WW2 Aviation History: Why are F4U-1 Corsairs so taped up?
June 12, 2021
Book: The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WW2 Story …
October 24, 2018
I can’t vouch for the complete book (I’ve just starting reading it), but for those of us who appreciate first hand accounts of heroism, survival and World War II history … spending $2 on Alistair Urquhart’s "The Forgotten Highlander: An Incredible WWII Story of Survival in the Pacific," is well worth it. An amazing story […]
Book and photo of WW2 bombs drop from a B-26 over Germany
August 17, 2018
While monitoring a military history Twitter feed, decided to add this “bomb bay view” photo from the World War II bomber group my father-in-law flew with. He was the navigator for the 394th Bomb Group of Martin Marauder B-26s and flew nearly 50 bombing missions over Germany. They were known as the “Bridge Busters.” (Read […]
A WW2 map that illustrates the ugliness of war
November 1, 2016
For those who study history and in particular World War II, this map illustrates the human toll on each country around the world. Likely the information is well know, but seeing the losses as a percentage of population suffered outside the United States visually leaves an impression.
Trip to Washington with Shelby Co Ohio WW2 & Korea Veterans
May 24, 2010
Veterans from Shelby County Ohio at the World War II Memorial Saturday, May 22, 2010 I intended to blog this past weekend (May 21-23) while volunteering with the WWII and Korea veterans honor trip to Washington DC … but my hands were full from dawn until dusk … and then some! That’s not to say […]
Pilots and Planes: Smithsonian on Capt. David McCampbell, World War II aviation and the Grumman Hellcat
February 24, 2024
A few of the history oriented books I read in 2023 were about World War II Naval Aviation in the Pacific … after the previous years studying Navy and US Marine battles. As much as I enjoyed the books by several aviators who flew Corsairs (1, 2, 3, 4) … I really enjoyed reading last […]
Books: Pacific Thunder (audiobook) and standing in line to vote
November 8, 2023
On Tuesday, November 7th, 2023, I actually stood in line for 20- 30 minutes at the polls in order to vote in an off-year election! It wasn’t a big deal, but I wasn’t expecting a line considering I met my son for brunch after his doctor’s appointment and timed it purposely to not be at […]
Audiobook: “With The Old Breed” by E. B. Sledge
October 17, 2023
As I’ve blogged a few times before, when it comes to history books, I enjoy reading and learning about World War II history and those of “the Greatest Generation” who rose to moment to save the world in the 1940s. My focus for the last decade or so has been in studying the Pacific Theater […]
Books: “Once They Were Eagles” by Frank E. Walton
September 12, 2023
Occasionally when a good book is finished, it leave you wanting it to continue and hoping for more. That is the case with Frank E. Walton’s book “Once They Were Eagles.” It is the second book in the pile that I’m reading focused on the infamous World War II era’s VMF-214 better remembered at the […]
About the book “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and Gregory Boyington
September 3, 2023
In August I finished up an excellent 1958 autobiography by Gregory “Pappy” Boyington titled “Baa Baa Black Sheep” … mentioned previously. He was a United States Marine Corps fighter pilot who commanded the VMF-214 Black Sheep Squadron during World War II. The book tells the story of Boyington’s early life, his training as a pilot, […]
Project planning: A box for my dad’s military service flag
August 5, 2023
The making of a traditional black walnut box, for the military service flag I was presented at my father’s funeral, has long been on my mind. As I close in on almost a decade since his passing and the flag still lives in the plastic holder provided by the funeral home. It has been my […]
Books: “Baa Baa Black Sheep” by Gregory ‘Pappy’ Boyington
August 1, 2023
There are plenty of books on my Kindle, in my “ebook pile” and “printed paper” book pile to read, but most of them are not particularly enjoyable “to me” to read. They either arouse political anger and frustration in the direction our country is being lead … or personal improvement books that “I interpret” as […]
Are there economic similarities between post World War II and rebounding from the pandemic shutdown?
July 15, 2023
My financial and investment musings have been few and far between lately, but while reading Barron’s Magazine article this past week, it reminded me that we investors often can look to history for insight. If you don’t want to read it, try listening to it — Audio ElevenLabs. ElevenLabs AI reading this content – […]
Books: “Three Days In January: Dwight Eisenhower’s final mission” by Bret Baier
March 29, 2023
My daily routine, at least when I’m in town, is to DVR the evening news, “Special Report” at 6PM. I generally watch it and skip the commercials while eating … when it is permitted by Brenda. HA! The daily new wrap-up is probably not edifying since it includes a good dose of disfunctional national politics […]
Archiving a few WWII B-26 Marauder videos
February 9, 2023
Here are a couple of B-26 Martin Marauder YouTube videos to archive (saved to personal cloud too) due to my interest in aviation and military history … but also because my late father-in-law serving as navigator on “this beautiful ship” in World War II (I can still hear him saying that).
The US trend is politically left as opposing voices are squelched
January 19, 2021
It’s not “breaking news” that we live in a changing United States of America or that propaganda and control over speech is being used to steer large swaths of the population towards leftist ideology … but what is eye-opening is just how coordinated the powers that be are in opposing the “rights” protected by our […]
Bold and accomplished leaders often lack diplomatic tact
January 9, 2021
As a “very” amateur military history buff who is currently reading the book “I Marched With Patton,” I came away from Frank Sisson’s memoir in thinking about other leaders who earned the respect of their men, but offended others and were seen as abrasive. Accomplishing a goal and “winning” was for the most part their […]
World War II book: “I Marched With Patton” by Frank Sisson
December 30, 2020
When it comes to being the first to read a book, I’m not the guy to turn to, but eventually I do get around to some of them. I’m particularly fond of the history oriented books from the last century and “I Marched With Patton” by Frank Sisson fits that criteria. This World War II […]
Remembering Pearl Harbor and a few personal family thoughts
December 7, 2020
Recognition and remembrance for those of the Greatest Generation who were killed on December 7, 1941 are compelling reasons why Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day rings loud with me … but my remembering is also partially due out of respect for my parents. For them (and my late mother and father-in-law), the attack by Japan and […]
Books: Finished Operation Vengeance, starting Pacific Crucible
October 14, 2020
This past week I finally finished Dan Hampton’s excellent historical World War II book titled “Operation Vengeance” about the operation to kill Isoroku Yamamoto and can finally move on to the book I mentioned in September after reading a WSJ review. Since the “reviewed” book was the third and finally Ian W. Toll’s book in […]
The differences between a Willys, Ford and Hotchkiss Jeep
August 5, 2020
Ever since reading Boys’ Life magazine as a kid and perusing the “military surplus” advertising, I’ve wanted a classic military Willys MB Jeep (or Ford GPW). I’m sure that I was not alone? The old restored Jeeps have been staples at car shows, parades and aviation fly-ins for decades and I’m always attracted to them […]
Thoughts on everyday terms we use without thinking
April 4, 2020
In a business meeting decades ago, Brenda used the term “Catch-22” without giving the etymology much thought. After the meeting, a older senior executive came up to her and commented that he was surprised to hear a 30-year old using the term “Catch-22” … and then asked if she knew it’s history. She did no, […]
Preparing for Memorial Day: Sacred Duty: A Soldier’s Tour at Arlington National Cemetery – Sen Tom Cotton #Imprimis
May 26, 2019
Earlier this week I posted something frivolous for a Music Monday, which happens to be Memorial Day, so I’m going to include is post a day early on Sunday thinking others might read it as a way to learn a little more about those who make the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country. If […]
BMW water injection and how it works to make +50 hp
January 17, 2019
One of my favorite YouTube channels is Engineering Explained and in this video car guru and mechanical engineer Jason Fenske explains just how BMW used water injection to increase power at full throttle and high manifold pressures. Great stuff. And if this kind of "automotive engineering stuff" interests you and you like aviation like me, […]
How to best give investing advice to family and friends – DON’T!
July 19, 2018
One of the topics of conversation for me throughout the years has been investing and trading. I enjoy the research and challenge, but having made many bad picks and mistakes, also realized just how dicey this is. This has made me sensitive when talking too specific with family and friends … even though I enjoy […]
Found a Camp Breckinridge boot camp poem – Korean War 1950s
August 15, 2017
A couple of days ago I mentioned the passing of my father two short years ago. A day later my brother reminded me that it had been two years and sense it surprised him too. The thought of my dad had me move a pile of papers I’ve had in my office; we cleared them […]
A lot of great blog posts on War History Online
May 1, 2016
I recall thinking a bit more about the barbarism of the Empire of Japan during (and prior) to World War II when I read the book Flyboys by James Bradley a few years back. When it came out in 2003, I remembered thinking about just how tainted public secondary and higher had become in regards […]
Honor and respect: A memorial service for my father
August 18, 2015
On Monday (August 17, 2015), we held the memorial service for my dad at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Sidney, Ohio. Dad died on August 12th after his “thankfully” short hospice care after suffering a stroke and brain bleed. The burial urn (above) was surrounded by flowers and a lifetime of memory photos (our families […]
Celebrating an 86th birthday with my dad over the weekend
January 26, 2015
We celebrated my dad’s birthday this past weekend with pizza and conversation at my brother and sister-in-law’s in home. While it is difficult to see my dad getting older and more feeble, I’m still thankful he is able to enjoy time with his family. His spirit is good, although for the first time in my […]
Remembering D-Day, June 6, 1944 – 70 years ago
June 6, 2014
When I posted about the growing worldwide trend we describe as Nationalism, I reflected on the sacrifice required to stop Germany and the Nazis the last time a country went down the Nationalism path. United States involvement began in earnest on June 6th, 1944 … 70 years ago. Americans along with allied troops stormed the […]
Reflecting on those we remember on Memorial Day
May 26, 2014
A few years ago I was a volunteer taking a group of “surviving” veterans on an Honor trip to Washington DC. It was indeed a privilege to be in their company. One thing that was noticed by those of us who were there to serve as volunteers for these WWII and Korean War veterans was […]
Xantrex 815-2012 Sine Wave Inverter/Charger
January 7, 2014
Back in November I started Encore’s electrical diagnosis after struggling to charge my old battery bank. After putting a tester on the 7 year old AGMs, I declared them dead. What I didn’t know was that the charger on my Heart Freedom Inverter / Charger unit wasn’t working either – the inverter had already giving […]
Citizens unnecessarily annoyed during government shutdown
October 3, 2013
Although I’m not a big fan of the “goings on” in Washington DC, particularly the current government shutdown … but I’m really frustrated to see political elements doing their darnedest to make it even more uncomfortable for everyone. Most news watchers are aware of the brouhaha over the WW2 Memorial this past Wednesday, where World […]
An alligator/turtle relationship and an old Army airfield
May 24, 2013
Location: Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Townsend, GA, USA Photographer: Mary Ellen Urbanski was at Bluebill Pond when she saw what she thought was an alligator sunning itself on a stump. On a side note and as an interest to aviation history buffs, the “now” Harris Neck NWR was once a WW2 Army airfield for […]
An Honor Flight for my father-in-law
August 24, 2012
Brenda‘s sister, Chris Skinner, escorted her father, Fred Howard, on an Honor Flight this week and visited “his” WWII memorial in Washington DC. Having had a chance to take my dad with a group of veterans in 2010 gives me insight as to what a special trip this was for them. We are getting together […]
Closing comments on CNBC’s Squawkbox from Peter Fisher
July 27, 2012
Peter Fisher, the head of Blackrock Global‘s fixed income, made a few observations this morning regarding economic slowness worldwide. One of the important conclusions that I’ve been hearing from experienced voices is that the U.S. is the safest bet when securing capital and inching out returns. In other words, investors globally move to the security […]
Investing: Looking 10 years out by looking back, but “Yikes!”
December 5, 2011
While many of us managing our personal retirement plans may have moved to cash in recent years, there is a time to anticipate an end to a recession (at least traditionally) and a reason to reconsider equities once again. Usually it pays to monitor those who have a proven track record when it comes to […]
Picked up the 2012 Passat TDI for the TDIFest
September 2, 2011
For those interested in all things TDI (that’s Volkswagen TDI diesel automobiles), the TDIFest is this weekend in the host city of Lexington KY. Our local CinciTDI club is hosting the TDIClub “fest” and it looks to be a good one. Hopefully the weather and activities will be enjoyable … I know that I’m looking […]
HP says more touchpads on the way
August 30, 2011
If I can pick up a Touchpad for $99 … I think I will. If any readers find out when and where, tweet me! (@richc) I finally have some solid news to share about TouchPad availability. Before I share, let me first say thank you for enthusiasm for this product. Since we announced the price […]
Memorial Day 2011 – Remembering …
May 30, 2011
I’m remembering the honor trip I took with my father and brother to Washington DC with WWII and Korea veterans last year this Memorial Day weekend. I hope you all enjoy a safe holiday and remember those who died protecting and defending our freedoms and this great nation. I’m including a little video below from […]
Cooler air and rain under the awning
May 14, 2011
Thankfully I’m feeling much better and was able to spend the day working on the boat. The sun has been hot so attempted to set up a Shadetree branded awning with many broken parts. I was at least successful enough to have weathered the first wave of wind and rain squalls Saturday night. Besides taking […]
Epsilon
April 4, 2011
Having one company divulge my personal information is bad … but having three (to date) divulging my name and email information is ridiculous. One would thing that that companies like Chase, Walgreens and Tivo would fear a class action suit enough to be a bit more protective with their clients privacy? In other words, don’t […]
Honoring, thanking and thinking of our veterans
November 11, 2010
While contemplating how to best comment on Veterans Day this year, I’ve decided that I would detour my trip home tonight and stop in to thank my dad in person for his service in Korea. Although in the past he generally avoided even acknowledging it, in recent years he and his fellow veterans have become […]
Honor Flights: Great job American Airlines
September 13, 2010
The American Airlines video brought back the memory of our “bus” Honor trip to Washington DC earlier this year. Great to know they support our heroes in this way. Thank to AA as well for their appearance at EAA Airventure and getting Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band to and from his tribute shows […]
Honoring those … (encoded video from Palm Pre)
May 28, 2010
When I posted the photos and comments about the trip to Washington DC with the Shelby County Ohio veterans on Monday, I didn’t include the short video segment from my Palm Pre. I’ve encoded and merged the short clips from our visit to Arlington National Cemetery on Saturday May 22, 2010.
Palm Pre/Pixi webOS 1.4.1 update is available for Sprint users
April 1, 2010
A new webOS 1.4.1 update is available for the Palm Pre and Pixi … at least for Sprint users here in the U.S. The feature improvements (listed below) are welcomed fixes to the 1.4 release, but what I’m really looking forward to is tethering with the the new 4G access that is now available to […]
It looks like iPhone 3GS speed is much improved
June 24, 2009
After a couple of weeks with the Palm Pre I’m learning to be more productive with the hot little smartphone device. The earlier cut, copy and paste complaints for supported apps complaint has become less of an issue and I’m enjoying the improved camera, yet still miss added camera features and video. There are also […]
Sprint Rev A expansion and biodiesel price update
May 25, 2007
After stopping at exit 151 on Interstate 71 this week, I noticed an improvement in the Sprint Power Vision data service while checking email. The higher speed data connection known as EV-DO Revision A, improves cellphone and data card connections to the Internet; this expansion is part of a nationwide improvement announced in October of […]
Treo 755p: Nice, but same ol’ same ol’
May 10, 2007
Sprint and Palm have confirmed the availability date for the anticipated successor to the Palm Treo 700p … the Treo 755p, which will be available through Sprint May 14th. The slightly smaller 755p will give Palm OS users an improved size by removing the irritating antenna stub and thinning down the chunky 700p just a […]
Have you forgotten our Veterans?
November 12, 2006
Thanks you Veterans for all you have done … and continue to do to protect the United States of America and preserve our freedom. A single day of recognition hardly seems appropriate. By the way … thanks Dad(s). (B-26 Air Force WWII and US Army Korea) Have you Forgotten – Darryl Worley in MP3
Quick Cellphone Weekend update
September 24, 2006
Entering a quick personal weekend update from my Treo smartphone with an attached sunset photo as I ride with my son driving a few practice hours before he takes his driving test later this fall. It was a nice weekend after a cooler and rainy start on Saturday. The Friday night high school football game […]
A Friday night ritual before the game
September 15, 2006
This getting painted and dressed for our local Lakota East High School football game is starting to become a superstitious ritual. Four games into the season our local high school is now 2 – 2 thanks in part to team spirit — well I’m not sure about that. Nevertheless, the past couple Friday nights a […]
Sprint announces 4th quarter EVDO speed boost
August 4, 2006
For those of us fortunate enough to be using cell phones with high speed data from Sprint, there is some good news. Sprint announced it is ahead of plan for the expansion and evolution of the Sprint Power Vision(SM) network that allows users to access audio, video and data applications with handheld and connection card […]
WWII body sent to Hawaii for ID
October 25, 2005
Interesting story: A body believed to be that of a World War II airman, found frozen in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California was found by recreational climbers. The spotted a body with an Army uniform still attached to a world war two parachute. On Monday the body was sent to Hickam Air Force Base […]
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.