White Male Princeton Freshman "Checks His Privilege"

Apparently we white males are supposed to feel guilty about being white and male, although so far as I can figure, only racists and sexists could consider it a crime to be a particular race or sex.

Some commenters shriek and froth at the mouth at his temerity.

More here.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” Winston Churchill

More here.

Movie: "Stalingrad"

Back from “Stalingrad”. I definitely don’t want anyone making one called “Milwaukee”.

Good movie, I thought the 3D didn’t add much except $4 to the ticket price, but good. Very much like “Enemy At The Gate” right down to the Krauts machine gunning the boats crossing the Volga, and the same fountain, but very interesting to see the current Russian take on the siege. After all, while we lost around 400,000 troops in the war, they lost around 25,000,000.

The opening was a little confusing as it opens up with a current earthquake (Are we in the right theater, Honey?), but then it got into the WWII story and was good, right down to a Wild West pistol shoot out on Main Street and a great bank shot off the turret of a wrecked tank. Horrific fire scene when the fuel storage tanks blow. Rotten Nazis, Heroic Proletarian Russkies, all the good schmaltzie stuff. Probably won't be out long: subtitles as it is in Russkie and Krautish.

Interring Shipmates Aboard The USS Arizona

The Monuments Men

We went to see the movie several days ago and enjoyed it. I had read Lynn H. Nicholas' book, "The Rape of Europa", several years ago and just came across her column in the Wall Street Journal.

Her column and her book are well worth reading. The story of tracking down and preserving the artistic heritage of Europe from the Nazis is one of the great little known stories of the war. Hitler was determined to destroy all that he could not have, and he came very close to doing exactly that.

"Fat Boy" Does Nagasaki

I've never seen this before, or even known the name of the plane. Everybody knows Enola Gay. Number two is...uh...who?

I hope the Iranians never get a chance to make a film like this....though I won't be at all surprised if they do.

The Doolittle Raiders' Final Toast

The last survivors of Jimmy Doolittle's Raiders toast their comrades with the bottle of 1896 Hennessy Cognac presented by Hennessey to Jimmy Doolittle on his 60th birthday:



Here's the 1942 newsreel of the raid:



Here is an interview with Doolittle:

Pearl Harbor Anniversary

Today, 7:55 AM, is the 71st Anniversary of the Imperial Japanese attack.

UPDATE: The Honolulu Star Advertiser has a column commissioned by their predecessor, the Star Bulletin from their then social editor, Elizabeth Peet McIntosh. The editor decided that his society events and weddings writer had produced too powerful an account of the day and week after, and killed it.

Today the Washington Post ran the story, and the Star Advertiser picked it up. Probably the best civilian account I've seen. Here and here.

VJ Day in Honolulu

August 14, 1945: These people were really glad the war was over.



Clik on the video for full screen.

Thanks to JBR for the lead.

Ted Gundy Can Still Shoot Pretty Well

Ted Gundy is an 84 year old veteran sniper of the Battle of the Bulge.

He still can shoot a 5 inch group at 1000 yards.