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Subdeacon Joe

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Posts posted by Subdeacon Joe

  1. Battlefield Burial — 21 July 1945 — Amid the smoke of battle on the island of Ie Shima, a U.S. chaplain conducts services over the graves of Americans who fell while clearing the Japanese off the island near Okinawa in the Pacific. Two fuel drums serve as an altar.

    Coast Guard photo through Rome OWI--Approved by appropriate military authority, Ie Shima (today know as Iejima) Okinawa, Japan. 21 July 1945 — from the original Coast Guard caption.  

    https://www.ww2online.org/image/chaplain-conducts-battlefield-burial-ie-shima-island-japan-1945

     

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  2. My dad's oldest brother was about 22 years older than him, so he had a nephew only 2 years younger than he was, which meant that my cousin was almost my dad's age.

     

    On another note, my wife and I are cousins.   6th cousins,  granted, but still cousins.  Share  5th-great grandfather. 

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  3. Army pack train bringing supplies. 

     

    Variant title from the New York clipper, May 19, 1906: Army of pack train bringing supplies

    Summary

    The first segment shows a series of loaded mule trains, guided by mules and horses. Many soldiers ride two-to-a-horse (or mule), possibly to facilitate quick unloading of supplies. Note the "Rough Rider"-style hats worn by many of the men. The dusty location is unclear; if the tower in the right distance is St. Boniface Church, the view could be west on Golden Gate Avenue from Van Ness Avenue. The second scene (1:21 min.) shows what are probably the same mule trains passing through an unburnt neighborhood. The row of Victorian homes, the distant slope, and the church on the hill suggest a possible view east on Geary Street from near Webster Street. If the location is correct, the supplies could be headed for the Hamilton Park refugee camp or for the Presidio supply center. Pack trains such as this were the quickest and most efficient method of transporting large amounts of supplies through the hilly and rubble-filled streets west of the docks.

    https://www.loc.gov/item/00694429/

     

     

    Launch of Japanese man-of-war "Chitose"

    Variant title from Edison motion pictures, 1890-1900: Launching of Japanese man-of-war "Chitose"

    Variant title from MAVIS: Launch of the Japanese man-of-war "Chitosa"

    Summary

    Shows the launching of the Imperial Japanese Navy cruiser Chitose at the Union Iron Works shipyard, San Francisco, on Saturday, January 22, 1898. The camera view is east, across a small inlet of Central Basin, to slipway no. 1. Four additional slipways lay beyond to the west. The camera viewpoint is today called pier 68, part of Southwest Marine's facilities.

    https://www.loc.gov/item/00694414/

     

     

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  4. In the bustling rail yards of New York City in 1935, a railway “hot box” inspector played a critical—if often overlooked—role in keeping trains and passengers safe. Positioned at key points where trains were forced to reduce speed before entering station complexes, these inspectors watched closely for signs of trouble hidden beneath the wheels of freight and passenger cars. As trains transitioned from high-speed travel to a slower approach, the friction in their wheel bearings could cause serious issues, particularly if the bearings were under-lubricated.

    A “hot box” referred to an overheated journal bearing—an essential part of the train’s axle assembly. When lubrication failed, the resulting friction could produce enough heat to create smoke or, in severe cases, start a fire. It was the inspector’s job to spot the earliest signs of trouble—wisps of smoke, unusual odors, or a faint glow—and immediately alert the crew. If a hot box was detected too late, it could cause axle failure, derailments, or significant delays in an already complex rail system.

    The work demanded constant vigilance and intimate knowledge of train mechanics, all performed in the noise and grit of America’s busiest rail hubs. These inspectors, standing trackside with nothing but their eyes and experience, were a crucial link in the chain of 20th-century rail safety. Their presence reminds us of a time when human observation was the front line of infrastructure integrity—and when a plume of smoke from beneath a train car could mean the difference between a smooth arrival and a catastrophic failure.

     

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  5. 2 hours ago, Alpo said:

    How would they know?

     

    When the maid came in she should be aware, but if you left the do not disturb sign hanging on the door knob then the maid isn't supposed to come in. It's illegal for them to put cameras in the room so they couldn't see you smoking.

     

    How would they know?

     

    Once again introducing a condition not in the OP.  

  6. In May 1944, 23-year-old Phyllis Latour jumped out of a US Air Force bomber and parachuted into occupied Normandy, France. Her mission was to gather information about Nazi positions in preparation for D-Day. Once on the ground, she quickly buried her parachute and clothes, and began a secret mission that would last four months, pretending to be a poor teenage French girl.

     

    Phyllis had been trained by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). She learned how to send secret messages in Morse code, how to fix wireless radios, and how to spy without being caught. She also went through tough physical training in the Scottish highlands. One of her trainers was a former cat burglar, who taught her how to climb walls and sneak around without leaving a trace. Phyllis wanted to get revenge on the Nazis who had killed her godfather.

     

    Her mission was dangerous. Years later, Phyllis said, “The men who had been sent before me were caught and killed. I was chosen because I would be less suspicious.” She would ride a bicycle through the region, pretending to sell soap, and secretly pass messages to the British about German locations. She acted like a silly country girl, chatting with German soldiers to avoid raising suspicion. She moved from place to place to stay hidden and often slept in forests, finding her own food.

     

    Phyllis also came up with a clever way to hide her secret codes. She wrote them on a piece of silk and pricked it with a pin each time she used a code. She kept it hidden inside a hair tie. Once, when the Germans briefly detained her and searched her, she took out the hair tie and let her hair fall, showing she had nothing to hide. In the summer of 1944, Phyllis sent 135 coded messages, helping Allied bombers find German targets.

     

    After the war, Phyllis married and moved to New Zealand, where she raised four children. Her children didn’t know about her wartime service until 2000, when her oldest son found out online. In 2014, on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the French government honored her with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Now, at the age of 101, Phyllis still lives in New Zealand.

     

    To learn more about our brave women please check out the Book & Audiobook: Women In War: A Gripping Collection of the Untold True Stories of History's Bravest Women Warriors. The book and audiobook are available worldwide on most major book sites. 

     

    Amazon link: https://a.co/d/e9z3dwB

     

    #WW2 #Womenshistory #womeninwar #Womenincombat #Womensstudies

     

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  7. "When she was six years old, Shirley Slade told her parents she wanted to be a pilot. At the time, female pilots were a rarity. But she was persistent, and during high school she received her pilot's license. 

    Following Pearl Harbor, Shirley joined the Women Airforce Service Pilots program. "I wanted to see combat, but that just wasn't possible," she reminisced years later. 

    During her time in service, Shirley was stationed at three different bases, and primarily flew Bell P-39 Airacobras and Martin B-26 Marauders, two notoriously difficult aircraft to fly. In july 1943 she was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine.

    God Bless Shirley and all of our Greatest Generation heroes!

    #ww2 #greatestgeneration #airforce"

     

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