ACG WebOps (12 August 2007)
Welcome to WebOps, Armchair General’s weekly recon of links to military history news, articles, websites, and more. Military history related news from the past week includes the upcoming 36th annual convention of the Tuskegee Airmen, the recent discovery of a World War Two era mine near Ukraine, and I have added a new section header here, Websites, to spotlight on newly arrived and high quality military history sites on the Intertubes over and above the norm. Clicks away!
News
Tuskegee Airmen to Land in Dallas – Yahoo! Finance
DALLAS, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ — Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., the national organization that works to honor the accomplishments and perpetuate the history of the legendary young African-American men who enlisted during WWII to become America’s first black military airmen, ground crew and mechanics, will be holding its 36th annual convention and related events in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area from August 21-26, 2007. The public is invited to attend several events during the convention, including the grand Awards Gala at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center on Saturday, August 25th. Tickets for the Gala cost $95.
{default}Pilot Receives Honor 42 Years Later – Military.com
When it comes to getting a task accomplished, Jack F. Saint isn’t the kind of man to waste a lot on words.
"I just do my job," is often the only response you’ll get from Saint, 65, who now resides in the Lake Martin community.
But it was in the course of him simply "doing his job" one day in 1965, that Saint went above and beyond the call of duty — a day he was recently recognized for at the U.S. Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the highest award a serviceman can receive for heroism while participating in aerial flight.
Russian composers were music to Hitler’s ears – Telegraph.co.uk
Adolf Hitler’s newly discovered record collection has revealed that he listened in private to the Jewish musicians and Russian composers branded "subhuman" by his regime.
Russia complains about military competition – The Baltic Times
MOSCOW – The Erna Retk military competition that began in Estonia Aug 7 is another attempt to rewrite history, the chairman of the Russian State Duma external affairs committee has claimed, promising to raise the question with the Council of Europe.
Word War II-Era Mine Discovered – NPR (audio)
A World War II mine was discovered Thursday in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Ukraine.
Articles
HISTORY LESSONS: The Purple Badge of Courage – Worcester Telegram & Gazette News
Given the long odds his ragtag Continental Army faced in trying to defeat the mightiest military machine in the world in 1776, and the courage needed in the face of those odds, America’s commander-in-chief, George Washington, thought that extraordinary courage should be honored with a medal, which he created this week (Aug. 7) in 1782. Called the “Badge for Military Merit,†the medal consisted of a purple heart-shaped piece of cloth that had a narrow strip of silver around its edges and the word “Merit†stitched across its face.
150 Years After the Civil War Can We Finally Remember It the Way We Should? – History News Network
Planning is now underway to mark the 150th anniversary of the American Civil War (2011-2015). Nearly fifty years ago the Civil War centennial came close to being an unmitigated disaster. Why was this so and what lessons can be learned from that sobering experience?
On this day 232 years ago, Aug. 8, 1775, Gloucester minutemen beat back an assault by the sailors of King George III, keeping the strategic port out of British hands and handing the imperial crown a stinging defeat, the first suffered by the Royal Navy in the war.
Websites
The Memory Project Digital Archive
The Digital Archive offers an unprecedented opportunity for veterans, students, educators and all interested Canadians to view hundreds of personal artefacts of Canadian servicemen and women from across the country. Explore WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and other Canadian Forces operations to the present through our search tool option or navigate each conflict section through themes such as Home Front, Battle, or Camaraderie. Each Veteran Profile consists of a number of artefacts provided by the participant, an audio clip of the veteran sharing their story, and a print version of the interview.
Civil War Treasures from the New York Historical Society
The images in this digital collection are drawn from the New-York Historical Society’s rich archival collections that document the Civil War. They include recruiting posters for New York City regiments of volunteers; stereographic views documenting the mustering of soldiers and of popular support for the Union in New York City; photography showing the war’s impact, both in the north and south; and drawings and writings by ordinary soldiers on both sides.
The Journal of Military History Volume 71, Number 3, July 2007
Blogs – Netcasts
Six First World War Battles – Military History Blog on the Web
The Siege of Tsingtao, Third Battle of the Aisne, Battle of Cantigny, Battle of Chateau-Thierry, Battle of Belleau Wood, and the Battle of St. Mihiel.
Nathan B. Forrest: Civil Rights Advocate? – Civil War Memory
Most Americans may not know who Oliver Hill was, but there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of people who know that Nathan Bedford Forrest was an early civil rights advocate. It doesn’t get any more absurd than this, though the idea of "Stonewall" Jackson as the "black man’s friend" is definitely a close second.
Ironsides – Investigations of a Dog
The word “Ironsides†is variously associated with Oliver Cromwell, his cavalry regiment, and even English Civil War cavalry in general. The consensus now seems to be that “Old Ironsides†was originally a nickname of Cromwell himself (I’m not sure why he was called that or when it started).
The Demands of Honor – Blog Them Out of the Stone Age
West Point, New York, 1999: Summer at West Point is a curious time. It is when the academic side of the United States Military (call that Athens) comes the closest to becoming Sparta. The rising sophomores, known as “Yucks†in West Point slang, return to the Academy after just a few short weeks away from its granite walls. While their peers are back at home, unwinding from their first year of college, the Yucks shoulder their packs and move out to the training areas which stretch out for miles behind the main campus.
WebOps is a weekly report linking to military history news and articles published in mainstream online media. Excerpts are taken exactly as they are on the noted source websites; quotation marks are not used. The hyperlinks are added by me as I can find them. Please visit the Armchair Forums to discuss the topics in WebOps. If you just can’t wait until Sunday for the next WebOps, plug yourself into the del.icio.us Armchair General WebOps feed and get each link as its posted!
Stay Alert, Stay Alive!
Jim H. Moreno
