I'm the one in the brown jacket.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Kickin it Old School
A couple of pictures from the trip to my old high school. Thanks to Ms. Cruz for sending them.
I'm the one in the brown jacket.
I'm the one in the brown jacket.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
World War II Turning Point: Midway
(Patrol crew that spotted the Japanese fleet at Midway. From NationalGeographic.com)My favorite feature though is the "Dive Down" portion that takes you more than 2 miles below the ocean's surface and to pictures of the USS Yorktown which sank in the Battle of Midway. They discuss Bob Ballard's findings (the same guy that explored Titanic) and show actual photographs from his expedition. Explore this link to learn much more: Battle of Midway from National Geographic.com
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The Continuing Story of the Holocaust
I'm amazed that year after year, there are current event articles having to do with the Jewish Holocaust, an event that largely concluded over 65 years ago. This shows that horrible events like this do not just wrap up nicely; there are ugly consequences that go on and on. Here is an article from CNN.com today about thievery during World War II.
Treasure hunters dig for Hitler's gold
* Story Highlights
* Digging in search of lost Nazi gold resumed on Tuesday
* Treasure hunters think 2 tons of treasure could be buried in mountainside
* Men behind mission battle doubts: "What if we find nothing again?"
By Frederik Pleitgen
CNN
DEUTSCHNEUDORF, Germany (CNN) -- Digging has resumed at a site in the southeastern German town of Deutschneudorf, where treasure hunters believe there are almost 2 tons of Nazi gold and possibly clues to the whereabouts of the legendary Amber Room, a prize taken from a Russian castle during World War II.
Heinz Peter Haustein, one of the two treasure hunters and a member of Germany's parliament, said: "We have already hit a hollow area under the surface, it's filled with water and we are not sure if it is the cave we are looking for."
Digging was stopped more than a week ago amid safety concerns, as authorities and the treasure hunters feared that the shaft might collapse and that the cave -- if it is there -- may be rigged with explosives or poisonous booby traps.
At a news conference Friday, Christian Hanisch, the other treasure hunter, said that geological surveying equipment had located a possible cave about 30 feet under the surface containing "precious metals that can only be either gold or silver. The instruments would not have reacted to any other metal like copper." PhotoSee photos from hunt for lost Nazi gold »
Hanisch pointed out that his father, who was a navigator in the Luftwaffe, the Nazi air force, was one of the troops said to have been involved in hiding art, gold and silver as the Nazis realized that they would lose the war.
He said that when his father died, he left coordinates leading to the spot in Deutschneudorf.
"It's not about getting the reward," Hanisch said at the site. "I just want to know if my father was right and if my instincts were right."
Haustein, who is paying for the expedition, said he hopes that finding the gold could lead to the Amber Room, whose interior is made completely of amber and gold. It was looted by the Nazis from a castle in St. Petersburg, Russia, after Adolf Hitler's forces invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
The room looked so majestic, many called it "the eighth wonder of the world." It disappeared after the war, and today a replica stands in its place in St. Petersburg.
Although parts of the Amber Room have resurfaced, the vast majority remains missing.
Haustein has been looking for the room for more than 12 years. VideoWatch hunt for Nazi gold at German mountain »
"I am certain that large parts of the Amber Room are buried somewhere here," he said.
He said he has collected much circumstantial evidence suggesting that the Nazis hid the Amber Room in old copper mines around Deutschneudorf, but he has no proof.
Haustein said the Nazis began bringing valuables including art, gold and silver to the region around Deutschneudorf as early as summer 1944.
Deutschneudorf is in Germany's Ore Mountains, and the mountain where the treasure hunters claim to have found the Nazi gold was a copper mine until the 19th century. Although the mine was shut down in 1882, geologists found evidence that soldiers from Hitler's Wehrmacht -- the German armed forces -- had been there. The machine guns, parts of uniforms and explosives are on display at the town's museum.
Though both treasure hunters say they are certain they will find cultural goods, both admit that they fear disappointment.
"Of course, if you embark on something like this, you ask yourself: 'What if we find nothing again? What if I was fooled?' " Haustein said. "But every man has to go his own way, for better or for worse."
If they do find the treasure, Haustein says, it would legally belong to Germany, although he would recommend that Germany give any Amber Room parts back to Russia.
Treasure hunters have typically received rewards of 10 percent of the value of the goods found, but Hanisch says there are no laws dictating the reward amount.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/02/26/nazi.gold/index.html?section=cnn_latest
Treasure hunters dig for Hitler's gold
* Story Highlights
* Digging in search of lost Nazi gold resumed on Tuesday
* Treasure hunters think 2 tons of treasure could be buried in mountainside
* Men behind mission battle doubts: "What if we find nothing again?"
By Frederik Pleitgen
CNN
DEUTSCHNEUDORF, Germany (CNN) -- Digging has resumed at a site in the southeastern German town of Deutschneudorf, where treasure hunters believe there are almost 2 tons of Nazi gold and possibly clues to the whereabouts of the legendary Amber Room, a prize taken from a Russian castle during World War II.
Heinz Peter Haustein, one of the two treasure hunters and a member of Germany's parliament, said: "We have already hit a hollow area under the surface, it's filled with water and we are not sure if it is the cave we are looking for."
Digging was stopped more than a week ago amid safety concerns, as authorities and the treasure hunters feared that the shaft might collapse and that the cave -- if it is there -- may be rigged with explosives or poisonous booby traps.
At a news conference Friday, Christian Hanisch, the other treasure hunter, said that geological surveying equipment had located a possible cave about 30 feet under the surface containing "precious metals that can only be either gold or silver. The instruments would not have reacted to any other metal like copper." PhotoSee photos from hunt for lost Nazi gold »
Hanisch pointed out that his father, who was a navigator in the Luftwaffe, the Nazi air force, was one of the troops said to have been involved in hiding art, gold and silver as the Nazis realized that they would lose the war.
He said that when his father died, he left coordinates leading to the spot in Deutschneudorf.
"It's not about getting the reward," Hanisch said at the site. "I just want to know if my father was right and if my instincts were right."
Haustein, who is paying for the expedition, said he hopes that finding the gold could lead to the Amber Room, whose interior is made completely of amber and gold. It was looted by the Nazis from a castle in St. Petersburg, Russia, after Adolf Hitler's forces invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
The room looked so majestic, many called it "the eighth wonder of the world." It disappeared after the war, and today a replica stands in its place in St. Petersburg.
Although parts of the Amber Room have resurfaced, the vast majority remains missing.
Haustein has been looking for the room for more than 12 years. VideoWatch hunt for Nazi gold at German mountain »
"I am certain that large parts of the Amber Room are buried somewhere here," he said.
He said he has collected much circumstantial evidence suggesting that the Nazis hid the Amber Room in old copper mines around Deutschneudorf, but he has no proof.
Haustein said the Nazis began bringing valuables including art, gold and silver to the region around Deutschneudorf as early as summer 1944.
Deutschneudorf is in Germany's Ore Mountains, and the mountain where the treasure hunters claim to have found the Nazi gold was a copper mine until the 19th century. Although the mine was shut down in 1882, geologists found evidence that soldiers from Hitler's Wehrmacht -- the German armed forces -- had been there. The machine guns, parts of uniforms and explosives are on display at the town's museum.
Though both treasure hunters say they are certain they will find cultural goods, both admit that they fear disappointment.
"Of course, if you embark on something like this, you ask yourself: 'What if we find nothing again? What if I was fooled?' " Haustein said. "But every man has to go his own way, for better or for worse."
If they do find the treasure, Haustein says, it would legally belong to Germany, although he would recommend that Germany give any Amber Room parts back to Russia.
Treasure hunters have typically received rewards of 10 percent of the value of the goods found, but Hanisch says there are no laws dictating the reward amount.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/02/26/nazi.gold/index.html?section=cnn_latest
Friday, February 22, 2008
Great Websites for The Great War (and World War II)
(German propaganda poster from the poster page at www.firstworldwar.com)Also the most comprehensive and authoritative website I've found on the D-Day Invasion of World War II has to be this site from Britannica. Stuffed full of interactive charts, maps, animation, and vintage photographs, it can keep a researcher busy for days. I would STRONGLY recommend this site for D-Day research. It's www.britannica.com/dday.
A Trip to My Old High School
UPDATE: Here's a link to the Stanford University/Hillsdale High School collaboration.Wednesday and Thursday of this week Mrs. Dedekian, Mr. Hemaidan, Ms. Cruz, and I made a trip to visit a school in the Bay Area that is doing some things with their Smaller Learning Communities that Clovis East would like to do with ours. Mr. Martinez told us about the school and asked us to go visit it. Turns out, it was the high school that my brother, sister, and I all attended!
It was great to go back and walk those old hallowed halls as well as show Dedekian, Hemaidan, and Cruz where I went to high school. The school has changed a lot both physically and in the way they approach education and it's become a model school that is nationally recognized. Working with Stanford University, they've succeeded at making high school a very personal place where all students feel connected to the school and the faculty. I came away even prouder to be a Hillsdale alumnus.
Reading History
History has so many different angles. One can examine history from a political, social, and economic angle to name a few. Religious history has interested me for a long time and this book by Protestant reformer John Calvin gives interesting insight into the way he viewed the world. Monday, February 18, 2008
Roosevelt's Speeches: Listening to a Little Slice of History
(picture from www.visitingdc.com)Reading about history is one thing. Listening to history taking place is a different kind of experience that transports you back to that time. I found a web page that has a bunch of speeches from Franklin Roosevelt. We talked recently in my United States History class about Roosevelt's Quarantine Speech. That one is on the site as well as many of his Fireside Chats, Inaugural Speeches ("...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself!"), and of course his request for a declaration of war on Japan and the Axis Powers, the so-called "Day of Infamy" speech. So have a listen to some of the monumental moments in American history. Franklin Roosevelt's Speeches
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Second to Last U.S. World War I Veteran Dies
World War II veterans are dying everyday. Current high schoolers will really be the last generation to know World War II vets. So if you know anyone who fought for the U.S. in World War II, be sure to thank them for their sacrifices. These are some of the most patriotic humans alive on earth.
As you can imagine, there are even fewer World War I veterans. One of the final American vets of that war passed away last week. Remember what I said about patriotism? This guy also volunteered for World War II!
-Mr. Fong
Feb 7, 2008
World War I veteran Harry Landis dies at 108
By MITCH STACY
Associated Press Writer
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Harry Richard Landis, who enlisted in the Army in 1918 and was one of only two known surviving U.S. veterans of World War I, has died. He was 108.
Landis, who lived at a Sun City Center nursing home, died Monday, according to Donna Riley, his caregiver for the past five years. He had recently been in the hospital suffering from a fever and low blood pressure, she said.
"He only took vitamins and eye drops, no other medication," Riley said Wednesday. "He was 108 and a healthy man. That's why all of this was sudden and unexpected. He was so full of life."
The remaining U.S. veteran is Frank Buckles, 107, of Charles Town, W.Va., according the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, John Babcock of Spokane, Wash., 107, served in the Canadian army and is the last known Canadian veteran of the war.
Another World War I vet, Ohioan J. Russell Coffey, died in December at 109. The last known German World War I veteran, Erich Kaestner, died New Year's Day at 107.
Landis trained as a U.S. Army recruit for 60 days at the end of the war and never went overseas. But the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs counts him among the 4.7 million men and woman who served during the Great War.
The last time all known U.S. veterans of a war died was Sept. 10, 1992, when Spanish-American War veteran Nathan E. Cook passed away at age 106.
In an interview with The Associated Press last April in his Sun City Center apartment, Landis recalled his time in the Student Army Training Corps involved a lot of marching. VA records show his entry date into the service was Oct. 14, 1918.
"I don't remember too much about it," said Landis, who enlisted while in college in Fayette, Mo., at age 18. "We went to school in the afternoon and drilled in the morning."
They often drilled in their street clothes.
"We got our uniforms a bit at a time. Got the whole uniform just before the war ended," Landis said. "Fortunately, we got our great coats first. It was very cold out there."
He told reporters in earlier interviews he spent a lot of time cleaning up a makeshift sick ward and caring for recruits sickened by an influenza pandemic.
When asked if he wanted to get into the fight, Landis said, "No."
When the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, Landis recalled a final march with his unit.
"We went down through the girls college, marching down the street. We got down to the courthouse square and there was a wall around this courthouse. We got to the wall and (the drill instructor) didn't know what to do and we were hup two three four, hup two three four," Landis said, laughing at the memory. "Finally, we jumped up on the wall and kept going until we got to the courthouse — hup two three four — and he said dismissed."
He said he and some fellow recruits piled into a car to go to the next town.
"What we did there, why we were there I couldn't tell you," Landis said.
He signed up to fight the Germans again in 1941, but was rejected as too old at 42.
"I registered, but that's all there was to it," Landis said.
"I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Landis," said LeRoy Collins Jr., executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. "He was the last World War I-era veteran in Florida, and with his passing we say goodbye to a generation."
Landis was born in 1899 in Marion County, Mo. He joined the Student Army Training Corps in 1918 but got out when the war ended.
He was a manager at S.S. Kresge Co., which later became K-Mart, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Dayton, Ohio. His fondest memory is taking golf vacations with three friends and their families, a tradition that ended more than five decades ago with the death of his best friend.
"We really looked forward to getting our old foursome together and going somewhere for a couple of weeks," Landis said. "Sadly, my favorite best friend lived until he was only 60 years old. We were like brothers. We could talk about business, serious things and we could act like a couple of kids."
Landis retired to Florida's warmer climate in 1988 and lived in an assisted living facility with his wife of 30 years, Eleanor, 100.
His first wife, Eunice, died after 46 years of marriage. Landis had no children. He said he enjoyed a good game of golf until his health kept him off the course.
Landis laughed when asked the secret to his longevity.
"Just keep swinging," he said.
Copyright © 2008 BlueRidgeNow.com
As you can imagine, there are even fewer World War I veterans. One of the final American vets of that war passed away last week. Remember what I said about patriotism? This guy also volunteered for World War II!
-Mr. Fong
Feb 7, 2008
World War I veteran Harry Landis dies at 108
| Harry Richard Landis is seen at his home in Sun City, Fla., in this April 9, 2007 photo. AP Photo/The St. Petersburg Times, Bob Croslin |  |
By MITCH STACY
Associated Press Writer
| Harry Richard Landis is shown in a 1918 family photo. AP Photo/BOB CROSLIN - St. Petersburg Times |
Landis, who lived at a Sun City Center nursing home, died Monday, according to Donna Riley, his caregiver for the past five years. He had recently been in the hospital suffering from a fever and low blood pressure, she said.
"He only took vitamins and eye drops, no other medication," Riley said Wednesday. "He was 108 and a healthy man. That's why all of this was sudden and unexpected. He was so full of life."
The remaining U.S. veteran is Frank Buckles, 107, of Charles Town, W.Va., according the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition, John Babcock of Spokane, Wash., 107, served in the Canadian army and is the last known Canadian veteran of the war.
Another World War I vet, Ohioan J. Russell Coffey, died in December at 109. The last known German World War I veteran, Erich Kaestner, died New Year's Day at 107.
Landis trained as a U.S. Army recruit for 60 days at the end of the war and never went overseas. But the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs counts him among the 4.7 million men and woman who served during the Great War.
The last time all known U.S. veterans of a war died was Sept. 10, 1992, when Spanish-American War veteran Nathan E. Cook passed away at age 106.
In an interview with The Associated Press last April in his Sun City Center apartment, Landis recalled his time in the Student Army Training Corps involved a lot of marching. VA records show his entry date into the service was Oct. 14, 1918.
"I don't remember too much about it," said Landis, who enlisted while in college in Fayette, Mo., at age 18. "We went to school in the afternoon and drilled in the morning."
They often drilled in their street clothes.
"We got our uniforms a bit at a time. Got the whole uniform just before the war ended," Landis said. "Fortunately, we got our great coats first. It was very cold out there."
He told reporters in earlier interviews he spent a lot of time cleaning up a makeshift sick ward and caring for recruits sickened by an influenza pandemic.
When asked if he wanted to get into the fight, Landis said, "No."
When the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, Landis recalled a final march with his unit.
"We went down through the girls college, marching down the street. We got down to the courthouse square and there was a wall around this courthouse. We got to the wall and (the drill instructor) didn't know what to do and we were hup two three four, hup two three four," Landis said, laughing at the memory. "Finally, we jumped up on the wall and kept going until we got to the courthouse — hup two three four — and he said dismissed."
He said he and some fellow recruits piled into a car to go to the next town.
"What we did there, why we were there I couldn't tell you," Landis said.
He signed up to fight the Germans again in 1941, but was rejected as too old at 42.
"I registered, but that's all there was to it," Landis said.
"I was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Mr. Landis," said LeRoy Collins Jr., executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs. "He was the last World War I-era veteran in Florida, and with his passing we say goodbye to a generation."
Landis was born in 1899 in Marion County, Mo. He joined the Student Army Training Corps in 1918 but got out when the war ended.
He was a manager at S.S. Kresge Co., which later became K-Mart, in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Dayton, Ohio. His fondest memory is taking golf vacations with three friends and their families, a tradition that ended more than five decades ago with the death of his best friend.
"We really looked forward to getting our old foursome together and going somewhere for a couple of weeks," Landis said. "Sadly, my favorite best friend lived until he was only 60 years old. We were like brothers. We could talk about business, serious things and we could act like a couple of kids."
Landis retired to Florida's warmer climate in 1988 and lived in an assisted living facility with his wife of 30 years, Eleanor, 100.
His first wife, Eunice, died after 46 years of marriage. Landis had no children. He said he enjoyed a good game of golf until his health kept him off the course.
Landis laughed when asked the secret to his longevity.
"Just keep swinging," he said.
Copyright © 2008 BlueRidgeNow.com
The Fong History Blog
Well folks, the Fong History Blog has begun. I am using this site to post updates on classes, links to interesting articles about history and current events, and stories about weird or funny things that happen in class. The purpose is to keep in touch and maybe distract you from your Facebook page for just a few minutes. A big shout-out to Mrs. Halsey whose blog about history, economics, and happenings in her class inspired me to get mine rolling. Feel free to comment on the entries too.
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