It's already May 31st! Where is the time going? I'm way behind on this page...but all our websites were invaded a couple months back and we are slowly getting them back online. I have added only a few new pictures to the page this Memorial Day. Recently I was given a picture....
from a company magazine, of my grandmother Nanny, working in a factory during WWII. She is inspecting engine tappets. I haven't anymore information on that yet, but I will add the story for that when I find out. I also put up a picture of Randy's mom Pat working at Bendix during WWII. Cousin John Butler's wife Lesa is working as a civilian contractor at Ft. Irwin, CA in an aggressor training program...at least that is how I understand it. Hopefully she'll comment and give us a better description of what she is doing to help prepare our men and women for the battlefield, in Afghanistan & Iraq. My brother George's father Wendell Blodgett was one of the "Chosin Few", and researching that campaign I am again reminded of the great sacrifices our families have given for their country, and I am truly humbled. I hope you enjoy the page and please feel free to comment, give suggestions, point out errors, etc....
The sun was shining from a cloudless sky a little past noon on June 17, 1775 when a British force of 1500 men landed on Charlestown Heights in Massachusetts. Their objective: a surprise attack to nullify the threat posed by "rebel" batteries on the peninsula. However, the night before for nearly twelve hours the Americans (minutemen) had worked non-stop building their main fortification on Breed's Hill which lay at the foot of Bunker Hill to the north. As the British moved forward, the Americans remained as silent as the tomb. "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes," was the order passed along the lines.When that moment came, the word "FIRE!" was shouted, and whole enemy platoons were mowed down and shattered, retreating to the foot of the hill. Howe rallied his forces and repeated the attack with the same crushing results. Not to be discouraged, Howe rallied his men a third time, ordering them to use only their bayonets. After a desperate hand-to-hand struggle, the Americans were driven out. In that final assault American General Joseph Warren and British Major John Pitcairn were killed. While the exact number of casualties varies among historians, the Americans were estimated at 441 killed and wounded... with the British casualties at 1,150 killed and wounded.
In all of the twenty battles of the Revolution, Bunker Hill exacted a heavy toll on British officers. In this one battle alone one-eighth of the British officers in the entire War were killed and one-sixth were wounded on that day.Following the earlier skirmishes at Lexington and Concord, the battle of Bunker Hill was significant in that it overruled any real hope of conciliation. The outcome of the battle rallied the colonies and moved a lethargic Congress to take action. Bunker Hill showed the Americans that the British were not invincible. It showed the British Government that the "rebels" were a serious opponent, that "the mightiest army in all of Europe" had a real fight on its hands.
The Saratoga campaign was a series of battles fought in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War to gain control of the Hudson River. The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it Unami, is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The campaign ended in the climactic Battle of Saratoga which resulted in the capture of the British Army. General John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist, leading the King's Rangers (forerunner to the U.S. Army Rangers). On October 17, 1777, he surrendered his army of 6,000 men. The American victory inspired France to enter the conflict on behalf of the Americans, providing money, soldiers and naval support. The 1939 movie Drums Along the Mohawk directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda and Claudette Colbert, is based on the book of the same name, and is a first-rate historical film, one of my all time favorite movies.
Frank Porter Army ~ "Punitive Expedition" against Pancho Villa
On March 9, 1916, on the orders of Mexican revolutionary leader Francisco "Pancho" Villa, General Ramon Banda Quesadilla led five hundred to 1000 men in an attack on Columbus, New Mexico, they burned the town and killed between 18 and 24 people.
On March 15, on orders from President Woodrow Wilson, General John J. Pershing led an expeditionary force of 10,000 men into Mexico to capture Villa. The newly adopted airplane, Curtiss JN-4, was used by the 1st Provisional Aero Squadron to conduct aerial reconnaissance. Villa had already had more than a week to disperse and conceal his forces before the punitive expedition tried to seek them out in unmapped, foreign terrain.
General Pershing's men were the first forces to use the motorized vehicle in wartime. Secretary of War Newton Baker recognized that "the development of the motor truck, able to traverse wild, unbroken country, transport soldiers and their supplies, will be evolved into a sounder foundation for subsequent use by the Army."
Kate Smith was my dad's (George) all time favorite singer. He especially liked her rendition of God Bless America, he would almost always cry whenever he heard her sing it
Please let us know if you have pictures, stories, people that should be included. And don't hesitate to let us know if there are mistakes so that we can make the corrections. This is a work in progress and we are adding and updating all the time, so check back often!
E-Mail us for a high resolution copy of any picture.
Update History
Memorial Day 2009
Three years ago we decided to do a "Remembrance" page to honor our ancestors that have served in the military. From the outset this tribute has included not only our ancestors, but descendants in our family tree too, including family members that continue to serve today. We launched the page on May 29th 2006 for the first time, and have tried to update each Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and I think we might have done it once on the 4th of July. It has been very informative doing the research on each person, and the timeframe in which they served, has brought each of them and the past alive. We are always looking for more family to add to our homage, so I hope you will be encouraged by our small tribute and will let us know of anyone that you feel should be included.
WWII USO Photo
Postcard Scavenger Hunt #6 – E...
Postcard Scavenger Hunt #6 – E...
What a fantastic postcard. Thank you for sha...
1915 Birthday?
The sun was shining from a cloudless sky a little past noon on June 17, 1775 when a British force of 1500 men landed on Charlestown Heights in Massachusetts. Their objective: a surprise attack to nullify the threat posed by "rebel" batteries on the peninsula. However, the night before for nearly twelve hours the Americans (minutemen) had worked non-stop building their main fortification on Breed's Hill which lay at the foot of Bunker Hill to the north. As the British moved forward, the Americans remained as silent as the tomb. "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes," was the order passed along the lines.When that moment came, the word "FIRE!" was shouted, and whole enemy platoons were mowed down and shattered, retreating to the foot of the hill. Howe rallied his forces and repeated the attack with the same crushing results. Not to be discouraged, Howe rallied his men a third time, ordering them to use only their bayonets. After a desperate hand-to-hand struggle, the Americans were driven out. In that final assault American General Joseph Warren and British Major John Pitcairn were killed. While the exact number of casualties varies among historians, the Americans were estimated at 441 killed and wounded... with the British casualties at 1,150 killed and wounded.
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That is the best version of Taps that I have ever heard!
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