Thank A Veteran Everyday

During my 23 years of military service, I had many occasions to be proud of what I was doing. Many of the things that made me feel good about myself came from my individual accomplishments and others from the effort of the team. I think we felt proudest when other people recognized us as a members of our military and thanked us in some way.

While in the Air Force, I had the opportunity to travel extensively, especially while at 9th Air Force Headquarters at Shaw AFB, SC. There we were responsible for Southwest Asia and the African Horn which encompasses the Middle East. Shortly after my arrival at 9th, we became involved in Operation Desert Shield and later Desert Storm. As you probably know, we never left the Middle East after that, which meant we had to make frequent visits to that part of the world.

Except for contingencies (real world military operations), we flew commercial or military charter (rented commercial). That meant we had to stop in regular airports and endure layovers and long waits just like everybody else. While waiting for our connections we would sometimes visit the airport bars. I can truthfully say that every time I went to an airport bar, in the U.S., in uniform, someone would pay for my drink(s). Naturally this made me feel good because now I had more money for the next bar. Just kidding! Actually it always made me feel good that someone had recognized our efforts.

However, the greatest feeling of pride that I have ever had in my life, happened after Desert Storm.  We were returning from Saudi Arabia and had arrived at JFK airport in New York. It was somewhere around midnight and we had to walk though the terminal to get to our next flight. As we made our way through the terminal, all of the civilians in the terminal came out of the various stores, lounges and terminal areas and applauded us until we arrived at our gate. It was a great feeling and you could see the fatigue leave us as we walked a little taller.

Many people don’t realize what our military goes through, even when we are not fighting a war somewhere. If not for our military, we could be fighting a war right here on U.S. soil. So whether you agree with the wars we are involved in or not, thank a veteran every time you see one. Better yet buy them a beer.

Alaska – Just the word makes me cold

Alaska is cold and I get chills just thinking about it. When we purchased it from Russia, for two cents an acre in 1867, it was simply for the purpose of extending a telegraph line that the Russians saw no value in. After the purchase, we didn’t do much with it until 1912, when it became an organized territory.  If you ask me, it was just too cold up there and nobody at the time saw a need to travel that far North, except some explorers who do that kind of thing for fun.

As time went on, some folks thought it might be interesting to build a road into Alaska.  The proposal was originally made in the 1920′s. In order to find a proper route to follow, they asked a guy named Slim Williams to travel the route by dog sled. Slim had originally gone to Alaska at the tender age of 18 in his quest for adventure. So I guess they figured that he was just crazy enough to find the route they needed. 

In order to actually build the highway, they needed the support of Canada, since most of the highway had to go through there. Canada saw no value in the proposal and the plans were put on the back burner for awhile. However, the US continued to plan a route just in case.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Canada decided it might be a good idea to put in a supply route after all. So in February of 1942, Congress and President Roosevelt approved the project and Canada agreed as long as the United States paid the entire bill. So on March 8, 1942 construction began. Originally the road was to be a supply route for the U.S. Army, so they took over the planning and construction. Hundreds of pieces of construction equipment had to be brought in to start construction. The crews were very fortunate early on, because the weather allowed them to proceed at both ends at the same time. They stepped up the construction effort after the Japanese invaded the Aleutian islands just 1,200 miles west.

The actual route was somewhat different from the one originally planned. The need to connect a series of airfields, know as the Northwest Staging Route, made it necessary to move the route over some very rough terrain. This required additional equipment, some of which was commandeered by the U.S. Army and had earlier been headed for California.

The rough road of about 1,680 miles was completed on October 28, 1942 and dedicated the following month. The original road was not usable by “regular” traffic until 1943 because of the steep grades and rough surface, so only heavy duty type vehicles were able to use it. After completion the Army turned the road over to the Public Roads Administration who began issuing contracts for improvements, including removing excess bends and steep grades.

The initial agreement stipulated that the U.S. turn over control, of the portion that ran through Canada, six months after completion. This actually didn’t take place until 1946, four years after it was completed. I guess the Canadians realized there were still some bills to be paid.

Even now improvements are constantly being made to the road. The latest being a section going through the Yukon which is expected to continue through 2009. A major problem with that portion of the road is “permafrost”.  This is a phenomenon where the soil itself freezes and has a thin layer on top which thaws during certain climate changes. The constant freezing and thawing causes the surface of the road to buckle which is referred to as “frost heave”.

Even with the Alaskan Highway problems that exist today, it was a truly amazing feat to build a road that long, under severe conditions, in just seven months. Just the weather by itself would prevent that accomplishment even today. For comparison purposes think about I95  (1,925 miles) from Florida to Maine. It was started in 1957 and they still haven’t finished a section between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. I’m just saying!

Oh! I just thought that I would tell you, it’s not always extremely cold in all parts of Alaska. When my brother was in the Air Force in the early 70′s, he was stationed in Alaska for a short time. He has pictures, from that period, of him and some friends tossing around a football and all were wearing t-shirts.

Anyway, there’s a lot more to know about Alaska and all the information you need is available at www.Alaska.TellMeAboutThat.com. If you’d like to read my other articles just go to www.TellMeAboutThat.com.

Now that’s Italian

Most people today, I estimate 99.9%, associate pizza and pasta with Italy. In fact pasta is their national dish. I’ve heard that both really originated in China but I think those were just rumors spread by the Chinese to promote tourism. I personally never think of the Chinese when I say or eat pizza or spaghetti.  Coming to think of it I think New York and Chicago style when I hear the word pizza, but neither of those places have anything to do with this article.

We know that Naples is in Italy and that most of the people there are Catholic. That’s because the Catholic church has a micro state there, Vatican City, where the Pope lives and people just don’t want to make the Pope mad. There is also another micro state in Italy, it’s called San Marino and it’s the oldest constitutional republic in the world. We know that Christopher Columbus was from Italy and that he discovered America, or did he. A guy named Leif Erikson may have something to say about that.

Italy also gave us Marco Polo who may have been responsible for trading with China and has a game named after him. Additionally, Amerigo Vespucci, who charted much of the South American coast, was the first to draw a map depicting Cuba as an island, and yes he was Italian. The ladies will know that Milan is the home of fashion and may not know that it is also the home of finance. After Rome, it is the second largest city in Italy.

Now, when you eat an ice cream cone, what do you think of besides Rocky Road and brain freeze?  Italy of course. NO? Me either, and maybe that’s because I don’t taste tomato sauce when I eat ice cream. But actually, the ice cream cone was invented by an Italian and so was espresso, eyeglasses (to see the little parts in the Fiat) and cologne. I’ll bet that you didn’t know that the nuclear reactor was invented by an Italian, Enrico Fermi. 

One of the earliest sewage systems in the world, Cloacus Maximus (Greatest Sewer)  was built in Rome and is considered an engineering marvel of the ancient world. Italy or Italians also gave us the thermometer, barometer, electric battery, nitroglycerin, the telephone and the typewriter.  Some of the produce that comes from Italy includes potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, olives, beef and grapes. The grapes are needed because the average Italian drinks 26 gallons of wine a year.

Shakespeare choose Italy as the setting for Romeo and Juliet and, at least partially, for 11 other stories. Pinocchio was written by Carlo Collodi, you guessed it, an Italian and I thought Walt Disney wrote that.

If you are thinking of visiting Italy or just trying to look smart, then remember these facts; there are over 3,000 museums in Italy and they have more hotel rooms than any other European nation. Around 70% of their economy comes from the service industry. That’s probably because they are the 4th most visited country in the world.  WOW!!

If you want even more information, so that you can look even smarter, then visit my Italy Vacation site and read the latest articles and ads. If you like what you see go to my blog for more information and facts on a wide range of subjects. Ciao!