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V-E Day 75th anniversary

The German war is therefore at an end. After years of intense preparation, Germany hurled herself on Poland at the beginning of September, 1939; and, in pursuance of our guarantee to Poland and in agreement with the French Republic, Great Britain, the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations, declared war...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 8, 2020 10:39 AM

Veterans Day 2013: <em>Where Do We Find Such Men?</em>

In recognition of Veterans Day, I'd like to call your attention to a new book, Where Do We Find Such Men?, published in May by Robert N. Going, about the men of his hometown, Amsterdam, N. Y., who served our country during World War II. Going scoured through his hometown...

Posted by Michael Bates on November 11, 2013 12:26 AM

Memorial Day: Pvt. Albert W. Bates, 45th Division

Albert W. Bates was my grandfather's youngest brother, five years younger. He was drafted into the Army at age 20, served in the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Division, the Thunderbirds. He is buried in Welch Cemetery near his parents and some of his siblings. From the Oklahoma War...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 28, 2012 6:59 PM

Remembering Pearl Harbor attack after 70 years

"Official U.S. Navy Photograph, National Archives Collection. USS Maryland (BB-46) alongside the capsized USS Oklahoma (BB-37). USS West Virginia (BB-48) is burning in the background." Here are links to historical audio and photos and personal stories worth reading about the Japanese Empire's attack on the U. S. Naval Station...

Posted by Michael Bates on December 7, 2011 11:42 PM

Churchill, water at Circle Cinema

Winston Churchill: Walking with Destiny, a documentary on the life and legacy of the greatest man of the 20th Century, continues its run at Circle Cinema in Tulsa's Whittier Square through April 21, 2011. The newest production from the Moriah Films Division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, focuses on the...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 15, 2011 5:29 PM

San Antonio Roses

It was the song that took Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys "from hamburgers to steaks." In 1938, they took a fiddle tune called "Spanish Two Step" and ran the melody backwards; the result was a popular instrumental. ("Jazz violinist Joe Venuti, for example, told Wills and members of the...

Posted by Michael Bates on April 11, 2011 10:21 PM

German POWs in Oklahoma

A passing mention by Skye of German prisoners of war in Pennsylvania reminded me that a fair number of them -- tens of thousands -- were held here in Oklahoma, too, during World War II, at places like Ft. Reno, Ft. Sill, and Camp Gruber. Here are some links (with...

Posted by Michael Bates on May 26, 2009 11:41 PM