Letters From a Soldier

Harry Truman Becomes 33rd President of the United States

btcomp — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:41:32 +0000

I was at the Armada, Michigan Flea Market today, the first time I was able to take it all in, and I have been enjoying going there since I came back to Michigan in 1983. The weather has been unusually warm for a long period of time for a location this far north. I came across this newspaper from the Port Huron Times Herald. Since my uncle passed away in Port Huron (Fort Gratiot), Michigan I thought it appropriate to add Port Huron stories to the site.

April 14, 1945 Port Huron Times Herald headline of Harry Truman becoming 33rd President.

btcomp — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 02:08:07 +0000

This is a test. Will edit later.

Christmas in the Aleutians – 1943

btcomp — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 03:06:50 +0000

One of my favorite letters my uncle wrote, tells the story of Christmas Eve listening to a live broadcast of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Aleutians - Umnack Island

http://lettersfromasoldier.com/edward_thomas/aleutians/christmas_fdr_jan2_44.php

btcomp — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 01:40:10 +0000

First snow - Thumb of Michigan - Dec. 2010

Weather plays a very important part in the outcome of any war. World War II was no different. This picture my wife took the
other day made me think of my uncle’s service while he was stationed in the Aleutians.

Battle of the Bulge

The Battle of the Bulge, Germany’s last attempt to stay alive was fought also in the middle of the winter.

69th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

btcomp — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 18:27:13 +0000

This is the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Some believe FDR knew of the attack that was to come in Pearl Harbor. Others thought he was trying to get Japan to attack, so he could get a country in a ‘fighting mode’ that he thought was needed to help continue the progress on unemployment and to get us out of a pacifist mentality. What do you think?

Honolulu Paper Senses Impending Disaster

Testing

btcomp — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 04:16:16 +0000

This is a temporary post. Comments are not being accepted for new accounts. I am working on this and hope to have resolved shortly.

Heroes, Thanksgiving, Ageism

btcomp — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Wow, how does this title fit here? As I type this in front of a fire, (a gas fire though) I was thinking of the fireside chats that my parents would talk about, and I would hear on television. ,There is something about ONE PERSON. I recently read a book called “The Wisdom of Crowds”. One of the things that was supposed to arouse me I felt was that somehow we have evolved as humans to be independent of leaders. We as a collective bunch of people can decide democratically what is right. In fact the author used averaging of results to show that by the averages, and their might be exceptions crowds could make the decisions and have the smarts necessary to do the RIGHT thing.

Well enough of the little bit of shouting to emphasize my thoughts. I think of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and wished I could be hearing the likes of him today, encouraging me to continue the struggle that many of us feel to get our country (world) on track again, that is to get the economy going, everybody employed and everyone with a decent state of health and opportunities to keep their health.

I believe that though we can act democratically and make many of the decisions without leaders, that we still long for the wisdom of people that can motivate us as a group to democratically act to reach these goals.

FDR did this. He acted as our leader during the Great Depression and then during the unfortunate but unavoidable Second World War. And he did this believe it or not during the then old age of 50, as that was the age he started his career as our President and then as our Commander in Chief!

Happy Thanksgiving to America and to everyone else in the rest of the world!

FDR in Warm Springs, Georgia 1938

War Rationing Ends

btcomp — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:05:42 +0000

On 23 November 1945 the end of most rationing of food occurred. During our lifetime, we have not had much in the way of rationing of food stuffs, though we have had our share of gasoline rationing. Today it seems as if it is just easier and less trouble to just raise the price of petroleum.

From my uncle archive of WWII material are some old ration stamps I found. These are from my the website: lettersfromasoldier.com

War Rationing

Certificate of Registrant

Nuremberg Trials Start – Nov. 20, 1945 – 65 Years Ago

btcomp — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:18:22 +0000

Nuremberg Courtroom - 1945-46

Though I mentioned this in a previous post, today is the 65th anniversary of the start of the Nuremberg Trials. 24 Nazi leaders were tried by an international war tribunal. The United State, France, Great Britain and the Soviet Union were part of the tribunal. This was the first time in history that such an undertaking took place.

If a crime was committed in a certain country should not that crime be tried there, rather than a World Court?

21st Anniversary of the Berlin Wall Takedown!

btcomp — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 00:07:11 +0000

This day in November 1989 is the historic day that brings in the New World from the Old World. 44 Years of captivity behind this wall has finally ended, along with the end of the Cold War. Stores now can stay open as long as they want in East Germany. Markets are in chaos. Order is anything but! But it is a day that has been predestined!

At the same time an Oxford educated Englishman, Tim Berners-Lee gave us the first Internet Browser. This has also opened the Wall that has kept the majority of people out of the Computer market. Now it is the rare person in many communities to not have a computing device, and to be able to email, talk and otherwise take care of business, half a block away to several thousands of miles across the oceans.