What Are You Reading?

I know that German National Socialism is unlike Soviet Socialism. Before the war though there was a non-aggression pact and Soviet propaganda praised their National Socialist brethren. Thanks to their media the Soviet people believed in "workers of the world unite" and that the two would not fight each other. When Germany attacked, it shocked the Soviet people and the Soviet leadership had to explain why workers were attacking workers. Thus they deferred from calling the Germans nazis but instead called them hitlerites. Besides, Hitler's abandonment of socialism was evident when he purged the party (Night of the Long Knives).

Regarding the medal awarded during the Civil War, it was the only medal issued by the nation and thus the only award. The Miane regiment was the 27th Maine Volunteer Infantry. They broke into a warehouse to get theirs. The Confederates issued no medals but did have a "roll of honor." Post war the United Daughters of the Confederacy awarded the Southern Cross of Honor but they were a civil organization. Similarly the Grand Army of the Republic gave "medal of honor" looking medals to its members.

There were medals issued during the war, but they were privately issued by commanding officers and were not awarded by the Army. Union Brig. Gen. Quincy Gilmore issued medals to two men out of each reigment that participated in the Siege of Battery Wagner/Charleston. There is mention of marksmanship medals awarded by Confederates but no surviving example is known. Post-war a Civil War Campaign medal was issued by the Army & Navy.

 

World War II At Sea a global history, by Craig L.Symonds. Hardcover 650 pages. I find it to be very interesting as he is an excellent author.

 

I have also read that the army detail that escorted Abram Lincoln’s body from Washington DC to Springfield, Illinois were all awarded the Medal of Honor as well. Later they were all rescinded and rightfully so.

 

Craig Symonds was a guest speaker at our 2010 West Coast Civil War Conference with its theme being Coastal Defense. The theme was chosen because we could use the historic sites available to the area including Fort Point, Fort Mason (which has a Civil War Coastal Artillery) and Fort Alcatraz (the casemate is beneath the prison structure). He talked about coastal operations and sidewheel paddlesteamers where if one paddle was disabled, he then mimicked the rotation of paddles with both arms and then stopped one, began rotating in slow circles with one "paddle" still rotating, showed us how the ship was useless.

He taught at the Naval Academy. As a benefit of attending (besides a free flight and hotel) he, his wife, James McPherson & his wife got tickets to Madama Butterfly at the SF Opera. It was Craig's first time to attend an opera.

 

John McManus' The Dead And Those About To Die. About the Big Red 1 @ Omaha.

 

Last time i watched Starship Troopers i HATED it...So many bad scenes that made ZERO military sense. OP should know what im talking about...Perhaps the biggest is they kept the almost useless rifles when they went back to the enemies planets,,,I wanted a new better weapon for these creatures. Apart from "NUKES" they had ZERO artillery, something you would have if the enemy "swarms" - I could go on and on boring you all with the Bad/Wrong military thinking in this movie, which is a shame as doing it "right" would not only not have changed the story much but made it a better specticle.

 

Why didnt they use the portable Nukes when they were being attacked in the compound? Why was the compound built on soil? Why wasnt the walls specifically built to stop those creatures? I could go on... But you suggest the book wasn't as bad and i accept that. I still rate the movie - Very different from most Sci-fi - As im sure you know the story was more than an alien shoot fest (although the movie did a good job of making it that.)

 

Men of Armor.

 

Yeah, try to imagine Eisenhower before D-Day telling the troops "Y'know, with these guns we've got, ya gotta hit a German right in the face...."