15 George Carlin Quotes-- Part 3: On Finding Happiness Through Possessions

9.  ON TEACHING YOUR CHILDREN:  "Don't just teach your children to read.  Teach them to question what they read.  Teach them to question everything."

10.   ON THE HOLLOWNESS OF MODERN LIFE:  "We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values.  We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate to often.  We've learned how to make a living but not a life.  We've added years to life, not life to years."

11.  ON FINDING HAPPINESS THROUGH POSSESSIONS:  "Trying to be happy by accumulating possessions is like trying to satisfy hunger by taping sandwiches all over your body."

12.  ON THE AMERICAN DREAM:  "That's why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it."

--RoadPossession

How Many Are Left?-- Part 2

Currently, an average of 180 World War II veterans die each day in the United States.  Over the next year, the number of WW II veterans is expectted to fall by half (from 167,284) and by 2034,  a little more than 1,000 will still be alive.

These figures are according to projections by the National World War II Museum.

Number of  living WW II veterans in 2022 in selected states.  (To see the list of all states, go to this site in my April 18 post.)

California   15,946

Florida  14,823

Illinois   6,114

North Carolina  5,061

Wisconsin  3,700

Georgia  3,299

Iowa  1,767

Hawaii  672

Alaska  99

The Greatest Generation.  --GreGen

'The Great Arsenal of Democracy' and American Mobilization

From the April 15, 2023, The Center Square: Minnesota "This is how many  World War Ii veterans live in Minnesota" by Samuel Stebbins.

Dubbed "The Great Arsenal of Democracy," the United States manufactured more than 96,000 bombers,86,000 tanks, 2.4 million trucks, 6.5 million rifles and billions of dollars worth of supplies in WW II.

The United States also mobilized more troops for the Allies other than the USSR.  In the final year of the war, the number of active -duty Americans totaled 12.2 million, up from 500,000 in 1940.

--GreGen

33 Classic World War II Movies-- Part 3: "Flags of Our Fathers'

1998:  "The Thin Red Line"

2001:  "Enemy at the Gates"

2001:  "To End All Wars"

2001:  *"Pearl Harbor"

2004:  "Downfall"

2006:  *"Flags of Our Fathers"

2006:   *"Letters from Iwo Jima"

2008:  *Valkyrie"

2009:  *"Inglorious Basterds"

2014:  *"Fury"

2017:  *"Dunkirk"

--GreGen

33 Classic WW II Movies-- Part 2: 'Saving Private Ryan'

*  Ones I've seen.

1969:  "The Battle of Britain"

1970:  *"Patton"

1970:  *"Kelly's Heroes"

1970:  *"Tora,Tora, Tora"

1977:  "A Bridge Too Far"

1980:  "Big Red One"

1981:  *"Das Boot"

1985:  "Come and See"

1987:  "Empire of the Sun"

1992:  "A Midnight Clear"

1998:  *"Saving Private Ryan"

--GreGen

33 Classic World War II Movies from 'Stalag 17' to 'Dunkirk'

From the November 11, 2021, The Wrap  by Beatrice Verhoevan.

*  Means I've seen it.

1945:  " Walk in the Sun"

1949:  "Battleground"

1953:  "From Here to Eternity"

1953:  "Stalag 17"

1954:  *"The Caine Mutiny:

1957:  *"Bridge on the River Kwai"

1961:  *"The Guns of Navarone"

1962:  *"The Longest Day"

1963:  *"The Great Escape"

1967:  *"The Dirty Dozen"

1968:  *"Where Eagles Dare"

--GreGen

Fifty Facts About D-Day-- Part 5: Medals of Honor

41.  The U.S. Army attacked with six divisions.

42.  500 gliders took to the air.

43.  A separate battle was waged high above the beach at Pointe du Hoc, 100-foot cliffs.

44.  Germany's mighty Atlantic Wall fell in a day.

45. There were  12 Medals of Honor.

46.  Heavy packs encumbered troops.

47.  Boat ramps on the Higgins Boats served as shield.

48.  One black unit participated.  The Army was segregated and black troops not allowed to fight.     The 330th  Barrage Balloon Battalion was there.

49.  That unit's medic is an unsung hero  Waverly B. Woodson.  Despite being injured himself, he saved hundreds of lives and kept four from drowning.  In recent years there is a movement to get him  a Medal of Honor.

50.  Germany surrendered less than a year later on May 7, 1945.

--GreGen

Fifty Facts About D-Day-- Part 4: Higgins Boats

31.  It was supposed to happen one month earlier.

32.  Nature played a key role.   Weather almost caused another delay in June.

33.  Higgins Boats (LCVPs) took on D-Day.

34.  D-Day films have become very popular in American culture.  "The Longest Day" and "Saving Private Ryan" of course.

35.  A movie star was at D-Day.  Henry Fonda was a quartermaster on the destroyer USS Satterlee at D-Day.  He also was in the movie "The Longest Day."

36.  Many other famous people were at D-Day.  Yankees catcher Yogi Berra, author J.D. Salinger and Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers.  Also golf great Bobby Jones and British actor David Niven and  Charles Durning.

Before he played Scotty" on "Star Trek," actor James  Doohan sustained six wounds and lost his middle finger at Juno Beach.

37.  Gargantuan supply shipments preceded the invasion.

38.  17 million maps were needed.

39.  The landings opened a supply line.

40.  Artificial harbors supported the supply lines.

I'm Hit, Capt. Kirk!  I'm Hit.  --GreGen

Fifty Facts About D-Day-- Part 3: Casualties and the Germans Almost Guessed It Right

21,  A memorial cemetery sits on U.S. soil in France.   Most of the 9,287 American buried in the Normandy  American Cemetery were killed on D-Day or early battles fought afterwards.

22.  Families fought--and died-- together.  33 sets of brothers were buried side-by-side, along with one father and son.

23.  Around 14,000 corpses were returned home.

24.  The Allies lost more than 11% of their numbers.  (226,386 casualties.  72,911 killed or missing and 153,475 wounded)

25.  German casualties exceeded  240,000.  The Allies also captured 200,000 German prisoners.

26.  The action was far from consistent.  In some places there were almost no casualties while in others almost 96%.

27.  The tide was a double-edged sword.  Landing at low tide avoided the German obstacles but meant troops were exposed to fire for longer to cross the beaches.  Also, as the tide came in, wounded drowned.

28.  The beach was a minefield.  It is estimated that the Germans had planted  around four million mines on the beaches.

29.  D-Day was the result of trial and error.

30.  The Germans almost guessed it right.

Again, if you want more information, go to the site.

--GreGen

Fifty Facts About D-Day You Might Not Know-- Part 2: 7,000 Allied Ships and 11,500 Aircraft

11.  The operation had a code name.  (Operation Overlord)

12.  D-Day involved nearly 7,000 Allied ships.

13.  D-Day involved more than 11,500 Allied aircraft.

14.  There were 73,000 American troops at D-Day.

15.  Comanche 'code-talkers' joined the siege.  (Indians)

16.  The Allies faced 50,000 German defenders.

17.  The battle lasted until August.  It was the beginning of the Battle of Normandy.

18.  The exact number of fallen (on both sides) is not known.  Allied killed put at 4,413.  German is unknown, but estimates place it between 4,000 and 9,000.

19.  Most Allied troops arrived after D-Day.

20.  The operation led to the liberation of Paris.

--GreGen

Fifty Facts About D-Day You Might Not Know-- Part 1: Largest Amphibious Assault in History

From the March 15, 2022, Newsbreak by Andrew Lisa.

I'm just listing them.  If you want to know more, go to the site.

1.  It was the largest amphibious assault in history.  (Yep, even bigger than Fort Fisher)

2.  The "D" in D-Day is redundant.

3.  Secrecy and deception were key.

4.  The practice run turned deadly.

5.  German defenses were the world's biggest construction project.

6.  Allied forces landed on five code-named beaches.

7.  The worst fighting occurred on Omaha Beach.

8.  A massive bombardment preceded the landing.

9.  Thousands of paratroopers landed first.

10.  Canadian forces captured the most ground.

--GreGen

Most Decorated U.S. Warships of WW II-- Part 2: The Rest of Them

These were the ones with fewer than the USS Russell (DD-414)

USS Sauffley  (DD-465)    16

USS Taylor  (DD-468)    15

USS Thresher   (SS-200)   15

USS North Carolina   (BB-55)    15   Hey, that's my ship!!

USS Morris   (DD-417)   15

USS Fletcher   (DD-445)   15

USS Narwhal  (SS-167)   15

--GreGen

Most Decorated U.S. Warships in World War II-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

In the last post, I mentioned that the USS Russell (DD-414) received one of the most Battle Stars of any U.S. warship during World War II.  I got to wondering what the numbers were of those receiving more and Wikipedia was good enough to answer that question for me.

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

VESSEL      BATTLE STARS

USS Enterprise (CV-6)   20

USS San Diego  (CL-53)   18

USS San Francisco  (CA-38)   17

USS O'Bannon   (DD-450)   17

USS  USS New Orleans   (CA-32)   17

USS Minneapolis   (CA-36)    17

USS  USS Maury   (DD-401)   16

USS Nicholas  (DD-449)   16

USS  Buchanan   (DD-484)    16

USS Portland  (CA-33)   16

USS Russell  (DD-414)  16

--GreGen

Ten Important WW II Sites to See-- Part 2

6.  IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUMS   England  (Five museums throughout the country)

7.  MEMORIAL TO THE MURDERED JEWS OF EUROPE  Berlin, Germany

8.  NAGASAKI AND HIROSHIMA   Japan

9.  YAD VASHEM   Israel    Dedicated to the Holocaust

10.  KRANJI WAR MEMORIAL    Singapore

Go to the site to read more about each of these.

--GreGen

Ten Important WW II Sites to See-- Part 1

From the November 12, 2021, Fodor's Travel  "10 important World War II sites that all travelers should experience" by Apeksha Bhateja.

I will just be listing them.  For pictures and more information go to the site:

1.  ANNE FRANK HOUSE  Amsterdam, Netherlands

2.  AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU STATE MUSEUM  Oswiecim, Poland  The concentration camp.

3.  BRITISH NORMANDY MEMORIAL  Normandy, France

4.  THE NATIONAL WORLD WAR II MUSEUM   New Orleans, Louisiana

5.  USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL  Oahu, Hawaii

--GreGen

Wilmington's WW II Heroes-- Part 3: USS Cole, Tunisia, Saipan, Leyte, Solomons

MEDITRRANEAN THEATER

Lieutenant EDWARD  HINES, JR. was on the destroyer USS Cole in the invasion of North Africa, November 1942.

Squadron Leader Major JOHN CAREY flew in the theater for  two years in four invasions, landing behind enemy lines in Tunisia and capturing 97 Germans.

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

PACIFIC THEATER

Lt. (jg) GEORGE MITCHELL, JR., serving on a LST (landing ship tank) for sixteen months during  the Saipan, Tinian, Emirau, and Green Islands Campaigns.

Seaman 2nd class ROBERT LOCKAMY saw action at Surigao Strait, Leyte, Luzon, Iwo Jima and Okinawa after also seeing Atlantic convoy protection duty.

Staff Sgt. GEORGE BROWDER , 11th Airborne Division squad leader, led the assault on  Nichols Field, Philippines, suffering two wounds.

Lieutenant CARL WELKER, with the 470th AAA Battalion defending New Guinea airfields, downed a Japanese airplane by himself.  Later, he fought at Manila with the 37th Infantry Division.

B-17 bomber crewman Tech Sgt. WILLIAM BUTLER flew more than 200  combat flights against the Solomons, Rabaul and New Guinea, 1942-1943.

--GreGen

Some More on the USS Oklahoma's Unknowns

From the Feb. 17, 2021, Meadville  (Pa.) Tribune.

Veterans Corner.

These former Unknowns from the USS Oklahoma have been identified.  All are U.S. Navy personnel.  Internments are pending:

**  Fireman 1st Class James W. Davenport, 21

**  Ship's Cook 3rd Class Robert Goodwin, 20

**  Seaman 2nd Class David Clark, Jr., 18

**  Boilermaker 1st Class William E. Blanchard, 24

**  Seaman 1st Class Wallace G. Mitchell, 20.

Welcome Home Boys.  --GreGen

Five Illinois Unknowns on USS Oklahoma Identified

The Pearl Harbor National Memorial list of the Oklahoma Unknowns who have been identified has a lot of their home towns and states also listed.

These are the ones from Illinois:

Fireman 1st Class Michael Galajdik, 25,  of Joliet, Illinois

Gunner's Mate 2nd Class   William Francis Hellstern, 20, of Peoria, Illinois

Fireman 3rd Class John H. Lindsley, 22,  of Waukegan, Illinois'

Signalman 3rd Class Charles E, Nix, 26, of Danville, Illinois

Seaman 1st Class Harold W. Roasch, 25, of Rockford, Illinois

--GreGen

Two Sites With the List of USS Oklahoma Identified Unknowns

I haven't been able to find out if two of the recently identified USS Oklahoma Unknowns, Gerald J. Bailey and Robert E. Bailey were brothers or not, but I did find two sites that give a complete list of the now-identified Oklahoma Unknowns.

Unto the Breach:  Honoring Our Nation's H  "Never Forgotten Heroes:  Remains of over 200 Pearl Harbor  sailors, Marines identified" by Chris Carter.

Pearl Harbor National Memorial, Hawai'i  "USS Oklahoma casualties identified."

--GreGen

Ten Little Known Facts About WW II-- Part 3: City Tricked the Allies, Oops and the Author

 3.  A GERMAN CITY TRICKED ALLIED BOMBERS INTO THINKING IT WAS IN SWITZERLAND

The city of Konstanz (birthplace of Ferdinand von Zeppelin, famous for his airships and giving part of the name of that rock group).  However, during the war, three companies in the city were producing military hardware for the Germans.

How'd they do this?  Read the article and find out.

2.  NAMING BLUNDER

CINCUS to COMICH  to drop.  Now CNO.

1.  THE PROMISING YOUNG ENGLISH AUTHOR WHO DISAPPEARED

Dan Billany had already published two books.  Then he was captured in Italy.  Then?

--GreGen