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November 11: Veterans Day
1. November 11: Veterans Day
2. 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.
The
Veterans Memorial in Elizabethtown is dedicated to veterans from Elizabethtown, PA, who died in the service of their country.
3. Veterans Memorial
| @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)]) |
4. Veterans Grove
Veterans Grove in Elizabethtown Masonic Village, near the Amtrak Station.
Built in 1920 to resemble a Doric Temple.
Originally 268 oak trees planted in rows around the memorial.
In honor of PA Masons who died serving the country in World War I.
Eternal Flame added in 2014 to all military and veterans.
Inscribed with: "All Gave Some – Some Gave All".
World War II in 1939 started 21 years after World War I ended in 1918.
5. Flags
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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.
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6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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?
10. Verse 1
Verse 1:
Where have all the flowers gone? Long time passing.
Where have all the flowers gone? Long time ago.
Where have all the flowers gone? The girls have picked them every one. Oh,
When will you ever learn? Oh, When will you ever learn?
11. Best of plans
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Schlieffen Plan
1914-1918
4 years
1,400,000 dead
[flu] [codes]
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1815: Congress of Vienna
1919: Treaty of Versailles
1948: Marshall Plan
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Manstein Plan
1940
6 weeks
90,000 dead
[tanks] [airplanes] [amphetamines]
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1944 German plan that become the Battle of the Bulge.
[weather] [gasoline] [aircraft]
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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)
12. Some places in August 1969
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West Point
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West Point
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West Point
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Minuteman
monument
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Coast Guard
Academy
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Gettysburg
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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.
13. Song: Onward Christian soldiers
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".
2 Timothy 2:3 Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. [kjv]
2:4 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]
14. 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!
15. Refrain
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
16. God and Country
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.
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.
18. West Point and the Army
19. 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.
20. Observations
In High School, I came to some ideas about war.
Most people thought it would be a short war. It wasn't.
Most wars started the way the previous one had ended, often with a new wrinkle by one of the attackers.
By the end of the war, many people had forgotten how and why the war had actually started.
Old soldiers tended not to talk about the horrors of war, just (after many years) the glory and honor, etc. After a generation or so, young people went into war again without realizing the horror of war.
What is war?
War is a continuation of politics by other means. Carl Von Clausewitz. He first used the phrase 'fog of war'.
[EAHS Library, Public Library]
21. 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.
Revolutionary War
Napoleonic wars (including War of 1812)
American Civil War
World War I
World War II in Europe, Pacific
World War II in Pacific
Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, etc.
22. 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.
23. Herodotus
In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons. Herodotus (Greek historian and geographer)
24. March: Marching to battle
2 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]
και 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.
March 14: Pi day
25. 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.
26. Count the cost
Luke 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]
14:32 Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. [kjv]
14:33 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?
27. Luke 14:31
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
28. Luke 14:32
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
29. Luke 14:33
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
30. 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.
31. 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".
The Roman Senate never ended. They had no power over anything important.
The USSR (Lenin, Stalin, etc.) had the Politburo. They had no power over anything important. Their state newspaper was called "Truth" or "Pravda".
Hitler kept the Reichstag. They had no power over anything important.
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.
32. 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".
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: [kjv]
ημων 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.
Citizenship on earth.
Citizenship in heaven.
33. Ephesians 6: Defending the full armor of God
Paul concludes his letter to the Ephesians in chapter 6 by talking about the full armor of God.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [kjv]
ενδυσασθε 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.
34. 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.
35. 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.
36. 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.
1 Peter 2:17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. [kjv]
37. 1 Peter 2:17
KJV: Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
Greek: παντας τιμησατε την αδελφοτητα αγαπατε τον θεον φοβεισθε τον βασιλεα τιματε
38. Napoleon
1776: Declaration of Independence
1775-1783: Revolutionary War, 30,000 military dead
1789: French Revolution (democracy begins, reign of terror)
1799: Napoleon as first consul (democracy ended)
1790-1815: Wars and battles, 3,000,000 military dead
1812: Russia campaign (500,000 start, 10,000 return)
1815: Waterloo, Congress of Vienna (100 years of relative peace)
Peace without victory is a victory for peace. Henry Kissinger
Technology advances, shotgun to rifle to machine gun [tanks, aircraft, ships]
World War 1: 10,000,000 military dead.
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.
39. Technology changes
1790-1815: Mass charges work with short range muskets and cannon.
Rapid fire and long range rifles and cannon developed.
1860-1865: Mass charges result in huge casualties and do not work.
1914-1918: Machine guns, longer range, faster fire, same tactics used. Casualties increase beyond comprehension.
40. Human activities and God
Romans 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.
Man's "righteousness" is "what is right" as in an "opinion" that is the "glory" of man (humanism).
God's "righteousness" is "what is right" as in an "opinion" that is the "glory" of God (theism).
Lincoln initiated the Civil War without the approval of Congress with the first ever Executive Order.
41. 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.
42. 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.
43. Refrain
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
44. 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.
45. Song: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
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.
Cold Harbor (June 12, 1864): 1,500 dead, 3,000 wounded in 20 minutes.
80 years after the poem: Battle of the Bulge (and after) in World War II.
Missionary Ridge (November 25, 1863)
46. 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!
47. 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!
48. 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).
49. 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).
50. Before and after
Historian Shelby Foote (1916-2005) makes the following observation.
Before the Civil War, the (united) states are a country.
After the Civil War, the united states is a country.
51. 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.
52. 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:
Jesus loves me he who died
heaven's gate to open wide.
He will wash away my sin,
let His little child come in.
53. 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.
54. Bertrand Russell
War does not determine who is right - only who is left. Bertrand Russell (British philosopher, logician and social critic)
55. Song: Caissons go rolling along
Over
hill, over
dale, as we hit the dusty trail,
And those caissons go rolling along.
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.
56. 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.
57. 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.
58. Abraham Swatski
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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.
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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]
59. 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.
60. 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]
61. 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
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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".
62. Greatest generation
Military
deaths from
four months of Battle of Stalingrad:
Soviet: 500,000 soldiers, 40,000 civilians
German: 250,000 soldiers, 100,000 captured, 6,000 survived
"USSR" is short for "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics".
"Nazi" is short for "National Socialists" (Fascists)
[bad guy vs. bad guy, freshman term paper]
63. After Stalingrad
64. World War II
European theater in World War II:
American military: 220,000 deaths
Eastern front in World War II: (bigger than World War I)
German military: 5,000,000 deaths, 4,500,000 captured
Soviet military: 9,000,000 deaths, 5,000,000 captured
Soviet civilians: 20,000,000 deaths (Leningrad, Stalingrad, etc.)
Pacific theater in World War II:
American military: 70,000 deaths
Japanese military: 2,000,000 deaths
China military: 10,000,000 deaths (does not end with end of war)
[medical care, penicillin from 1929]
65. Kurt Leiberich
Colonel (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
66. 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.
67. SPUM: Ed Boll
Ed Boll (1924-2014) was a member of Saint Paul's for
80 years.
Fought in the Battle of the Bulge, recipient of two Purple Hearts.
Played semi-pro baseball, amateur photographer.
Elizabethtown High School and College.
39 years at Armstrong Industries as Chief Chemist.
Wife of 65 years, Minerva (Hess) Boll.
Two sons and daughter, active in youth fellowship.
Ran 9th to 12th grade Sunday School
68. 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.
69. James 4:14
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
70. Malmedy massacre survivors
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.
PFC William F Reem (1923-2003) from Elizabethtown PA. His daughter was in the EAHS class of 1974.
PFC Harold Billow (1923-2022) from Marietta, PA, later living and working in Mount Joy, PA. He was known for flags every Memorial Day.
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.
James 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]
71. 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.
72. Dale Reem of Elizabethtown
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;
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [kjv]
μειζονα ταυτης αγαπην ουδεις εχει ινα τις την ψυχην αυτου θη υπερ των φιλων αυτου [gnt]
10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. [kjv]
73. Timeline
Timeline of the Korean war.
74. John 15:13
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
75. 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.
76. Dale Reem of Elizabethtown
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;
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [kjv]
μειζονα ταυτης αγαπην ουδεις εχει ινα τις την ψυχην αυτου θη υπερ των φιλων αυτου [gnt]
10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. [kjv]
77. 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.
78. Uncle Don Long
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.
79. Patches and 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.
80. Liberation
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)
81. 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)
82. Banner for Donald R. Long
Looking towards the college.
83. Banner for Donald R. Long
84. MacArthur movie
Douglas MacArthur (American military leader) (1880-1964) graduated at the top of the class in 1903 from West Point.
Wars are caused by unprotected wealth.
In war there is no substitute for victory.
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.
85. 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)
86. Vietnam War
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.
Lt. Calley: about 300 South Vietnamese civilians killed on March 16, 1968. It was in the press for months/years.
What was happening in China at the time?
USMA, 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.
87. Medal of Honor
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Second Lieutenant Robert Dale Reem
U.S.M.C., Co. H., 3rd. Bn. 1st Marine Div. (Reinforced),
Vicinity Chinhung-Ni, Korea
6 November 1950
|
 |
 |
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
|
 |
88. 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.
Elizabethtown "
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."
89. Norman Schwarzkopf
The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. Norman Schwarzkopf (Gulf War general)
90. Daniel
Daniel, 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.
91. 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".
Revelation 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.
92. Revelation 9:16
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
93. Kings of the east
One prophecy of the end times in the book of Revelation concerns the "
kings of the east".
Revelation 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]
94. Revelation 16:12
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
95. Matthew 5:9 Making and appeasing peaceful peacemakers
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. [kjv]
μακαριοι οι ειρηνοποιοι οτι αυτοι υιοι θεου κληθησονται [gnt]
What is peace? What is a peacemaker?
Is being a peacemaker good or bad?
Is making something good or bad?
Who is it doing the calling?
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?
96. Nation in a day
For 2,500 years no one believed a nation could be born in a day.
Isaiah 66:8 … or shall a nation be born at once? … [kjv]
Ezekiel: (dry bones prophecy)
Ezekiel 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]
37:22 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.
97. Isaiah 66:8
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
98. Ezekiel 37:21
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
99. Ezekiel 37:22
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
100. Ezekiel
Ezekiel 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".
Ezekiel 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]
και συ υιε ανθρωπου προφητευσον επι γωγ και ειπον ταδε λεγει κυριος ιδου εγω επι σε γωγ αρχοντα ρως μοσοχ και θοβελ [lxx]
101. Ezekiel 39:1
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
102. Songs for Veterans Day
103. Veterans Day
Thank a veteran for what they have done.
104. End of page
