Holocaust victim

 Pictures dating back to 1932 show an incident in which an eagle kidnapped a little girl in a Norwegian village, aged 3 and a half, while the girl was playing. The eagle pounced on her with its claws and flew away with her. 200 people from the village rushed to search for the girl, and they found her after about 7 hours in the eagle's nest at an altitude of 180 meters, where she was not harmed, and a new life was written for her. She lived until her death on November 12, 2010 at the age of 81 and she was... Clink on the here on the link to complete the story in full  

Elza was nine years old when the Nazis invaded in September 1939. During their occupation, the Nazis killed thousands of Catholic, Jewish, and other Poles. During the war, Elza and her family were forced to live in the Tarnów ghetto, which was about five hours from their home in Toruń. It is unclear why they were moved so far away. The Tarnów ghetto was set up in June 1941. A year later, the first major action against the Jews began. Everyone had to fill out registration papers. Some people were marked with a K and others with SD. At the time, they did not know it, but the K meant “unable to work,” which often meant death. On June 12, 1942, local SS officers, drunk from extra alcohol rations, went into the ghetto with axes and guns. They went from house to house killing and arresting those marked with a K. Elza, being a child, had a K on her papers and was arrested. Three days later, she and her mother were killed at the Bełżec extermination camp. Elza was twelve, and Jadzia was thirty...

 He was just a young man back then but the memories of the "Hunger Winter" in 1944 never left him. This boy in the photo shows exactly what my family and thousands of other people went through in the Netherlands. It was not just a cold winter, though, it was a punishment by the occupiers. Because the Dutch people tried to help the Allied soldiers the Germans stopped all the food from coming into the towns.It is difficult for people today to imagine but families were living on almost nothing. My father told me that they would walk for miles just to find a few potatoes. When the potatoes ran out, they literally ate tulip bulbs. He said they were bitter and terrible tasting, but better than an empty stomach. If you look closely at the boy, you see that he is holding a spoon. Back then, that was common. Children carried a spoon with them at all times as you never knew when a bit of watery soup might be served out. If you weren't ready with your spoon then you had lost your op...

 My father was a sensitive and intellectual man who loved reading and language. His natural temperament seemed well suited to a career as an English professor. But then—along with millions of other young men who were just entering adulthood—he was drafted into the Army. He fought on D-Day at Normandy, and found himself in foxholes with his buddies blown away beside him. He received two Purple Hearts and an award for bravery under dire circumstances. And when he finally came home, he spent the rest of his life dealing with “shell shock”—the term that was widely used prior to the modern definition of PTSD. Wars take many lives, in many ways. I’m proud of you, Dad—and you were still there, beneath the decorations over your heart... Continue reading  

 Matthew Leonard entered the Army from Birmingham, Alabama in 1947. He served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. On February 28, 1967, Leonard was serving as a platoon sergeant with Company B, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, near Suoi Da, South Vietnam. When his platoon came under attack. Sergeant Leonard organized the defense and encouraged his men. Despite suffering several wounds, he continued to command and eventually charged an enemy machine gun. He was wounded again during the charge, and died soon after. For his actions on that day, Sergeant Leonard received the Medal of Honor. Leonard's widow Lois and her family were presented with his Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson during a ceremony at the Pentagon on December 19, 1968. For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. His platoon was suddenly attacked by a large enemy force employing small arms, automatic weapons, and hand g...

 I also read many of my life on history books and I notice that people commit the same error with the female Nazi guards. Most of them believe that they were all captured and killed at the end of the war which is not the case at all. The true reality of the matter is far more distressing: a majority of these women simply got away with it. Probably, there were 3,700 female guards at these camps. Very few ever attended a court room and even less were executed. The individuals fall into this misconception because they listen to the stories of the day when the camps were freed. The Allied troops were stunned and extremely enraged when they first entered such locations as Bergen-Belsen and encountered the corpses. Guards were killed by some of the soldiers or survivors at the moment. It was revenge, not a trial. However, the case was another in those guards that were not killed that day. Notorious ones such as Irma Grese were simply hanged, we do not forget her name. She was not the nor...

 A woman was running across Fifth Avenue, her skirt lifted, a leather bag clutched tightly to her chest. Her name was Marie Zakrzewska. She was 43 years old, and as the crowd stepped aside to let her pass, everyone was thinking the same thing: “What could a woman possibly be doing here?” On the ground lay a man, motionless. A carriage had knocked him down. People were watching. Commenting. Pointing. But no one knew what to do. Until Marie knelt down. — “Step back,” she ordered calmly. — “Madam, are you mad?” a police officer shouted. “You have no reason to intervene.” — “If I don’t intervene, he will die,” she replied without blinking. While the others hesitated, Marie acted. She took his pulse. Opened his shirt. Checked his breathing. Then gave precise instructions: — “I need an empty carriage. And a blanket.” Several people ran off to fetch what she asked for. Marie positioned the man with extreme care. — “Don’t move him like that,” she said, supporting his neck. “We could damage...

 While attending high school in Bakersfield, California, William White participated in the summer program of the Citizens Military Training Camp being recognized as an honor trainee each year. After graduation in 1929 William was designated as a member Ninth Corps Area CMTG Rifle team for competition in the National Rifle Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio. White had also been recommended for a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps but being under age for a commission he would have to serve two years in the Enlisted Reserve Corps before becoming eligible. White began San Jose State Teachers College in January, 1930 however he dropped out at the end of his first quarter. A week later he enlisted in the US Marine Corps. By June of 1930 William White reported for duty as a member of the Marine Detachment of the USS West Virginia. After 11 years of service William left the Marine Corps and went to work for Shell Oil Company. In the late summer of 1941 White left his ...

 After Pearl Harbor was attacked, Hawkins enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on January 5, 1942, and was assigned to the 7th Recruit Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. He had tried unsuccessfully to enter both the Army and the Navy Air Corps, but his scars prevented his being accepted. Now, as a Marine, Hawkins was assigned to the 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, completed Scout Snipers' School at Camp Elliott, San Diego, and on July 1, 1942, embarked aboard the USS Crescent City for the Pacific area. A private first class when Hawkins went overseas, he was quickly promoted to corporal and then sergeant. On November 17, 1942, Hawkins was commissioned a second lieutenant while taking part in the Guadalcanal campaign in the battle for the Solomons. On June 1, 1943, he was promoted to first lieutenant. Less than six months later, Hawkins was killed in action leading a scout-sniper platoon in the attack on Betio Island during the assault on Tarawa. During the ...

 A dying boy, a desperate father, and an untested idea changed the fate of millions forever. In early 1922, a 14-year-old named Leonard Thompson lay motionless in a hospital bed in Toronto, his body ravaged by Type 1 diabetes. He weighed barely 65 pounds. His breath was shallow. He slipped in and out of a coma while his father waited beside him, knowing that at the time, this diagnosis carried only one outcome. Death. Before insulin, diabetes was treated with starvation. Children were kept alive on a few hundred calories a day, wasting away slowly as doctors tried to delay the inevitable. Some survived months. A few survived a year or two. Most did not survive at all. When Leonard was admitted to Toronto General Hospital, his father was given a choice no parent should ever face: let his son die naturally — or allow doctors to try something that had never been tested on a human being. At the same time, a young physician named Frederick Banting was chasing an idea many believed was i...

 In 1324, the King of England made a fatal calculation. He believed he could confiscate his wife's lands, arrest her household, and treat her like a prisoner without consequence. He thought she was broken. But by 1326, she would prove him dead wrong. Queen Isabella of France was married to King Edward II, a man whose reign was defined by chaos and favoritism. Edward was infatuated with the Despenser family, particularly Hugh Despenser the Younger. These favorites controlled the King completely, using their power to enrich themselves and crush their enemies. Isabella was the primary target of their malice. The King stripped her of her estates. He cut off her income. In a final act of cruelty, he removed her children from her care, placing them in the custody of the very men who hated her. She was a Queen in title, but a pauper in reality. She lived in fear for her life. But Isabella was not just a wife; she was a diplomat and the daughter of a King. When a dispute arose between Engl...

 Yang Yun, a 26-year-old Chinese free diver, was taking part in a cold-water diving event in Harbin, in northeastern China. The challenge was extreme: she descended into an icy pool shared with beluga whales, hoping to push human limits and set a new record. But deep underwater, the cold betrayed her. Her legs suddenly cramped and went numb, frozen by the polar temperatures. Unable to kick or rise, Yang realized she was losing control. In that terrifying moment, she was certain she would drown. Then something unexpected happened. Out of the blue, a powerful yet gentle force lifted her upward. One of the beluga whales, named Mila, had sensed the danger before anyone else. With a careful nudge and a grip on Yang’s leg, Mila guided her toward the surface, saving her life. Later, Yang would say that on her own, she would not have survived—that the strength pushing her upward felt unreal, almost impossible to explain. The event organizers were stunned. They later admitted that Mila reac...

 A woman discovered her old dog had been handed over to a kill shelter by her former boyfriend. She had searched for the dog for months following their breakup. The animal was scheduled for euthanasia the next morning. She arrived after hours and found the building locked tight. She smashed a window, shut down the alarm, and moved through the kennels until she located her dog, Max. She grabbed Max and ran. Shelter employees later found the break-in and the missing animal. Police issued a warrant for burglary and theft. Security video plainly showed her forcing entry. She surrendered herself three days later with Max beside her. She faced felony charges but claimed Max had been taken from her earlier by the ex-boyfriend, who had no legal authority to give him up. Her attorney proved ownership using veterinary files, photographs, and microchip records. The ex-boyfriend had surrendered the dog unlawfully out of revenge. The judge dismissed charges against her and issued a warrant for ...

 I served in Vietnam from 1970–71 as a field interrogator with the First Cav on the Cambodian border, frequently going out with the infantry on intel missions. I was fortunate that despite several close calls, I was never wounded. Some of my fellow Soldiers were wounded and medevaced back to hospitals in Vietnam. Some recovered there and were sent back out on the line. The grievously wounded, including missing limbs and the like, were medevaced back to Japan, often facing years of operations and rehab. One buddy of mine, a marine, was on patrol outside Khe Sanh and was overrun by an overwhelming NVA force. His best buddy was killed and he woke up in Japan with half his face missing. Those were the people who spent their last day in the Nam in air conditioned comfort. The rest of of us were glad to get out on the Freedom Bird without ever once having air conditioning. So that last night in Vietnam in a hospital’s air conditioned comfort must have been worse than any other wartime ex...

 As a draftee in 1969, I volunteered for Vietnamese Language School and was also sent to Army Interrogation School. In 1970–71 I served as a field interrogator with the First Cav on the Cambodian border. Vietnam, 1970 Fast forward. Upon my return, I immediately used the GI Bill to go to law school. Because I saw China’s huge influence in Asia while in Vietnam, I took Chinese in law school, later teaching US law in Chinese and English as an Adjunct Program of Law in a traditional style Chinese university atop a jungled mountain. Chinese Culture University, Taiwan I then used Chinese for international legal transactions for many years. I am currently finishing a Chinese-English textbook based on my teaching experience in Taiwan, entitled « Chinese-English Basic Principles of U.S. Law ». And interrogation school paid off as well. As a trial lawyer in NYC and elsewhere, including the Korean DMZ, I excelled at investigation pre-trial and cross examination at trial. Even Basic Training a...

 Unlike most wars we have unique insight into the actual US reasons for the Viet Nam war due to the fact that various papers were stolen which showed internal US government discussions and memos to the president of the US explicitly stating various goals and operations of the US. These are known as the “Pentagon Papers” and anyone can read them.The original and main reason for starting the Viet Nam war, was to prevent China from having influence in Asia. The US did not care about Viet Nam or the people there, they simply didn’t want China expanding it’s power, to do this the US wanted to subjugate 3 areas, Korea+Japan, India-Pakistan and Southeast Asia, in order to encircle China. Later on in a memo during the LBJ reign, the main reason for staying in the war even after it became a political disaster, was that US military didn’t want to suffer a humiliating defeat at the hands of untrained and ill equipped peasants, as it made the conventional US military look weak and incompetent....

 A tank would never penetrate behind enemy lines by itself. A tank on its own, no matter what kind of tank it was, is a dead duck. Tanks are always in platoons. In Vietnam, platoons of tanks had M113s or ACAVs with them and support troops. Tanks had a buddy or wingman system with a buddy tank to protect and stay with a tank that either had broken down or was hit.So when we penetrated into combat areas, Tay Ninh Province or Long Khanh Province, we usually had two platoons of tanks, eight tanks, about 20 ACAV’s, commanders ACAV, and troops with us. A tank was never, ever alone. It would not last long. That would be like a sea turtle surrounded by a shiver of hungry sharks. M48A3 tanks of the 11th. ACR stopped on road taking protective herringbone position... Continue reading  

 I was a Canadian who went down to the US to join the military to help our neighbour to the South like 30,000 other Canadians. We took up the slack of about 30,000 US draft dodgers who came up to Canada to stay out of the war. When I walked through the airport in San Francisco with some buddies from the flight, I proudly wore my Class A uniform with the Blackhorse patch on my shoulder, something I was even more proud of. No one bothered us or said anything derogatory. I remember three very pretty girls walking by us with big smiles on their faces. I remember Mal, one of the guys with me said, staring back at the girls,”Man, I hope the salt peter leaves my system soon.” We had a laugh over that one. An older man came by, stopped and shook our hands saying, “Glad to have you back guys.” He shoved his thumb at his chest and said “Double U Double U Two (WWII),” just like that. I gave him a salute and he gave me a big smile back. No one else said anything or bothered us. When I got back...

 If you are referring to an Infantry platoon in the jungle, the target, for the most part was concealed in thick vegetation and very close by. Usually the “bad guys” would ambush us from within 30 feet away and our nighttime ambushes were even closer! We were trained to “point” our weapons to the sound, moving vegetation and very rarely actual targets. Reflexes and returning fire (fire power) is what made a big difference in our success in breaking off one of their ambushes. There was no need to “site “ our weapons because the enemy was so close most of the time! Note, my rifle with a sling, ready to fire instantly

 If he was a combat vet he was probably thinking, “Man, this sure as hell is better than a C rat tin of chopped eggs and ham!” Everyone was different. Some combat vets were glad to get home. Others were glad for awhile but then wanted to get back. They were missing something at home and felt alone. In Vietnam. their brothers had their backs, their brothers totally understood them, at home they missed the excitement and high of combat. Many of those types went into the police force or fire department. For many combat vets the return was too quick with no downtime to come back to civilian life, it took time to become a civilian. Many vets found solace with other vets who had come back. Brothers helped their brothers. A few could not cope and had a very hard time of it. PTSD became an unbearable problem. Unlike the drug crazed maniacs that the media, movies and magazine articles made them out to be, most combat vets came home, went to college with the help of the GI bill, got married ...

 I would like to speak about the case of a little girl who ran away and screamed after a bombing in Vietnam.Her name was Kim Phùc. It occurred in June 1972 when she was nine years old and her village was hit in the napalm. The napalm is a dreadful weapon, and it leaves the deep, severe burns. She was burned all over.The photographer that came to shoot this iconic photograph was Nick Ut who was a hero himself. Instead, he not only took the picture, but he rescued her. He put down his gun, bundled the girl and rushed her to a hospital. Her burns occupied approximately 65 percent of her body and doctors were of the opinion that she was going to die. But Ut ensured they did not give up and they saved her. His photo was vital. It presented the world of the terrible truth of war. Kim was lucky to survive, but she had a lot of painful scars in many decades. Photographer Joe McNally later took another portrait of Kim as an adult woman. The visual is very strong as you can observe the scarr...

 He joined the Air Force on August 31 of that year, and was promoted to Chief Master Sergeant on April 1, 1967. During the North Vietnamese invasion of Laos and the Vietnam War, Etchberger was among a group of Airmen hand-picked for a classified mission: manning secret radar facilities in the Kingdom of Laos. According to the 1962 International Agreement on the Neutrality of Laos, the U.S. was to have no military facilities in that country. As such, the selectees would officially become civilians employed by Lockheed Aircraft. Etchberger was deployed to Lima Site 85, used to direct bombing missions against targets in Laos and North Vietnam. The code name for this top secret mission was "Heavy Green." The site was staffed by sixteen 'former' airmen, including Etchberger, two CIA agents, and one forward air controller. A large force of local guerrilla Laotian and Hmong fighters of the "U.S. Secret Army" also defended, and heavily engaged, the base prior to, an...

 I came home from my second tour carrying on my shoulder a K44 Mosin Nagant which had a built in bayonet that folded on the upper hand guard of the stock. In those days if you captured a weapon as long as it wasn’t American or full auto you could claim it as a war trophy and you carried it in full sight, whether getting on a plane or getting off and walking around the terminals. Went from SF to O’Hare to Dulles then a bus station in DC down to the south. Needless to say, not one Democrat had anything to say to me pro or con, thought there were some who looked with upon me with distain, but said or did anything. I guess a full dress soldier with a weapon intimidates Democrats to keep their opinions to themselves. Must admit some non Demo types commented to me but even that was minimal. So, actually I had an uneventful trip. After I was referred to as a baby killer by Democrats on occasion but I must admit this. NO R type or conservative ever called me a baby killer and village burne...

 John Anthony Copeland Jr. was born free in Raleigh, North Carolina, on August 15, 1834, to John Anthony Copeland Sr., a slave, and Delilah Evans, a free woman. Copeland spent much of his early life in Ohio and attended Oberlin College. While residing in Oberlin, Ohio, Copeland became an advocate for black rights and an abolitionist. In 1858, he participated in assisting John Price, a runaway slave seeking his freedom. This act became famous as the Oberlin-Wellington Rescue, where abolitionists boldly aided slaves in violation of the federal Fugitive Slave Law. Once released from jail, Copeland joined John Brown’s group that planned to attack the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Copeland was recruited by Lewis Sheridan Leary to join Brown’s group. He and Leary, along with three other African Americans, Osborne P. Anderson, Dangerfield Newby, and Shields Green, took part in what they hoped would be Brown’s slave manumitting army. Like Brown and the oth...

 Their, to tell the truth, brief, story takes place in Lewisburg, West Virginia, U.S.A. where the two live peacefully, she takes care of the home while he works as a blacksmith. The event that makes this couple famous dates back to January 23, 1897, when the son of the Shues' neighbors, entering their house to carry out some tasks, finds the body of Zona. Alerted Edward, he rushes home from work and promptly notifies the local coroner, a certain Dr. Knapp, who however is not asked for an autopsy, but only to arrange the documents for the burial. So much so that on the latter you can find written "death from natural causes". Although the story does not present any particular sign up to this point, in reality, it is after a month from Zona's death that her mother begins to tell of receiving a visit in a dream from the ghost of her daughter, who tells her that she was brutally killed, pointing to Edward as her executioner. The mother's stories are so convincing and f...

 After growing up in a single parent household amidst the Great Depression, Jules graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a degree in mathematics. He subsequently served as a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Following his tour of duty, Jules enrolled and graduated from Harvard Law School and became a civil rights activist advocating for impoverished minorities in the Deep South. In the 1970s, Jules served as the Chairman of the Westchester County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He also was one of the organizers of the Southern Student Project, where members who lived in first rate school districts would room and board minority students from disadvantaged school districts in the South. In the twilight of his legal career, Jules also worked for the Office of Thrift Supervision and participated in the civil prosecution of rogue banking executives during the Savings & Loan crisis in the late 1980s. Following his retirement from the practice ...

 Roald Dahl on Measles: Olivia, my eldest daughter, caught measles when she was seven years old. As the illness took its usual course I can remember reading to her often in bed and not feeling particularly alarmed about it. Then one morning, when she was well on the road to recovery, I was sitting on her bed showing her how to fashion little animals out of coloured pipe-cleaners, and when it came to her turn to make one herself, I noticed that her fingers and her mind were not working together and she couldn’t do anything. 'Are you feeling all right?' I asked her. 'I feel all sleepy,' she said. In an hour, she was unconscious. In twelve hours she was dead. The measles had turned into a terrible thing called measles encephalitis and there was nothing the doctors could do to save her. That was...in 1962, but even now, if a child with measles happens to develop the same deadly reaction from measles as Olivia did, there would still be nothing the doctors could do to help he...

 He was the official mascot of the 3rd Transvaal Regimen when his owner, Albert Marr was drafted into war, and would not leave Jackie at home. He asked his superiors if Jackie, too, could join the army and they said yes. So Jackie was given an official style uniform with a cap, a ration set, and his own pay book. Jackie would salute to superior officers and light soldiers' cigarettes. He would even stand at ease in the style of a trained soldier. Due to his heightened senses, Jackie was useful to sentries on duty at night. The baboon would be the first to know when an attack was coming or enemy soldiers were moving around nearby. Jackie and Marr survived a battle where the casualty rate was 80%, in Delville Wood, early in the Somme Campaign. When Marr was serving in Egypt he was shot in the shoulder at the Battle of Agagia, 26 February 1916, while Jackie was with him, licking the wound as they awaited help. Jackie was given his own rations while with the army, and ate them with his...

 Anneliese Kohlmann was a German SS camp guard who served at the Neuengamme and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps during World War II. She was born in Hamburg in 1921 and joined the Nazi party in 1940, working as a streetcar conductor until November 1944 when she joined the SS Women's Auxiliary and became an Aufseherin (female guard) at the Neugraben subcamp of Neuengamme... Continue reading  

 Many people today believe Mussolini's entire family went down with him in April 1945 but that simply isn't so. I like history and I find it interesting that four of his five children started the war and lived long lives. Their survival was due to luck and a few narrow escapes.His daughter Edda was mad at her father because he had her husband killed. To survive, she disguised herself as a poor farm girl and smuggled into Switzerland with secret papers hidden in her dress. She spent the balance of the war in hiding in a convent. His oldest son Vittorio went underground and ended up fleeing all the way to South America, where he lived for long time in Argentina. Two youngest children, Romano and Anna Maria, were caught by resistance fighters together with their mother. It was a scary time but the fighters showed mercy and turned them over to the American army. The Americans housed them safely on a small island until the chaos trended to an end. Romano Mussolini became a quite goo...

 He was only 23, but at that moment he wasn't a boy. He was a man in the midst of hell. Sergeant Henry Erwin was aboard a B-29 bomber, flying over Japan during World War II. His task was clear: to light and release the smoke bombs that would guide the formation in its attack. A technical, trained, almost mechanical gesture. But that day, something went terribly wrong. One of the smoke bombs didn't come out of the chute. It bounced backward. It exploded inside the aircraft. It hit Erwin full in the face, blinding him, tearing off his nose, burning his skin to the bone. And thick smoke immediately engulfed the entire cockpit: the pilot could no longer see anything. The plane was becoming a flying coffin. In those conditions, anyone would have given up. But not Henry. Blinded, in excruciating pain, and with his face burning, he bent down, picked up the burning bomb with his hands, and began to crawl. He had to carry it away, away from his companions. He could only feel his skin gi...

 I served as a combat infantryman with the Americal Division in Vietnam. Our area of operations was an approximately 100 square kilometer mountainous tropical jungle area not far from Danang. When I arrived in Vietnam we were given a few day orientation then transported to our units via Huey helicopters.  To avoid ground fire, helicopters either flew very high to make them a very small target or treetop level to minimize the time the enemy would have to identify the helicopter’s location. By the time you heard the chopper coming and lined up your shot, it would be gone. Flying at high altitude was pretty smooth, flying at treetop level was like riding a roller coaster with the chopper rising and dropping to follow the terrain. Extremely scary, but fun. After arriving to our “in the bush” unit, we walked almost everywhere. The exceptions would be if you needed to be medivaced due to injury or needed to go back to base for R&R or some administrative reason. There were a few ...

 I am a South Vietnam combat veteran, and I will Not comment on any other individual’s service in Vietnam, as we all shared some common experiences and we also had different experiences. So to determine whether John Kerry was a hero depends on ones definition of a hero in context to their military service in Vietnam. I will not pass judgement on John Kerry’s military service in Vietnam, as I was Not there and this issue now seems to be used as political fodder for conservatives and others as John Kerry assumes a role in President Biden’s administration as U.S. special Presidential Envoy for Climate. This question is just another way to continue to divide America’s against one another... Continue reading  

 Marine Corps veteran John "Chickie" Donohue was sitting in a Manhattan bar in November 1967 when the bartender grumbled that American soldiers in Vietnam could really use a pat on the back and a cold beer. And within days, Donohue set out to do just that. He quickly got a job on a merchant ship hauling ammunition to Vietnam. Then, with a duffel bag full of Pabst Blue Ribbon and Schlitz in tow, he set out on his 8,000-mile journey. However, things immediately got off to a rocky start — when Donohue drank all the beer himself.Then, after restocking, he managed to find the companies his neighborhood buddies were serving in and talk his way onto Army jeeps and helicopters to make it through Saigon, Manila, and Khe Sanh. At every turn, military personnel had no idea what to make of Donohue, who was dressed in a plaid shirt and corduroys and often introduced himself by simply saying he had beer for guys from his neighborhood back home. He ended up hauling his beer right through th...

 When I was drafted in 1969 and went to Basic, draftees (US) and Regular Army (RA) enlisted were treated completely the same. But the DIs knew exactly who we were. When the draft lottery came out late in Basic, I and some others had really high numbers. The DIs called us out in front of the Platoon. Y’all got super high lottery numbers. That means if you could have stuck it out for one more month as a civilian, YOU WOULDN’T EVEN BE HERE. NOW GET ON DOWN AND KNOCK OUT 50. AND YOU BETTER SOUND OFF!! After that moment of fun in the sun, they went right back to treating RAs and USs exactly the same until the end of Basic