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See WWII history

On Sept. 12, 2001, it is highly doubtful that any member of Congress was worried that our government would be too harsh in its treatment of terrorists. When countries are threatened, basic survival trumps civil liberties not just for enemy combatants but for citizens as well. Our priorities change. We saw that with the attack on Pearl Harbor. Days before Japanese warplanes destroyed the U.S. Pacific fleet on Dec. 7, 1941, 80% of Americans did not want to go to war against either Germany or Japan. The day after the attacks, those numbers reversed themselves. Over the next four years,...

On the 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of D-Day, Presidents Reagan, Clinton and George W. Bush traveled to Normandy to lead us in tribute to the bravery of the Greatest Generation of Americans, who had liberated Europe. Always a deeply moving occasion. The 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of the dropping of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, however, were not times of celebration or warm remembrance. Angry arguments for and against the dropping of the bombs roil the airwaves and fill the press. And the reason is obvious. While World War II was a just war against enemies...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. .................................................................. .................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should...

Events Remembering Iwo Jima and the B-29 Bomber Feb 19-20 2005 The Collins Amateur Radio Club, in cooperation with the Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club will be operating a special Amateur Radio Station at The Carl and Mary Koehler History Center, 615 1St. Ave. S.E. Cedar Rapids on February 19th and 20th to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the WWII invasion of Iwo Jima. February 19th is 60 years, to the day, from the landing on Iwo Jima by American forces. In that battle, which was fought to secure an emergency landing site for B-29's that were bombing Japan, 6,821...

The Collins Amateur Radio Club, in cooperation with the Cedar Valley Amateur Radio Club will be operating a special Amateur Radio Station at The Carl and Mary Koehler History Center, 615 1St. Ave. S.E. Cedar Rapids on February 19th and 20th to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the WWII invasion of Iwo Jima. February 19th is 60 years, to the day, from the landing on Iwo Jima by American forces. In that battle, which was fought to secure an emergency landing site for B-29's that were bombing Japan, 6,821 US forces were killed and 19,217 wounded. Iwo Jima was...

Louis Hernandez and Vincent Radkiewicz met by chance two years ago, at an East Side pancake house. Hernandez had a postcard from Poland but couldn't read it. Radkiewicz, another customer, could - and did. The two struck up a conversation. Hernandez told Radkiewicz, a Polish native, that he was shot down over Poland during World War II. Radkiewicz, 66, who remembers the horrors of the war, realized he could do something to thank Hernandez, 83, for his sacrifice. So he did. Hernandez was a World War II pilot with the 452nd Bomber Group based in England. On June 21, 1944,...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel...

WASHINGTON - If the National Air and Space Museum on the National Mall is aviation's Mecca, the pilgrimage now has a second site. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, named for its primary backer, opened adjacent to Dulles International Airport in December, providing a cavernous showcase for the Smithsonian's larger aircraft and space vehicles, as well as many others that couldn't find room in the traditional space. Unlike the Mall site with its sleek, boxy exterior, the new center across the river in nearby Virginia invokes the aviation history inside with its massive hangars and control tower observation deck. Whereas the...

(Columbia SC) The world’s only flying B-29 “Superfortress” — the same type of plane that dropped the atomic bomb to end World War II — will be on display in Columbia beginning Monday. The vintage aircraft “FiFi” will fly in to Columbia Metropolitan Airport about noon on Monday and will be open to visitors from Tuesday through Sunday. The fly-in is part of a 30-day national tour by the Commemorative Air Force (formerly the Confederate Air Force) to give the public an opportunity to see an important facet of U.S. military history and honor the men who served in World...

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. Welcome to "Warrior Wednesday" Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different...

<p>CHANTILLY, Va. -- There it was, that gleaming silver Boeing B-29 Superfortress: huge, plump, and more evocative now, as a retired bomber on clunky yellow stands, than on the morning of its major mission, before it changed the world.Fully assembled for the first time in 40 years, the Enola Gay is a chilling centerpiece in the National Air and Space Museum's new companion facility, opening tomorrow at Dulles International Airport.</p>

They may not be as sexy as their sleek brethren in the fighter corps, but the fast and heavy-duty bombers of the last 60 years have earned their own admirers. Bombers such as the B-29, B-58, B-52 and XB-70 have carved their own niche in aviation history. Four pilots of these aircraft shared their experiences recently at the Society of Experimental Test Pilots annual symposium. Without their "mother ship" carrier aircraft - the B-29 and B-52 bombers - such groundbreaking aircraft as the X-1, X-15 and lifting bodies would never have gotten airborne. Stan Butchart was a single-engine pilot when...

Help Put Another B-29 into the Air by Ronald Khol, Editor There were thousands of Boeing B-29 Superfortresses built during World War II. They are magnificent airplanes with four massive engines, propellers 16 feet in diameter, and a wingspan of 141 feet. That distance is longer than the Wright Brothers first flight. After the war, a few B-29s were spirited away to become static displays in museums, and others were assigned to a Navy gunnery range for use as targets. But most were chopped to pieces and sold for scrap. In the entire world, only one B-29 remains in flyable...

<p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- It carried the most destructive weapon of World War II and now the Enola Gay, the aircraft that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, is set to go on display at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum.</p>

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

It's 2, maybe 3 a.m. and I'm in the passenger seat of Sam Lewis' old brown van as we hurtle toward Terlingua. We wander across the center stripe and back and back again - Sam's not near as worried about it as I am. Sensing my discomfort, Sam says, ''Oh, I just kind of aim this thing down the road.'' And he does, not steering as much as giving the steering wheel a slap every now and then when we appear to be on the verge of disaster. I'm reassured by the thought that Sam might have a few armadillos...

KLAS-tv Las Vegas (Aug. 7) -- The waters of Lake Mead hold plenty of secrets, but one of the most enduring mysteries may have finally been solved. A local group claims to have found the wreckage of a B-29 bomber that crashed into the lake more than 50 years ago. George Knapp of the I-team has reported in the past about the search for the B-29 and has more in this special assignment.It was July 1948, three years after the end of World War II, a B-29 bomber conducting classified atmospheric research was returning from the Grand Canyon, heading toward...