Trip to Normandy-- Part 5: Fewer WW II Veterans Still Alive

The 80th anniversary will likely be one of the last big D-Day celebrations to include so many living World War II veterans.  Only about 100,000 of the more than 16 million Americans who served during the  conflict are still living.

It is truly remarkable that inside the 89-bed nursing home in tiny Durand, Illinois, there are thee in one hallway.

The military has an expression:  "We stand on the shoulders of giants."

Kohnke, Vinje and Walstrom are living embodiment: patriotic, wise, humble.  And they retain that dark sense of humor unique to those of us who have experienced the hell of war.

On this warm spring morning, Frank Khonke blurts out something on his mind:  "What if I up and die over there?"

One of his friends deadpans:  "Well, then they'll either send you home in a vase or bury you over there.  Basically the same options you had in 1944 -- and at least you'll go out doing something more fun than napping in a nursing home bed."  

There it is: the old belly laugh.

"You're right," Kohnke smiles.  "I'm going back to France."

--Cooter

Trip to Normandy-- Part 3: In Operation Market Garden

With today being the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

Frank Kohnke arrived in France just after the June 6 landings, and on September 17, his 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment participated in the largest airborne operation of all time.  Operation Market Garden sought to capture bridges over the Rhine, allowing the Allies to advance into Germany through the Netherlands and enter the Ruhr industrial region, the heart of the Nazi war machine.

The operation failed and losses were catastrophic.  Nearly 4,000 Americans were killed, severely wounded or taken prisoner.

Eight decades later, Frank Kohnke does not talk about it.

"I don't like to remember the bad things," he said.  "At my age, it is better just to forget them."

--GreGen

Trip to Normandy for an Illinois WW II Veteran-- Part 2: The 'Rendezvous with Destiny'

Frank Kohnke, 98, is emblematic of a great generation that that unceremoniously answered when the nation called.  The Milwaukee teenager enlisted at age 16, lying about his birthday and forging his mother's signature.

He was desperate to be a paratrooper, a bold new military specialty that trained men to jump out of airplanes and float into combat zones under silk chutes and the cover of darkness.

"You look at it now, and you just think: "Stupid," Kohnke laughs.  "But that's the definition of being young.  I was stupid, but, oh, how I wanted to be a paratrooper."

He was assigned to the 101st Airborne, an untested unit that was stood up just days before the end of World War I and never saw action then.  But before World War II, the 101st was reorganized with parachute regiments, and it got the critical assignment of dropping deep behind enemy lines hours before the invasion.

Its commander would famously call the mission a "rendezvous with destiny."

--GreGen

Trip to Normandy Evokes a Time of Action for Illinois World War II Veteran"

From the June 2, 2024, Chicago Tribune by William A. Ryan.

Since there is a lot of news about the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I will be writing about some of it here in this blog as well, of course, in my World War II blog.

In a nursing home about three hours northwest of Chicago near the Wisconsin border on the edge of Durand, Illinois, a town nicknamed "Village of Volunteers," three WW II veterans are talking about the upcoming 80th anniversary of D-Day.

One of them will be traveling to Normandy for the occasion, though he is increasingly frail at the age of 98.  Frank Kohnke is a bit anxious about the trip.

He straightens his 101st Airborne cap and holds up a sepia-toned photograph of him back then.

At the beginning of June, the Army kicks off 10 days in Normandy to commemorate perhaps the most iconic military maneuver in modern history:  the day America and her allies stormed the beaches of France to gain a foothold in German-occupied Europe.

Tens of thousands of visitors are expected to attend, but the guests of honor will be the nearly 130 World War II veterans like Kohnke who are making the the trip on two medically-supported Honor Flights.

--GreGen

A Whole Bunch of History Magazines Folded Last Month

I just found out about this this past week.  I was wondering why I couldn't find them anymore at my local Meijer store or Woodman's.  The reason being they are no longer published and this is a big loss to those of us with a penchant for history.

These magazines are no longer with us:

* Military History (one of my favorites)

World War II (another favorite)

Military History Quarterly

Civil War Times  (my favorite of them.  I've subscribed every since the 1970s)

American History

Wild West

Aviation History

Vietnam

America's Civil War (another favorite)

Sad Times.  --Cooter

'Casablanca' Trivia-- Part 2: Lois Meredith? And, It Hit Home

**  A NEW NAME FOR A HEROINE

When "Casablanca" was being cast, the lead female role was to be an American named Lois Meredith.  But when Bergman got the role, the name of Rick's love interest was changed to Ilsa Lund; her nationality was switched to Norwegian.

Director Michael Curtiz came up with her name, taking it from a 19th-century travelogue called "The Harz Journey" by Heinrich Heine, which featured an enchantress named Princess Ilse.

**********************************

**  TEARS ON THE SET

Several extras and actors in the cast were from Europe, and the realities of war hit close to home.  While filming a flashback scene, Ilsa and Rick talked about how the Germans would soon storm Paris -- when a female extra burst into loud sobs, ruining the take.

Another extra walked over to the director to apologize.  "I am very sorry, sir, but that is my wife," he told Michael Curtiz of the crying woman.  "Please pardon her.  You see, our home was in Paris.  And we went through that awful day."

--Cooter

80th Anniversary of Cassablanca-- Part 2: 'Play It, Sam'

Some more quotable quotes from the movie.

**  "Play it, Sam.  Play 'As Time Goes By'."  --Ilsa Lund

**  "Kiss me.  Kiss me as if it were the last time."  --Ilsa Lund

**   "Here's looking at you, kid."  --Rick Blane

**  We might as well be frank.  It would take a miracle to get you out of Casablanca, and the Germans have outlawed miracles."  --Signor Ferrari

"Play 'As Time Goes By'."  --Cooter

Deaths in June-July 2022-- Part 7: Siragusa, Williams, Freeman and Caan

JUNE

TONY SIRAGUSA, 55

**  Charismatic defensive tackle who was part of one of the most celebrated defenses in the NFL history with the Baltimore Ravens.  Died June 22

HERSCHEL "WOODY" WILLIAMS, 98

**  The last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II, whose heroics under fire over several crucial hours of the Battle of Iwo Jima made him a legend in his native West Virginia.  Died June 29.

The Greatest Generation.

*********************************

JULY

BRADFORD FREEMAN, 97

**  Last survivor of the famed American Army unit featured in the oral history book and miniseries "Band of Brothers."  Died July3.

The Greatest Generation.

JAMES CAAN, 82

**  The curly-haired tough guy known to movie fans as Sonny Corleone of "The Godfather" and to TV audiences as both the dying football player in "Brian's Song" and the casino boss in "Las Vegas."  Died July 8.

His death in "The Godfather" was a real bloody mess.

A Chicago Christmas-- Part 6: About Those Marshall Field's Windows

Founded in 1852 as a dry goods business, Marshall Field's introduced its cherished holiday windows in 1897 with an enthralling toy display, a concept dreamed up by the store's official visual display manager, Arthur Frasier.  (And, of course, that toy window in "A Christmas Story.")

During World War II, the Field's design team began theming the windws starting with Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas," so that they would tell a story as visitors strolled down State Street, from window to window.

Today, Macy's (who bought Field's) continues the tradition of holiday windows at the State Street store.

And, of course, there are all the decorations in the store, the Walnut Room and the giant Christmas tree.

--CootWindow

Mount Diablo Relit for Veterans Day-- Part 3

Continued from my Tattooed on Your Soul: WW II and Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 blogs.

"When the Beacon light is turned on, that's a tribute to those individuals who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor," stated  Pearl Harbor Survivor Earl "Chuck" Kohler.

The Beacon is owned by California State Parks, but maintained by Save Mount Diablo, is one of the last remaining working beacons from the transcontinental string of guides.

However, its future remained undertain until the beacon's restoration in 2013,  when California Assembly Member Joan Buchanan wrote and helped pass legislation to assist the nonprofit in achieving their restoration goal.

The DPAA Identifies Five MIA/POW Service Members from the Korean War and World War II

From the Novemeber 2, 2022, Stars and Stripes.

The Defense Department's  Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) has recently identified five missing servicemen, three from Pearl Harbor in World War II and two from the Korean War.

Both Korean War soldiers  -- Sgt.  Howard Malcom, 23, and Sgt.  Allen Tuttle, 23--  had been unaccounted for since December 1950 and died in the same POW camp, according to the DPAA.

Malcom, who died in  August 1951, was accounted for on October  25.

Tuttle, who died  in March 1951,  was identified  on October 26.

You can go to my Tattooed on Your Soul:  World War II blog to read about the Pearl Harbor sailors who were identified.

A Civil War Connection with the USS Winslow

In the last post, I wrote that Ensign Worth Bagley, brother of David Bagley, USN, was the only naval officer killed in action during the Spanish-American War when his ship, the torpedo boat USS Winslow was hit by a shell from a Spanish warship.

The USS Winslow (TB-5) was named after the famed CivilWar naval officer John Ancrum Winslow who commanded the USS Kearsarge when it sank the Confederate commerce raider CSS Alabama.

There was also a World War I destroyer, the USS Winslow (DD--53), an O'Brien-class destroyer which was decommissioned in 1922.

The destroyer USS Winslow  (DD-359), a Porter-class destroyer commissioned in 1937 that served in World War II  It was named for John Ancrum Winslow and his second cousin, Admiral Cameron Winslow.

Cameron Winslow served in the Spanish-American War and World War I.

Looks like I'll have to be doing some RoadTrippin' Through History.

--Cooter

Adm. David W. Bagley

From Find A Grave.

ADM DAVID WORTH BAGLEY

BIRTH:  8 Jan 1883, Raleigh, North Carolina

DEATH:  24 May 1960, San Diego, California

BURIAL:  Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia

His military years spanned World War I and World War II.  He served in command positions  in the Pacific Theater during WW II.

He was the brother of Ensign Worth Bagley, the only Navy officer killed in action during the Spanish-American War.

Coaches of the Chicago Bears-- Part 1: Halas, Halas, Halas

From the Chicago Tribune "How past coaches have fared, and when they left."

As the Bears were approaching the end of another disappointing season in 2021, it was expected thatb head coach Matt Nagy would be gone.  He was.

Here are the past coaches, years coached and records:

**  GEORGE HALAS (1920-1929), (1933-1942), (1946-1955), (1958-1967)

Record (318-148-31)

**  RALPH JONES  (1930-1932)

Record (24-10-7)

The next two were assistant coaches who co-coached the Bears while Halas was gone to World War II.

**  LUKE JOHNSON (1942-1945) 

Record (23-11-2)

**  HUNK ANDERSON (1942-1945)

Record (23-11-2)

Why We Call It Halas' Team.  --Cooter

William J. Snow-- Part 5: Retirement and Family

After retiring, he resided in Washington, D.C., and Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania.  In 1940, he published  a memoir "Signposts of Experienece."  He died in Washington on February 27, 1947, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section South, Site 3953.

Snow was the recipient of the  U.S. Army Distinguished Service Medal for his World War I service. and the British  Order of Bath (Companion) and the French Legion of Honor (Commander).

On 1892, Snow married  Isabel  O'Hear Locke (1872-1944) of  Atlanta, Georgia and had a son named William A. Snow (1894-1940), who was also a graduate of West Point.  The son was a veteran of World War I who attained the rank of lieutenant colonel and an engineer.  I have already written, he constructed what is today called Snow's Cut near Wilmington, North Carolina, which connects the Cape Fear River to sounds along the Intercoastal Waterway.

William J. Snow was survived by two grandchildren, Margaret (1922-2011) and William J. Snow II (1923-2011)  Margaret Payne Snow Coburn's first husband, John Harrell Hill (1911-1980) who served during WW II in the Pacific Theater and her second one, Melville  Brown Coburn (1912-1992) who was an Army major general and graduated from West Point as well.

William J. Snow II  also was a West Point graduate in  and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

A West Point Family.  --Cooter

A Follow Up on the Board Games Posts from Last Month: Milton-Bradley War Games

I was a bit disappointed that Pat didn't have any of my favorite board games with him.  I sure played these games a lot growing up and even have a few remaining.

These were American Heritage Milton-Bradley games.

BROADSIDE

This one was a War of 1812 Navy game.

DOGFIGHT

A World War I aviation game.

BATTLE-CRY

A Civil War game.

There was also one called HIT THE BEACH about World War II island attacks and one about the American Revolution called SKIRMISH.  I never played these two.

And, one other one was CARRIER STRIKE another WW II Pacific one.

Remember Any of These?  --Cooter

MAHS-- Part 5: Some of His Many Board Games

Pat Wirtz had a large collection of games on display.  I went around and looked at them.  Here are some of them:

1927 Turnerville Trolley

Have Gun Will Travel (based on the TV show)

Commandos  (A WW II game)

Underdog

Leave It to Beaver

Little Orphan Annie

Chutes and Ladders

Gene Autry's Dude Ranch

1914 Quarterback football game

--Cooter

McHenry (Illinois) Area Historical Society Meeting 4/9/22: Board Games

The meeting was held at the McHenry Savings Bank on Illinois Highway 31 south of McHenry.  There were 24 in attendance.  It is good to be back meeting again after all that you-know-what.  I just don't do Zoom.  

The last in-person meeting was held last June 11, 2021, at the Veterans Park Shelter in McHenry.

The next meeting will be at the bank on October 8 and the presentation will be about Women Pilots in World War II and the presenter will be Judy Porter from McHenry.

Attendance is down and the society will have a booth at the Thursday night concerts at Veterans Park this summer.

Membership is still $15 a year but will be going up.

There are two publications available from the society:  a 2022 calendar showing historical buildings and a McHenry  Illinois Sanborn Insurance Map Book showing the locations of every building in the city  from 1893 to 1933.

This morning's presentation was Board Games, given by Patrick Wirtz.

I was surprised to see good buddy Double D, fellow collect-too-much and NIU football superfan.

--Cooter

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 8: Johnson to Reagan

36.  LYNDON B. JOHNSON (1963-1969)

His first career was as a teacher.  He worked at a school near the U.S.-Mexican border for four years before  launching a career in politics.

37.  RICHARD M. NIXON  (1969-1974)

He became such a skillful poker player while stationed in the Solomon Islands during World War II that his winnings helped launch his political career upon his return to the United States.

38.  GERALD FORD (1974-1977)

A star football player at the University of Michigan, Ford turned down offers from both the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers.

39.  JIMMY CARTER (1977-1981)

When his father died in 1953, Carter gave up his successful military career to move back to Georgia to run the family's peanut farm.

40.  RONALD REAGAN (1981-1989)

He worked as a life guard and sportscaster before becoming an actor and later a politician.

--CootPres

46 Fascinating Facts About Our 46 Presidents-- Part 7: Hoover to Kennedy

In honor of Presidents Day.

31.  HERBERT HOOVER  (1929-1933)

An Iowa native who spent part of his boyhood in Oregon, Hoover was the first president from west of the  Mississippi River.

32.  FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT  (193-1945)

  The longest serving president claimed to be distantly related to eleven other presidents, including his fifth cousin, Theodore Roosevelt.

33.  HARRY S. TRUMAN (1945-1953)

The "S" in his name was just an initial; it didn't stand for any name.  (The "S" in Ulysses S. Grant's name didn't stand for anything either.)

34.  DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER  (1953-1961)

World War II hero, "Ike" was the first president to ride in a helicopter.

35.  JOHN F. KENNEDY  (1961-1963)

After being injured and honorably discharged in World War II, he was briefly employed as a journalist during the closing weeks of the war.

--DaCootPres