, Doohan's unit made its way to higher ground and took defensive positions. At 11:30 that night, he was machine-gunned, taking six hits: four in his leg, one in the chest, and one through his middle right finger. The chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case; he would later generally hide the amputated finger...

HOLTEN, Netherlands -- A helicopter showered 1,355 Canadian war graves with red poppies on Wednesday at the end of a memorial service to honour the sacrifice by Canadians in liberating the Netherlands from Nazi occupation 60 years ago. About 1,500 war veterans were on hand at the Dutch-organized event that highlighted the role children can play in keeping alive memories of wartime tragedy and heroism. During the ceremony at the Holten Canadian War Cemetery, Dutch children recited poems and placed white and yellow narcissus flowers at each grave. They also passed out traditional "May 4th" bread to each veteran attending...

SEELOW HEIGHTS, Germany (Reuters) - The remains of thousands of Soviet and German soldiers killed in a climactic World War Two battle outside Berlin are still being unearthed and identified 60 years after the fighting ended. German officials said on Tuesday they had found the skeletal remains of 1,080 Wehrmachtand 700 Red Army soldiers at the Seelow Heights battlefield since they began searching 12years ago for victims of the fiercest World War Two combat in Germany. A JS-2 on the Berlin highway during Spring 1945. "World War Two won't be truly finished until they've all been recovered and given a...

On the eve of the 60th anniversary of the firebombing of Dresden by Allied forces in World War II, a major neo-Nazi party in the city is seeking to reinvent history by calling the attack "Dresden's Holocaust of bombs." Problem is: the party is finding resonance in a city still deeply scarred by an attack that left at least 30,000 dead. AP A symbol of destruction: Dresden after the firestorm. At a meeting of parliament in the eastern German state of Saxony on Jan. 21, politicians wanted to debate the best way of commemorating the victims of the decimation of...

BELGRADE, ZAGREB -- Friday – Serbia has put veterans of the WWII Chetnik royalist army on the same footing as those of the Communist Partisan movement with new legislation passed this week. Chetniks are now entitled to the same pension and as Partisans under the new Veterans’ Rights Act. The new law also covers military and family disability payments. The rights now enjoyed by the Chetnik veterans were awarded to the followers of former President-for Life Josip “Tito” Broz at the end of the war. The amendments cover fighters who joined the Chetniks between April 1941 and May 1945 and...

Couple things. I was stationed at Pearl from 1991 to 1993 on the USS Chosin. During times when the ship went into the yards, the command had us sleeping in barracks at Ford Island. This was the early 90's and I do not recall a sign or anything signifying historical significance. When my wife came over from CONUS to visit, we toured the Arizona Memorial. Looking at pictures on the wall, I noticed an aerial shot of the same barracks I was sleeping in. The last time I was there in early 92 - and when I was in shape...

If this is not the right place to post this, please forgive me. With this being Labor Day, there are a lot of great war movies showing, (except Saving Private Ryan, in some cities.) I was just wondersing what everyones favorite WWII movies were.

Japan's patent office has blocked a company from making "pachinko" pinball machines named after Adolf Hitler, Moses and other historical figures, officials said Wednesday. Fuji Shoji Co., based in Osaka, submitted the names of 34 well-known people, including the Wright Brothers and Tchaikovsky, for trademarks on their garish, upright pinball machines. The Patent Office rejected the applications in May, Fuji said, but word of the decision was first publicized in Japan this week. The office is barred from granting trademarks that may disrupt public order and morals, a patent official said. He refused to provide further details. Kyodo News agency...