Lakota Sioux Code Talker Clarence Wolf Guts. My newest hero.

Navajo code talkers by United States Marine Corps is courtesy of the U.S. Government. These heroes from Navajo reservation were honored on 2/19/10, the 65th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima. I was unable to find a picture of Lakota code talkers.

In June 2010 America and the Lakota Sioux people lost a hero.

Clarence Wolf Guts was born and raised on the Rosebud Reservation in the south-central area of South Dakota. During World War II he served as a code talker with other men from the reservation. There were about a dozen code talkers using the Sioux language.

Continue reading “Lakota Sioux Code Talker Clarence Wolf Guts. My newest hero.”

How a real hero responds when his Medal of Honor is mentioned: “That was one day in my life and it happened a long time ago.”

Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.
Image courtesy of Adobe Stock.

The quote above is from Bill Crawford, then a janitor at the US Air Force Academy, when asked by cadets if he was the person described in a history of WWII as having been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery under fire.

Before one of the cadets noted the similarity of names between this WWII hero on the page of the book and the janitor who kept the cadet squadron dormitory clean, Mr. Crawford was unobtrusive, doing his job diligently without any fuss.

The response of a real hero is someone who says some variation of he was just doing his job.

What was ‘his job’?

Well, here are a few articles to check out. I’ll then give some highlights. Continue reading “How a real hero responds when his Medal of Honor is mentioned: “That was one day in my life and it happened a long time ago.””

My new hero: World War II pilot Lt. Louis Curdes, who shot down an American plane

(lousy photography by James Ulvog)

 

Lt. Louis Curdes, USAAF, was an ace in WWII. He scored victories against the Germans, Italians, and Japanese.

His plane flouted his victories with 7 German flags painted on the fuselage, along with 1 Italian flag, 1 Rising Sun, and 1 American flag.

Wait just a second, I hear you say. An American flag?

Yes, an American flag.

Oh, he received a Distinguished Flying Cross. A DFC for shooting down one of our planes.

Continue reading “My new hero: World War II pilot Lt. Louis Curdes, who shot down an American plane”

We lost another hero: Dick Winters passes away

A WWII veteran was once asked by his grandson:

‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ Grandpa said, ‘No, but I served in a company of heroes.’ “

That, and the following quotes are from an NPR article: Dick Winters, “Bank Of Brothers’ Inspiration, Dies.

Dick Winters, key character in the book and movie Band of Brothers, left us on January 2, 2015.

When he finished his memoir, he told his coauthor: Continue reading “We lost another hero: Dick Winters passes away”

Congressional Medal of Honor approved and soon to be awarded for three amazing heroes

Congress has waived the time limit to award the Medal of Honor for another three heroes. The President will soon issue the Medals, each for amazing and tremendous service far above and way beyond the call of duty.

Here is my feeble tribute to these incredible men.

1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing

Lt Cushing, West Point class of 1961 (oops) 1861, stood his ground at the battle of Gettysburg. Continue reading “Congressional Medal of Honor approved and soon to be awarded for three amazing heroes”

We lost another hero today – Louie Zamperini

Louis Zamperini passed away today at age 97.

He survived 47 days in the water after getting shot down only to survive years of torture in a Japanese prison camp. He rebuilt his life on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ. His story is such an encouragement to me.

I had the privilege to meet him about 15 years ago. Only visited for a moment, but do recall he was such a vibrant man, filled with life.

Continue reading “We lost another hero today – Louie Zamperini”

Appeals court says devastation from New Deal is still okay; We lost a hero who also suffered at the hands of the New Deal

Did you know the enlightened wizards of the New Deal worked out a plan that raisin producers had to turn over a percentage of their crop to the government and not get paid for the raisins?

Yes, that was actually a plan developed back in the ‘30s.

Did you know that plan is still in place? Eighty years later?

I discussed that a year ago – Economic destruction from the New Deal just keeps rolling on.

The lawsuit I mentioned back then involved farmers who were told to give 47% of their ’02 crop and 30% of their ’03 crop to the government without compensation.  The case went to the Supreme Court, which ruled the farmers did actually have standing to sue the government. The case went to the 9th Circuit Court for consideration of their claims.

Guess what?

Continue reading “Appeals court says devastation from New Deal is still okay; We lost a hero who also suffered at the hands of the New Deal”