The American bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki displayed for all the world the unprecedented destructive power of the atomic bomb.  Faced with extinction, the Japanese surrendered, bringing World War II – the deadliest and most widespread conflict in human history – to an end.  When the celebrations ended, information about the War transitioned from […]

  After the Civil War, women in what was the Confederacy began a tradition – decorating the graves of the soldiers lost during the war.  This practice was later adopted in the North for those soldiers who had died defending the Union and was named Decoration Day.  It was subsequently renamed Memorial Day and a […]

  Once again, another fascinating true story of World War ll has found its way into my e-mail, and I am taking the liberty of retelling it for my readers.  It is a story familiar to most aficionados of World War II movies; albeit, the facts are somewhat different than the film’s storyline.   As […]

  With a relatively short window of opportunity in the midst of adverse conditions and against long odds, a decision is made that changes the course of history.  If you are thinking that this could be the plot of an excellent movie, you might be right.  In actuality, however, this is the storyline of what […]

  It’s only fitting that in the same week that Mayor (or should I say Emperor) Michael Bloomberg of New York City proposed a total ban on service of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces in any of the city’s restaurants, delis, movie theaters, and even street carts as a means of combating obesity that […]

  The commemoration of Memorial Day dates back to the Civil War when Southern women set aside a day to decorate the graves of fallen Confederate Soldiers.  Christened “Decoration Day,” the solemn service was adopted by the Federal government after the Civil War and subsequently renamed “Memorial Day.”   With its origins in the American […]

This year, the 93rd annual remembrance of Veterans Day falls on November 11th, 2011, a date otherwise written as 11/11/11.  The recurring elevens are more than historically correct; they are poignant.  They mark the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, when the guns of World War I fell silent, for that […]

This past Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of 9/11.  As stirring and painful as the ceremonies were, several media representatives raised questions concerning the length of our national memory with respect to the day that claimed so many lives while demonstrating so much courage and compassion.  One newscaster said, “Those of us of a certain […]

To set the record straight, this writer has to apologize for the title of the article.  But, it seems that no other words can truly express the subject matter. The Vietnam War was a long conflict between the ideologies of Communism and the Free World.  But unlike our World Wars and Korea, our nation was […]

Lately, my email system’s in-box has been filled with out-of-the-ordinary messages.  Sadly, the last of these was from the grandson of a dear friend, informing me that his grandfather has passed on.  Thus, I am moved to write this tribute to an extraordinary man who touched my life. My friend was baptized Nicholas J. Prestipino […]