August 29, 2014

D-Day Conneaut 2014

August 29, 2014/ Liberty Phillips

My siblings and I recently had the privilege of participating as civilian reenactors at the D-Day Conneaut Reenactment in Ohio this past weekend. It is the largest D-Day reenactment in the U.S., this year hosting over 1200 reenactors, and many thousands of spectators.

Mess call! A short break in the day for the reenactors to grab a bite to eat: military style.

2014 is not only the 15th anniversary of the reenactment but also the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. The turnout was amazing. Besides the increased numbers of reenactors, they also received a whopping 133 WWII veterans (many of whom were D-Day veterans) who attended the event as special guests and speakers.

This kind veteran was part of Patton's army. He served in the war along with his twin and elder brother.

There is so much to tell about the wonderful veterans we met and the stories they shared with us. Each veteran we met was uniquely special, and we were so blessed to have this incredible opportunity. Please stay tuned as we write these stories down and get them out one by one. For now, here's just a few of photos (there are many more to come so look for part two shortly!).

Faith sang everywhere we went. Here she is singing "White Cliffs of Dover" to WWII Veteran Armand Carlucci. It was so wonderful to watch the veteran's faces as she sang the songs of their time. Often times, they would join in with her.

Mr. Jacob Kesiatie was stationed just a little ways from us at the San Marcos Military Hospital in Texas throughout the war. He said his favorite thing about Texas was the Bluebonnets. He had never seen anything like them before. — Mr. Jacob Kesiatie was stationed just a little ways from us at the San Marcos Military Hospital in Texas throughout the war. He said his favorite thing about Texas was the Bluebonnets. He had never seen anything like them before.

Honor and Pro were very much the favorites of the trip. They were stopped nearly everywhere we went by veterans and reenactors who wanted to comment on their smart uniforms. It was really wonderful to see the Navy veterans talking to them and showin… — Honor and Pro were very much the favorites of the trip. They were stopped nearly everywhere we went by veterans and reenactors who wanted to comment on their smart uniforms. It was really wonderful to see the Navy veterans talking to them and showing them how to fold their Dixie Cups (white hats), or what the insignia on their uniforms meant.

Mr. Arthur "Pat" Engleburg told us that secret to his age (just a mere 99 1/2 years young) was gratitude and a thankful heart. He said, "Every morning I say, 'Thank you Lord for this day,' and I also say, 'thank you for making me better looking ever… — Mr. Arthur "Pat" Engleburg told us that secret to his age (just a mere 99 1/2 years young) was gratitude and a thankful heart. He said, "Every morning I say, 'Thank you Lord for this day,' and I also say, 'thank you for making me better looking every day.'"

“Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world, and that God will preserve it always. ”

— General Douglas Macarthur, Supreme Allied Commander of South-West Pacific

August 11, 2014

Private Israel Goldberg

August 11, 2014/ Liberty Phillips

"The rescue party of Rangers and Filipino guerrillas grin with delight at the success of their mission." Life Magazine 1945 after the liberation of camp Cabanatuan.

Today is August 11, 2014. Those who are acquainted with their history will remember it as the final day of the Battle of Amiens in 1918, the turning point of WWI. If you are a sports fan, you may remember it as the day when, in 1929, Babe Ruth would catapult himself into the American history books as the first baseball player to hit 500 home runs. But today, something else happened. It is not a well known event, and at the time was not uncommon, but it is one I must remember.

On August 11, 1942, just outside the barbwire walls of a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp near the city of Cabanatuan in the Philippines, a burial team lowered the frail bodily remains of my great, great uncle Private Israel Goldberg into a roughly cut mass grave, shared with 11 other men from his camp. Though I never had the opportunity to meet him (he would have been 101 this year), I grew up hearing with great pride of the uncle who died on Bataan. These men had fought hard for three long months at the Battle of Bataan in which there were casualties of enormous numbers and great odds; they had survived the brutal “Death March,” an event that has gone down in history as one of extreme and barbarous cruelty on the part of the Japanese, and incredible courage and endurance on the part of the 70,000 American, British, and Filipino prisoners.

After the fall of Bataan, MacArthur said: "I shall return". But it wouldn't be until 1945 that his promise would come true.

Over the course of the next three years, thousands of POWs would pass through Cabanatuan. Most would be would be shipped off to Japan to work as slaves in the underground mines and factories. Others would be sent to work on the Burma-Siam Railway otherwise known as the “Death Railway.” By January 1945, just over 500 POWs still remained at Camp Cabanatuan. But for my uncle and these other 11 men, it was not theirs to survive the war, and they passed away only a few months after the march.

There is really not much I know about my great-uncle. He was born on January 20, 1913, into a Jewish family, newly immigrated from Russia. He enlisted as a private in the United States Air Force on September 23, 1940, and served in the Headquarters Squadron of the 24th Pursuit Group at Clark Field during the Battle of the Philippines. As the fighting raged on, the Air Force was almost entirely annihilated and had to take to ground fighting, but the records show they proved their mettle. What he did, or how he survived from the fall of Bataan on April 9, to his death four months later, we don’t know. But from the documents, letters, and books written on the Death March and Camp Cabanatuan, we can piece together a pretty good picture of what it was like for him, and the other POWs. They tell a gritty and hard story of survival and endurance.

One of the plane crews from Headquarters Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group and 17th Pursuit Squadron in January 1945 — One of the plane crews from Headquarters Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group and 17th Pursuit Squadron in January 1945

It would take quite a tome for me to go over all that our soldiers went through at Bataan during 1942 to 1945, and much has been written on it already that I would highly recommend. Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides is one of my very favorite on the subject. He gives a thorough account from the fall of Bataan on, and tells the remarkable story of their rescue on January, 1945, by a handful of 6th Battalion Rangers. Mr. Sides does not gloss over the hard facts and realities of what they endured. In fact, parts are raw and hard to digest, but part of understanding war is understanding suffering and the response to suffering as well.

70,000 American, Philippine, and British POWS were taken on a brutal march in which thousands died along the way.

After the war when the bodies were disinterred from the rough temporary graves, many of them were unidentifiable. Now their remains lie under fresh crosses with the inscription, “Known only to God.” The only remembrance of them is their name on the wall of the missing and unknown. This is the case for my uncle. It is a good reminder for us that every grave holds a unique story, and it is our duty to remember the individuals.

Today, I pause and remember my great-great uncle Israel Goldberg. I remember the sacrifice he made, the suffering and pain he endured which I will never fully understand, and the life he gave for all of us.

August 02, 2014

Remembering WWII: Living History, Education, and Honor

August 02, 2014/ Liberty Phillips

Some friends of ours up in Tennessee are putting on a good ole' fashioned, bond buying, liberty loving, veteran honoring, WWII reenactment this upcoming September 27th. From the way the Courter Family has put on past events, this is going to be the smashingest event of this fall. Vintage vehicle displays, authentic reenactors dressed to the nines, a special lecture on the music of WWII (with live music), WWII Veterans with amazing stories to share, reenactor swap and meet, lots of wonderful people and wonderful memories to make.

And here's the best news: It's all free! So you can come by yourself, or with your family, or better yet with a very, very large group and enjoy the day as a spectator. Or you can come as a reenactor and participate in their epic battles as they reenact events that happened in between D-Day and Operation Cobra. If that is not your cup of tea, you can come as a home-front reenactor and dress in the dapper styles of the time.

Some special events include a free outdoor screening on Friday night of the glorious film Desperate Journey (1942) starring Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan, several very special WWII veterans who will have the opportunity to share their stories (something not to be missed!), a live WWII Band and much much more. You can read the full schedule here: http://dominionskills.com/remembering-wwii/remembering-wwii-schedule/

This is going to be a grand event, and one not worth missing out on. I highly recommend you go to this event. At least read over their schedule and webpage, because I know at the end of that you will be convinced that this is the place to be on September 27th!