In 2005, at a Chantilly, VA conv. center, I noticed an older man tucked away at a back table, sitting alone. It was Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, the Enola Gay’s navigator. What struck me was how many people simply walked past, oblivious to who he was. I made sure to chat a bit, and get a pic. #WWII

President Johnson is attributed to saying, "Any man is exhalted who stands in the presence of bravery." I had the privilege of meeting Capt Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk, navigator on the Enola Gay, in 2005. #WWII #WorldWarII

Currently accessioned with the Niagara County (NY) Historian’s Office: Private First Class Frank Gaffney's Medal of Honor certificate, bearing the signature of Secretary of War John W. Weeks. -Nov 2023

To hold Private First Class Frank Gaffney's Medal of Honor was a deeply moving privilege, a tangible connection to extraordinary valor. Thanks to the Foran Family & Niagara County Historian, the Medal is now on permanent display in the Niagara County (NY) Courthouse rotunda. -Nov 2023

Writing a book is hard. Marketing is harder. Sales have never been my thing, and some days the weight of it all is overwhelming. Yet, I'm driven by the words of a renowned WWI scholar who once told me, 'You're his witness now. Never stop sharing the story.'

80 years ago today, on 26th January 1945, NE of Colmar, 19 yr old Audie Murphy jumped on a burning M10 Tank Destroyer and held off a company of Germans for an hour with the .50 calibre machine gun. He then led a counter-attack against the Germans.

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for this action.

My first post on bsky. With the help of Boz.