Welcome to Omaha/Bellevue: Memorial Park Memorials

 Memorial Park was originally built to give honor to those who served in WWII.  The columns name all those who passed away from Douglas County serving in WWII.  There are memorials to differnt unts of service.

There is also a statue that honors those who served in Viet Nam and Korea.

POW Memorial

Marines

WWII statue, Rosie the Riveter and a youth gathering scrap metal

Korean and Viet Nam on opposite sides.

Memorial to WWII

Clarksville Arkansas Pictures

 Took a few pictures of Clarksville on our return home trip from Arkansas.  My father served here, or went to school here when he was in the Navy during WWII.  He was studying radio.  The Navy had leased the university; University of the Ozarks sponsored by the Presbyterian Church.  

This is the campus chapel

The Naval stationary from the school included a picture of this building during the war

I have a picture of my dad at the train station

Welcome to Kingman Ten: Kingman Army Air Field Gunnery School Museum

 During WWII Kingman was quite a busy place with the gunnery school.  I noted there is a museum at the airport memorializing this event.  However when I tried to visit the museum, I realized I was a couple years too late as the museum has been closed.  I discovered it closed in 2016.  Personal items were returned to the owners and all other items were auctioned off.  It had been in an old hangar that was in use during WWII.  The radio tower still remains at the air field however.  The Mohave Museum of History and Art has a section dedicated to the Kingman Army Air Gunnery School.

A few pictures from the display at Mohave Museum of History and Art. 

Life in Manteca 125: July 4 Unveiling of WWII Mural

 It is strange how choked up and emotional I became as I watched the plastic go up on this mural.  It made me think of my own father, Jim Wardle, and the sacrifice that he made during the war.  He served in the Navy as a young man of 17-20.  (He enlisted a week before his birthday.)  He served until the end of the war, when he was discharged on a hardship so he could help his father with the farm.  At one point the asked for those who have family members who served in the war to stand.  I was standing so I waved my hand.  The mural is entitled the "Spirit of America."  It portrays a tank, planes and a destroyer.  My father served on a destroyer escort.  This is the Manteca Journal article on the events.  And the Modesto Bee.

Mormon Movie Review: ****Saints and Soldiers (2003) (mmboe)

This movie is very intense.  It is almost as intense as "Saving Private Ryan."  It starts with a group of American POWs, who are being guarded by a group of Germans.  Things get out of hand, and the Germans open fire on the Americans, in the confusion, a small group of Americans gets away.  They manage to get one gun.  However they are well behind enemy lines. Deacon is a sharp shooter, but he is suffering from lack of sleep and war trauma.  He tossed a grenade into a home, which turned out to be full of women and children.  This is now haunting him.  He sometimes has visions of the women or the children.  He is also LDS, a former missionary to Germany.  They rescue a British pilot, who says he has important information.  He needs to be taken to where he can report and give this information.  They are behind enemy lines, but start making their way to where he can report.  However they get snowed in.   They come upon a French home, and are able to take a meal but are snowbound. The English pilot decides he cannot wait for the storm, and leaves the party.  However a couple German soldier also chance by.  They surprise them.  One is killed, but our soldier who never misses, misses and the other gets away.  The Englishman brings him back.  He had gotten cold and decided to turn around, and was able to capture him.  Turns out he is known to our German missionary, who taught his family.  They talk, sharing old times, but the soldier lets him escape during the night, but not before they get some information about where to go to avoid the German soldiers.  The Medic confronts him for being too close to the enemy.  The talk about the Book of Mormon and religious beliefs.   This works for a while, but eventually they are in an area with many Germans, and they are in the midst of a fire fight.  Again they come upon the German friend who helps them.  They are able to command a jeep, with German uniforms, and go through a roadblock.  The Germans are now onto them and the front, but so are the Americans, who quickly realize their mistake.  Deacon holds them off, while the medic makes it back to the American lines with the pilot.  After the medic seeks out Deacon's body, and removes the Book of Mormon from him.