Sunday, May 31, 2026
The Longest Day
This Saturday (June 6th) is the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings.
Because of that I'm watching
"The Longest Day."
"The Longest Day" is a
1962 Film based on a book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan.
It is a really great Film that I
have been watching since I was little.
I remember watching it on AFN
when I lived in Germany in 1994 for the 50th Anniversary of the Landings.
It shows the different sides of
the D-Day Landings with the Americans (played by: Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum,
John Wayne, Richard Beymer, Robert Wagner, etc.) the British (played by: Peter
Lawford, etc.) the French (played by: Jean Servais, Arletty, etc.) and the
Germans (played by: Gert Fröbe, Werner Hinz, etc.)
It had 3 different
Directors:
For the British & French
Scenes: Ken Annakin
For the American Scenes: Andrew Marton
For the German Scenes: Bernhard
Wicki
It was filmed in Normandy.
It has a Budget of $10 Million US
Dollars ($101 Million Dollars in 2026.)
It earned $50 Million Dollars
($519 Million Dollars in 2026.)
It also gave us quotes like:
“Jean a de longues moustaches” (“Jean has a long moustache.”)
1,544: Kyiv
Today (May 31st) is Kyiv Day.
It honors the founding of Kyiv
1,544 years ago (in 482.)
Note: For those that say Moscow
founded Kyiv: Moscow was founded in 1147 (665 years AFTER Kyiv.)
Saturday, May 30, 2026
Friday, May 29, 2026
Vichy France
Vichy France
In
September 1939 France declared War on Nazi Germany following its Invasion of
Poland.
On
May 10, 1940 Nazi Germany invaded Metropolitan France.
On
June 22, 1940 Metropolitan France surrendered. to the Nazis.
France
was then divided into the Occupied Zone (French: Zone Occupée and German:
Besetzte Zone) occupied by the
Germans – including Paris and the northern and western parts of France, the Italian
Occupation Zone of eastern France (French: Zone d'occupation italienne and Italian: Occupazione italiana della Francia
meridionale) and the Free Zone (French: Zone Libre and German: Freie Zone)
governed by the Vichy French Collaborators of the Nazis – in southern France.
The
Occupied Zone and the Free Zone were separated by the Line of Demarcation (French:
Ligne de démarcation and German: Demarkationslinie)
which was 1,000 miles long. Those wanting to cross the Line of Demarcation
needed both German and Vichy French Official Permission to do so – sometimes the
Line cut Villages in half.
Vichy
France (French: Régime de Vichy and German: Vichy-Frankreich) was officially a Fascist
Collaborating Country with Nazi Germany.
Vichy
France also governed all the French Territories and Colonies around the World:
In
the Caribbean: Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy and
Sint Martin.
In
South America: French Guiana
In
North America: Saint
Pierre and Miquelon.
In
Africa: French Algeria
(Present Day: Algeria), French Tunisia (Present Day: Tunisia), French Morocco
(Present Day: Morocco), the Ivory Coast, Dahomey (Present Day: Benin), French
Sudan (Present Day: Mali), French Guinea (Present Day: Guinea), Mauritania,
Niger, Senegal, French Upper Volta (Present Day: Burkina Faso), French Togoland
(Present Day: Togo), Chad, Oubangui-Chari (Present Day: Central African
Republic), French Congo (Present Day: Republic of the Congo), Gabon, French
Cameroon (Present Day: Cameroon), Madagascar, French Somaliland (Present Day:
Djibouti), Comoros and Reunion.
The
Middle East: French
Lebanon (Present Day: Lebanon) and French Syria (Present Day: Syria.)
In
Asia: French Indochina
(Present Day: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam) and French India (Present Day:
Puducherry, India.)
In
the Pacific: French
Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna and the New Hebrides (Present Day:
Vanuatu.)
Philippe
Pétain (a Famous World War 1 Commander) was the Vichy Head Of State who created
a Cult of Personality throughout Vichy France known as Petainism (French: Pétainism)
and he required all French People in the “Free Zone” to call him Marshall (French:
Maréchal.)
The
Capital of Vichy France was technically Paris, but since it was Occupied by the
Germans the Town of Vichy was used.
The
Nazis could still be seen throughout Vichy France from 1940-1942, but “Officially”
they had no power over the Internal Affairs in the “Free Zone.”
Vichy
France had to pay Nazi Germany 400 Million Francs (or $451 Million US Dollars
in 2026) every day for German Occupation Costs which totaled 479 Billion Francs
(or $509 Billion US Dollars in 2026 by August 1944.
On
June 18, 1940 Charles de Gaulle created the Free French Government-In-Exile to
combat the Vichy French Government and the Nazis.
On
July 21, 1940 the Vichy French Government withdrew French Citizenship to 15,000
Foreign-Born Jews who had received French Citizenship since 1927.
On
July 20, 1940 the New Hebrides declared their allegiance to the Free French.
On
August 24, 1940 a Referendum was held in French Polynesia (where only French
Men could vote – not French Women or Native People) voted 99% to have the Free
French governed them - not the Vichy
French.)
In
August 1940 the French Colonies of Chad, Oubangui-Chari (Present Day: Central
African Republic), French Congo (Present Day: Republic of the Congo) were
liberated by the Free French.
On
September 27, 1940 the Vichy French Government held a Census of all the Jews in
Vichy France.
On
October 3, 1940 Petain (on his own initiative and not forced to by the Germans)
created the Law on the Status of the Jews (French: Loi portant statut des Juifs)
which defined who was considered a Jew (similar to Nazi Germany’s 1936
Nuremberg Laws) required Jewish Business to display the word “Jew” in French
and in German (French: Juif and German: Jude) on them, limited the times when
Jews could leave their homes and excluded 3,000 French Jews from the Vichy
French Civil Service as well as Radio, the Movies, Education and the Military.
On
October 7, 1940 the Vichy French Government ended the Crémieux Decree (French:
Décret Crémieux) which made 35,000 Jews in French Algeria French Citizens in
1870.
On
October 31, 1940 the Vichy French Government made it illegal for Jews who had
fled during the German Invasion (now the Occupied Zone) to return to the
Occupied Zone.
Starting
in October 1940 the Vichy French arrested and imprisoned 40,000 Foreign-Born
Jews and imprisoned them in Concentration Camps in Nexon, Agde, Gurs, Noé,
Récébédou, Rivesaltes, and Le Vernet.
In
May 1940 Gabon was liberated by the Free French.
On
May 28, 1941 the Vichy French Government froze all Jewish Bank Accounts.
On
June 2, 1941 Petain created the Second Law on the Status of the Jews (French: second
Loi portant statut des Juifs) which expanded the Professions that French Jews were
not allowed to be in.
150,000
French Jewish Men, Women and Children throughout Vichy France (Europe, North
America, the Caribbean, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the
Pacific) were stripped of their Jobs, their Livelihoods and Persecuted by these
Two Statues.
In
July 1941 French Syria (Present Day: Syria) was liberated by the Free French.
In
August 1941 Japan (an Ally of Nazi Germany) invaded and occupied the
Vichy-Controlled French Indochina (Present Day: Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.)
French
Men, Women and Children were sent to Japanese Internment Camps.
On
December 24, 1941 Saint Pierre and Miquelon was liberated by the Free French.
In
May 1942 the Free French took over the Islands of Wallis and Futuna.
In
November 1942 the French Island of Madagascar was liberated by the British and
the Free French.
In
November 1942 the French Colonies of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco were
liberated by the Americans and the British.
On
November 10, 1942 Nazi Germany invaded and occupied both Vichy France and the
Italian-Occupied part of France (fearing the Allies would invade southern
France from French North Africa.)
On
January 22, 1943 the Vichy French helped the Germans Round-Up 2,000 French Jews
in Marseille and deported them to the Death
Camps in German-Occupied Poland. They
then destroyed the Saint Jean District of the City displacing 20,000 Residents.
25,000
French Jews and 50,000 Foreign-Born Jews in France (from the German Occupied
Zone, the Italian-Occupied Zone and Vichy France) were arrested and deported by
the Vichy French Government, the French Police and some Germans to oversee it
all.
The
Germans did not want to arrest and deport Jewish Women and Children, but the
Vichy French Government told the Germans that it was “inhumane” to separate the
Families and that they should all be deported to their deaths together so the
Germans agreed with the French.
Of
the 75,000 Jewish Men, Women and Children from France deported to the Death
Camps only 2,566 of them survived the War.
On
January 30, 1943 The Militia (French: Milice) a Paramilitary Group was created
in German-Occupied Vichy France.
30,000
Militia helped the Germans arrest and kill Jews and the French Resistance.
On
March 23, 1943 French Guiana was liberated by the Free French.
In
July 1943 Martinique was liberated by the Free French.
Women
in Vichy France were expected to take on “Traditional Family Roles” such as
Housewife, Teacher and Nurse, but with so many French Men (2 Million) held as
Prisoners-Of-War in Germany most Women in Vichy France had to work to earn the
limited Food Rations they were entitled to.
Women
were not given the Right to Vote in France until after France was Liberated (in
October 1944.)
After
the German Occupation of all of France the Germans still allowed the Vichy French
Government to run most Internal Affairs in the District while the Germans took
over Sole Responsibility of Security.
Vichy
France maintained Diplomatic Relations with: Australia, Canada (from 1940-1942),China,
the United States (from 1940-1942) and the Soviet Union (from 1940-1941.
The
Provisional Government of the French Republic was established on June 3, 1944
(right before the Normandy Landings) and was replaced by the Fourth French
Republic (French: Quatrième république française) on October 27, 1946.
The
Provisional Government was created in order to show the Other Allies (the Americans,
the British and the Soviets) that not all French People Collaborated with the
Germans during the War.
The
Provisional Government worked to ease the effects of the War while at the same
time setting the groundwork for a new French Republic.
On
August 9, 1944 the Order of August 9, 1944 Concerning the Re-Establishment of Republican
Rule of Law in Mainland France (French: Ordonnance du 9 août 1944 relative au
rétablissement de la légalité républicaine sur le territoire continental) of
the Provisional Government of the French Republic (French: Gouvernement
provisoire de la République française) repealed all Vichy French and German
Laws throughout Metropolitan France and all the French Colonies Worldwide.
All
the Anti-Jewish Laws were specifically repealed
Paris
was liberated by the Americans, the British and the Free French on August 25,
1944.
After
Paris was liberated Pétain and his Vichy French Ministers were taken to
Sigmaringen, Germany by the Nazis.
On
April 26, 1945 the Allies captured Sigmaringen and Vichy France was officially
dissolved.
Nazi
Germany and Vichy France were defeated in Europe on May 8, 1945.
Japan
and Vichy France were defeated in Asia on August 15, 1945.
Charles
de Gaulle, Leader of the Free French from 1940-1944 became the Chairman of the
Provisional Government of the French Republic from 1944-1946 then the Prime
Minister of the Fourth Republic from June 1958 – January 1959 and then the
President of the Fourth Republic from 1959-1969. He died on November 9, 1970 at
the age of 79.
France
was admitted to the United Nations on October 24,1945.
From
1944 until 1949 a Legal Purge (French: Épuration légale) was carried out in
France to rid the Country of the Vichy and German Collabroators.
300,000
Cases were investigated (with more than half closed.)
6,763
French People were Sentenced to Death (only 791 were actually carried out.)
49,723
French People received the Sentence of “National Unworthiness” (French: Indignité nationale) which put either Temporary
or Permanent Restrictions on what the Guilty could and could not do in Civil
Life.
Philippe
Pétain, the Head of State of Vichy France, was convicted of Treason on August
15, 1945 and sentenced to Death, but due to his age and what he had done for
France during World War 1 his Sentence was Commuted to Life in Prison. He died on
July 23, 1951 at the age of 95.
The
First Official Admission that the French State had been complicit in the Deportation
of the 75,000 Jews during World War 2 was made in 1995 by French President
Jacques Chirac.
On
July 16, 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the Country's role in
the Holocaust in France and the Historical Revisionism that denied France's Responsibility
for their crimes in sending Men, Women and Children to their death.
Thursday, May 28, 2026
Butterflies Are Free
Butterflies Are Free
“Butterflies
Are Free” is a 1972 Movie based on a 1969 Play of the Same Name.
It
stars Edward Albert as Don Baker, Goldie Hawn as Jill Tanner and Eileen Heckart
as Mrs. Baker.
Don
Baker is a 20 year old Blind Man who moves to San Francisco in the 1970s to
live by himself for the first time ever.
His
Next-Door Neighbor is 19 year old Jill Tanner who is a Hippie and just moved to
San Francisco.
Jill
learns Don is Blind (after she thinks he was peeping in on her in her room) and
they start discussing their lives.
Don
has been sheltered by his Mother his whole life because he is Blind and Jill
has been running wild her whole life (including getting married for 6 days when
she was 16 years old.)
They
eventually start dating and Don’s Mother comes to San Francisco to try and
convince him to return home.
His
Mother is very Conservative and there’s tension with Jill.
I
won’t say how the Film ends (you can watch it and see – no pun intended.)
The
Film was one of the first about being Blind and being Independent and not
simply locked away in an Institution.
Eileen
Heckart died in 2001 at the age of 82.
Edward
Albert died in 2006 at the age of 55.
Goldie
Hawn turned 80 years old in 2025.
Harry Meyen
Harry Meyen
Harry
Meyen was born Harald Haubenstock on August 31, 1924 in Hamburg, Germany.
He
was a German Film Actor that appeared in more than 40 Films and Television Shows
between 1948 and 1975.
Harry
was the Son of a Protestant Mother, Hedwig Timm and a Jewish Father, Bernard
Haubenstock.
His
Parents separated in 1931.
Had
his Parents stayed married the Nazis would have saved Harry and his Father from
being deported to a Concentration Camp.
His
Father moved to Karwin, Czechoslovakia (Present Day: Karviná, the Czech
Republic) and was sent to a Concentration Camp after the Germans invaded and
occupied Czechoslovakia.
Harry
lived with his Mother in Hamburg.
In
1942, 18-year-old Harry was incarcerated as a Mischling (meaning Half-Breed or
Half-Jewish) in the Neuengamme Concentration Camp.
Neuengamme
held 100,000 Prisoners from 1938-1945 with 42,900 murdered at the Camp.
Harry
was liberated by the Americans on May 3, 1945.
He
was 20 years old.
Harry’s
Father also survived the Holocaust, moved to Israel and died in 1968.
After
the War, Harry began his Career with Willy Maertens at the Hamburg Thalia
Theater.
From 1952 he performed at the Theater Aachen
and from 1955 moved to West Berlin.
Also
starring in Films directed by Helmut Käutner, Falk Harnack and Wolfgang
Staudte, he played the role of a young Luftwaffe Officer in the 1955 movie “Des
Teufels General” side by side with Curd Jürgens.
He
also worked as a Dubbing Actor giving his voice to Dirk Bogarde, Robert
Mitchum, Michel Piccoli, Peter Sellers, and Jean-Louis Trintignant.
He
is best known for his role in the 1966 Film “Is Paris Burning?” where he played
Lieutenant von Arnim (the Assistant to General der Infanterie Dietrich von
Choltitz, the German Military Governor of Paris.)
From
1953 to 1966 he was married to Actress Anneliese Römer.
In July 1966 he married Romy Schneider in
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.
Their
Son David Christopher was born December 3, 1966; the Family lived in Berlin and
later in Hamburg.
The couple finally divorced in 1975, and
Schneider took their Son with her to France.
Harry
suffered from Depression, his condition caused by the torture he had received
from the Nazis for being Half-Jewish in the Concertation Camp during the War.
On
April 15, 1979 (Easter Sunday) Harry Meyen hanged himself at home in Hamburg.
He
is buried in the Ohlsdorf Cemetery.
His
Son David died in an accident in 1981 and his Ex-Wife Romy Schneider died of a Heart
Attack in 1982.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Price Of Beef
The US Federal Government’s Minimum Wage is $7.25 an hour.
19
States have their Minium Wage tied to the Federal Government’s Minium Wage:
Idaho,
Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee,
Indiana, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
The
US Federal Government allows Tipped Position Employees to make just $2.13 an
hour.
The
US Federal Government allows Business to pay the Disabled $2.17 an hour.
The
Average Price of 1 pound of Ground Beef across the United States currently
costs $8.15.
That
means that Ordinary Americans in the 19 States where they make only $7.25 an
hour (before Taxes) have to work at least 1 hour and 30 minutes to be able to
buy 1 pound of Ground Beef (maybe a little longer depending on the State’s
Sales Tax.)
Those
who work for Tips as well the Disabled have to work much longer just to be able
to buy the same 1 pound of Ground Beef.
Of
course this doesn’t include the high cost (and constantly rising) for other
Foods like: Vegetables, Fruits, Bread, Dairy, Fish, Pork, Chicken, Steaks, Soda,
etc. but it does show a bad trend for Ordinary Americans in 2026.
Add
to all of this the high cost (and constantly rising) for; Home Electricity, Home
Water, Home Heating, Clothing, Gas, Diesel, Rent, Mortgage, Car Insurance, Home
Insurance, Property Taxes, School Taxes, Health Care Costs, etc. and there are
literally not enough hours in a day for Millions upon Millions of Ordinary
Americans to work Full-Time and still be able to afford the Basics.
Note:
In 2025, the Average Price of 1 pound of Ground Beef across the United States cost
$6.19.
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Kathleen Rockwell
Kathleen Rockwell
(Lieutenant Kathleen Rockwell, 23, of Alexandria, Virginia, an Army Nurse, leans on the shoulder of her Husband, Lieutenant Richard Rockwell, 23, of New York City. Kathleen managed to get herself transferred here to be with her Husband, arriving last week in time to get a Field Hospital set up, only to discover that Richard was being sent back to the Front Lines at Cam Ranh Bay – September 13, 1965 Qui Nhon, South Vietnam.)
Kathleen
Rockwell (nee Barclay) was born on July 16, 1942 in Vankleek Hill, Ontario,
Canada.
Her
Father was William Barclay and her Mother was Fleurette Barclay.
She
had two Sisters: Marjorie and Diane.
Kathleen
was the first in her Family to attend College.
She
graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University with a Nursing Degree.
While
studying at Georgetown she joined the Army Nurse Corps.
Kathleen
met Richard Rockweel during a 2½-month Officers’ Basic Orientation at Fort Sam
Houston, Texas while in the Army Medical Service Corps.
On
November 28,1964 they married in Arlington, Virginia.
They
had four Children: Carol, Richard Jr.,
Michael, and Christopher.
In
June 1965 Richard was deployed to South Vietnam with the 1st Infantry Division.
Immediately,
after learning where he was being stationed Kathleen volunteered to serve in
South Vietnam (not mentioning her Husband was also going to be sent there.)
Kathleen
served at the 85th Field Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon, South Vietnam (Present
Day: Qui Nhon, Vietnam) during the Vietnam War.
Two
months after being separated Kathleen and Richard were reunited in South
Vietnam.
After
arriving in Qui Nhon Kathleen learned that Richard was transferred to Cam Ranh
Bay -150 miles away.
Every
two weeks, Richard travels north from Cam Ranh Bay to Qui Nhon on Medical Supply
Runs.
She
also served in the Gulf War.
After
3 Decades of both Active Duty and Reserve Duty she retired with the Rank of
Colonel.
She
spent 30 years teaching Nursing at Del Mar College.
Kathleen
Rockwell died on December 19, 2024.
She
was 82 years old.
Richard Rockwell is still alive.
Berlin's Jewish Hospital
The Jewish Hospital in Berlin
The
Jewish Hospital in Berlin (German: Jüdisches Krankenhaus Berlin) was founded in
1756 and moved to its current location in the Wedding District in 1914 (just
before Germany entered World War 1.)
It
was funded by the Jewish Community of Berlin from 1756 until 1963.
Throughout
its History Berlin’s Jewish Hospital had a great reputation for its Modern and
Effective Treatments and was well-respected throughout Germany and Europe.
From
its Founding in 1756 until the Nazis came to power in 1933 Berlin’s Jewish
Hospital treated Patients of all Faiths (Catholic, Protestant and Jews.)
It
was only after the Nazis came to power in 1933 and made it illegal for Jewish
Doctors and Nurses to treat Non-Jewish Patients (ie. Aryans) that Berlin’s
Jewish Hospital was forced to turn Non-Jewish Patients away.
Walter
Lustig was the Director of Berlin’s Jewish Hospital during World War 2.
Lustig
was born in Ratibor, Germany (Present Day: Racibórz in Poland) in 1891 and
moved to Berlin in 1927.
He
worked as the Head of the Medical Department for the Berlin Police Force until
the Nazis forced him out for being Jewish.
In
1939 Lustig became Head of the Healthcare Division of the Reich Association of
Jews in Germany.
The
Reich Association of Jews in Germany or RAJG (German: Reichsvereinigung der
Juden in Deutschland) was created by the Nazis in February 1939 to register the
Jews in Germany and their Property and then to aid the Nazis in deporting the
German Jews to the Death Camps.
Every
single Jewish Man, Woman and Child in Nazi Germany and Austria was made to
become a Member of the RAJG.
In
September 1941 every Jewish Man, Woman and Child (above 6 years old) in Nazi
Germany and Austria had to get their Mandatory Yellow Stars of David from the
RAJG and pay for each one with Reichsmarks and Clothing Ration Coupons.
In
October 1941, Lustig was made the Head of Berlin’s Jewish Hospital.
In
December 1941 the Germans set-up a "Screening Unit for Transport
Complaints" to screen the health of the Jewish Men, Women and Children
they planned to deport from Berlin to the Death Camps in German-Occupied
Poland.
The
Germans only wanted to murder healthy Jews.
Unhealthy
Jews were allowed to stay either in the Hospital or at their Home for 3 months.
Pregnant
Women would be exempt from Deportation only if they were about to give birth
and then after they had their Baby they were both Deported.
In
October 1942 the Germans forced Lustig to 91 Employees of Berlin’s Jewish
Hospital for Deportation out of Berlin to the Death Camps.
During
the Factory Action (German: Fabrikaktion)
of February 1943 which saw the Nazis wanting to deport the final Jews of Berlin
(15,100 - mostly Half-Hews and Jews married to Non-Jews) and make the city Judenfrei (English: Cleansed of Jews) Lustig
succeeded in convincing the Nazis not to close the Hospital, but 300 Hospital
Employees and their Families were deported from Berlin to the Death Camps.
The
RAJG was officially disbanded in June 1943 (since the Nazis had declared there
to be no more Jews in Nazi Germany or Austria.)
The
Nazis then had the Gestapo directly oversee Lustig at Berlin’s Jewish Hospital.
On
April 19, 1945, as the War in Germany was coming to an end, the head of the
Jewish Affairs Department of the Gestapo, Erich Möller, ordered that all Jews
at Berlin’s Jewish Hospital be shot.
Curt
Naumann, a Jewish Former Bank Clerk who was forced to work at Berlin’s Jewish
Hospital running errands (including finding things for the Nazis on the Black
Market) used his influence to get the Shooting Order revoked.
On
April 24, 1945 the Soviet Red Army entered Berlin’s Jewish Hospital and found 1,000
Jewish Employees and 370 Patients including 93 Children.
Berlin
surrendered to the Soviets on May 2, 1945.
World
War 2 ended in Germany on May 8, 1945.
Walter
Lustig was arrested by the Soviets as a Nazi Collaborator (for aiding in the
Deportations from the Hospital to the Death Camps) and last seen in June 1945
in an official Soviet Limousine being driven out of Berlin where it is believed
he was shot.
After
the War, Berlin’s Jewish Hospital found
itself in the Soviet Occupation Zone in East Berlin (later East Berlin, East
Germany.)
Berlin’s
Jewish Hospital continued to function (opening up to both Jews and Non-Jews
after a 12 year forced restriction) although with limited supplies and
Manpower.
Before
the Holocaust Berlin had a Jewish Population of 172,000 Men, Women and
Children, but after 1945 there were less than 6,000 alive in the City.
Because
of that the Jewish Community of Berlin was unable to fully fund the Hospital
and converted to a Foundation (one of the few in Communist East Germany) in
1963 where it receives financial support from the East Berlin City Government.
In
October 1990 East Germany reunited with West Germany and East Berlin reunited
with East Berlin.
In
December 2025 Berlin’s Jewish Hospital filed for Bankruptcy.
As
of 2026, Berlin’s Jewish Hospital remains open in the Gesundbrunnen District of
Berlin.
It
currently has 345 Hospital Beds and 500 Employees.
The
future of Berlin’s Jewish Hospital remains up in the air.
It may be bought by another Hospital Operator and merged, it may find an Investor and remain open or it may be closed (after 270 years in operation including during the Holocaust.)
Georg Gärtner
Georg Gärtner
(Georg’s
Prisoner-Of-War Registration in the US in 1944.)
Georg
Gärtner was born on December 18, 1920 in Schweidnitz, Lower Silesia, Germany
(Present Day: Świdnica, Poland.)
His
Father, Paul, worked for the German Government on the Railroad and his Mother
was Emma.
He
had a Sister, Lotte, and a Brother, Paul Jr.
When
he was 19 years old in 1940 he enlisted in the Wehrmacht and fought in the
North African Campaign in the Afrika Corps.
In
1943 he was captured by the British in Tunis, French Tunisia (Present Day:
Tunis, Tunisia) and sent to the United States as a Prisoner-Of-War.
He
was sent to a POW Camp in Deming, New Mexico.
He
was processed as Prisoner-Of-War Number. 81-G80392.
At
the end of the War in May 1945 the German POWs were incorrectly told that they
would be repatriated back to their Hometowns.
Georg
didn’t want to return to his Hometown because it was now part of Soviet-Occupied
Communist Poland.
On
September 22, 1945 Georg escaped from the POW Camp by crawling under two Gates
and jumping on-board a Freight Train.
The
Train took him to California.
Georg
changed his name to Dennis Whiles, received a Social Security Number and
created a new backstory that he had been raised in an Orphanage after his
Parents were killed in a Traffic Accident.
He
spoke English well since he had learned in back in Germany while studying to be
an Officer Candidate.
After
moving between different Towns along the West Coast and working as a
Lumberjack, a Dishwasher and a Laborer Georg settled in Norden, California.
He
worked as a Ski Instructor in Tahoe during the Winter and as a Construction Consultant
during the Summer.
In
1964 he married Jean Clarke and adopted her two Children from a previous Marriage.
They
started a Tennis Club and Tennis Shop in Santa Cruz, California.
They
later settled in Hawaii where Georg worked on various Construction Projects for
the US Military and his Wife worked for the Hawaiian Refugee Resettlement Program,
providing Job Training and Health Services to Refugees coming to the Islands.
For
Decades Georg had kept his secret from his Wife and made excuses as to why they
could never travel outside the United States (since he couldn’t legally get a
US Passport.)
(Georg
in 2009.)
In
1984, when Jean was about to leave him Georg told her everything.
In
1985 Georg went public to Bryant Gumbel on the “Today Show.”
The
US Federal Government was at a loss of what to charge Georg with.
He
wasn’t an Illegal Immigrant as he was brought to the US against his will as a
Prisoner-Of-War.
He
hadn’t escaped from Prison and so wasn’t a Runaway Criminal.
Since
he had escaped after World War 2 ended there was debate as to whether he was
even still a Prisoner-Of-War.
In
the end the US Federal Government did not charge Georg with any crime.
In
1985 he travelled to West Germany and saw his Sister, Lotte, for the first time
since the 1940s.
Jean
and Georg divorced, but remained Friends.
He
was allowed to remain in the United States where he became a US Citizen in
November 2009.
Georg
Gärtner died on January 30, 2013 in Longmont, Colorado.
He
was 92 years old.
Georg
had no contact with his Family back in Germany throughout Decades in hiding.
His
Family had fled their Hometown after Nazi Germany’s defeat and the Communist
Takeover and moved to West Germany.
His
Parents were still alive in the 1960s.
They
kept a picture of him in their Kitchen in the hopes that Georg would one day
return.
He
never did.
There
were 371,000 German Prisoners-Of-War held in the United States during and
shortly after World War 2.
Georg
is known as the Last German Prisoner-Of-War.
The
US Army searched for Georg from 1945 until 1963.
For
40 years Georg was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List with his Wanted Posters in
most US Post Offices.
He
was not designated as “Dangerous” so the search for him was passive for Decades.
Monday, May 25, 2026
Leonard Siffleet
Leonard Siffleet
(Leonard
Siffleet in 1941.)
Leonard
Siffleet was born on January 14, 1916 in Gunnedah, New South Wales, Australia.
He
had a Sister and two Brothers.
In
the 1930s he went to Sydney to try and become a Police Officer, but was denied
because of poor eyesight.
In
September 1939 World War 2 began in Australia.
In
August 1940 Siffleet joined the Australian Army Reserve and was attached to a Searchlight
Unit at the RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force) Station Richmond.
He
was Discharged after 3 months to take care of his younger Brothers after his Mother’s
death.
In
September 1941 he joined the Second Australian Imperial Force and was based at Ingleburn,
New South Wales.
It
was at this time that he became engaged to Clarice Lane.
In
December 1941 Australia declared War on Japan after their Attack on the US
Territories of Guam, the Philippines and Hawaii and the British Territories of
Malaya, Singapore and Hong Kong.
After
training in Radio Communications at Melbourne Technical College, Siffleet
volunteered for Special Operations in September 1942 and was posted to the
Services Reconnaissance Department (SRD) of the Allied Intelligence Bureau in
Melbourne.
He
joined the Z Special Unit in October and was transferred to Cairns in Far North
Queensland for further Operational Training.
In
May 1943 Siffleet was promoted to Sargent.
That
same month he moved to the M Special Unit to take part in a Mission to set up a
Coast Watching Station in the hills behind Hollandia in Japanese-Occupied Netherlands
New Guinea (Present Day: Jayapura, Indonesia) and in Japanese-Occupied Aitape, Australian-
Papua New Guinea (Present Day Aitape, Papua New Guinea.)
In
early October 1943 Siffleet was captured by some Local Natives and handed over
to the Japanese.
Siffleet
was tortured and interrogated by the Japanese for 2 weeks.
On
October 24, 1943 Siffleet was blindfolded and beheaded in front of the Japanese
Soldiers and Native Population on the orders of Vice-Admiral Michiaki Kamada of
the Imperial Japanese Navy.
Leonard
Siffleet was 27 years old.
Yasuno
Chikao, the Japanese Soldier who beheaded Siffleet asked a Japanese Private to
photograph the beheading as a Souvenir.
(Leonard
Siffleet about to be beheaded by the Japanese in October 1943.)
The
photograph was found on the body of a dead Japanese Soldiers in Hollandia in
Japanese-Occupied Netherlands New Guinea (Present Day: Jayapura, Indonesia) in
April 1944 by American Soldiers.
It
is believed to be the only surviving depiction of a Western Prisoner of War
being executed by a Japanese Soldier.
The
photo was published in Australian Newspapers and in Life Magazine.
Vice-Admiral
Michiaki Kamada of the Imperial Japanese Navy was captured by the Allies in 1945
and tried by a Dutch Court for War Crimes and hanged on October 14, 1947 in Pontianak,
Dutch East Indies (Present Day: Pontianak, Indonesia.)
Reports
on what happened to Yasuno Chikao vary with some saying he died later in the
War while others saying he was captured and sentenced to be hanged, but had his
sentence reduced to 10 years imprisonment.
Leonard
Siffleet is commemorated on the Lae Memorial in Lae, Papua New Guinea, together
with all other Commonwealth War dead from actions in the Region who have no
known Grave.
A
Memorial Park commemorating Siffleet was also dedicated at Aitape in May 2015.
.jpg)
What's Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is observed on the
last Monday of May. It was formerly known as Decoration Day and commemorates
all men and women who have died in military service for the United States. Many
people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day and it is traditionally
seen as the start of the summer season.
Is Memorial Day a Public
Holiday?: Memorial Day is a public
holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most
businesses are closed.
What Do People Do?: It is traditional to fly the flag of the
United States at half staff from dawn until noon. Many people visit cemeteries
and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service.
Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
Memorial Day is combined with Jefferson Davis' Birthday in Mississippi.
Memorial Day has become less of an occasion of remembrance. Many people choose
to hold picnics, sports events and family gatherings on this weekend. This day
is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season for cultural events.
For the fashion conscious, it is seen as acceptable to wear white clothing,
particularly shoes from Memorial Day until Labor Day. However, fewer and fewer
people follow this rule and many wear white clothing throughout the year.
Public Life: Memorial Day is a federal holiday. All
non-essential Government offices are closed, as are schools, businesses and
other organizations. Most public transit systems do not run on their regular
schedule. Many people see Memorial Day weekend as an opportunity to go on a
short vacation or visit family or friends. This can cause some congestion on
highways and at airports.
Background: Memorial Day started as an event to honor
Union soldiers who had died during the American Civil War. It was inspired by
the way people in the Southern states honored their dead. After World War I, it
was extended to include all men and women who died in any war or military
action. Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The current name
for this day did not come into use until after World War II. Decoration Day and
then Memorial Day used to be held on May 30, regardless of the day of the week,
on which it fell. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as part of a
move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. This meant that
that, from 1971, Memorial Day holiday has been officially observed on the last
Monday in May. However, it took a longer period for all American states to
recognize the new date.
Sunday, May 24, 2026
.jpg)
IRBM Attack
Russia fired 600 Strike Drones and 90 Air, Sea and Ground Missiles including the Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile at Kyiv, Ukraine today.
Oreshnik
(or Hazel Shrub in English) is an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM)
characterized by its reported speed exceeding Mach 10 (7,610 mph.)
(A
Russian Missile about to hit a Residential Building in Kyiv, Ukraine, then it
hits the Building, the aftermath of the attack on the Building.)
The
Russian Targets were Residential Areas, Cultural Sites, Museums, Emergency
Services Buildings, Schools and Stores.
At
least 4 People are dead and at least 100 People have been Wounded in the
Attacks.
It
seems Putin and Russia are beyond desperate in the 4 ½ years since they started
this War in Ukraine.
1,355,920
Russian Soldiers have been killed or wounded in Ukraine.
Ukraine
is now easily able to bomb Moscow as well as Russian Cities 1,500 miles from
the Ukrainian-Russian Border using Drones.
Ukraine
is also using Drones to force Russian Soldiers inside Ukraine to surrender or
be killed (before Ukraine sends in Ukrainian Soldiers to capture them.)
Russia
doesn’t have the Technically-Advanced Drones that Ukraine has and so needs to
use its Soldiers as Cannon-Fodder (or in a Meat-Grinder) just to keep a few
miles of Occupied Land - with 26,000 Russian Soldiers killed or wounded in
Ukraine every single day.
Putin
and the Russians don’t care about Human Life whether it is Ukrainian or
Russian.
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