On July 24, 1968, with over 30 strike missions and three Air Medals to his credit, Scotty Greiling once again soared into the night skies. He launched his A-7A as the flight leader of a two-plane team. Potential targets included activity along Route 22, a well-traveled feeder into the Ho Chi Minh Trail, North Vietnam’s [...]
Last month, Attack Squadron VA-82, the Marauders, held a reunion at the Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, North Carolina. The museum had recently acquired an A-7A Corsair II, the aircraft the group had flown in the Vietnam War. But after further review, it was determined that this particular A-7, Streetcar 313, was part of VA-82′s [...]
Fortunately, in looking back through this past holiday week, there’s more to see than my now bigger belly. Of course the big news was North Korea’s shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea. David Glasier from the News-Herald of Northern Ohio brings us a great piece on doctors helping vets with PTSD and other related mental [...]
Loosen the belt another notch–it’s Thanksgiving Day. Although our public schools and a politically correct society continue to distance Thanksgiving from images of Indians and Pilgrims sharing a plate, the History Junkie will not. Like it or not, Thanksgiving can be traced back to Plymouth Colony and the Harvest Celebration of 1621. Perhaps after lunch, [...]
As the History Junkie readies to settle in for another Thanksgiving Day of overeating and a Lions loss, the combination brought to mind the relationship between sports stars, holidays and our troops. Over the years, our nation’s professional athletes have been very good about visiting our servicemen and women overseas, often in war zones, typically [...]
Yesterday, the History Junkie brought you the story of Adam Hoffman and the Gold Brick Scam of 1890. Now let’s fast forward seven years later to October 1897. If you remember, Adam Hoffman was a wealthy local, Albion, Indiana, merchant. He also owned several farms on which he rented tenant housing. One such renter was [...]
A few weeks back, the History Junkie watched a piece on “60 Minutes” about our elderly being scammed from phone banks in Costa Rica. What? Seriously? Has it really come to this? So sad to see that our modern “confidence men” rely, almost exclusively, on the low hanging fruit. Not only do they target grandma, [...]
Oh, where have the days gone? It’s Friday again and time for the History Junkie’s Weekly Wrap-Up. First up, Fox Lake, Illinois has a fab program running called Meet-A-Vet Day. I love it! Thanks Cooter for bringing it to us. Wow! Shelby County, Iowa has got it right. Their Historical Society has put together an [...]
In this week of anniversaries, the History Junkie takes one more look back. A year to the day after the Battle at LZ X-ray, November 13, 1966, found Company A of the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division, departing Hill 283 in the Central Highland jungle at 8:00 a.m. Some three hours later, they [...]
The History Junkie noticed that We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition) is again making a run through the movie channels. It reminded HJ that it’s that time of year again–the battle’s anniversary. The movie portrays the three-day engagement at LZ X-ray. But what it leaves out is the subsequent battle at LZ Albany. Forty-five years ago [...]