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My mother's brother recently passed away. I know he saw a lot of combat in Europe and liberated several camps. Unfortunately, that's about all I know, as Uncle Stanley never talked about the war, and we weren't allowed to ask him about it.Whenever I see a movie about the war in Europe, I always wonder if that was his unit, if he was in that battle, etc... Is there any way to find any of this out?

The Silver Star Families of America, SSFOA, has one mission: to remember, honor and assist the wounded, ill, injured and dying of our Armed Forces from all wars.

This is a tune called "Bridges", about the things we think about when deployed: home, and peaceful places. This one was written about Spring Canyon, the OCF retreat center in Colorado, but I think everybody has a place like this where they go in their heads.

Newcastle World War II hero mystery solved 20 Aug 2010 12:10 MISSING details about the life and times of a Second World War hero can finally be told. MISSING details about the life and times of a Second World War hero can finally be told. Nearly 70 years after RAF rear gunner Sgt Frederick ‘Leonard’ Molteni paid the ultimate sacrifice over occupied Belgium, his life story can be revealed. Sgt Molteni was killed with his five Wellington bomber crewmates on a doomed mission in 1941 when they were shot down over the Belgian coast. His grave now lies in Belgium...

Richard P. Klocko 1937 1937 Class Crest Cullum No. 10775 • Apr 19, 2011 • Died in Hilton Head, SC Interred in West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY Lieutenant General Richard Phillip Klocko was born in Dunkirk, NY on Feb 26, 1915. He graduated from Dunkirk High School in 1933, received a Competitive Congressional Appointment to the U.S. Military Academy, and graduated from there in 1937. He completed primary and advanced flying training at Randolph and Kelly Air Bases at San Antonio, TX, and received his wings in October 1938. General Klocko’s first assignment in the Army Air Corps was...

Reflections on the Life of Kermit Peter Hansen In the beginning . . . Kermit Peter (Pete) Hansen was born on April 7, 1919 , in the small town of Melvin, Iowa . His grandfather, Peter Hansen, and his grandmother, Wilhelmina Bruer Hansen, came to this country from Denmark and Germany , respectively. Pete's mother Agusta Jurgens Hansen and father, Ernest Hansen were both born and raised in Iowa . Pete was the youngest of three children: his sister, Luverne Hansen Katz, the oldest of the three is 93 years young and his brother, Ingwer was seven years older than...

This is something cool, so fat, as it is translated, itis a series of personal messages to a soldier on Iwo Jima, wishing him well

MARINE MISSING IN ACTION FROM KOREAN WAR IDENTIFIED The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Marine Pfc. Richard S. Gzik, 19, of Toledo, Ohio, will be buried Sept. 28, at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. On Dec. 2, 1950, Gzik and the other Marines of M Battery, 11th Artillery Regiment, 1st Marine Division, came under attack on the west side of the Chosin Reservoir in North...

Dec. 18, 2012 SOLDIER MISSING FROM KOREAN WAR IDENTIFIED The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. Army Sgt. 1st Class Harold M. Brown, 20, of Winston-Salem, N.C., will be buried Dec. 22, in Hamptonville, N.C. In late November 1950, Brown and elements of the 31st Regimental Combat Team, known as “Task Force Faith,” were advancing along the eastern banks of the Chosin Reservoir, in North Korea. After...

The Pentagon’s effort to account for tens of thousands of Americans missing in action from foreign wars is so inept, mismanaged and wasteful that it risks descending from “dysfunction to total failure,” according to an internal study suppressed by military officials.

Friday 1900 hours at VFW Post 1860 in Front Royal, VA. The VFW in Front Royal is hosting the Warrior Hikers: Combat Veterans who are “Walking off the War” by hiking the Appalachian Trail (yes, ALL 2,180 miles) to raise money for wounded vets. Warrior Hike is a non-profit organization that uses the funds raised to purchase modified vehicles for wounded vets. Come out and help support Warrior Hike Friday night at 7:00 at the Front Royal VFW Post 1860 1847 N Royal Ave Front Royal, VA 22630 Cooking with the Troops will be onsite with BBQ Sauce and who...

State of Illinois trying to return 108 forgotten war medals to veterans, families AP ^ Posted on Sunday, May 26, 2013 12:51:37 PM by 1rudeboy [] State Treasurer Dan Rutherford is asking people to take a moment over Memorial Day weekend to see if they recognize the names on a list of veterans whose military honors are held by the state. [] Many of the items come from safe deposit boxes that have been forgotten. Banks eventually transfer the contents to the treasurer's office. The veterans' names can be found at www.treasurer.il.gov.

Among the most revered posts in the army is that of the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Just a handful of soldiers have earned the honor of keeping vigil, and it’s a watch that has remained unbroken since 1926. TODAY’s Erica Hill reports.

Editor’s Note: Williamsburg resident Joe “Porky” Porcacelli’s oral narrative of his experiences in WWII is available from the Colonel Robert R. McCormick Research Center in Wheaton, IL, http://firstdivisionmuseum.org. Williamsburg Man’s Military Service Gave Close-Up View Of Combat By Etta Pettijohn The epic history of WWII has been told through movies and books, but nobody knows the details better than Joe “Porky” Porcacelli. His personal war experience was loaded with historic names and places - General George S. Patton Jr., D-Day, Omaha Beach, Nazi prison camps, the Nuremberg Trials, and War Correspondent Ernie Pyle, to name a few. >Porcacelli quit high...

Ford's B-24 Bomber Plant at Willow Run, MI, dedicated June 16, 1941 before the USA entered WW2. Henry Ford was determined that he could mass produce bombers just as he had done with cars. He built the Willow Run assembly plant and proved it. It was the world's largest building under one roof at the time. Even then FORD HAD A BETTER IDEA! This plant rolled one B-24 off the assembly line every 55 minutes. ADOLF HITLER HAD NO IDEA THE U.S. WAS CAPABLE OF THIS KIND OF THING.

Biplane Battle: Flying Against the Bolsheviks During Russia's Civil War By Derek O'Connor Originally published by Aviation History magazine. Published Online: July 03, 2007 The noise first reached the Bolshevik cavalry as an intense, insectlike droning in the sky while the horsemen were riding across southern Russia's sunburned steppes, featureless plains that scarcely afford cover for a rabbit. Their objective was the strategically important city of Tsaritsyn (later Stalingrad) on the Volga River, where they anticipated an easy victory over the White Russian anti-Bolshevik defenders. A brutal orgy of rapine and torture would follow against any enemies of the revolution...

PHOENIX - Under a new state law signed by Gov. Jan Brewer, military experience will count toward a commercial driver's license or a nursing license. "Veterans already have their training. They've done emergency operations under fire. They're used to the high stress environment," said the law's author, Rep. Sonny Borrelli, a Lake Havasu City Republican who served 20 years in the Marines. As they transition from military to civilian life, veterans can face a lot of "redundant training" to get a state license for something they were trained to do in the military, Borrelli said. When the law goes into...

As I squeeze into my dress blues for the first time since 2009, I think of my grandmother. She’d told my brother and me that Americans were once embarrassed to be seen in public with young men not wearing a military uniform. Then she’d shake her head, say that had been a long time ago, and ask if we wanted another bowl of Raisin Bran. My grandmother was a practical woman and a career Navy wife, so nostalgia didn’t soak her words when she said this. Just consideration. She passed away 10 years ago. The World War II–era America she...

Long time St. Louis Post Dispatch columnist Bill McClellan is advocating ending the practice of giving most veterans military honors at their funerals. His reason? Government can't afford it. Certainly, men and women killed in combat deserve full military honors. It's a way for the country to say, "We honor the memory of those who died in our service." These military honors - and the thought behind them - are intended to provide some solace for the families of the fallen. But what about the guy who spends a couple of years in the military and then gets on with...

Fourteen employees of the USS Midway Museum engineering department have been fired after officials discovered metals from the "historic" aircraft carrier were being sold off “..big time in the recycling but only a portion of the money was returned said the nonprofit to its "volunteers." This involves hundreds of thousands of dollars over several years... it had been going on for some time.” Museum officials informed 150 employees.

Will the Swift Boat Vets oppose Kerry as Secretary of State? I can't think of a worse choice for the position (Except Hillary Clinton)! Kerry? That's not scraping the bottom of the barrel. It's lifting the barrel and going underneath!

Both the left and the right are wrong about Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis. He is neither the Jack Nicholson caricature of a Marine depicted in the 1992 movie A Few Good Men nor the callous and mad eccentric depicted by George C. Scott in the 1970 movie Patton. And Gen. Mattis didn’t just talk the talk; he walked the walk. He led from the front. Indeed, on at least one occasion that I know of, the General was bloodied from a firefight or improvised explosive device while out on patrol with junior, enlisted Marines one-third his age....

Wreaths Across America (Sierra VistaFt. Huachuca, AZ)

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/Stille_Nacht_12-23-2012.wma My dear sister Janet, It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their dugouts—yet I could not sleep myself before writing to you of the wonderful events of Christmas Eve.

http://rescueattempt.tripod.com/Stille_Nacht_12-23-2012.wma My dear sister Janet, It is 2:00 in the morning and most of our men are asleep in their dugouts—yet I could not sleep myself before writing to you of the wonderful events of Christmas Eve. In truth, what happened seems almost like a fairy tale, and if I hadn’t been through it myself, I would scarce believe it. Just imagine: While you and the family sang carols before the fire there in London, I did the same with enemy soldiers here on the battlefields of France!

The Silver Star Families of America work to free Lance Corporal Hammar.

I though everyone would be interested in this. It is amazing to me the utter unresponsiveness of the government. We have only gotten one reply to our inquires and that is from his representative in Miami. Nothing from State, nothing from the White House. Frustrating beyond belief.

Late-hour speeches by Republican Sens. Tom Coburn (Okla.) and John McCain (Ariz.) on runaway military health costs led the Senate Tuesday to shelve a defense bill amendment that would have spared family members and retirees more burdensome co-pays on drug prescriptions filled off base. The timing of their opposition, in the last hours of consideration of the 2013 defense authorization bill when amendments were only being approved by unanimous consent, allowed Coburn and McCain to block the Senate from supporting the softer House-passed plan for raising prescription fees. There will be a second chance next week when House-Senate conferees iron...

In October 2004, Betsy Beard's life changed forever when her only son, Spc. Bradley Beard, was killed in action in Iraq. Stricken with grief, Beard began what she called "hemorrhaging on paper," in which she poured out her heartache through journaling. "At the time, I just didn't see how I was going to live through that," said Beard. Beard turned to the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors [TAPS] to find help in dealing with the loss of Bradley. Little did she know her involvement with TAPS, journaling and a special 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) Caisson horse,...

Former Tomb Sentinels lay roses at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Va., Nov. 18. Sentinels, past and present, gathered for the reunion to commemorate the special bond and brotherhood only Sentinels share. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Megan Garcia) Since 1948, The Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Identification Badge, has been awarded to a small percentage of Soldiers who exemplified selfless service while guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier [TUS] in Arlington National Cemetery, Va. On Nov.17, they gathered to reflect on this special duty and the unique bond that exist within...

Freeper friends and Vets can you please distribute to others that would be interested reading a great book about a tour in Iraq? Plus help out a retired Vet who deserves credit for his service. This is written by a true hero and if you see some of the details you will agree. I served with the author in Soc Trang Republic of Vietnam he was a helicopter engine mechanic in 1967-1969. He returned to Iraq to serve a year tour 2004-2005 as he was approaching the age of 56 as a platoon sergeant of combat medics. This book deserves...

Plaque Stolen From Boyle Heights Veterans Memorial November 11, 2012 For 65 years, an obelisk-like monument has stood on Cesar Chavez Avenue in Boyle Heights, a tribute to Mexican Americans who gave their lives in war for the United States. Then, sometime in October, thieves struck, making off with one of the large bronze plaques that had been fixed to the “Mexican American All Wars Memorial” in 1947. They also took two smaller ones nearby. The motive may be money: The metal may be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars to an unscrupulous firms that bale it with other scrap...

Editor’s Note: Williamsburg resident Joe “Porky” Porcacelli’s oral narrative of his experiences in WWII is available from the Colonel Robert R. McCormick Research Center in Wheaton, IL, http://firstdivisionmuseum.org. Williamsburg Man’s Military Service Gave Close-Up View Of Combat By Etta Pettijohn The epic history of WWII has been told through movies and books, but nobody knows the details better than Joe “Porky” Porcacelli. His personal war experience was loaded with historic names and places - General George S. Patton Jr., D-Day, Omaha Beach, Nazi prison camps, the Nuremberg Trials, and War Correspondent Ernie Pyle, to name a few. Porcacelli quit high...

237 Years !

Starting 1 January, 2013 US Military retirees and their families living in the Philippines will be ordered, (mandated), to use only doctors and hospitals that the Tricare Management Activity, (TMA), and their contractor, International SOS, (ISOS), have contracted with to provide medical care to retirees and their families in the Philippines. This is the roll out of the TMA Demonstration Project in the Philippines. The rules state that all retirees must use only the medical providers, (doctors and hospitals), that ISOS was able to beg to agree to be a contracted network provider. If the retiree uses a doctor or...

Is this the prelude to ObamaCare (TRICARE in the Philippines) If you are covered under Medicare and live in the City of Los Angeles you will soon be required to select a doctor from a small list of doctors who have agreed to Medicare’s new list of preferred providers. The list will have only one to three doctors in each of the 18 major specialties. Along with that, you will only be able to be treated at one hospital in the Los Angeles City area, (probably located in mid-town), and you will also be restricted to a small list of...

Basil Plumley, veteran of 3 wars, featured in 'We Were Soldiers' movie, dies in Georgia

The Free-Fall of Sergeant Magee January 3rd, 1943 Over Saint-Nazaire, France The war-torn skies over Europe were the scene of numerous acts of heroism, bravery, and courage. On a daily basis, men on both sides fought hard, wagering life and limb, in pursuit of the glory of their respective nations. In late 1942, the United States Army Air Forces had begun a campaign of daylight precision bombing raids over central Europe, determined to destroying the production and manufacturing infrastructure of the Third Reich. In September of 1942, ground elements of the 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) arrived and set up base...

After the shock of Obamas butt whipping by Romney wears off a bit, I think the left-tards will circle their wagons and go into a full attack mode. The media spin machine will do everything they can to protect their failed Obama. They are capable of anything. Nothing they do will surprise me. I expect they will continue their quest to drive the left-tards to a frenzy and we will soon hear some truly scary stuff coming from some of the kook fringe if their failed master is defeated. I really hope I'm wrong.

any one have any comments on the senate stopping a vets jobs bill? I read the text and it doesn't look to be much help more like a political ploy. I am in an argument with a land of fruits and nuts guy and am running out of ammo to overcome his feed the world attitude

Musings of a helo driver... Anything that screws its way into the sky flies according to unnatural principals. You never want to sneak up behind an old, high-time helicopter pilot and clap your hands. He will instantly dive for cover and most likely whimper...then get up and smack you. There are no old helicopters laying around airports like you see old airplanes. There is a reason for this. Come to think of it, there are not many old, high-time helicopter pilots hanging around airports either so the first issue is problematic. You can always tell a helicopter pilot in anything...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After months of grueling road marches through the north Georgia mountains, a group of elite paratroopers had to put their training to the test in a trial by fire. They leapt from an airplane, bullets whizzing past parachutes and shrapnel pelting the plane's side panels. Ed Shames was among them. Now 90, Shames was 19 when he signed up for new parachute units created military leaders who wanted a quicker, more aggressive unit that could sneak behind enemy lines in Europe. This week, thousands of active-duty soldiers and veterans are gathering at Fort Campbell, Ky., to honor...

I write this because of something I just saw on Fox News as they showed a clip from NBC’s coverage of the Olympics. The video clip started out saying some Americans were complaining about our athletes celebrating their gold medal wins and the Nike T-shirt they wore bearing the phrase “GREATNESS HAS BEEN FOUND”. What I found difficult to watch was watching two of the women’s soccer team bend down and pick up two American Flags that laid on the ground and wrapped themselves in them. It was not the action I felt uncomfortable with, it was the disrespect shown...

Progressive organizations behind White House policy have crafted specific, second term plans for President Obama to transform the U.S. Armed Forces into a social work-style organization designed to combat “global warming,” fight global poverty, remedy “injustice,” bolster the United Nations, and increase “peacekeeping” forces worldwide. The groups, already instrumental in influencing Obama’s first term defense agenda, call for massive, second term slashes to the military budget. The savings are to be used to invest in “sustainable energy” and in fighting worldwide climate change. These schemes and many more are documented in the soon-to-be-released book, Fool Me Twice: Obama’s Shocking Plans...

CORPSMAN UP! An Hoa, RVN, August, 1969 HM/3 Tom Mitchell, Lima 3/5 & HM/3 Glenn G. Simpson, Mike 3/5Corpsmen’s Quarters, An Hoa. 4Aug1969 Doc Simpson and I went through Field Med School together at Camp Pendleton, Calif, in March, 1969. We were both assigned to the 3rd Batt. 5th Marines, arriving in country 28 April 1969. Glenn served with Mike Company and I was initially detailed to Kilo Company. I was medevaced out in late June due to an infection in my right hand - spent a month in hospital at USNH Yokosuka. I returned in-country 4 August and...

CLEVER, MO—July 6, 2012—The Silver Star Families of America (SSFOA) proudly announces the 2012 recipient of the prestigious SSFOA Commendation Award—actor and musician Gary Sinise.

The 149th Anniversary of Day 3 and Longstreet's Assault. The band Iced Earth wrong a rock song about it (below). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh6M4jBd1O8

Iced Earth's Song, Hold At All Costs, about Day 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsW3i9rY58k

I know that the real focus on Gettysburg will be next year with the 150th anniversary then but I found a Hard Rock band that put together a "Rock Opera" of the battle and figured the 149th was a good enough time to show it. Days 2 and three to follow.

For many of us older veterans, we have prayed that returning veterans would never again be stigmatized and shunned as those returning from Vietnam where. In fact many of us have said, “Never again,” and that we would never allow it to happen.