Artillery Park

April 15, 2015, 8:05 am

New Jersey, Somerset County, Bedminster

Site of the 1778 - 1779 Winter encampment during the Revolutionary War of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Continental Artillery, artificers and armourers under the command of General Henry Knox.

Located and confirmed by the Pluckemin Archaeological Project. A "Dig" begun in 1980 and still in progress on the 12 acres of land comprising the cantonment.

(War, US Revolutionary) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Timber Court

April 15, 2015, 12:11 pm

≫ Next: Hampton Battery Monument

≪ Previous: Artillery Park

Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh

Timber Court was built in 1880 as a lumber mill. Many of the houses constructed in Old Allegheny on the North Side of Pittsburgh used lumber milled at Timber Court.

In 1983, WTW Architects designed the transformation of Timber Court into an office building and became its anchor tenant preserving a piece of Pittsburgh history.

(Notable Places) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Hampton Battery Monument

April 15, 2015, 6:44 pm

≫ Next: The Village of Hamburg

≪ Previous: Timber Court

Pennsylvania, Allegheny County, Pittsburgh

(War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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The Village of Hamburg

April 15, 2015, 8:17 pm

≫ Next: Greystone Manor

≪ Previous: Hampton Battery Monument

New York, Erie County, Hamburg

The intersection of Main and Buffalo has changed many times over the years. About 1820, this settlement was called "White's Corners" as Thomas T. White had a shop here. The village grew rapidly after the Buffalo and White's Corners Plank Road was built around 1850. In 1871, the post office was called "Hamburgh" and the village took the name in 1874. In 1877, the final "h" was deleted, making our community the village of Hamburg. In 2007, the intersection of Main and Buffalo Streets was changed to a modern traffic roundabout, once again changing the appearence of White's Corners.

This panoramic photograph shows the four corners of Main and Buffalo Streets, decorated to celebrate "old Home Days", the 10th anniversary of the town of Hamburg. This photograph was taken in 1912 by Frank J. Fisher using a Cirkut camera that rotated 360 degrees on its tripod, capturing the village activity.

The southwest corner was dominated by Federspell Grocery Store. This building was later used as Eckhardt's Hotel, and then Kronenberg's Store before it burned in 1972.

The Bunting Block stood on the northwest corner. This landmark was built by Thomas L. Bunting and housed "six stores in one." Horton's Pharmacy was located on this corner for many years. The Bunting Building Block was destroyed by fire on May 23, 1969.

Kopp's Hotel and Opera House was on the northeast corner. This is where George Kopp ran the largest and most lively social hall on the village. All the big events were held here; music recitals, Hamburg Academy graduations and the annual Hamburg Free Library Ball.

The B.M. Fish Dry Goods Srore was on the southeast corner. Burton M. Fish operated the store. The Hamburg Free Library was located on the second floor until 1915. The Fish building burned in 1917 and the Hotel Hamburg, also located on this site, burned in 1967.

(Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Greystone Manor

April 16, 2015, 7:03 am

≫ Next: Percy Sledge/Producer Quin Ivy Norala and Quinvy Studios

≪ Previous: The Village of Hamburg

New York, Lewis County, Martinsburg

Erected 1803-1805 Home of Gen Walter Martin industrial, religious, civic and educational leader in Lewis County

(Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Percy Sledge/Producer Quin Ivy Norala and Quinvy Studios

April 16, 2015, 8:14 am

≫ Next: Sheffield Colored School/Sterling High School

≪ Previous: Greystone Manor

Alabama, Colbert County, Sheffield

(side 1)
Percy Sledge
"When A Man Loves A Woman"

Hospital orderly Percy Sledge recorded 'When a Man Loves a Woman' at Quin Ivy's studio in 1966. Sledge's breakup with a girlfriend inspired the lyrics credited to songwriters Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright.

The release featured Marlin Greene (guitar), Spooner Oldham (Farfisa organ), Albert 'Junior' Lowe (bass), Roger Hawkins (drums), Jack Peck (trumpet), Bill Coifed (tenor sax), and Don Pollard (alto sax). Greene and Ivy produced the cut. At the request of Roger Hawkins, Ivy played the recording for Rick Hall, owner of FAME Studios. Hall felt it had hit potential and contacted Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler, who released it. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was Atlantic's first certified gold record. Rolling Stone magazine ranks it number 54 among the best songs of all time.

Percy Sledge was intructed into The Rock and Roll Hall of FAme in 2005. Spooner Oldham followed in 2009. Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux, who sang backup on the hit, was inducted in 1994 with husband Keith Godchaux and other members of the Grateful Dead.

(side 2)
Producer Quin Ivy Norala and Quinvy Studios

Record store owner and WLAY dis jockey Quin Ivy established North Alabama Recording Studio (NORALA) at 104 E. Second Street in Sheffield in 1965. He purchased used equipment, including Ampex 351 and Berlant mono tape recorders and a radio station console. Ivy mounted egg cartons on the studio walls to deaden stray frequencies.

The first song recorded at NORALA was Florence native Donna Jean Thatcher's "I'm Out of Touch." Several months later Percy Sledge cut the classic "When A Man Loves A Woman." With proceeds from the Sledge session, Ivy completed a better equipped studio across town in 1968 and named it Quinvy.

Ivy also produced Tony Borders, Buddy Causey, Jeanie Green, Z.Z. Hill, Ben E. King, Mickey Buckings and The New Breed, Don Varner, the U.S. Male and the Wee Juns.

(African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Sheffield Colored School/Sterling High School

April 16, 2015, 9:01 am

≫ Next: Anna Mae Bacon Bird Sanctuary

≪ Previous: Percy Sledge/Producer Quin Ivy Norala and Quinvy Studios

Alabama, Colbert County, Sheffield

(side 1)
Sheffield Colored School

Public education for Sheffield's black children began in 1889 in a framed building at E. 20th St. and S. Atlanta Ave. with Henry Hopkins as teacher. Professor Benjamin J. Sterling (1847-1941), a former slave, became principal in 1896 and continued to teach until 1936. Sheffield Colored High School began in 1920 with 12 students. Grammar and high school classes were taught in the frame building and in several churches. In 1921, P.B. Swoopes and Marion C. McDaniel became the first high school graduates. By then the old building was dilapidated and overcrowded. Supporters of the school donated land on E. 19th St. and the Sheffield Board of Education erected a modern brick building in 1923 at the cost of $20,227.50 to house 12 grades. The architect was D.L. Simon and the contractor was Florence Lumber Co.

(side 2)
Sterling High School

Sheffield Colored School was renamed Sterling High School in 1942 in memory of the late Benjamin Sterling. The Board of Trustees worked diligently with school officials to obtain equipment and qualified teachers to make Sterling an accredited school. Land for an athletic field and playground was acquired in 1946. A gymnasium and dining room were added in 1950, and the entire building was renovated when grades 1-6 moved to a new school in 1959. Rev. Richard A. Stewart served as principal,1944-1968. The Sterling band greeted President John F. Kennedy as he arrived at TVA in 1963. Sterling closed in 1968 under federal court orders and its 225 pupils and 12 teachers were absorbed into Sheffield Junior and Senior High Schools. The vacant building was razed in 1978 and 19th St was renamed Sterling Blvd.

(African Americans • Education) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Anna Mae Bacon Bird Sanctuary

April 16, 2015, 5:37 pm

≫ Next: 1959-1975/Vietnam War/Vietnam War

≪ Previous: Sheffield Colored School/Sterling High School

New York, Erie County, Hamburg

Acquired in 1963, this extensively wooded 6.45 acre tract of floodplain property runs along a scenic bend on Eighteenmile Creek and is a lovely natural space within the limits of the village of Hamburg. It is bounded on the north by a sweeping curve of the creek and on the south side by properties on Crescent Avenue. Access is provided by thirty feet of public right of way on the north side of Crescent Avenue.

Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis Photo by Glenn Clark.

Anna Mae Bacon was a botanist and Hamburg High School science teacher. She and her husband John owned part of the property in which the Bird Sanctuary currently sits. Anna Mae Bacon was known as the "Bird Lady of Hamburg", rehabilitating injured birds and planting plant species designed to attract birds.

The property was formally cultivated as a victory garden during World War II, when such gardens were encouraged to help American self-sufficiency. Careful inspection of the land will reveal the remnants of farming activity even to this day. Later, the property was planted with trees by the Bacon family's son and his Cub Scout pack. Subsequent volunteer groups have continued with plantings and trail construction throughout the property. Restoration efforts in 2007 have made the Sanctuary a truly unique and beautiful village asset.

Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Many of the trees are mature and include maple, oak, sycamore, yellow poplar, locust, willow and white pine. This protective canopy provides a source of food and shelter for the birds and animals moving through or living on the property. A number of species of wildflowers are abundant here in the spring and summer months, both in the shaded woods and the open meadow. Clover, dandelion, garlic mustard, Queen Anne's lace, goldenrod and ground ivy are among the flowering plant species that can be found.

Black-capped Chickadee Poecile atricipillus U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Pileated Woodpecker Dryocopus pileatus U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Eastern Blue Bird Sialia sialis Photo by Glenn Clark.

The Bird Sanctuary is a favorite stop-over spot for migratory birds, as well as a home for nesting species. These include American Robins, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, Woodpeckers (most notably the Large Pileated Woodpecker), Sparrows, Nuthatches, Brown Creepers, Mourning Doves, Dark-eyed Juncos, Great Blue Herons, and Wild Turkeys. Deer, small mammals, and even the occasional coyote make the sanctury their home. The approximate one mile of creek side and meadow trails enable nature enthusiasts to enjoy the tranquility of a wooded setting just footsteps from the bustling center of the village.

Eastern Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo silvestris Photo by Glenn Clark.
Blue Jay Cyanocitta cristata Photo by Glenn Clark.
Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Thanks to the forward thinking actions of the village government in the 1960's and recent restoration efforts, this gem will continue to be enjoyed by village residents and visitors for years to come.

Photographic images by gclarkphotography.com and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Digital Library System http://images.fws.gov/ Aerial photograph taken from NYS Digital Ortho Image Program, modified by NYSDOT.

(Animals • Environment) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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1959-1975/Vietnam War/Vietnam War

April 17, 2015, 6:52 am

≫ Next: Korean War/1950-1953

≪ Previous: Anna Mae Bacon Bird Sanctuary

Alabama, Madison County, Huntsville

(Side 1)
1959-1975

I am Staff Sergeant Peter Drake in Vietnam. In school we called this place Indochina. I enlisted in the Army out of high school, like the large majority of my fellow infantrymen. We have draftees but the bulk of us volunteered. Our average age is 21. Infantry combat is very physical. Fighting is a young man’s activity. It is strenuous work carrying a 60-pound rucksack with everything I need for several days. Wading through swamps, rice paddies, and canals in the Delta, or climbing the slopes of the mountains in the highlands and getting drenched in the monsoon rains is physically draining. But I am with winners and real buddies here in the First Team, the 1st Cavalry Division (AIRMOBILE), so I extended for six more months and I am not serving with the 227th Assault Aviation Battalion. This is easier; I get jump pay and flight pay. Our unit supports the infantry by hauling them into the landing zones (LZs) from which they will attack the Viet long (VC,South Vietnamese communists) or North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops who are invading. We also extract US troops from the operational area for reinsertion in other LZs or return to a base to rearm and prepare for their next operation. As a pathfinder, I aid the pilots in landing and provide control of the traffic about the LZ. When the artillery comes in under large CH-47 Chinook helicopters, the wind are very high and often blow things in the air causing a risk. Resupply is often slung under the helicopter and we have to control those operations as well. We also help rush wounded soldiers back to medical facilities like the 3rd Surgical Hospital in Bien Hoa. The VC seldom engage us in the landing but will often shoot at us as we extract the last troops. The NVA will engage when they can, even if they know we will pound them with Air Force strikes, gunships attacks and hundreds of rounds of artillery fire. A 12-month tour is the norm, but many the troopers I know have been wounded at least once, some have wounds shortening their tours. Some of us extend, we say for promotions and pay but I know it is for the feeling of being a proud American fighting alongside other proud Americans.

(Side 2)
Vietnam War

I am Technical Sergeant Ed Detail, Jr. I volunteered for service in the US Air Force to avoid the draft. My draft number was really low, 35, so I was sure to be drafted into the Army in 1967. I had a super clean record, no drugs or other dumb stuff, and was sent to Photo Interpreter School at Lowry Air Force Base. In February 1968, I was ordered to Thailand and assigned to the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, which flew many missions in Operation Rolling Thunder, one of the deadliest air campaigns in history. Our objective was to eliminate the very effective North Vietnamese air defenses. Our pilots flew F-105 Thunder chiefs, or “Thuds”. Remembering the stories of my uncle, a WW II bombardier, I was amazed that on a typical combat mission not North Vietnam, one Thud carried a payload three times heavier that the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. My section used photos taken by our aircraft and Navy and Marine reconnaissance birds, to understand the nature of the target area. When we “Intel pukes” integrate our situation analysis with other date like the electronic signatures, we are able to give mission commanders a pretty clear picture of the target area. Even so, half of the productions run of 833 F-105s was lost to enemy air defenses with hundreds of pilots killed or captured. These courageous Thud drivers and other pilots and their dedicated ground crews seldom talk about those days. My gut feeling is the damage the aerial bombardment inflicted on the North and the failure of the TET Offensive of ’68 crushed the communists in the field. My mom said the papers, TV and some politicians argue we are losing the war. I think NOT! We never lost the fighting war, only the war of public opinion.

(Side 3)
Vietnam War

I am Staff Sergeant Isamu Tanaka. After 10 months with the 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division in the Korean War, I became a good patrol leader and really understood working with the KATUSAs attached to my regiment. After the truce, I volunteered to stay in Korea and in 1954, I reenlisted as a Sergeant First Class for duties in Japan. I left the Army in 1957 with my GI benefits. I went to college. I studied French literature and graduated with no job. I rejoined the Army as a Corporal in 1961 during the Berlin Crisis and went to Headquarters, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In 1965 I was not allowed to extend my European tour and was sent to Fort Bragg to the Special Warfare School. I became part of a military advisor program, started by President Kennedy in 1962. We were taught to work with “host nations” leaders and help the average man in the village stabilize their economic and political systems. The program focused on Vietnamese military units and government agencies at the province and region levels. Our advisor effort grew and may have reached 10,000 or so American officers and noncommissioned officers. I was sent to Vietnam as a Staff Sergeant and assigned to the District Team at Bam Me Thuot Paramilitary forces, called Regional Forces and Popular Forces (Ruff/Puffs), were already organized as part-time home guards, defending their village and patrolling areas where the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) are active. However, they are considerably under-trained so my team lives in the villages and works to improve these units. When the South Vietnamese or US Army units come into our area, we work to assure the Ruff/Puffs are coordinated with them to support search and destroy operations. The VC and NVA both try to punish the villagers loyal to the Saigon Government by attacking isolated villages. These attacks, when we are outnumbered, are costly. With no help, the local leaders are slaughtered. This is a lonely and challenging assignment. I may volunteer to be here a couple years, but as a bachelor that is okay. The combat pay goes a long way and the R&R (Rest and Recuperation) trips every six months help break the stress.

(War, Vietnam) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Korean War/1950-1953

April 17, 2015, 6:56 am

≫ Next: Gulf War-1991/War on Terrorism

≪ Previous: 1959-1975/Vietnam War/Vietnam War

Alabama, Madison County, Huntsville

(side 1)
Korean War

I am Gunner Sergeant Robert L. Koch of Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division (the OLD Breed). I fought in the Pacific in WWII and joined the Reserves after the war. I thought I was through forever with death and destruction. However, in June 1950, communist North Korea attacked South Korea without provocation or warning. I was recalled and shipped out before I could say, “Wait a minute, folks!” This fracas started after the US and the Soviets agreed to temporarily divide the Korean Peninsula at the 38th parallel at the end of WWII into two occupation zones until the Korean people could elect a new government. Elections were scheduled but the Soviets refused to cooperate resulting in two separate governments forming with their border at the 38th parallel. This separation sparked clashes. Then, thinking they could overwhelm South Korea, North Korea invaded. WAR! The US went into action with UN approval to help stop the invasion, but the South Koreans and we were badly outnumbered and bottled up in the south around Pusan. General MacArthur devised and end-run plan to land our Marine division at Inchon on 15 September 1950, well to the rear of the North Koreans. Our amphibious landing was under the worst tidal conditions we had ever faced, but in true Marine tradition we succeeded and combined with the Army, quickly moved inland and liberated the capital, Seoul. We redeployed to the eastern side of the peninsula, but ashore at Wonsan and drove north toward the Chinese border. But when we reached the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, we were attacked by ten Red Chinese Infantry divisions! We were ordered to retreat down the only road out, through steep hills with dominant peaks occupied by the Chinese on both sides! The temperature ha dropped to -35F causing frostbite casualties, icy roads, and weapons malfunctions. Corpsmen had to be defrost morphine streets in their mouths. Radio batteries were too cold to function properly. Gun oil gelled on our weapons’ firing pins causing them to not strike had enough to fire the rounds! Despite all this, we pushed through in some of the worst fighting the US military had ever experienced. Our last units left North Korea on 24 December 1950. We sailed for South Korea and never got that far north again. Regardless, we beat the elite Chinese 9th Army badly and we proudly claimed the title, “The Frozen Chosin!”

(side 2)
1950-1953

I am Second Lieutenant Diana Palmer. I volunteered for the Army, was trained, and sent to Pusan, Korea, a southern seaport city, on 6 July 1950. I am a nurse with the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). MASHs are designed to get experienced medical personnel closer to the front, so that the wounded can be treated sooner and with greater success. We are generally only four to five miles behind the front lines. This has proved to be highly successful since a seriously wounded soldier who makes it to a MASH has a greater than 97% chance of survival. The 8055th has 30 medics, 10 doctors, 10 nurses, one dentist, tow Medical Servicer Corps officers, and about 30 Koreans. Several jeeps, two ambulances, and three or four trucks are also part of the MASH. MASH units are well organized and have a triage area, X-ray room, surgical room, post-op section, and other facilities. These are usually housed in long, connected tents with dirt floors. On occasion, however, we have used barns, schoolhouses, rice mills and churches. Certainly, one of the most unpleasant conditions is the cold winter. The stove in my tent, which I share with the nine other nurses, uses fuel oil which is solid at -20F! We have a minefield in our front yard and there is always some danger, even from our own artillery firing over us. We have sand bags around the patients tents to stop stray bullets, but one time a bullet zinged into the mess tent, hit a post, and splashed into a cup of coffee! We clean and closed wounds, treat fractures and illnesses, and do some rehabilitation. We treat North and South Koreans, American, British, Turks, reporters, and even performed surgery on the pet deer of Turkish unit. I am upset most of the time at the sheer number of badly wounded young men. Our chaplain literally had a breakdown and had to be sent home. Once, an ambulance driver brought in wounded from the south instead of the north. He told me the front line had withdrawn a couple of miles to our south and nobody had bothered to let us know! Not funny at the time, but later they would come over here and arrest the communists so we could all go home!

(War, Korean) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Gulf War-1991/War on Terrorism

April 17, 2015, 7:02 am

≫ Next: Cold War-Global 1945-/ Cold War-Germany 1945-1990

≪ Previous: Korean War/1950-1953

Alabama, Madison County, Huntsville

(side 1)
Gulf War-1991

I am Nathan Oscar Pardner, a M1A1 Tank Gunner. I came to into the Army in 1988 after a year in Junior College. I was assigned to the 2nd Battalion 33rd Armor of the 3rd Armored Division in Germany. I qualified as a Master Gunner and was promoted to Sergeant. On August 1990, Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein, ordered his troops to attack and occupy Kuwait. I was reassigned to the 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor, 24th Infantry Division, which was preparing to deploy to Saudi Arabia. President Bush ordered our US forces into Saudi Arabia and on 28 November 1990, we boarded ships and sailed to the Persian Gulf or “The GULF”. All in all, some 500,000 US men and women were assembled, preparing for operations codenamed ‘Operations Desert Shield.” Upon arrival in “the sand box”, we readied our equipment and continued to train with a focus I had never seen before. On 17 January 1991, at 0245 hours, Baghdad time (1845 hours, January 16 - Eastern time), Operation Desert Shield became Operation Desert Storm and the war began. Our U.S and Allied forces conducted major bombing raids against Iraqi air defenses, communications systems, chemical weapons facilities, tanks and artillery in Kuwait, Iraq and in areas on Saudi Arabia’s border. A ground assault was to follow. We repositioned our tanks every day or so, to keep the enemy unaware of our exact location. On 23 February, MG Barry McCaffery, our Division Commander, gave us a visit and told us we’d be moving out soon. Soon came at 0400 hours the next day and we attacked over the Iraqi berm constructed to delay our forward movement. The ground forces and air power ahead of us engaged and destroyed the Soviet-made equipment of the Iraqi Forces. The elite Republican Guard was defeated with ease. Once we were in contact, I found the gunnery skills I learned allowed me to shoot ad hit with great effectiveness. Our 120mm tank gun out-ranged the Soviet T-72’s 125mm gun. When we caught up with the Iraqi troops, they were streaming back to Iraq on Highway 80, later known as the “Highway of Death”. They refused to surrender, so we shot and destroyed, I guess, hundreds of their armored vehicles and tanks. After just a 100-hour fight, the Coalition forces won big. We are not sitting awaiting negotiations. We may have been the most combat effective force in the military history of the world.

(side 2)
War on Terrorism

I am Staff Sergeant Shelia Fallon, a US Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician. I am part of a team of three EOD specialists assigned to units patrolling in Afghanistan. This is my third deployment to the Middle East. When I first joined the Air Force in early 2001, I was trained as clerk/typist and worked at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. Then came the Al Qadea terrorist attacks of 9/11 and I was hurriedly deployed to Afghanistan. The Army fought the Taliban, who ran the country and embraced the terrorists (tangos), like Osama Bin Laden, from October to December 2001, chasing them over the border into Pakistan or into secret mountain caves. I typed away but wished to take a more active part in the war. I ask for EOD School and went to Eglin AFB, Florida for 162 days. The war moved on to Iraq, as the US government believed their military had “weapons of mass destruction” (WMD) (chemical, biological, and maybe radiological weapons). No WMDs were found, but Saddam Hussein was toppled, eventually captured, and executed by a new democratic government. With Hussein gone, a long brewing civil war exploded, which still continues, although much cooler now. I made my second deployment in 2003 and things were still popping. We uncovered weapons caches and homemade booby traps and mines called improvised explosive devices (IEDs). IEDs have been the largest killer of U.S. troops. Now during my third deployment (2013), my team is augmenting the US Marine Corps 1st EOD Company assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The use of household items like water jugs, fertilizer, and saw blades, as opposed to old rockets and artillery shells used in Iraq, make Afghan IIEDs difficult to detect. We use a combination of robots, dogs, metal detectors and sensing equipment built into our vehicles to find them. We use C4 explosive and special techniques to dispose of them in the field. Although the Marines despise it, we sometimes must use the heavy an hot EOD suit. In one 115, 12-hours day we investigated an IED blast site, engaged in a 30-minute firefight, blew up a bridge and swept a mile or so of road for more IEDs. Even though it is dangerous and requires a great deal of knowledge and exacting attention to detail, I love my job! It’s incredibly important and only the best can accomplish it.

(War, 1st Iraq & Desert Storm) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Cold War-Global 1945-/ Cold War-Germany 1945-1990

April 17, 2015, 7:08 am

≫ Next: Korean War/ Cold War-Korea 1953-

≪ Previous: Gulf War-1991/War on Terrorism

Alabama, Madison County, Huntsville

(side 1)
Cold War-Global
1945-

I am Petty Officer Richard Williamson, Jr. I am proud that my dad served on the first nuclear powered fast attack submarine, the USS Nautilus (SSN 571) which set all kinds of records in the 1950s for length of submerged missions around the world including under the North Pole. SSN is the Navy’s hull classification symbol for nuclear powered: SS mean “Submarine” and N means “nuclear-powered.” Because of my dad, I too, joined the Navy and became a submariner. Since 1985, I have been a crew member of the USS Alabama (SSBN-731). The addition of a B in the hull classification means that my sub carries ballistic missiles with thousands of miles of range — a truly awesome capability of the US to be able to deploy beneath the sea and around the world. I have learned that this is a really dangerous world we live in and we “Boomers” have made a difference. Along with Air Force strategic bombers and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), the North American Aerospace Defense Command(NORAD) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Army Pershing missile crews and the special Americans who track possible enemy activities, we are American’s first line of global defense. As I reflect back, I never thought I would spend extended hours on duty, much less up to six months submerged. On order of the President of the United States, our crew is ready in minutes, to launch nuclear weapons, whose destructive powers is hundreds of times greater than those used in 1945 on Japan. I now know that we are part of the deterrent force that, for over forty years, kept the leaders in communist countries, such as the Soviet Union, from using their huge found forces and their nuclear forces. Arms control treaties like the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INFTreaty) and the falling of the communist economic system caused the Soviet Union to collapse, but there are still nuclear-capable countries presenting a risk to free nations. However, since 1991 the likelihood of a massive nuclear attack or even an accident in much less today. We American service members all make a difference in deterring those who would do our nation harm, but we, and our families, pay a price since we must deploy about 180 days a year. (side 2)
Cold War-Germany
1945-1990

I am Specialist Eugenia Beushausen Haughian, an Intelligence stationed in Heidelberg, Germany in 1990. My dad as a “gung-ho” paratrooper who was killed in Vietnam during the Battle of Dak To on Hill 875, in November 1967. I became a soldier to honor him. Here in German, I give new soldiers a border orientation. The border was established on 1 July 1945 as the boundary between the Western and Soviet occupation zones of Germany and East and West Berlin; what Winston Churchill called the “Iron Curtain.” The WWII alliance between the Western nations and the Soviet Union (mostly Russians) quickly deteriorated after the war and hard lines were drawn over control of the European territories. In response to the Soviet’s actions, sixteen Western nations formed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO and greed that an attack on one is an attack on all. The communist nations formed the Warsaw Pack and built on of the world’s most heavily fortified frontiers, defined by a continuous line of high metal fences and walls, barbed wire, alarms, anti-vehicle ditches, watchtowers, automatic booby traps and minefields. Fifty-thousand German Democratic Republic (GDR) East German guards facing tens of thousands of West German, British and US guards and soldiers, patrolled that fortified line. In the hinterlands behind the border, called the Green Belt, more than a million NATO and Warsaw Pact troops awaited the possible outbreak of WORLD WAR III. Nuclear weapon delivery systems such as 155mm howitzers and Pershing and Ground Launched Missile Systems were on alert and capable of being fired in three minutes. Fighter planes and air defense missiles, some with nuclear capability, were also on very high alert status and constantly training for war. Our intelligence continuously monitored the Warsaw Pact forces to prevent another “Pearl Harbor” type attack. In 1948 the Soviet army closed all ground access to Berlin. To get food and coal to the people of East Berlin, the U.S. and our allies used cargo airplanes for a year to supply over tow million people in what was known as the “Berlin Airlift.” Political issues were contentious. The Wall went up in Berlin in 1961. It was not to protect the residents of the Warsaw Pact but to keep them imprisoned in their own countries. In 1986 President Reagan said, “Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!” and indeed on 9 November 1989, the Wall was breeched by crowds, then by former border guards, the border was opened. I am awaiting reassignment since I will never have to giver another “border orientation”!

(War, Cold • War, Korean) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Korean War/ Cold War-Korea 1953-

April 17, 2015, 7:16 am

≫ Next: Amelia Earhart

≪ Previous: Cold War-Global 1945-/ Cold War-Germany 1945-1990

Alabama, Madison County, Huntsville

(side 1)
Korean War

I am Carlos Jesus Rodriguez, Rifle Squad Leader in F(Fox) Company 31st Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division (The Bayonet Division). I was stationed in Japan. As an occupation Army, we GIs (Government Issue, i.e. US soldier) trained a bit and thought we had it made in the shade with a lot of off-duty time. However, in June 1950 when the North Korean Army attacked South Korea, the depleted 1st Cavalry Division and the 2nd Infantry Division were sent to reinforce the ROKs (Republic of Korea soldiers). The 7th Division was stripped of over 8,000 men to fill their vacancies. In August, our turn came and we were given 8260 young Koreans, called Korean Augmentation to the US Army or KATUSAs. They brought us back to strength but they only had three weeks military training! My squad in Korea had eight GIs and four KATUSAs. Our first action was General MacArthur’s brilliant end-run landing at Inchon. We fought hard and the North Koreans were pushed back almost to the Chinese border. Then in the coldest of winters, the Red Chinese joined in the fight. It was like hitting a brick wall that hit back! We were pushed back and evacuated by sea to Pusan. We rebuilt, retrained, and refitted, and were soon back in combat, stopping the Chinese at Chechon, South Korea. Two members of the regiment even earned the Medal of Honor. By the summer of 1951, the line stabilized. For the next two years, a series of blows accomplished little while the generals met at the front in Panmunjom and argued with the communists over a truce. Names like Old Baldy, Pork Chop Hill, Triangle Hill, and Outpost Dale are among the war’s most famous battles, all fought by the 31st Infantry during this time. By May of 1953, the 31st Infantry had suffered many times its strength in losses. Our purpose had been to preserve South Korea; not drive the communist our of North Korea. So here in 1953, with the frontline basically again along the 38th Parallel, the US, ROKs, North Koreans and Chinese finally declared a truce. I recall our commanding officer saying we may have troops maintaining the border here for many years. I will always remember the men I served with; so many wounded and some killed. They are my buddies for life.

(side 2)
Cold War-Korea
1953-

I am Private First Class Sam Shapiro with the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment (1/23), 2nd Infantry Division. The Division was in the Korean War, sent back to the US in 1954, and then returned to South Korea (Republic of Korea-ROK) in July 1965. Our mission was then, as now in 1990, to guard 30 kilometers of the 250 kilometers long by four-kilometer wide Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) established in 1953, between the Koreans. We are to prevent border incursions and infiltration by North Korean forces. These incursions increased beginning in 1965 with 23 firefights; in 1966, there were 19 firefights; and in 1967, there were 123 firefights along with 315 other incidents, resulting in 500 US and South Korean casualties and 228 North Koreans killed and 57 wounded. In 1968, 48 incidents occurred. Also in ’68, a commando unit tried to assassinate the South Korean president. And again in ’68, their Navy fired on and captured the USS Pueblo patrolling in international waters east of the North Korean coast. Many thought this would start WWIII! In 1969, four soldiers of the 3/23 Battalion were killed in the DMZ. Things were so “hot” that many received the Combat Infantryman’s Badge for sixty days in a combat zone! One of the most barbaric and horrendous incidents occurred on 18 August 1976. Two US officers leading a routine tree-trimming mission at Panmunjom Joint Security Area (JSA) were attacked by North Korean border guards and killed with their own axes. Three days later a ROK Special Forces Company, the 9th US Infantry Regiment, and B Company, 2nd US Engineers, moved into JSA and cut the whole tree down! B-52 bombers, F-4fighters and ROK F-5 fighters flew above the JSA and F-111 fighters were armed and fueled, ready to take off at a short notice. Needless to say, the North Korean hunkered down and did not respond! During the 1970s three tunnels were discovered under the DMZ and obviously designed for infiltration. Throughout the 1980s, the division continued to patrol and through live fire continued, it was nothing like the previous decades. However, earlier this year, 1990, we found a fourth tunnel! Still I feel like the Division has been successful in helping the ROKs guard their border. You can look at their booming economy for proof. However, I suspect we Americans will be supporting the South Koreans for some time to come, as the North Koreans remain belligerent.

(War, Cold • War, Korean) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Amelia Earhart

April 17, 2015, 7:39 am

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Amelia Erhart, New York, Madison County, Canastota

Former site of Canastota Municipal Airport 1928-1989 Dedicated by Amelia Earhart August 28,1928

(Air & Space) Includes location, directions, 1 photo, GPS coordinates, map.

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John Bartram

April 17, 2015, 7:47 am

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Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia

Famed natural scientist. Had the first botanic garden in the U.S. for receiving plants of America and exotics. He was American botanist to king of England and member of several royal societies. House and garden are 1/4 mile east.

(Agriculture • Colonial Era • Horticulture & Forestry) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Original Federal Boundary Stone SE 3

April 17, 2015, 7:51 am

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District of Columbia, Washington

Original Federal Boundary Stone
District of Columbia
Placed 1791-1792
Protected by Ruth Brewster Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution
1916

(Man-Made Features) Includes location, directions, 10 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science

April 17, 2015, 7:56 am

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Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia

Founded in 1821 at historic Carpenters' Hall by prominent apothecaries to improve the standards of pharmacy, the College was incorporated the following year. It is the oldest institution of its kind in the United States.

(Education • Science & Medicine) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Paul Philippe Cret

April 17, 2015, 7:59 am

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Pennsylvania, Philadelphia County, Philadelphia

A celebrated architect and civic planner, Cret lived after 1911 here at 516 Woodland Terrace in this block of Italianate villas built in 1861. His legacy includes the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Rodin Museum, and (in Washington, DC) the Folger Library.

(Bridges & Viaducts • Charity & Public Work • Notable Persons) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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The Québec Bridge

April 17, 2015, 10:05 am

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Quebec, Capitale-Nationale (region), Québec

English:
This is the longest span cantilever bridge in the world, stretching 548.6 meters between the main piers. Completed in 1917, it is a remarkable engineering achievement. To overcome technical problems that had caused the collapse of an earlier span and the loss of 76 lives in 1907, Canadian engineers used nickel steel as a structural material and an innovative K-truss design. Designed and built by the St. Lawrence Bridge Company of Montréal, this impressive work is universally recognized as a symbol of engineering excellence.

French:
Ce pont cantilever possède la plus longue travée centrale du genre au monde, laquelle couvre une distance de 548,6 mètres entre les piliers principaux. Complété en 1917, il est reconnu comme un chef-d'oeuvre d'ingénierie. Pour résoudre les problèmes techniques qui avaient causé l'effondrement d'une travée et la mort de 76 personnes en 1907, les ingénieurs utilisèrent de l'acier au nickel comme matériau de construction et un système de poutres en K. Conçu et construit par la St. Lawrence Bridge Company de Montréal, cet imposant ouvrage symbolise mondialement l'excellence du génie canadien.

(Bridges & Viaducts • Disasters) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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Historic Root River / Root River Parkway

April 17, 2015, 10:09 am

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Wisconsin, Milwaukee County, Greenfield

The Root River system began forming about 20,000 years ago when Wisconsin’s glaciers began to retreat. Starting in eastern New Berlin, it flows through southwest Milwaukee County before entering Lake Michigan at the city of Racine (French for “root”). Teeming with fish and game, the river and its drainage area drew many Native Americans. The last, the Potawatomi, were here until their departure by treaty in the 1830s. Later residents of the area now within the city of Greenfield found “more than a bushel basket” of stone artifacts and a copper tool from ca. 3000-500 BC, “innumerable little Indian heads as short as an inch and the largest were 4-5 inches long,” as well as a trove of projectile points that was uncovered by a young boy during the 1950s.

(Continued on other side)

Root River Parkway

(Continued from other side)

Later 19th and early 20th century settlers struggled to farm here. During the mid-20th century, houses were built on areas of the floodplain, with many soon demolished following sefveral subsequent floods. Charles Whitnall, the father of the Milwaukee County Parks System, included the Root River Parkway in his 1923 master plan. Land acquisitions during the New Deal era led to its creation as a major recreational resource. The Milwaukee County landscape architect and Wisconsin native Alfred Boerner designed the parkway and its units, including the Boerner Botanical Gardens and Arboretum, which were built by laborers in the Civilian Conservation Corps, Works Progress Administration, and other Depression-era work programs. In 2013, portions of the Root River Parkway were listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

(Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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