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Sunday School: 2024-11-10 Veterans Day from a Biblical perspective
by RS  admin@creationpie.com : 1024 x 640


1. Sunday School: 2024-11-10 Veterans Day from a Biblical perspective
This content is being developed

2. Photos for 2024-11-10

3. Ben Spickler

Benjamin Franklin Spickler ( July 6, 1941 - February 26, 2022, 80 years old)

He was preceded in death by his parents, Franklin S. Spickler and Mary Ann (Hertzler) Wanamaker; brother, Thomas Spickler.

4. Pete Snyder: Veteran

Melvin Pete Snyder (1938-2021) attended SPUM for many years and did many things in the community.

Pete was a U.S. Navy veteran from 1958-1962, serving as an Electronics Technician on the guided missile cruiser, USS Galveston.

He was a member of Abraham C. Treichler Lodge #682, Elizabethtown, Harrisburg Consistory, Zembo Shrine and National Sojourners.

One son, John, married Denise Rice and were missionaries to Russia for many years. He is currently a pastor out west.

5. Pete Snyder: Military banner
Military banner: Pete Snyder Military banner: Pete Snyder Military banner: Pete Snyder

The banner is located next to the Giant Food Store parking lot at about where the gas pumps are located. In the summer, trees tend to block the view from the Giant parking lot.

Information sign More: SPUM: John Snyder as missionary and pastor

6. Tunnel Cemetery banners

7. Ken Fanna banner


8. Civil war veteran: Cyrus Oldweiler
Banner: Cyrus Oldweiler Banner: Cyrus Oldweiler College Avenue banner

9. College Avenue
College Avenue College Avenue

10. Closer look an College Avenue
College Avenue banner College Avenue banner

11. Closer look an College Avenue
College Avenue banner College Avenue banner

12. Veteran Harry Reed
, Harry Reed - 2 tours in Vietnam , 1970?
Veteran Harry Reed (1948-2006) served two tours in Vietnam.

Harry was president of the newly merged (1998) Wesley & Friendship classes for 7 years.
[Story of Marietta air students getting tour of Harrisburg, 9/11 overview right after the event]

Information sign More: SPUMC veterans

13. Banner for Donald R. Long
Banner for Donald R. Long Banner for Donald R. Long Banner for Donald R. Long

Looking towards the college.

14. Banner for Donald R. Long
Map



Information sign More: Uncle Don Long

15. Banner: Jay Greider
Banner: Jay Greider


16. Banner: Jay Greider
Banner: Jay Greider Map: North Spruce Street Banner: Jay Greider


Information sign More: SPUM: Jay Greider

17. West Point vs. Penn State: October 5, 1974

October 5, 1974: My hand was no longer in a cast. After watching a West Point parade on the Plain, the game soon started. Army scored two quick touchdowns before Jay got up the hill to the game, so he was worried a little. Penn State scored three touchdowns to win.

Information sign More: SPUM: Jay Greider

18. Veteran Lois Conley
Lois Conley Lois Conley
Lois (Goodling) Conley. March 19, 1933 to February 14, 2024.

[Peter's wife, J. Vernon McGee commentaries]

Information sign More: Photos for 2024-03-03

19. Same church

Wilbur Jackson "Jack" Myers, Anti-Tank Gunner, 104th ID, World War II.

Same United Methodist church for 99+ years.

Information sign More: Photos for 2023-10-08

20. Tom Hoffman banners
Tom Hoffman banner

21. James Carl banner
James Carl banner

22. Wayne Blecher banner
Wayne Blecher banner

Photo 1977-11-23.

23. November 11: Veterans Day

24. November 11: Veterans Day
Veterans Day is celebrated every year on November 11, to honor those who served in the U.S. military. Before 1954 it was called "Armistice Day" (end of World War I) or "Remembrance Day" or "Poppy Day".

There is no apostrophe as it is a day for honoring all veterans by everyone.

The date was chosen to be that of the end of World War I. On the eleventh month, on the eleventh day, on the eleventh hour, on the eleventh minute.


Veterans memorial in ElizabethtownThe Veterans Memorial in Elizabethtown is dedicated to veterans from Elizabethtown, PA, who died in the service of their country.

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

25. Veterans Memorial
November 11: Veterans Day
@MARK(m=[0],t=[World War I]) Stanley M. Disney Claude V. Herr
George S. Alwine George J. Ebersole @MARK(m=[8],t=[Robert D. Reem])*
Abram B. Brandt John H. Espenshade Gilbert F. Shirk
Guy Culp John A. Felker Harold J. Yurkovic
Walter F. Eshelman Carl H. Hahn @MARK(m=[0],t=[Vietnam])
Abraham W. Heisey Henry S. Musser John R. Booth
Hurley E. Herring Carl F. Ober Harold L. Eckert Jr.
Russell D. Smith Frank Peoples Jr. @MARK(m=[8],t=[William D. Port])*
Amy Treichler Harry R. Snyder Frederick J. Schwanger
@MARK(m=[0],t=[World War II]) Harold E. Witmer @MARK(m=[0],t=[Lebanon])
Eugene H. Acker @MARK(m=[0],t=[Korea]) Maurice E. Hukill
Charles Allen J. Warren Bishop  
Fred W. Barley William B. Bonawitz *@MARK(m=[8],t=[(Medal of Honor)])



Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

26. Veterans Grove
Veterans Grove in Elizabethtown Veterans Grove in Elizabethtown All gave some, some gave all

Veterans Grove in Elizabethtown Masonic Village, near the Amtrak Station. World War II in 1939 started 21 years after World War I ended in 1918.

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

27. Flags
Veterans flags - wide view
Veterans flags - sign

In the Masonic Homes, across from Veterans Grove, are planted some 7,000 flags to honor veterans who lost their lives in the service since 9/11.


Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

28. Poppy day

"Remembrance Day" is also known as "Poppy Day" for wearing a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in the line of duty.

The appearance of red poppies on the graves of fallen soldiers goes back to the Napoleonic wars and etched in the memory of everyone by the poem "In Flanders Fields" from World War I.

29. Flanders field

The poem "In Flanders Fields" was written on May 3, 1915 during World War I by John McCrae during the Second Battle of Ypres which went from April 22 to May 25. Losses: British: 60,000, French: 3,000.

For seventeen days and seventeen nights none of us have had our clothes off, nor our boots even, except occasionally. In all that time while I was awake, gunfire and rifle fire never ceased for sixty seconds ... And behind it all was the constant background of the sights of the dead, the wounded, the maimed, and a terrible anxiety lest the line should give way. McCrae.

30. In Flanders Field

In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

31. Where have all the flowers gone
In the 1960's Pete Seeger song "Where have all the flowers gone" was made popular by Peter, Paul and Mary (and others) as an anti-war song with roots "In Flanders Fields".
Verse 1: Where have all the flowers gone? ... The girls have picked them every one.
Verse 2: Where have all the young girls gone?, ... Gone for husbands ...
Verse 3: Where have all the husbands gone? ... Gone for soldiers ...
Verse 4: Where have all the soldiers gone? ... Gone to graveyards ...
Verse 5: Where have all the graveyards gone? ... Gone to flowers
Verse 6: Where have all the flowers gone? ... Young girls have picked them ...

End of each verse: When will you ever learn? Oh, When will you ever learn?

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

32. Verse 1
Verse 1:

33. Best of plans
Schlieffen Plan
1914-1918
4 years
1,400,000 dead
[flu] [codes]
1815: Congress of Vienna
1919: Treaty of Versailles
1948: Marshall Plan
Manstein Plan
1940
6 weeks
90,000 dead

[tanks] [airplanes] [amphetamines]
1944 German plan that become the Battle of the Bulge.

[weather] [gasoline] [aircraft]

The Compiègne Wagon was the train carriage in which both the Armistice of 11 November 1918 and Armistice of 22 June 1940 were signed. Wikipedia (as of 2022-11-03)

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

34. Some places in August 1969
West Point West Point West Point
Minuteman
monument
Coast Guard
Academy
Gettysburg
On vacations each year, we would visit many battlefields, museums and historical sites.

All the kids loved it!

Many years later dad would clarify the situation.

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

35. Song: Onward Christian soldiers
Logo: Salvation Army
Army Captain insignia
The song "Onward Christian Soldiers" is an English hymn written by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1865. The music is from 1871 by Arthur Sullivan. The Salvation Army used the hymn as a processional.

The ancient Greek word "στρατιώτης""soldier" and is the source of the English word "strategy".
Verse route2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. [kjv]
Verse route2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. [kjv]

Information sign More: Song: Onward Christian soldiers

36. Verse 1
Onward, Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
See his banners go!

37. Refrain
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!

38. God and Country
Rev. Rodney Shearer in 1969 Boy Scout God and Country medal Boy Scout Eagle award

Assistant Pastor Rodney Shearer supervised my Boy Scout God and Country award work in (about) 1971.

The research part of the award was a paper on how, according to the Bible, a Christian could justify serving in the military.

A few years later I was a cadet at West Point.

39. West Point vs. Penn State: October 5, 1974

October 5, 1974: My hand was no longer in a cast. After watching a West Point parade on the Plain, the game soon started. Army scored two quick touchdowns before Jay got up the hill to the game, so he was worried a little. Penn State scored three touchdowns to win.

Information sign More: SPUM: Jay Greider

40. West Point and the Army
, NBC training at West Point

41. Quotes about war
It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it. Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), Confederate General.

The Almighty has His own purposes. Abraham Lincoln speaking about the reason for war.

42. Observations
In High School, I came to some ideas about war.
 
What is war?
[EAHS Library, Public Library]

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

43. The start and end of wars
By the end of a war, and thereafter, many people, even some historians, do not know how and why the war started. Some do not know how and why the war ended.

44. Politics and war
The German General Staff and military, through World War II, was based on the ideas of Clausewitz who had observed many Napoleonic battles.
War is a continuation of politics by other means. Carl von Clausewitz (Prussian military theorist)

In modern times, economic war has been favored over more traditional war.

Information sign More: Carl von Clausewitz

45. Herodotus
In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. Herodotus (Greek historian and geographer)

Information sign More: Herodotus

46. March: Marching to battle
Verse route2 Samuel 11:1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. [kjv]
Verse routeκαι εγενετο επιστρεψαντος του ενιαυτου εις τον καιρον της εξοδιας των βασιλεων και απεστειλεν δαυιδ τον ιωαβ και τους παιδας αυτου μετ αυτου και τον παντα ισραηλ και διεφθειραν τους υιους αμμων και διεκαθισαν επι ραββαθ και δαυιδ εκαθισεν εν ιερουσαλημ [lxx]

March is the first month of the year in the old Roman calendar. The French word "Mardi""Tuesday" from the Latin "dies Martis""day of Mars" where Mars is the God of War and the basis for the month name of "March" - the time when ancient folk would go to war.

After this verse, David takes an interest in Bathsheba.

47. Going to war
No one starts a war--or rather, no one in his sense ought to do so--without first being clear in his mind what he intends to achieve by the war and how he intends to conduct it. Carl von Clausewitz (Prussian military theorist)

In modern times, it is equally important is to have an exit strategy for how to get out of a war as a limited conflict and not total war.

Information sign More: Carl von Clausewitz

48. Count the cost
Verse routeLuke 14:31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? [kjv]
Verse route14:32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. [kjv]
Verse route14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. [kjv]

Have you counted the cost? Have you made "peace" with God?

Information sign More: Psalms 2: Self-reference of robots and humans rebelling

49. Luke 14:31
   Luke 14:31 
 All 
KJV: Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Greek: η τις βασιλευς πορευομενος συμβαλειν ετερω βασιλει συμβαλειν εις πολεμον ουχι καθισας πρωτον βουλευεται βουλευσεται ει δυνατος εστιν εν δεκα χιλιασιν απαντησαι υπαντησαι τω μετα εικοσι χιλιαδων ερχομενω επ αυτον

50. Luke 14:32
   Luke 14:32 
 All 
KJV: Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
Greek: ει δε μηγε μη γε ετι αυτου πορρω οντος πρεσβειαν αποστειλας ερωτα τα προς ειρηνην

51. Luke 14:33
   Luke 14:33 
 All 
KJV: So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
Greek: ουτως ουν πας εξ υμων ος ουκ αποτασσεται πασιν τοις εαυτου υπαρχουσιν ου δυναται μου ειναι μου μαθητης

52. Fog of war
Everything in war is very simple, but the simplest thing is difficult. Carl von Clausewitz (Prussian military theorist)

This appears to be the origin of the idea of a fog of war.

Information sign More: Carl von Clausewitz

53. Caesar
The Roman (democratic) Republic (with Senate) essentially ended in 59 BC with the Triumvirate of Caesar, Pompeius and Crassus. The Greek word "democracy" means "people power".
In 44 B.C. Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and Cassius. Why? This act was made more famous by a play by Shakespeare. Thereafter, Rome was ruled, not by a king, but by a dictators called Caesar.

Antony and Octavian defeated these conspirators at the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C. This is about 90 years before Paul visits the city and about 100 years before the letter to the Philippians by Paul.

54. Roman colony
After the Battle of Philippi in 42 B.C., many Roman veterans were settled here and many locals were awarded the coveted Roman citizenship. Paul will remind the Philippians of this twice in his letter. The KJV (King James Version) uses "conversation" as "citizenship".

Verse routePhilippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: [kjv]
Verse routeημων γαρ το πολιτευμα εν ουρανοις υπαρχει εξ ου και σωτηρα απεκδεχομεθα κυριον ιησουν χριστον [gnt]

From these veterans, the importance of law and order is seen in Paul's visit to Philippi in Acts 16 where the Philippians jailer is part of the story.


Information sign More: Philippians: Background and introduction

55. Ephesians 6: Defending the full armor of God
Sword vertical
Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians in chapter 6 by talking about the full armor of God.
Verse routeEphesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [kjv]
Verse routeενδυσασθε την πανοπλιαν του θεου προς το δυνασθαι υμας στηναι προς τας μεθοδειας του διαβολου [gnt]

All the armaments mentioned are defensive and require teamwork and not individual combat. The exception is the sword (of truth, of the spirit, etc.) which can be both an offensive and a defensive weapon.

This conclusion has many military allusions but, as a conclusion, each refers to things already said in the letter and not completely new ideas.

Information sign More: Ephesians 6: Defending the full armor of God

56. Song: Stand up stand up for Jesus
The song "Stand up stand up for Jesus" was written by George Duffield, Jr., after the death of Dudley Tyng from a farm accident during the Great Revival of 1858. One of Tyng's last words to his father: "Tell my brethren of the ministry, wherever you meet them, to stand up for Jesus". Both Union and Confederate soldiers sang this song during the American Civil War.

Dudley Tyng preached on Exodus 10:11 right before his death. George Duffield based his funeral sermon and song on Ephesians 6:14. Music: Stand up stand up for Jesus


Information sign More: Ephesians 6: Defending the full armor of God
Information sign More: Song: Stand up stand up for Jesus

57. Verse 1
Stand up, stand up for Jesus
ye soldiers of the cross;
lift high his royal banner,
it must not suffer loss:

from vict'ry unto vict'ry
his army he shall lead,
'til ev'ry foe is vanquished,
and Christ is Lord indeed.

58. Robert E. Lee
It is well that war is so terrible, otherwise we should grow too fond of it. Robert E. Lee (1807-1870), Confederate General.

At the start of the Civil War, Lincoln offered Lee command of the Union Army. Lee felt his duty was to his state, Virginia.

Lee was the son of Revolutionary War hero Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee. In 1776, widespread and strong Biblical beliefs required a "Declaration of Independence" to be written.

Verse route1 Peter 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. [kjv]


59. 1 Peter 2:17
   1 Peter 2:17 
 All 
KJV: Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Greek: παντας τιμησατε την αδελφοτητα αγαπατε τον θεον φοβεισθε τον βασιλεα τιματε

60. Napoleon

The famous graphic by Minard and made famous by Tufte is of Napoleon's Russia campaign and shows how his forces dwindled during the campaign.

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

61. Technology changes

62. Human activities and God
Verse routeRomans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? [kjv]

Many use this verse as a "battle cry" or puffed-up-in-pride "badge of honor". Some pastors (and others) promote this misconception.
Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right. Abraham Lincoln (16th U.S. President)

If God is the primary customer, then the customer is always right.


63. Song: Battle Hymn of the Republic
When the song was sung at a rally attended by President Lincoln, he cried out with tears in his eyes, "Sing it again!" (GodTube.com)
Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910) wrote the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" in 1861 at the outbreak of the American Civil War, being asked to write new words for "John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave" to the popular tune "Glory, Hallelujah".

The tune and words soon spread to troops, slaves, prisoners, etc. Music: Battle hymn of the republic


Information sign More: Song: Battle Hymn of the Republic

64. Verse 1
Mine eyes have seen the
    glory of the coming of the Lord;
he is trampling out the vintage
    where the grapes of wrath are stored;
he hath loosed the fateful
    lightning of his terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.

65. Refrain
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.

66. Gettysburg

My mother told us that during the Civil War her parents could hear the cannon at Gettysburg. She said that Grandpa was called for the Army, but Grandma was sick and he didn't want to leave her so he bought his way out. I think he had to pay one hundred and twenty dollars. … Blaine Long family history as recorded by Elsie Long. [Columbia bridge burned]

Uncle Blaine wrote about driving tanks in the Army after World War I.

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

67. Song: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Civil War: front cover
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the poem "I heard the bells on Christmas day" (later put to music) on Christmas Day, 1864, in a small town in Massachusetts.
He had endured several family tragedies. He saw many seriously wounded young men, including his son, and, like many, wondered why.

Wadsworth and many others were unaware that Lincoln and Grant, with the help of Sherman and Sheridan, had decided to reintroduce total war (war on civilians as well as soldiers) to the world and a war of attrition.

68. Verse 1
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

69. Verse 6
And in despair I bowed my head;
There is no peace on earth, I said;
For hate is strong, And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

70. Verse 7
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
*The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.

*Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right. Abraham Lincoln

Fast forward 80 years to the day on December 25, 1944 (and the eve the night before).

71. God and the Bible
Here is a Lincoln quote from his second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865, soon before he was assassinated on April 14.
Both (North and South) read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. … The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. Abraham Lincoln (16th U.S. President)

Lincoln used a number of Bible passages in this address (omitted here).

Information sign More: Abraham Lincoln

72. Before and after
Civil War: front cover

Historian Shelby Foote (1916-2005) makes the following observation.

73. Verse 1
Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to him belong;
they are weak, but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.

74. Johnny Fox
In the Say and Seal novel (#2, #1 was Uncle Tom's Cabin) by Susan Warner (1819-1885), with help from Anna Warner (1824-1915), a little boy named Johnny Fox is dying. His Sunday School teacher comforts him by taking the little boy in his arms, rocking him, and saying the comforting words, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
Second verse:

75. Constitution Island
After the panic of 1837, the family and the sisters had moved to Constitution Island in the Hudson River, across form the United States Military Academy at West Point. Until the near the end of their lives, Susan Warner (1819-1885) and Anna Warner (1824-1915) taught Sunday School classes to cadets who would later serve in the military - including many generals in World War I and II.

They are the only civilians buried at the West Point military cemetery.

Information sign More: Song: Jesus loves me

76. Bertrand Russell
War does not determine who is right - only who is left. Bertrand Russell (British philosopher, logician and social critic)

Information sign More: Bertrand Russell

77. Song: Caissons go rolling along
Logo: United States Army
What might the official song of the U.S. Army, "The caissons go rolling along", written in 1908, have to do with Christmas?
The song was written by Edmund "Snitz" Gruber, a descendant of Franz Gruber, who composed "Silent Night" in 1818, 90 years earlier.

Information sign More: Song: Silent night
Information sign More: Song: Caissons go rolling along

78. June 4, 1944: D-Day
D-day was June 4, 1944.

[Yogi Berra was on naval support ship]

On July 4, 1944, 1,100 US guns fire 4th of July salute at German lines in Normandy.
The Norman invasion from France to Britain was in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy. The decisive battle was at Hastings on October 14, 1066.

[North men] [Armistice Day in 1917] [Eisenhower, enigma message] [John Smith at Antietam] [beach landings]

My idea: "D-Day" came from slang for "The day".

Normandy is named for the "North men" or "Norse men", Vikings who invaded the north coast lands of what is today France (and many other areas).

On the day of the Armistice in 1917, fighting continued with over 11,000 casualties, more than on D-Day in 1944.

Information sign More: July 4: back in time

79. Patton
DVD: Patton
George Patton had the nickname "Old blood and guts".

His movie was very popular at the West Point movie theater in the late 1970's.
Patton competed in the modern pentathlon in the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. [tanks and Uncle Blaine]

His grandfather, George Patton Sr. (1833-1864) was a Confederate colonel during the Civil War.

The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his. George S. Patton (American General in World War II)

In 1943, Patton slapped two soldiers during the Sicily campaign. By contrast, the Soviet Army placed little if no value on human life.

He saw them as shirking duty as they had no visible injuries. The United States Press made it a huge incident. Many wanted him out of the Army, but Eisenhower (and others) knew they needed him as a commander.

Information sign More: November 11: Veterans Day

80. Abraham Swatski
Abraham Swatski, later Henry Berg, was a German Mennonite born in the Crimean area of Russia in 1920.

His family left town for the hill country in the early 1930's as Stalin starved some 10 million to death.

The death of one man is a tragedy. The death of millions is a statistic. Joseph Stalin.

[Malcolm Muggeridge, New York Times, Mother Theresa, Ukraine]

In 1941, Henry was conscripted into the Soviet Army to fight the Germans. In the first six months, Germany captured 3,000,000 Russian solders. Henry was captured, forced to help the Germans at Leningrad, fell out of favor, put into a prison camp and later escaped to the west.
1934 (about his Mennonites, before and after): ... before the hard times they seemed to take their blessings for granted and expected God to keep the bounty coming to them ... now we went on our knees before the Lord. When prayers were said, they were meant. ...
[prisoner policy]

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81. Malcolm Muggeridge
Malcolm Muggeridge (British broadcaster) was an English journalist. Attracted to communism he went to the Soviet Union in the 1930's and became disillusioned, having at close range witnessed the mass starvation of ten million people by Stalin. He became strongly anti-communist.

After World War II, he became a Christian and Christian apologist. He helped bring Mother Teresa to the world's attention.

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82. Henry Berg
... the Russians would not tolerate anyone saying no. I remember them lining us up after we were drafted and telling us that we must obey. If you don't, they said, this is what we will do to you. One of the Russian officers pulled out his revolver and walked up to the man who was first in line and shot him. Henry Berg as related to the Mennonite Society of Eastern Pennsylvania on January 18, 1981.

[Zhukov comments to Eisenhower]

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83. Henry Berg
Henry Berg eventually made his way to a farm in Bainbridge, PA (near Nancy Baker), later moving to a farm between Elizabethtown, PA, and Maytown, PA. Henry worked at Newcomer Oil for many years. He told a co-worker, Benjamin Spickler, many stories.

(no photo)
Abraham Swatski
alias
Henry Berg
Ben Spickler

During training he was standing in formation and listening to a speech by a training supervisor on what happens if a soldier deserts. The supervisor makes a soldier step forward and he is killed on the spot as an example on what happens to deserters. Written from recollections of discussions with Henry Berg by Ben Spickler, July 2018.

Henry made similar remarks to the Mennonite Society of Eastern Pennsylvania on January 18, 1981. There it was "not obeying orders immediately".

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84. Greatest generation
Book: Stalingrad: New perspectives Book: Stalingrad: The city of death

Military deaths from four months of Battle of Stalingrad: [bad guy vs. bad guy, freshman term paper]

85. After Stalingrad
Book: Beyond Stalingrad Book: Manstein: Verlorene Siege


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86. World War II
European theater in World War II: Eastern front in World War II: (bigger than World War I) Pacific theater in World War II: [medical care, penicillin from 1929]

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87. Kurt Leiberich
Kurt Leiberich in 1978Colonel (Oberst) Kurt Leiberich (1920-2012): German soldier and officer who served as a forward observer and battery commander on the Eastern Front, including Leningrad, from 1941 to 1945 during World War II. He was an German language instructor at the United States Military Academy at West Point, NY (1974-1978).

Course: Military and scientific German (1976)
Term paper: EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) (non-classified material)

West Point exchange program with West German Officer's School (1976).
Senior summer: Committee on Nuclear, Biological and Chemical warfare.
Senior International Relations paper: Policy analysis of the potential deployment of the neutron bomb

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88. Battle of the Bulge

With the Soviet Red Army fast approaching Germany in 1944 from the East, Hitler mounted one last offensive in the West in December, a few weeks before Christmas. It was named the Battle of the Bulge because of the shape it made in the front line.

Many soldiers fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Some did not make it home for Christmas. Some 120 were massacred at Malmedy on December 17, 1944, by German SS troops. Others fought on.

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89. SPUM: Ed Boll
Name: Ed Boll Purple Heart medal Purple Heart medal
Ed Boll (1924-2014) was a member of Saint Paul's for 80 years.

90. Massacre
In a hurry, the German troops of SS officer Peiper opened fire at Malmedy in France and massacred about 84 captured American soldiers, on a cold December 17, 1944, one week before Christmas. There were other related smaller massacres raising the total. Three were a few survivors.

91. James 4:14
   James 4:14 
 All 
KJV: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
Greek: οιτινες ουκ επιστασθε το της αυριον ποια γαρ η ζωη υμων ατμις γαρ εστιν η εστε προς ολιγον φαινομενη επειτα δε και αφανιζομενη

92. Malmedy massacre survivors
Harold Billow - newspaper article

Many soldiers fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Some did not make it home for Christmas. Some 120 were massacred at Malmedy on December 17, 1944. There were some survivors. I met Harold Billow (1923-2022) at a restaurant in Mount Joy on December 13, 2016, and talked to him for a while. At the time, he was the only living survivor of the Malmedy massacre.

Verse routeJames 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. [kjv]

Information sign More: Philippians 2:15 deceptive appearance of a shining light
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93. William Reem of Elizabethtown
A survivor from December 17, 1944, a week before Christmas was PFC William F Reem (1923-2003) from Elizabethtown PA. His daughter was in the EAHS class of 1974.
December 17, 2019 (75 years later): ... the daughter of Pfc William F Reem, is in Malmedy Belgium memorializing her father. Today by chance, she encountered a similarly aged American on the tour who was the son of a soldier in the Jeep that encountered and saved PFC Reem on his dangerous return to American troops ....

The brother of William Reem would have his own day during the Korean war.

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94. Dale Reem of Elizabethtown
Robert Dale Reem Robert Reem tombstone Medal of Honor Robert Reem's decorations

William Reem had a brother, 2nd Lt Robert Dale Reem (1925-1950), of Elizabethtown, Naval Academy graduate and Medal of Honor posthumous recipient from Korean war, falling on a hand grenade to save his men during the advance of the Chinese to the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War;

Verse routeJohn 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [kjv]
Verse routeμειζονα ταυτης αγαπην ουδεις εχει ινα τις την ψυχην αυτου θη υπερ των φιλων αυτου [gnt]

Verse route10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. [kjv]

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95. Timeline
Robert Dale Reem
Timeline of the Korean war.

96. John 15:13
   John 15:13 
 All 
KJV: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Greek: μειζονα ταυτης αγαπην ουδεις εχει ινα τις την ψυχην αυτου θη υπερ των φιλων αυτου

97. Battle of the Bulge

With the Soviet Red Army fast approaching Germany in 1944 from the East, Hitler mounted one last offensive in the West in December, a few weeks before Christmas. It was named the Battle of the Bulge because of the shape it made in the front line.

Many soldiers fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Some did not make it home for Christmas. Some 120 were massacred at Malmedy on December 17, 1944, by German SS troops. Others fought on.

Information sign More: Battle of the Bulge

98. Dale Reem of Elizabethtown
Robert Dale Reem Robert Reem tombstone Medal of Honor Robert Reem's decorations

William Reem had a brother, 2nd Lt Robert Dale Reem (1925-1950), of Elizabethtown, Naval Academy graduate and Medal of Honor posthumous recipient from Korean war, falling on a hand grenade to save his men during the advance of the Chinese to the Chosin Reservoir in the Korean War;

Verse routeJohn 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [kjv]
Verse routeμειζονα ταυτης αγαπην ουδεις εχει ινα τις την ψυχην αυτου θη υπερ των φιλων αυτου [gnt]

Verse route10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. [kjv]

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99. William Reem of Elizabethtown
A survivor from December 17, 1944, a week before Christmas was PFC William F Reem (1923-2003) from Elizabethtown PA. His daughter was in the EAHS class of 1974.
December 17, 2019 (75 years later): ... the daughter of Pfc William F Reem, is in Malmedy Belgium memorializing her father. Today by chance, she encountered a similarly aged American on the tour who was the son of a soldier in the Jeep that encountered and saved PFC Reem on his dangerous return to American troops ....

The brother of William Reem would have his own day during the Korean war.

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100. Uncle Don Long
, Donald Long Donnie and Elsie Donald R. Long World War II patches World War II medals

Donald R. Long (Uncle Donny) was in World War II in the European Theater in France and Germany late in the war. The 71st Infantry Division and XX Corps were under Lt. General George S. Patton's 3rd Army. William Westmoreland was a colonel in the division.

The date on the other side of the photo postcard on the right is written as "Nov 29, 1945" and mailed from Strassberg.

After the war, he married Elsie Long who taught "Good News Club" for many years.


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101. Patches and medals
World War II patches World War II medals
  • 71 Infantry Division
  • XX Army Corps
  • ribbons
  • Good Conduct medal
  • Victory medal
  • My uncle Donny was in World War II in the European Theater in France and Germany late in the war.
    The 71st Infantry Division was assigned to XX Corps an April 20, 1945.
    He saw limited combat action, but had unforgettable memories, of which he rarely spoke.

    102. Liberation
    The seventy-first came... The seventy-first came ... illustration
    Uncle Donny saw limited combat action, but had unforgettable memories, of which he rarely spoke.
    71st Infantry Division: Participated in the liberation of concentration camps including one in Austria called Gunskirchen Lager, a subcamp of Mauthausen, on 4 May. A pamphlet was produced by the US Army after they liberated the camp, called "The Seventy-First came to Gunskirchen Lager". The book recounts in detail, and with graphic photos, the tragedy they found in the camp. Wikipedia: (as of 2022-11-05)

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    103. Russian soldiers
    , , ,

    How did uncle Donny take photos of the Americans and Russians together?

    Wikipedia provides an answer: ... The 71st organized and occupied defensive positions along the Enns River and contacted Russian forces east of Linz, 8 May, the day before hostilities ceased, having gone further east than any other U.S. Army unit. … (as of 2022-11-05)

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    104. Banner for Donald R. Long
    Banner for Donald R. Long Banner for Donald R. Long Banner for Donald R. Long

    Looking towards the college.

    105. Banner for Donald R. Long
    Map



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    106. MacArthur movie
    DVD: MacArthur

    Douglas MacArthur (American military leader) (1880-1964) graduated at the top of the class in 1903 from West Point. DVD: MacArthur staring Gregory Peck, filmed and released 1977. The movie starts and ends with parade and dining hall scenes from West Point and his famous speech in the dining hall to the Corps of Cadets in 1962.

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    107. John F. Kennedy
    The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender, or submission. John F. Kennedy (35 President of the United States)

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    108. Vietnam War
    71st Infantry Division patch
    In January 1946, Colonel William Westmoreland was appointed commander, and was responsible for leading the units that had not yet been deactivated back to the United States so they could be demobilized. Wikipedia (as of 2022-11-05)

    Twenty years later he would command United States forces in Vietnam.
    National Defense Service MedalUSMA, West Point, graduates in 1978 received the National Defense Service Medal for the Vietnam War for being cadets before the deadline of August 14, 1974.

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    109. Medal of Honor
    Medal of Honor Second Lieutenant Robert Dale Reem

    U.S.M.C., Co. H., 3rd. Bn. 1st Marine Div. (Reinforced),

    Vicinity Chinhung-Ni, Korea

    6 November 1950
    Robert Reem
    Medal of Honor Sergeant William David Port

    U.S.A., Co. C. 5th. Bn., 1st Air Cav. Div. - Que Son Alley,

    Heip Duc Province, Republic of Vietnam

    12 January 1968
    William David Port

    110. Medal of honor banners
    The Medal of Honor banners, with the help of the Lions Club, are at the Veteran's Memorial in Elizabethtown park.

    Medal of Honor banners Medal of Honor banners

    In Memoriam MarkerElizabethtown "In Memoriam Marker". Inscription: "This tablet is erected in memory of two citizens of Elizabethtown who were posthumously awarded our nations highest military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry & intrepidity in action at the risk of their lives above & beyond the call of duty."

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    111. Norman Schwarzkopf
    The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. Norman Schwarzkopf (Gulf War general)

    112. Daniel
    Daniel statue and world empiresDaniel, in his interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar (leading to the fiery furnace), and a repeated vision in a subsequent chapter, outlined the kingdoms of the world from his time until the end of time.

    One empire had always conquered another empire, until the Roman Empire, as prophesied by Daniel 500 years before the Roman Empire became established. That empire, and descendent's (not conquerors) has endured now for another 2,000 years.

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    113. A big army
    One prophecy of the end times in the book of Revelation concerns the "army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand".

    Verse routeRevelation 9:16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand: and I heard the number of them. [kjv]

    This has always been considered nonsense as no known army numbers 200,000,000. However, China can call up that number of soldiers if needed.
    The description of the "horsemen" (next verses) appears to fit the description of attack tanks, helicopters, jets, etc.

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    114. Revelation 9:16
     All 
    KJV: And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.
    Greek: και ο αριθμος των στρατευματων του ιππικου δυο δις μυριαδες μυριαδων και ηκουσα τον αριθμον αυτων

    115. Kings of the east
    One prophecy of the end times in the book of Revelation concerns the "kings of the east".

    Verse routeRevelation 16:12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. [kjv]

    Map of Ephrates from Greece to China

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    116. Revelation 16:12
     All 
    KJV: And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
    Greek: και ο εκτος αγγελος εξεχεεν την φιαλην αυτου επι τον ποταμον τον μεγαν τον ευφρατην και εξηρανθη το υδωρ αυτου ινα ετοιμασθη η οδος των βασιλεων των απο ανατολων ανατολης ηλιου

    117. Matthew 5:9 Making and appeasing peaceful peacemakers
    Verse routeMatthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. [kjv]
    Verse routeμακαριοι οι ειρηνοποιοι οτι αυτοι υιοι θεου κληθησονται [gnt]

    Chess pieces

    Is there any conscientious objection to continuing on the topic of making peace? Let us piece together some ideas.

    These questions arise from Matthew 5:9 in the Beatitudes, given on a mountain to the disciples with both altitude and attitude. Is that right, dude?

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    118. Nation in a day
    For 2,500 years no one believed a nation could be born in a day.
    Verse routeIsaiah 66:8 … or shall a nation be born at once? … [kjv]

    Ezekiel: (dry bones prophecy)
    Verse routeEzekiel 37:21 … I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: [kjv]
    Verse route37:22 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; … [kjv]

    On May 14, 1948, Israel became a nation in one day as part of the United Nations partition plan. Immediately, Arab nations attacked Israel.

    The Almighty has His own purposes. Abraham Lincoln about war.

    119. Isaiah 66:8
       Isaiah 66:8 
     All 
    KJV: Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.
    Hebrew: מי שמע כזאת מי ראה כאלה היוחל ארץ ביום אחד אם יולד גוי פעם אחת כי חלה גם ילדה ציון את בניה׃
    Greek: τις ηκουσεν τοιουτο και τις εωρακεν ουτως η ωδινεν γη εν μια ημερα η και ετεχθη εθνος εις απαξ οτι ωδινεν και ετεκεν σιων τα παιδια αυτης

    120. Ezekiel 37:21
     All 
    KJV: And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
    Hebrew: ודבר אליהם כה אמר אדני יהוה הנה אני לקח את בני ישראל מבין הגוים אשר הלכו שם וקבצתי אתם מסביב והבאתי אותם אל אדמתם׃
    Greek: και ερεις αυτοις ταδε λεγει κυριος κυριος ιδου εγω λαμβανω παντα οικον ισραηλ εκ μεσου των εθνων ου εισηλθοσαν εκει και συναξω αυτους απο παντων των περικυκλω αυτων και εισαξω αυτους εις την γην του ισραηλ

    121. Ezekiel 37:22
     All 
    KJV: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:
    Hebrew: ועשיתי אתם לגוי אחד בארץ בהרי ישראל ומלך אחד יהיה לכלם למלך ולא יהיה עוד לשני גוים ולא יחצו עוד לשתי ממלכות עוד׃
    Greek: και δωσω αυτους εις εθνος εν εν τη γη μου και εν τοις ορεσιν ισραηλ και αρχων εις εσται αυτων και ουκ εσονται ετι εις δυο εθνη ουδε μη διαιρεθωσιν ουκετι εις δυο βασιλειας

    122. Ezekiel
    Map of eastern Europe to Saudi ArabiaEzekiel 38 and 39 prophecy of what, since 1945, appears to be an attack of Israel from the north that involves nuclear weapons.

    The LXX (Septuagint) includes the ruler as the ancient Greek word "ρως""Ros" which appears to refer to what is the modern Greek "Ρωσία" (Ro-SEE-a) ≈ "Russia" that is from the Byzantine Greek " Ῥῶς""Russia".
    Verse routeEzekiel 39:1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: [kjv]
    Verse routeκαι συ υιε ανθρωπου προφητευσον επι γωγ και ειπον ταδε λεγει κυριος ιδου εγω επι σε γωγ αρχοντα ρως μοσοχ και θοβελ [lxx]

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    123. Ezekiel 39:1
       Ezekiel 39:1 
     All 
    KJV: Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
    Hebrew: ואתה בן אדם הנבא על גוג ואמרת כה אמר אדני יהוה הנני אליך גוג נשיא ראש משך ותבל׃
    Greek: και συ υιε ανθρωπου προφητευσον επι γωγ και ειπον ταδε λεγει κυριος ιδου εγω επι σε γωγ αρχοντα ρως μοσοχ και θοβελ

    124. Songs for Veterans Day
    Here are some songs related to Veterans Day.

    125. Veterans Day

    Thank a veteran for what they have done.

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    126. End of page

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