This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Historical

  • Bentley Kassal, WWII vet turns 100 on the job

    Bentley Kassal, WWII vet turns 100 on the job

    Mikhail emailed us to let us know about his workmate, Bentley Kassal, whose 100th birthday is Tuesday. According to Wiki, he is still working as an attorney and litigation counsel, he was admitted to the NY Bar Association in 1940, then Pearl Harbor happened. From NYCourts.Gov;

    In January 1942, he enlisted in the Army and soon graduated from Officer Candidates School and Air Combat Intelligence School. Serving as an air-combat intelligence officer in North Africa and the Mediterranean, he earned a Bronze Star and three Bronze Arrowheads for his intelligence planning and first-day landings during major invasions. He was discharged as Captain on December 31, 1945, and is presently a Major, U.S. Air Force Reserves (Retired).

    From Harvard’s Law Bulletin;

    Kassal enlisted as a private in the Army in 1942. He graduated 17th in a class of 2,500 from Army Air [Corps] Officer School, and in 1943, he arrived in North Africa and was assigned to air intelligence support for the invasion of Italy. Kassal landed on the beach near Gela, Sicily, and dug his first foxhole as the bombs started to fall. “It felt like living in your own grave,” he recalled.

    Kassal planned bombing runs and advised American pilots on the vulnerabilities of the German Luftwaffe. He participated in two other landings during major invasions, in Salerno, Italy, and finally on Aug. 18, at St. Tropez, on the coast of Southern France—three days after the invasion of 250,000 Allied troops, which he had helped to plan. It was 70 days after the Allied forces stormed the Normandy beaches.

    After the war, Kassal went on to serve in the New York Assembly and as a judge;

    Kassal was later elected to the Civil Court in 1969. A major accomplishment of his while at the Civil Court was the establishment of Housing Court.

    In 1975, Justice Kassal was elected to the Supreme Court Bench and in 1982 was appointed to the Appellate Division, First Department by Governor Carey. While on that bench, he was appointed by Chief Judge Wachtler of the Court of Appeals to serve on an interim basis at that Court for its April/May 1985 term. Justice Kassal reached the mandatory retirement age in 1993, at which time he retired from the Appellate Division bench. That’s not to say he went into retirement. He started a new career in 1998, becoming Counsel at the firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where he remains. He also serves on several professional committees in New York, including, among others, the court system’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics and the Mayor’s Committee on City Marshals.

  • Oblawa Augustowska

    World War II ended in Europe in May, 1945.  Sort of.

    I say “sort of” because military operations didn’t exactly end with the fall of Nazi Germany.  In many areas, operations continued – sometimes against other targets.

    This article discusses one such Soviet operation:  the Augustów roundup.  Or, in Polish:  the Oblawa augustowska.

    . . .

    After Nazi Germany surrendered, the Soviet Union occupied much of eastern and central Europe.  They immediately set about installing Communist regimes loyal to Moscow in the nations they occupied.

    One of those nations was Poland.  The Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) – the armed wing of the Polish Underground State, loyal to the western-oriented Polish Government-in-Exile – realized early on they were hopelessly outgunned by the Soviet Army.  Wishing to avoid a civil war they could not win, they formally disbanded on 19 January 1945 to avoid further bloodshed.

    However, not all persons laid down their arms and meekly accepted Communist rule.  This was unacceptable to the Soviets, who permitted no political dissent within occupied Eastern Europe.

    So the Soviets took action.  Between 12 and 28 July 1945, the Soviets – with assistance from elements of the puppet Polish communist government’s security forces – rounded up former members of non-communist resistance organizations and their sympathizers in the Suwalki and Augustów regions.  Estimates of how many individuals were seized during this operation range from approximately 2,000 to around 7,000.

    Those seized were held in Soviet-run internment camps.  The last internees were released in 1956.

    Well, that’s not entirely accurate.  Almost 600 of those seized by Soviet and Polish communists during the operation were never heard from again – including 27 women, some of whom were pregnant, and 15 teens.

    These nearly 600 individuals . . . simply disappeared.  They are believed to have been taken to the Soviet Union, executed, and their remains disposed of – simply because they were believed to be opposed to Communist rule in Poland.

    The precise number of those who disappeared is not known with absolute certainty.  However, recent research puts a very tight bound on the number of individuals who disappeared:  either 592 or 593.

    If that sounds somewhat familiar, it should.  Exactly the same thing happened during the Kaytn massacre, only on a larger scale.  In fact, the July 1945 postwar incident is known in Poland as “little Kaytn” (Podlaski Katyn).

    Like the Kaytn massacre, the incident was denied for decades by both the Polish and Soviet Union’s Communist governments.  However, unlike the Kaytn massacre, for this latter incident the victims’ precise fate and final resting place remains unknown.  While documentation has been found in former Soviet archives indicating that the massacre in fact did take place, that documentation does not seem to provide sufficient details to identify the location(s) involved or the methods used.

    . . .

    Why write this and post it here?  Well, for a couple of reasons.  The first is for historical interest.

    As for the second reason:  the next time someone says that “Communism poses no threat”, ask him or her to comment on the Augustów roundup.

    Then ask him or her to comment on the Kaytn massacre – which was much the same, except that it claimed 22,000 Polish lives vice nearly 600 in the name of Communism.

    Then remind them that Hitler’s heinous Nazi regime murdered in cold blood (e.g., war casualties excluded) barely 1/3 as many individuals as did the Soviet Union did in their internal pogroms, intentional famines, purges, massacres, and labor camps between 1917 and 1991. All of those nearly 62 million Soviet dead were murdered in the name of Communism.

    Then remind them that new research indicates that the Soviet Union murdered nearly 15,000,000 fewer individuals in cold blood (e.g., war casualties excluded) than did Communist China during the 20th Century.  All of those nearly 77 million Chinese dead were murdered in the name of Communism.

    Add three other Communist governments (Cambodia, North Vietnam, and North Korea), and the number of those murdered by Communist regimes in the name of Communism is just short of 144 million.

    Let me repeat that last point.  Almost one hundred and forty-four million dead – not including wartime casualties.

    All murdered in the name of Communism.

    And even that is only a partial total of those murdered due to state policy in the name of Communism.  It only includes the top five Communist slaughterhouse states.

    Now, after telling them that . . . ask them if they really expect you to believe Communism poses no threat.

    If they still answer “yes”, well, simply walk away.  That answer means you’re dealing with either a damned liar – or a willfully ignorant damned fool.  The Soviets might have termed them a polezniye duraki (e.g., a “useful fool”).  Or as the concept is more often expressed in English:  a “useful idiot”.

    . . . 

    “Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

     

    Author’s Note:  to be correct, the letter “l” in all occurrences of the Polish word “Oblawa” above should have a diagonal bar accent.  Unfortunately, this site’s character set doesn’t support that Polish-language character.  The same is true for the word “Suwalki” above.

  • U.S. sends first combat troops to South Vietnam

    U.S. sends first combat troops to South Vietnam

     

    February 9, 1965

    A U.S. Marine Corps Hawk air defense missile battalion is deployed to Da Nang. President Johnson had ordered this deployment to provide protection for the key U.S. airbase there.

    This was the first commitment of American combat troops in South Vietnam and there was considerable reaction around the world to the new stage of U.S. involvement in the war. Predictably, both communist China and the Soviet Union threatened to intervene if the United States continued to apply its military might on behalf of the South Vietnamese. In Moscow, some 2,000 demonstrators, led by Vietnamese and Chinese students and clearly supported by the authorities, attacked the U.S. Embassy. Britain and Australia supported the U.S. action, but France called for negotiations.

    Many years later, the United States would pull out of Vietnam after a stalemate. The South Vietnamese lost the Vietnam War, not the United States. On March 27, 1973, American troops departed Vietnam and on April 30, 1975 Saigon fell.

    • 58,315 KIA
    • 153,303 WIA
    • 1,618 MIA
    • 766–778 POW

    The average age of those KIA was 23.1 years. I was playing with building blocks and watching Sesame Street when these men were being killed in Vietnam. At 23, I was still deciding what to do when I grew up. These heroes never had that opportunity and for that, I am forever grateful.

    There is not a week that goes by that I do not pause and think about the sacrifice our nations fallen heroes have made for me. We need to purposefully honor our fallen heroes and make their sacrifice personal.

    Where were you on February 9, 1965?

    What were you doing when you were 23 years old?

     

    U.S. sends first combat troops to South Vietnam

  • Okinawa Hero Keith Harrer Passes

    Jonn loves to give me grief about the information I get from obituaries. So it’s only appropriate that my first replacement post comes from an obituary. In fairness, I don’t seek them out. I go where my keywords take me.

    Today’s keywords drew to me to the news that a hero from Okinawa passed away on January 27th.  Keith Harrer earned the Silver Star and Navy Cross in two amazing actions spaced apart by only 36 days. A portion of his Navy Cross cross citation reads that “Steadfastly refusing to leave his post for evacuation, he continued to man his gun and, after twice repulsing enemy attempts to put the machine gun back in operation, finally succeeded in destroying the crew as well as the gun itself. ”

    You can read both of his citations at the Hall of Valor website.

    http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=8301

     

  • Three More Warriors Passing to Valhalla….

    Leonard D. Fisher enlisted in the US Army in 1942, and was assigned to the 9th Army Air Force in December 1942, as part of the 453rd Air Service Group, which was stationed at the RAF Old Buckenham Airfield. Some rare photos of that base can be seen here: https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/rare-photos-wwii-old-buckenham-airfield-discovered.html

    He assisted in preparing gliders for Operation Overlord, which took place in Normandy, and Operation Market Garden, which occurred in the Netherlands. He also played in the dance bands that formed at the airfield, entertaining US airmen and their guests. He achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant by the end of the war and returned home to start a new career.

    Old Buckenham is still an active airfield with a flying club, and now has a WWII museum on the property.

    George Rennwanz joined the US Navy shortly after graduating from high school in 1943. He served on a troop transport ship, USS General John Pope AP-110. I don’t have any information on Mr. Rennwanz’s rate, but since the ship was in dangerous waters at any time during the war, I don’t think it matters.

    http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/22/22110.htm

    This ship, along with many others, delivered troops to the Europe-Africa-Middle East and Asiatic-Pacific Theaters during WWII, as well as being assigned to Occupation Service following WWII. A little about the ship before she was sent to Corpus Christi for scrapping is here. http://maritimematters.com/2010/05/passage-on-the-u-s-n-s-general-john-pope/

    Carlton Buerger joined the US Marine Corps in 1942. He was trained as a fighter pilot and sent to the Pacific theater. He was assigned to Fighter Squadron VMF-441, also known as the ‘Blackjacks’, participating in operations against the Japanese on Okinawa Shima, Nansei Soto, completing 40 missions in that combat theater.  He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses for those missions. http://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient.php?recipientid=200511

    Some information on VMF-441 is here: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC4F50B_usmc-406-vmf-441

    and  http://acepilots.com/usmc_sqns.html#VMF-441

    Okinawa was the last and fiercest battle of World War II.  The US military wanted it because it was a little over 250 miles from the main islands of Japan.  The Marines have a good history on the battle here.

    https://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/2012/11/okinawa-final-great-battle-world-war-ii

    Fair winds, til the morning meets you.

  • House Bill proposed to protect Purple Heart

    House Bill proposed to protect Purple Heart

    The Purple Heart Preservation Act, or H.R. 544 would make it illegal to sell the Purple Heart medal and or the Certificate of Award for a Purple Heart.  The Bill is named after Private Corrado Piccoli who was wounded during World War II.   An article HERE has some information about it.

    The bill would prevent merchants from selling military-issued Purple Hearts, eliminating the market for such medals and making it easier for stolen or misplaced medals to be returned to their rightful owners. It would not prevent the sale of replacement medals through authorized sellers.

    One would think that is pretty straight forward.  If you were never authorized to wear a Purple Heart, you should probably not own one.  But, as with all matters of common sense these days:

    “Many opponents of the bill have questioned its restrictions of civil liberties in regards to the right of a veteran or family to sell their medal if they do so choose. The bill still allows these parties to gift their medals, and it allows medal enthusiast to still own them,” according to the organization. “The bill simply prevents selling them, which protects the integrity of the medal itself and the legacy and or sacrifice of that veteran. We as a country owe them that respect.”

    I doubt selling a Purple Heart is considered a Civil Liberty by most Americans.  There are several organizations that work diligently to protect and preserve the Purple Heart medal and those who earned it.  Purple Hearts Reunited spends a lot of energy and time doing exactly that.

    Mission: To return lost or stolen military medals of valor to veterans or their families, in order to honor their sacrifice to the nation.

    I have an idea for those who earned a Purple Heart and need a few bucks.  Turn it back in to supply, something about being wounded and then selling the medal is repugnant.  When you turn it back into supply bring the voucher here to TAH and some of us will scrape up enough money to get you a bus ticket and launch you on a journey to find your self respect.

  • Subs Ain’t Sandwiches

    I went digging around for news from the real world, not the peculiar daydreams of the left side of the fence, and came across this from the BBC News.

    This story is in regard to a declassed CIA memo about a Polaris class sub, SSBN James Madison colliding with a Soviet Victor class sub off the coast of Scotland near Holy Loch.  It indicates how closely the Soviets followed our subs and could have taken out our first line of defense in a heartbeat, according to the article.

    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-38744322

    I’m sure sub sailors will have a few things to say about it.

    What is disturbing is that the news of the collision was not released until now, some 40 years later, because at the time, Kissinger  considered it to be “too embarrassing” to be released as news by the Ford administration.

    Embarrassing?? Embarrassing is being caught with your pants down, isn’t it? Subs ain’t sandwiches built especially for you by some benighted soul behind the glass sneeze shields at a Subway shop on the highway.

    You wanna talk about embarrassing??  How about the last eight years??

     

     

  • Why Stolen Valor Goes Ignored

    Why Stolen Valor Goes Ignored

    Someone sent in this article about Stolen Valor.  A guy named Jonn Lilyea was interviewed:

    “It’s pretty disgusting, because I have friends who are in Arlington who only got to wear their medals as they were being buried, and these guys just pin them on like they’re buttons or decorations,” John Lilyea, a former platoon sergeant in the U.S. Army who tracks stolen valor cases, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. “That’s what sets off most veterans, because we know people who didn’t come home.”

    It appears this Lilyea character has been dealing with cases of fake and embellished military service claims for a while now.

    Lilyea has tracked down and investigated stolen valor cases on his website — This Ain’t Hell, But You Can See It From Here — since 2008, compiling hundreds upon hundreds of alleged fraudsters through tips and extensive research.

    Another guy named Doug Sterner was interviewed as well.  It seems he has been around for a really, really, long time.

    Doug Sterner, a former Army sergeant and military historian, who runs the Military Times’ Hall of Valor database of medal recipients, said stolen valor cases take “time away from typing up the citation of legitimate heroes.”

    “It’s a far bigger problem than anybody realizes,” Sterner told TheDCNF.

    It is a well done article that sheds some light on many of the Stolen Valor issues we are facing today.  A huge thank you to KATHRYN WATSON for doing all the work on the article.  If you like the article please drop her a note.  It sounds like a few hoses and tubes can’t keep an old Platoon Sergeant down, or at least quiet anyway.