To all of our valued readers...
We wish you a...
Very
and...
We invite all of you to take another survey
!
We had such a wonderful response to our
Thanksgiving Song survey, that we thought we needed a Best Christmas Movie survey as
well.
SO...
We'd like you to VOTE on YOUR
FAVORITE CHISTMAS MOVIE
We've come up with a list of FIFTEEN films that we can't stop watching year after
year.
Here are our nominations (in no particular
order):
We've even included a clip from the film to
jog your memory.
# 1
(2003)
# 2
(1984)
# 3
(1938)
# 4
(1942)
# 5
(2004)
# 6
(1944)
# 7
(2000)
# 8
(1990)
# 9
(1992)
# 10
(1947)
# 11
(1954)
# 12
(1994)
# 13
(1946)
# 14
(1983)
#
15
So...cast your vote...Send us an email
at:
Anthem
Opinions
Administration
______________________
Ever Been to
the
Clark
County Museum ?
If
you've never been...you're missing something that's a part of Nevada
history.
...and if you're tired and need a break
from casinos, mah jong, or boring committee meetings, this place is fun and
interesting.
Recognize this guy? You might even see him if you
go.
He's the museum administrator who also
happens to be the historical "expert" on the hit TV series, "Pawn Stars".
Mark Hall-Patton
Learn something about what he does for us
Clark County residents !
Here's the description of the museum from
their website with a few additional photos and videos to enhance the fascination
you'll experience when you get there:
"If you're planning on driving
to the Hoover Dam -- or want to travel back in time -- the Clark County Museum
is one stop you don't want to miss.
Located on Boulder Highway in Henderson
(about 35 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip), the museum is pretty much in the
middle of nowhere.
But that's what makes this experience so
authentic -- and fun!
The museum consists of two
parts:
A vast outdoor area with historic homes, a
"ghost town" and old trains...
... and an indoor exhibit showcasing a
physical timeline of Nevada from ancient times to
present.
The museum's Heritage Street takes you
through a time warp.
Not only will you forget you're in Vegas,
you'll feel like you traveled back 100 years.
The tree-lined streets provide ample shading
on hot summer days and the manicured lawns and rabbits hopping around add a
pleasant touch.
Explore five fully-furnished houses ranging from the
early 1900s to the 1950s.
Built in 1912, the Beckley
House is a California
bungalow-style house that was once located on Fourth Street in downtown Las
Vegas.
At the time, it cost only $2,500. The
Beckley house was the last pioneer home in the area and moved to the museum in
1979.
Built in 1931, the Goumond
House was glamorous for its
time. The mint green walls and pastel-colored interior give you an idea of the
style of the era. The bathroom even features colored toilet paper (remember
those?).
Also in the Goumond
House, you'll see a room filled with old TVs and record players from
the 1950s.
Just steps away, the Candlelight Wedding
Chapel was once located on the
Las Vegas Strip across from the Riviera hotel.
Built in 1966, celebrities who were married in this chapel
include Bette Midler, Whoopi
Goldberg and Ray Liotta, to name a few.
The chapel closed in 2004 and was relocated
to the Clark County Museum in 2007.
The chapel is fully furnished with pews,
flowers and mannequin couples.
You can even browse through wedding albums
featuring couples who tied the knot in this
chapel.
Donald W. Reynolds Print Shop is a replica of
what you would have seen in the 1890s.
The shop includes
gigantic machines, including a national paper cutter, also known as the
"guillotine cutter."
This machine was capable of slicing through
a four-inch thick pile of newspaper. This cutter was also used for books and
magazines.
You'll also see a fully furnished trailer
home, trains and historic vehicles. If it's not too hot, you can take the Mojave
Desert Trail, which includes a ghost town with a blacksmith shop and a
jailhouse.
Once you're finished venturing
outdoors (or if you opt to come here first), the museum
is like a history book coming to life.
Instead of
reading and flipping through multiple pages, you'll enjoy choosing the exhibits
you want to explore.
Read about ancient geography in Nevada and
see a model of dire wolf, an extinct breed that once roamed the valley 10,000
years ago.
You'll also learn Nevada used to be home to
Columbian mammoths, ground sloths, American lions and even
camels.
This section of the museum also includes
history about mysterious petroglyphs (rock art) found on
nearby canyon walls.
The museum also presents in-depth history
about Southwest Native American tribes (like the Anasazi, Mohave and Pauite) and
tools they used for survival.
As you walk further into the museum, the
time jumps from ancient Native American times to mining and pioneer
days.
Around this area, you'll also see an old gas
tank, mannequins wearing women's fashions from the 1960s, a penny slot machine,
a roulette table and retro Las Vegas hotel
memorabilia.
Speaking of Vegas, we decided to save the
best for last:
The final exhibit in the museum showcases
tons of trivia on Las Vegas, including resorts that made history, like the Stardust,
the Sands, Moulin Rouge and the Dunes.
For instance, did you know in 1965, the
24-story Dunes tower was the state's tallest
structure?
The property also had the tallest
free-standing sign at 185 feet.
This area also features posters of Wayne
Newton and magicians Siegfried and Roy in their early
days.
While you're here, read about the many hotel
implosions on the
Strip.
The Dunes
(1993)
The Hacienda
(1996)
The Aladdin
(1998)
The Landmark
(2005)
The Boardwalk
(2006)
Bourbon Street
(2006)
The Castaways
(2006)
The Sands
(2006)
The Stardust (2007)
The New Frontier
(2007)
The Clarion
(2015)
The Las Vegas Strip began with the El Rancho
hotel in 1941 and with the opening of the Flamingo hotel five years later, the
Strip veered away from its Western frontier origins to the sleek, modernized
resorts we see today.
The gift shop has a variety of unique items
for sale, including books and handmade Native American dolls. There's even an
outdoor patio featuring benches and a fountain for a peaceful place to
relax."
Watch some interesting videos regarding this
fascinating "find" in the middle of nowhere !
Here are the lobby exhibits you'll
enjoy.
Like to walk...here's the nature
trail.
..and their newest exhibit...The Bishop
Ranch Root Cellar.
The Clark County Museum is open daily from
9:00am to 4:30pm.
It's closed on
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Admission is only $2.00...and kids
and seniors age 50 and above get the best bargain in the valley for only $1.00.
The museum is located
at 1830 S.
Boulder Hwy in Henderson.
For more information,
call (702)
455-7955
Get there...you'll be glad you did
!
Dick Arendt
_______________________________
74 Years
Ago
December 7,
1941
Let all
Americans fly their flags today to honor those who were killed and wounded on
this "day of infamy".
U.S. Casualties at Pearl
Harbor
December 7,
1941
Killed
Navy
2,008
Army
218
Marines
109
Civilians
68
Total
2,403
Wounded
Navy
710
Army
364
Marines
69
Civilians
36
Total
1,178
God Bless those Brave
Souls.
Let us Never
Forget...
We owe them so
much.
Anthem Opinions
Administration
-
From Mary Jannell...to...Anthem Opinions
VERY TRUE, Dick. -
-
From Jill for Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
All servicemen then and now deserve our support emotionally and financially. -
From Cary Chubin of Ft. Lauderdale, FL...to...Anthem Opinions
2500 Americans died on D-Day. The bravest assault I can imagine. I don't think I could have even got ON a boat to do what those brave men did for our freedom.
-
_____________________________
Did Ya Know ?
Just How Did Lake Mead Get its
Name?
Lake Mead
Many travelers to Las Vegas often make
Hoover Dam a stopping point to see the wonders of man-made achievements, but
that dam wouldn't exist without Lake Mead.
but...
Did ya
know....
How Lake Mead got
its name?
Lake Mead is a man-made lake...the
largest reservoir in the United States, located approximately 24 miles from the
Las Vegas Strip between the states of Nevada and
Arizona.
It's 112 miles long...when the lake is full...
...covers 246 square
miles....
...has 759 miles of
shoreline...
... and at its greatest depth, reaches
532 feet.
Unfortunately, those dimensions
haven't been reached since 1983 as a result of both drought and increased water
demand.
Lake Mead has NINE access points.
On the west
there are three roads from Las Vegas, and there is access from I-15 through the Valley of Fire State Park, and from
the Moapa River Indian Reservation in Overton,
Nevada.
What many people
are unaware of is that the lake is divided into several
bodies.
The body closest to Las Vegas is the
"Boulder Basin", a narrow channel once known as
Boulder Canyon and is now referred to as "The
Narrows".
Boulder Basin
"The Narrows" connect the "Boulder
Basin" to the "Virgin Basin" to the
east.
The Virgin River and Muddy River empty
into the Overton Arm, which is connected to the northern part of the "Virgin
Basin".
The next basin to the east is the
"Temple Basin", and following that is "Gregg Basin", which is connected to the Temple Basin by the
Virgin Basin.
There are two other basins; the "Muddy River Inlet" and the "Virgin
River Basin" that are flooded when the lake reaches a high enough stage;
however, currently
both remain dry due to the
severe drought conditions that currently exist.
Lake Mead receives the majority of its
water from melting snow in the Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah Rocky
Mountains.
How did this "dream" become a
reality?
A need for water in settling the "Wild
West" !
...and the expertise and dedication of
a man named...
Elwood
Mead
(January 16, 1858--January 26,
1936)
...a professor, politician, and
engineer who headed the United States Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 until his
death in 1936.
Mr. Mead would oversee some of the
most complex projects the Bureau of Reclamation would ever undertake....the
Hoover, Grand Coulee, and Owyhee Dams across the United
States.
Mead received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Purdue
University in 1882 and immediately went to work for the Army Corps of Engineers
for a short time before he departed for Fort Collins,
Colorado.
There he would become a professor of Mathematics at Colorado
Agricultural College, where he would develop and teach the first class on
irrigation engineering in the United States in
1886.
In 1888 Mead became the territorial and state engineer of
Wyoming, drafting the water laws for that state until
1899.
In 1899 he was appointed the head of irrigation investigations
for the US Dept. of Agriculture, which was based in Cheyenne, Wyoming. There he
would have an important role in directing irrigation studies across the
West.
In 1907 Mr. Mead would travel to Australia and work for the
Australian government as Chairman of the State Rivers and Water Supply
Commission in Victoria until 1911, after which he returned to the United States
to teach at the University of California.
At the same time he became the chairman of the California Land
Settlement Board serving in those positions until in 1924 he was named the
Chairman of the Bureau of Reclamation by President Calvin
Coolidge.
Elwood
Mead would die just four months after the
completion of Hoover Dam, and to honor his service to the United
States...
...Lake Mead was named in his
honor.
Some additional facts about Lake
Mead:
The water flows are largely moderated
by the "Glen Canyon Dam" which is REQUIRED to release 8.23 million acre feet of water
each year to Lake Mead.
Glen Canyon
Dam
(in northern
Arizona)
Hoover Dam is REQUIRED to release 9 million acre feet of water each
year with the difference made up by tributaries that join the Colorado River
below "Glen Canyon" or flow into Lake Mead.
The outflow provides water delivery to
Arizona, California, and Mexico.
The result of this
outflow...
...a deficit of
approximately 1.2 million acre feet EACH YEAR.
Before the filling of Lake Powell (a reservoir of similar size to Lake Mead)
located behind the Glen Canyon Dam, the Colorado River flowed largely UNREGULATED into Lake Mead, making Lake Mead more
vulnerable to drought.
Lake Powell
But the importance of Lake Mead became
apparent as the 20th century drew to a conclusion.
In the 1970s through the 1990s,
multiple "wet years" allowed both Lake Mead and Lake Powell to fill to capacity; the result, both Lake
Powell and Lake Mead releasing significantly more water than
required.
In 1983, the conditions reached their
peak, and have since reversed, due to severe drought.
Since 2000 the Colorado River has
experienced persistent drought conditions with average or above average
conditions existing only in years 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, and
2014.
Although Glen Canyon was able to meet
its required minimum release in 2014, Lake Mead STEADILY DECLINED due to the
loss of the surplus water that once made up the for annual
overdraft.
In June 2010, Lake Mead was at only 39% of
capacity.
A
heavy snowfall season from May, 2011 to January, 2012 prompted the release of an
EXTRA 3.3 million acre feet of water from Glen Canyon into Lake
Mead.
The
remainder of 2013 and 2014 the Colorado River basin experienced its worst
consecutive water years on record, prompting a LOW Glen Canyon release in
2014...
...the lowest since 1963 during the initial filling of Lake
Powell.
Consequently, Lake Mead has fallen significantly reaching even
lower levels...and continues to drop !
And
now you know who Lake Mead was named for, as well as the significance this
man-made wonder has played in US history.
Dick
Arendt
-
From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
Always interesting and cleverly written. -
-
From Denise Munns...to...Anthem Opinions
Terrific article, Dick -
-
From George Jacobs of Cleveland, Ohio...to...Anthem Opinions
Another fascinating item from my favorite online author. Thanks! -
From Phillip Rosen of Glenview, IL...to...Anthem Opinions
Who needs high school?
Just read "Arendt's Tidbits" for all of the pertinent information one needs!!
-
-
__________________________
It's Veterans Day, and while today we honor those who proudly served our nation, we often forget those special individuals who chose to spend their lives with them....
The spouses who
were left behind...
...those individuals who would
relocate from city to city and country to country while their mate would travel
in and out of combat duty....
...those individuals who would raise
families for years often alone in doing so.
But... there was one particular lady
who shined in her role as the wife of a soldier...and today we honor her...as
every bit the Veteran her late husband always was
!
Audie Murphy's wife...Pamela
Pamela & Audie
Murphy
What a beautiful Lady she was !
Audie Murphy was just 46 years old when he died in a helicopter crash in the Virginia Mountains.
Like so many who return from war
today...he too was troubled when he came back from World War II, and it took a
heavy toll on his life.
Sadly, he never received the medical
help he needed.
Many in today's youthful world have
little knowledge of who or how great a hero Audie Murphy was during the Second World
War.
That's the
sadness in many of today's youth....
...they know so little of the past, or of those who allowed them to have the freedom they enjoy today.
...they know so little of the past, or of those who allowed them to have the freedom they enjoy today.
A movie "American Sniper" was
nominated for an Academy Award in 2015.
That the kids of today are quite familiar with !
...but thus far, no one person has stood in the footsteps of the bravery of Audie Murphy.
That the kids of today are quite familiar with !
...but thus far, no one person has stood in the footsteps of the bravery of Audie Murphy.
Earning one or two medals would make
most service members proud, but to have earned his decorations in battle is
truly remarkable.
Let's look at what this man was awarded for his World War Service.
Medal of
Honor
Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star (with oak leaf
cluster)
Legion of
Merit
Bronze Star (with oak leaf cluster and
Valor Device)
Purple Heart (with two oak leaf
clusters)
U.S. Army
Outstanding Civilian Service Medal
U.S. Army Good
Conduct Medal
Presidential Unit Citation (with First Oak Leaf Cluster)
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with One Silver Star,
Four Bronze Service Stars (representing nine Campaigns) and one Bronze Arrowhead
(representing assault landing at Sicily and Southern France
)
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal (with Germany
Clasp)
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
French Fourrage in Colors of the Croix de
Guerre
French Legion of Honor - Grade of
Chevalier
French Croix de guerre (with Silver
Star)
French Croix de guerre (with
Palm)
Medal of Liberated
France
Belgian Croix de
guerre (with 1940 Palm)
Additionally, Murphy was awarded:
Combat Infantry  Marksman badge with Rifle
Bar, Expert Badge with Bayonet
Bar.
Now to find out that his widow was also most
certainly a hero.
Truly Amazing
!
And Now...his heroic
wife....
Pamela Murphy
Pamela Murphy, widow of WWII hero and actor, Audie Murphy, died
peacefully at her home on April 8,
2010.
She may have been the widow of the
most decorated WWII hero and actor, Audie Murphy, but she too was a hero in
every sense of the word...
...establishing her own distinctive 35
year career working as a patient liaison at the Sepulveda Veterans Administration
Hospital, treating every veteran who visited the
facility as if they were a VIP.
Any soldier or Marine who came into the
hospital got the same special treatment from
her.
She would walk the hallways with
her clipboard in hand making sure her boys got to see the specialist they
needed.
If they didn't, watch out !
"Her boys" weren't Medal of Honor recipients or movie stars like
Audie, but that didn't matter to
Pam.
They had served their Country.
That was good enough for her.
She never called a veteran by his
first name. It was always "Mister."
Respect came with the
job.
"Nobody could cut
through VA red tape faster than Mrs. Murphy," said veteran Stephen
Sherman, speaking for thousands of veterans she befriended over the
years.
"Many times I
watched her march a veteran who had been waiting more than an hour right into
the doctor's office." She was even reprimanded a few times,
but it didn't matter to Mrs. Murphy. "Only her boys
mattered. She was our angel."
Audie Murphy died broke in a plane
crash in 1971, squandering millions of dollars on gambling, bad investments, and
yes, other women.
"Even with the
adultery and desertion at the end, he always remained my hero," Pam told
me.
She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised her two sons...
...to a small apartment....
...talking a clerk's job at the nearby VA to support herself and start paying off her faded movie star husband's debts.
At first, no one knew who she way. Soon though, word spread through out the VA that "that nice woman with the clipboard" was Audie Murphy's widow.
It was as if General Patton himself, had walked through the door !
She went from a comfortable ranch-style home in Van Nuys where she raised her two sons...
...to a small apartment....
...talking a clerk's job at the nearby VA to support herself and start paying off her faded movie star husband's debts.
At first, no one knew who she way. Soon though, word spread through out the VA that "that nice woman with the clipboard" was Audie Murphy's widow.
It was as if General Patton himself, had walked through the door !
Men with tears in their eyes walked up to her and gave her a
hug.
"Thank you," they said, over and over.
The first couple of years, the hugs were probably
more for Audie's memory as a war
hero.
The last 30
years, they
were for Pam.
One year she was asked to be the focus of a Veteran's Day column for all the work she had done.
One year she was asked to be the focus of a Veteran's Day column for all the work she had done.
Pam just shook her head no.
"Honor them, not me," she said, pointing to a group
of veterans down the hallway.
"They're the ones
who deserve it."
The vets disagreed.
The vets disagreed.
Mrs. Murphy deserved the
accolades, they said.
Incredibly, in 2002, Pam's job was
going to be eliminated in budget cuts.
She was considered "excess
staff."
"I don't think
helping cut down on veterans' complaints and showing them the respect they
deserve should be considered excess staff," she
said.
Neither did the veterans.
Neither did the veterans.
They went ballistic, holding a
rally for her outside the VA gates.
Pretty soon, word came down from
the top of the VA.
Pam Murphy was no longer considered
"excess staff."
She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 until she was 87.
"The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans," said Becky James, coordinator of the VA's Veterans History Project.
She remained working full time at the VA until 2007 until she was 87.
"The last time she was here was a couple of years ago for the conference we had for homeless veterans," said Becky James, coordinator of the VA's Veterans History Project.
Pam wanted to see if there was
anything she could do to help some more of her
boys.
Pam Murphy was 90 when she
died.
What a Lady
!
What a Hero
!
What a Veteran
!
Dick
Arendt
-
From George Jacobs of Cleveland, Ohio...to...Anthem Opinions
Very nice tribute to an unsung hero. Your research shines. Thanks for sharing this wonderful person's life story. -
From Mary Jannell...to...Anthem Opinions
What an awesome story Dick. I loved it!!
I have always loved Audie and loved his Movie "To Hell and Back".
Didn't know he was a womanizer though. Naughty boy!!! -
From Phillip Rosen of Glenview, IL...to...Anthem Opinions
Nice angle!! Dandy story! Just dandy! -
From Margaret McKee of Grayslake, IL...to...Anthem Opinions
Nice article. -
From Linda Dawson...to...Anthem Opinions
Who knew!!! -
-
From Naty...to...Anthem Opinions
Great tribute to an unsung hero!!!
She was an angel on earth !!!
-
________________________
Norm Clarke...The Las Vegas Review
Journal
Remembers
The Landmark
Hotel
and
My Friend
Lorraine
Hunt-Bono
If you enjoy entertainment and some of
the historical moments of Las Vegas, a must read was on Page A-3 in the main section of the
Sunday,November 8, 2015 edition of the Las Vegas Review
Journal.
The article "Hunt-Bono Recalls Landmark Opening" is in Norm
Clarke's "Vegas Confidential" column.
If you don't get the RJ...or if you've
"pitched" it by now...
Just click on this link to enjoy the
article.
Those of you who are regular attendees
of The Dennis Bono Show each Thursday afternoon at the South Point Hotel, know
of the warm relationship I share with Dennis and his wonderful wife, Lorraine
Hunt-Bono, the former Lt. Governor of Nevada.
For those of you unfamiliar with Lorraine
Hunt-Bono, she was the former "Lauri Perry",
the performer who opened the famous Landmark Hotel's Lounge in
1969..
Lauri Perry
...and pressed the button to implode
the Landmark while she was serving as our Lt. Governor in
1995.
I've said it more than once...of all
the individuals I had the opportunity of interviewing while I was the radio talk
show host for The Vegas Voice....the most fascinating person
I ever met...was..
.jpg)
Lorraine Hunt
Bono
If you love Entertainment and the
history of Las Vegas Entertainment, read this article. I believe you'll find it
both enlightening and entertaining.
Dick
Arendt
_________________________
Why Daylight Savings Time at All ??
Fall Back to Standard Time in the Winter
Spring Forward in the
Spring
Some love it...and some...hate it, but
do you the facts of why we do this year after year?
First, it all began in 1966 when President Johnson signed the "Uniform Time Act" into law...
...and believe it or not, we actually
have a governmental agency who is the "official keeper of daylight savings
time"...
The
Department of Transportation !
(your tax dollars at
work)
Why does this even
exist?
Well...we have various
reasons.
One argument for daylight savings time
is that fewer accidents happen during daylight hours, so...extending the morning
(in winter) and evening (in the summer) results in a slight reduction in auto
accidents.
Another reason behind daylight savings
time it to save energy.
According to a 2008 Department of
Energy Study, electricity usage decreases .5% for each day of the extended
daylight hours, resulting in .03% for the year as a
whole.
This at first glance might appear
miniscule, but in absolute terms, the extended daylight adds up to 1.2 BILLION kilowatt
hours...
...enough to power
122,000 American homes for a year !
What Affect Does
it Have on Your Body?
That depends on a number of factors, most of which include your age, a working
schedule, and the regularity of your personal eating and sleeping
habits.
A person's "internal clock" has to shift and that varies from
individual to individual.
...and us seniors age 65 and over seem
to have the toughest time adapting to the time changes.
Why?
Seniors tend to go to bed
earlier...wake up in the middle of the night (men can surely agree with this),
and often have difficulty getting back to sleep.
The good
news?
The typical person normally can adjust
to the time change within a day or two.
Some states do
it...other's don't !
This has to be one of the most
frustrating aspects of the time change.
Cross Hoover Dam into Arizona and you
never know what time it is !
Arizona and Hawaii are currently the
only two states that don't observe daylight savings time...so...in the
summertime when you enter Arizona, we're on the same time zone, but once
daylight savings time ends, they are one hour ahead of us
!
It took until 2005 when the State of
Indiana finally adopted the change statewide. Prior to that, some counties
observed the time change, and others did not.
Bottom Line !
Enjoy your extra hour sleep for the
next four and half months, because on March 13,
2016...
We do it all over again when we lose
the hour we gained from November 1, 2015 !
Dick
Arendt
______________________________
From Channel 3
News
October 31,
2015
Happy Birthday
Nevada
It was 151 years ago
Saturday, on October 31, 1864, that Nevada was admitted to the
Union.
The state entered as the tide of the Civil War
was turning, as the North could see victory in the
distance.
But UNLV history professor Michael Green would
like to get something straight:
We were not admitted, he
says, because Lincoln wanted and needed our gold and
silver.
“Lincoln wanted electoral votes,” Green says.
“Lincoln wanted electoral votes,” Green says.
“Believe it or not, in the summer of 1864, he
thought he would be defeated for reelection.”
Lincoln needed Nevada, and quickly, which is why our state constitution was telegraphed to Washington over two days – Oct. 26 and 27, 1864, two weeks before the election.
It would be one of the longest telegraph transmissions in history, at a cost of $4,303.27. (If you think your cell phone bill is bad, in today’s money that bill would amount to $63,000 dollars.)
We had three electoral votes back then.
Lincoln needed Nevada, and quickly, which is why our state constitution was telegraphed to Washington over two days – Oct. 26 and 27, 1864, two weeks before the election.
It would be one of the longest telegraph transmissions in history, at a cost of $4,303.27. (If you think your cell phone bill is bad, in today’s money that bill would amount to $63,000 dollars.)
We had three electoral votes back then.
Lincoln only got two, because the third elector got trapped in a
snowstorm and never cast his vote.
But Green argues the more important date in our history is March 19, 1931 – the day we eased restrictions on divorce, and legalized gaming.
But Green argues the more important date in our history is March 19, 1931 – the day we eased restrictions on divorce, and legalized gaming.
Both
would become huge industries, with the latter becoming our calling card to the
world.
“In a way, that’s the bigger day. That shapes modern Nevada in so many important ways,” Green says.
The Depression. Hoover Dam. World War II. The Cold War. Gaming. The Mob Era. The Explosive Growth of Las Vegas. Immigration. Drought. Climate change.
“In a way, that’s the bigger day. That shapes modern Nevada in so many important ways,” Green says.
The Depression. Hoover Dam. World War II. The Cold War. Gaming. The Mob Era. The Explosive Growth of Las Vegas. Immigration. Drought. Climate change.
Nevada has had a front row seat to the 20th century, with influence
continuing into the 21st.
Not
bad for a state with only 2.8 million people, of which 2 million live here in
Clark County.
Yet, our history informs us.
On Friday, October 30th the Nevada State Museum saw a steady stream of visitors, including many children, who had the day off from school.
Yet, our history informs us.
On Friday, October 30th the Nevada State Museum saw a steady stream of visitors, including many children, who had the day off from school.
Nevada Day, the day set aside to commemorate our admission to the
Union, is a state holiday.
The scope of our history is on display, from prehistoric fossils, to gaming pioneers, to everything in between.
“A lot of people drive through the state and say there’s nothing here,” says the State Museum’s Paul Curry. “The road you’re on was probably a railroad path in the beginning, and if you just keep that in mind you’ll realize railroads were throughout Nevada,” he said, noting our mining history and the railroads that rushed in to rush the gold and silver out.
Nevada is many things: the quaintness of Carson City, the beauty of Lake Tahoe, the open space of the rurals, the desert of the Mojave, the Strip in Clark County.
In Downtown Las Vegas stands the Old Mormon Fort, the oldest structure in the city.
An exposed wall highlights the original adobe brick – Las Vegas’ oldest wall is still standing.
______________________________
The scope of our history is on display, from prehistoric fossils, to gaming pioneers, to everything in between.
“A lot of people drive through the state and say there’s nothing here,” says the State Museum’s Paul Curry. “The road you’re on was probably a railroad path in the beginning, and if you just keep that in mind you’ll realize railroads were throughout Nevada,” he said, noting our mining history and the railroads that rushed in to rush the gold and silver out.
Nevada is many things: the quaintness of Carson City, the beauty of Lake Tahoe, the open space of the rurals, the desert of the Mojave, the Strip in Clark County.
In Downtown Las Vegas stands the Old Mormon Fort, the oldest structure in the city.
An exposed wall highlights the original adobe brick – Las Vegas’ oldest wall is still standing.
______________________________
The Curse of the
Goat
It's another "Wait 'til Next Year" for my beloved Chicago
Cubs....and after 2015, I have now become a true believer in the "curse of the goat" !
Have you ever heard of the Wrigley
Field "Goat Curse"?
If not, I thought I would share
the tale with you.
The "curse", as the story goes, dates back to October 6,
1945 when the Cubs were playing
the Detroit Tigers in Game Four of the World Series.
At the time, the Cubs were one of the
most successful teams in baseball history.
They had won back to back World Series
titles in 1907 and 1908, and in the
years following, they had appeared (unsuccessfully)
in the Series in six other years, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932 (the year Babe Ruth "called his shot" in
Wrigley Field)...
...1935, and 1938, prior to
their 1945 appearance.
...and in 1945, Cub fans
had every belief it was going to be "their
year".
The Cubs began the 1945 World Series with a 2-1 lead over Detroit Tigers after playing the first three games in Detroit's Briggs Stadium.
They needed only 2 more to win it
all....the last 4 scheduled to be played in the "Friendly Confines" of Chicago's
Wrigley Field.
Chicagoans flooded into Game Four on
October 6, 1945.
World War II had just ended; people
were dancing in the streets; and the Cubs were favored to wrap up the
Series...especially since they had home field
advantage.
Then it happened....
A man named Billy Sianis walked up the turn style gate with two
tickets...
One for
himself...the other...for his pet goat !
Billy
Sianis was well known in
Chicago. He was a Greek immigrant who owned a local bar called the "Billy Goat Tavern", which is still operating today
!
Billy had rescued the animal after it fell
off a passing truck in the mid-30s, and it had become a "fixture" at his
bar.
Both would often be a part of Chicago parades in his attempt to promote his restaurant.
Both would often be a part of Chicago parades in his attempt to promote his restaurant.
He adopted "Billy
Goat" as his nickname and even grew a goatee !
On that fateful October afternoon,
Billy decided to bring his goat to Wrigley Field to publicize his bar and bring
good luck to the Cubs.
The animal was draped in a banner
reading...
"We Got Detroit's
Goat"
At this point, there are various versions of what then took place.
The first is that Wrigley Field ushers
blocked Sianis at the
gate, refusing to allow his goat into the park.
When Sianis complained that he had a ticket for him,
Cubs owner P.K.
Wrigley was contacted to "make
the call" as to the goat being admitted to the game.
Mr. Wrigley refused, telling Billy
that the goat couldn't come in "because the goat
stinks".
Upset, Billy Sianis threw up his arms
and...
..put a curse on the
Cubs...
...saying...
"The Cubs ain't
gonna win no more. They Cubs will NEVER win a World Series so long as the goat
is not allowed in Wrigley Field."
A second version claims the goat
and Billy
Sianis WERE
admitted to Wrigley Field that
day, but following a brief rain delay, fans surrounding Billy and his goat began
complaining that the goat's pelt was stinking up the stands, at which time he
placed the "curse".
Billy and the goat left, and then
history would unfold.
The Cubs would lose game 4 by a score
of 4-1.
They would lose Game 5 by a score of
8-4.
They would however win Game six by a
score of 8-7...but it took them 12 innings to win the
game.
And finally, in Game 7, the Tigers
would solidly defeat the Cubs 9-3 after scoring 5 runs in the very first inning
!
But...there would be more
to "the
curse".
It took 24 years until 1969 before the Cubs would make a serious run for
the National League
pennant.
That was "the
year" it was supposed to happen...but something would take place in New
York's Shea stadium that would change all that !
On September 2,
1969, the Cubs led the Mets by 8 games with less than a month remaining in the
season.
The Cubs were beginning to lose, while the Mets continued to win.
The Cubs were beginning to lose, while the Mets continued to win.
During a two game set at Shea Stadium,
Cubs Hall of Famer Ron Santo would be
standing in the on deck circle awaiting his turn at
bat...
and then...suddenly...this took place
!
Yes...a black cat would stroll on the field next the Cubs dugout, but true Cub fans knew it was "the goat" reincarnated !
By the end of the
month, the Mets would finish the 1969 season 8 games in front of the
Cubs....and eventually become known as "the Miracle Mets", winning the
World Series.
In 1984, the Cubs would win the National League Eastern
Division, and face the San Diego Padres in the League Championship Series in a
best of 5 games.
The Cubs came out like
gangbusters...they won the first 2 games and then traveled to San Diego...needing
only one of three to get to the World Series....they lost
all three !
In 1989, the Cubs
would again win the National League Eastern
Division,
this time facing the San Francisco
Giants. They would
lose that best of seven game series 4 games to
1.
In 1998, they lost the National League
Divisional Series to the Atlanta Braves, 3 games to
0.
2003...perhaps the worst of them all
!
The Cubs had defeated the heavily
favored Atlanta Braves in the Divisional Series and would go on the face the
Florida Marlins in the League Championship in the best of seven
games.
The Cubs took a commanding 3 games to 1
lead, with the final 2 games to be played in Wrigley
Field.
The game was in the 8th inning and
Cubs were ahead 3-1...five outs to go before victory ...and a World Series
berth...would be theirs !
This one was "in
the bag"...the Cubs were finally going to the World
Series...
...until a foul ball was hit into left field, and a poor soul named "Steve Bartman" would do what any fan would do...try to catch the ball.
...until a foul ball was hit into left field, and a poor soul named "Steve Bartman" would do what any fan would do...try to catch the ball.
Unfortunately Cubs left fielder Moises Alou felt otherwise...as did the 40,000+ fans who were in Wrigley Field that evening.
There's not a Cub fan in existence
who's not convinced THAT BALL WOULD HAVE BEEN CAUGHT...the inning would have
ended !
Following that play....you could hear
a needle drop in Wrigley Field with people thinking and saying "Not Again ???" and
looking out of the corner of their eyes for Billy's GOAT
!
The Marlins would eventually
score 8 runs in
that inning and win not just
that game, but the following night's game 7 as well !
That triggered a new Cubs
manager...with a new spirit....but with the same
results.
The Cub organization would hire a proven winner....
The Cub organization would hire a proven winner....
Lou
Pinella
What would be his legacy as Cubs manager?
In 2007, the Cubs would win the National League Central division only to lose the National League Divisional Series 3 games to 0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
They would come charging back in 2008 to win the National League Central once
again, this time losing the National League Divisional Series
to the Los Angeles Dodgers 3 games to
0.
And so..seven sad seasons would pass
until 2015 and once again the luck of the
Chicago Cubs would continue.
As they previously did...they hired
yet another new skipper...this one promising that the 2014 last place
Cubs would make it to post
season play !
Joe
Maddon
...and Joe kept his promise to the hungry fans of Chicago.
They would win 97 games...the third best in all of
baseball...and still finish third in their division behind the Pittsburgh
Pirates and the St. Louis Cardinals..the only two teams with better
records...(Pirates...98, the Cardinals....100 wins), .mostly
with kids who would be rookies and youngsters that had never heard of "the goat".
2015 was destined to be different....all was
going well and too good to be true....
They would defeat the Pirates in the
Wild Card game and then beat the mighty Cardinals 3 games to 1 in the Divisional
series....
...and off they were to play the New
York Mets for the National League Championship, a team that in 7 games during the
2015 regular season, the Cubs had beaten 7 out of 7 times !
So what happens....they do it
again...they lose in 4 straight games !
Now the epilogue to our sad
tale.
Perhaps the single most offensive
weapon in the New
York Mets arsenal was a guy who
had hit 6 home runs
in 6 consecutive playoff
games.
His name...Daniel
Murphy.
What does this have to do with the "Goat Curse" ?
Billy
Sianis' pet goat was named....
"MURPHY"
Oh well...there's only three things
left to say !
First...Congratulations to the New York Mets...they really were "amazing" !
Second...Next time you see a goat at a baseball game...give him your seat !
Third...
First...Congratulations to the New York Mets...they really were "amazing" !
Second...Next time you see a goat at a baseball game...give him your seat !
Third...
"Wait 'til Next Year"
Dick
Arendt
:
-
From Rob Garrett (Neil Diamond Tribute Artist)...to...Anthem Opinions
WOW!! That IS a great (but sad) story - especially finding out that the goat's name was "Murphy".
Already knew about the "Babe", the black cat and the Steve Bartman (let's find someone to blame it on) story in 2003.
Speaking of the devil...
you might find this interesting as I did
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKhekhnQgv0 -
From George Walsh (former business associate)...to...Anthem Opinions
Sorry Dick.
I was hoping for a win so my bar clients would do better
I don't think it's the goat.
Maybe next year! -
From Phillip Rosen...to...Anthem Opinions
Dick,
IT is OVER .
(not the curse - the Cubs season!!)
The Cubs did better this year than anyone had predicted at the outset,
WAIT till next year!!! -
From Mary Lee Duley...to...Anthem Opinions
Loved the story!!!!
Hopefully the curse of the goat dies soon!
Go Cubs! -
From Gayle Thompson...to...Anthem Opinions
Dick, What happened?!?
People all over the country (even Nashville where we've been for the past week) were excited and pulling for the Cubs.
I really like your articles and appreciate your perspective
.
GO CUBS!!
All of us were hoping for an 8 game winning streak. -
-
-
In 2003, when Steve Bartman interfered with that ball, all Chicago Cub fans gasped...knowing in their hearts, something was going to go terribly wrong after that....
It did...the Marlins eventually scored 8 runs in the 8th inning and eventually beat the Cubs that evening by a score of...
8-3
Even though there was still one game left to play, every Cub fan knew the spirit of the goat was lurking somewhere in Wrigley Field waiting to rear it's ugly head in spite.
It did...and most Cubbie fans were convinced there was no need to play the final game...it was over before it started.
And...they were right.
Has the ghost of the goat reappeared?
In 2015, what was the score of the final game that ended the Cub season?
8-3
Yes...there is no doubt...it's "The Curse of the Goat"...and you'll never convince me otherwise !
-
-
-
From Linda Dawson...to...Anthem Opinions
So it's not really the Cubs fault! -
-
-
From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
Will we ever see the Cubs as the World Series winners?
-
_____________________________
Saying
Goodbye
to
"Moochie"
Kevin
Corcoran
(1949-2015)
As the years pass, sadly we seem to be
getting used to losing some individuals who have been a part of our history,
but there are some that seem to hurt worse than
others....
...namely those who were a part of our
youth...and in some cases, within a year or two of our own
age.
Those are the ones that "bring home"
the fact that life is so fragile...and ever so brief !
On October 6, 2015,
we lost one such individual...
...a person we all somehow knew...but
also seemed to forget his real name.
That person was Kevin
Corcoran !
Only a few knew him as Kevin
Corcoran...
Nope...we grew up knowing him as
"Moochie" from the Mickey Mouse
Club...
...not as an original Mousketeer back in 1955 ...
...but an "adopted" one over the years
in the many Disney productions he would be a part of in his
youth.
How many of you remember running home
from school each weekday and watching "The Mickey Mouse
Club" ?
And never missing an episode of
the....
?
David
Stollery & Tim
Considine
...and the kid who always got into
everything...but everyone seemed to love just the
same !
Moochie
Yes, that kid was Kevin
Corcoran...and he would go on to perform in some of the most popular
Disney movies of all time.
He was...
Young Francis
Robinson
in
and
Jimmy Bean
in
and
Montgomery "Moochie"
Daniels
in
...and...
Youngster Arliss
Coates
(with Sun City
Anthem resident Beverly Washburn)
...in one of the greatest animal tear jerkers of all time....
Yes, that was Kevin Corcoran as a
child, and as he grew into manhood, he would graduate from California State
University with a degree in Theater Arts, returning to the Disney studios behind
the camera as a director and producer for a number of successful films that
included "Pete's Dragon".
He would also serve as an assistant
director on a number of television shows that included "Scarecrow & Mrs. King", "Quantum
Leap" and "Murder She
Wrote".
He was one of eight children, a number
of those siblings also entering the acting field.
He was successfully married to his
wife, Laura, for 43
years.
On October 9, 2006,
he, along with fellow Disney actors, Tim
Considine (Spin), David
Stollery (Marty), and Tommy Kirk were honored as "Disney
Legends".
We lost Kevin "Moochie" Corcoran at the
young age of 66, suffering from colon cancer.
He may never have been the biggest
movie star, but those of us who rushed home every day after school to see "Spin & Marty" and enjoy the many classic Disney films
in which he appeared, will never forget that innocent face and the devilish
mannerisms that always turned mischief into a smile.
Dick
Arendt
Anthem
Opinions
-
From Phillip Rosen of Glenview, IL...to....Anthem Opinions
One of your best!! Brought back many, many fond memories. -
-
From Dave Nall of North Carolina,,,to...Anthem Opinions
An excellent tribute, Dick -
-
From George Jacobs of Cleveland, Ohio...to...Anthem Opinions
You astound me with your great bits of trivia.
Thanks and keep up the good work!
-
-
____________________________
Yogi = Icon
Growing up in Chicago....the word YANKEE in the 50s meant trouble to Windy City South Side White Sox fans; and in October, that also meant we would be humiliated by those "Damn Yankees"...they were ALWAYS in the World Series.
We knew the Cubs would never have an
October ballgame, but the White Sox....they were our Baseball hope, and year
after year, no matter how well a season went for the White Sox, it was always
the same old story....the New York Yankees would be on their
way to the World Series.
My memories of grade school were
filled with the good Sisters at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel allowing us to tune into
the radio broadcasts of the afternoon World Series
games.
Those were
the days when all the games were played during the day....with
us Chicagoans believing that God
designed the Great American Pastime to be played in the sunshine, not in the
darkness of night.
And we were forced to listen to the
same team again and again....the New York
Yankees !
I started kindergarten in 1952...
...the Yankees won the
Series.
In '53, they did it again.
Somehow the Indians won in '54, but
that turned out to be short-lived because those damn Yankees would be back
in '55, '56, '57, and '58.
They would give us White Sox fans
a break in '59, but that too was short lived.
Back they were
in '60....and to add insult to injury,
they consumed my entire high school years in '61, '62, '63, and '64.
Yes...I hated the
New York Yankees.
But it took years to realize that
those years probably were the greatest years in the history of the
game....
...and I was fortunate to be there to
experience it even if only on a radio feed through a school intercom or a
Gillette Saturday broadcast on our Black & White TV wiggling the rabbit ears
to see the action...instant replay never existed then
!
Despite my disdain, the Yankees
were PHENOMINAL; not just for winning, but for the names who
would become ICONS in years to come.
More than 60 years have now passed
since that year of 1952, but who can forget the mark these men would leave on
that great game?
Mickey
Mantle...Hall of
Fame.
Whitey
Ford...Hall of
Fame.
Johnny Mize...Hall of
Fame.
Phil
Rizzutto...Hall of
Fame.
Enos
Slaughter...Hall of
Fame.
Casey
Stengel...Hall of
Fame.
There were men who may not have been elected to the "Hall", but are every bit the true "Yankee".
There was Bill Skowron at first, Elston Howard in the outfield and behind the plate;
infielder Billy
Martin; ouffielder Roger Maris, Don Larsen pitching the only no-hitter in World Series
history...just to name a few.
...and one other guy....the guy who
caught the games from 1946 to
1964...
Hall of
Famer....
Lawrence Peter
"Yogi" Berra
Those Yankee "greats" are now either
gone or advanced in age, but Yogi Berra....can best be described as the man who I
believe, loved the
game of baseball, more than life itself.
Why do I believe
that?
Because this man was destined for the game...and no one could ever allow him to believe he wasn't !
Because this man was destined for the game...and no one could ever allow him to believe he wasn't !
Yogi was born in St. Louis on May 12, 1925 to an Italian immigrant
family.
He wasn't the greatest student; he quit school after the 8th grade, but he was a heck of an athlete...
He wasn't the greatest student; he quit school after the 8th grade, but he was a heck of an athlete...
...and he loved
baseball.
...and took the game so seriously that
it was during his early American legion career that his friend, Jack McGuire, saw
him sulking after losing a game with his arms and legs
crossed...
...telling
him he resembled a "Hindu
Yogi"...
...and from that moment Larry Berra
would forever be known as "Yogi".
The St. Louis Cardinals offered him
a signing bonus of $300, but Yogi told them he wouldn't settle for less
than $500.
The Cardinals passed....but he got the
extra $200 from a team in New York....the
Yankees.
And for the next 19 years, he wore the
number "8" catching more than 100 games each year.
(Those were the days of the 154 game schedule.)
During that time, he set record after
record.
He was elected to the American League
All-Star team 18 times, had a career batting average of .285,
compiled 358 home runs and 1,430 runs batted in.
Yogi was one of only five players in
major league history to earn the American League Most Valuable Player Award
three times.
But Yogi's biggest professional prize
was being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in
1972.
That same year, the New York Yankees retired the Number 8 in his honor.
Yogi would go on to manage the
Yankees, Mets, and Astros to a combined record of 484 wins and 444 losses before
finally retiring from the game in 1985...
...almost 40 years of his life
dedicated to the game he adored.
But in addition to all of his baseball
feats, perhaps he will best be remembered for what has been referred to as
"Yogi-isms".
What are "Yogi-isms"? They are pure
Americana Yogi Berra.
"Baseball is 90%
mental, and the other half is physical"
"When you come to
a fork in the road, take it"
"You can observe a
lot, by watching"
"It ain't over til
it's over"
Off the field Yogi was also a great
family man, having 3 sons who also played professional athletics, and being
happily married and devoted to his wife, Carmen, for 65 years before her death in
2014.
Sadly Yogi Berra passed away on September 22, 2015 at the age of 90.
My guess is that he had hoped to hang around to see his beloved Yankees claim yet another World Title, but somehow, I know he'll be there somewhere in Yankee Stadium when that first pitch is thrown in the 2015 play-offs.
After all, he was the spirit that
America learned to love...on and off the field.
Want more of Yogi
?
Dick
Arendt
Anthem
Opinions
-
From Bill Farrell of Raleigh, North Carolina...to...Anthem Opinions
Ruth, Ernie Banks, and Yogi were the biggest ambassadors of
baseball. -
From Thom Wollard of Barrington, Illinois...to...Anthem Opinions
Being a devout Yankee fan during my adolescence, I enjoyed your Yogi article.
However, for the record Don Larson threw the only PERFECT GAME in World Series history, not a no hitter.
Also lets not forget Bobby Richardson and Ralph Houk and Ken Boyer. What a phenomenal dynasty. -
From Mary Lee Duley...to...Anthem Opinions
Good one! -
From Tim Brooks (owner of Emerald Island Casino in downtown Henderson)...to...Anthem Opinions
Thank you for this one, Dick.
Very, very cool!
Tim -
-
From Thom Wollard of Barrington, Illinois...to...Anthem Opinions
“nobody goes there anymore. Its too crowded”
“it ain’t over ‘til its over” sadly, its finally over. -
From George Jacobs of Cleveland, Ohio...to...Anthem Opinions
Wow. Thanks for the memories. -
From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
Hi Dick,
Too add a person note to your story -as a teenager a group of us got together and found out where he was staying .
They convinced me to call him - I did, but when he answered the phone he sounded sleepy so I asked if I had awakened him.
His reply:
"Not really, cause I had to get up to answer the phone ,anyway."'
True story !
Loved your tribute. -
From Barbara Wollard...to...Anthem Opinions
Shared your article with my entire family including kids and grandchildren.
We all thought you did a great job! -
-
From Linda Dawson...to...Anthem Opinions
Just read this!
Thanks for the memories!
-
-
_____________________________
Casa de
Shenandoah
Now Open to General
Public
If you've lived in Vegas for any
duration and driven down Pecos Road, you've probably noticed this sign at the
corner of Pecos and Sunset...
...it's part of Vegas history and
represents the glory days of Strip fame and
entertainment.
It's the home of Wayne
Newton.
Ever wonder what it looks like behind the gates?
Now you can find out because it's Las
Vegas' newest tourist attraction.
Wayne Newton...."Mr. Las Vegas"... as he was referred to for years, was
one of Las Vegas' greatest
entertainment icons, dazzling sell-out audiences for years primarily in the late
1970s and early 1980s.
Back then, you didn't think of coming
to Las Vegas without catching a Wayne Newton show !
He could do it all...sing and play
musical instruments that included guitar, steel guitar, violin, percussion,
trumpet, and piano.
No one ever left a Wayne Newton
show without believing they hadn't gotten their money's worth, never failing to
give his audiences 110% of every
ounce of talent he had to give...he was that GREAT !
"Daddy Don't You
Walk So Fast"
"Red Roses for a
Blue Lady"
Times would change for Newton and
financial problems would sadly enter his life as he became a part owner of the
old Aladdin
Hotel (now the location of
Planet Hollywood) in 1980, unsuccessfully trying to become its sole owner in
1983.
He would eventually declare Chapter 11
bankrupcy in 1992, but the resilient "Mr. Las Vegas" would bounce back over the
years.
Father time
however, would take its toll on his once famed voice as the years passed, and
financial problems would again enter his
life.
In 2011, Newton and his wife,
Kathleen, had originally intended to make the Newton estate a museum, but the
project eventually went bankrupt, and a legal battle ensued with a Texas
businessman that was recently resolved.
In late 2014 Wayne and Kathleen Newton
moved back into the Casa de Shenandoah property.
Casa de Shenandoah was originally
built between 1966-1968 with Newton living there with his parents and older
brother.
Over the next four years, the mansion
was completed and the singer continued to expand the estate to include 52 acres
decorated with 8 homes, lakes, and most notably, 2 barns, 60 stalls, and 3
arenas, to house his famous Arabian horses...60 of them
!
CBS News named Casa de Shenandoah one of the Top Five Homes in the United States in 2008 (the same list that the White House was included) and it has been featured in movies (most notably Chevy Chase's "Vegas Vacation"), and several TV shows including "The Rockford Files", "Vegas", and most recently, "The Amazing Race".
Now it's yours to see. The Gold Tour
is $45; the
Platinum Tour is $49, and the Diamond Tour is $95.
Senior discounts
are also available.
Here's a sample of what you're in
store for when you get there !
Want more information
?
Here's their newest
website:
One thing for sure....he may now be 73
years old, but there will never be another Wayne
Newton...
.
.
So let's take a quick look back at
Wayne at his best....
...wish him and his family well...and
allow us to say...
"Danke
Schoen"
Dick Arendt
Dick Arendt
____________________________
Wishing
"Shanah
Tovah"
to our friends of the Jewish
Community
Being of the Catholic faith, I have always found it fascinating to learn the traditions of other religions...to honor and respect them, and to draw from them the goodness on which most are based, sharing a belief in a divine Supreme Being.
And of all those that I have studied
over the years, the one most closest to mine, is
Judaism.
After all...us Christians all have our
"roots" in that religion.
Sunday evening marks a "new beginning" to Jews around the world as they will celebrate a holiday referred to
as Rosh
Hashana.
And to our friends in Sun City Anthem,
all of us at Anthem Opinions wish you...
"Shanah
Tovah"... which, in Yiddish, means "a good
year".
I have always been surprised at how
little others know of other's faiths, and how quick people are to criticize
others for not sharing theirs, but I have always been a firm believer that
knowledge gives one the opportunity to understand....and understanding provides
an avenue to acceptance and peaceful coexistence.
...and it is with that objective,
that we thought you might like to know something about the significance of this
annual celebration of our Jewish friends.
Rosh
Hashana is the beginning of the
Jewish New Year and as of Sunday evening at sundown , the year 5,776 will commence. It will conclude two days
later at the same time on Tuesday evening.
According to the Hebrew Bible, or
the Talmud as it is
more properly referred to, Rosh
Hashana celebrates the creation of Adam and Eve.
It's the first day of the "High Holy Days", and begins on the first day of "Tishrei", the first month of the Jewish
calendar.
It is also sometimes referred to as
"The Feast of Trumpets"....and is characterized by
the playing of the "Jewish trumpet"...the shofar.
This ancient musical instrument is
made from a ram's horn.
Why is this article headlined by a picture of an apple and honey?
That too is Jewish tradition, and
eating those foods at a Jewish holiday dinner signifies the advent of a "sweet
New Year".
It is placed on a " Yehi Ratzon"
platter along with other fruits, and the apples are dipped in honey...a tasty
treat if you've never tried it ...and is served with a delicious bread called
"challah", a round bread that symbolizes the cycle of
the year.
Rosh Hashana has a general air of happiness and it is the beginning of the "Ten Days of Penitence" which will end on the most sacred day of the Jewish faith, Yom Kipper.
So...to all our friends, we wish you
the most blessed of New Years and a happy and
successful...
5,776
Dick
Arendt
Anthem
Opinions
-
From Mary Lee Duley...to...Anthem Opinions
Beautifully written!
You've shared some wonderful basics about the Jewish holidays that l was not familiar with.
Thanks again,and "Shanah Tovah"! -
From George Jacobs of Cleveland, Ohio...to...Anthem Opinions
Dick, I always enjoy your history articles. In this case, like you, I am a Catholic, but now have a better understanding of the meaning of this holiday. -
From Carol Horn of Phoenix, AZ...to...Anthem Opinions
A Happy and healthy New Year to you and Anthem Opinions. -
From Mary Kolak of Des Plaines, IL...to...Anthem Opinions
Thanks for the education - I admit I am pretty bad when it comes to other faiths. -
From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
Dick,
And may your new year be enriching happy and healthy as well. -
-
-
From Laura Shapiro...to...Anthem Opinions
Thank you for your article, Dick.
I'd like to wish all my friends and neighbors at Sun City Anthem a very happy and most of all, a healthy New Year. -
- ________________________
-
Music We Danced to in September
(1955-65)
September means FALL...
...and Fall for many of us in the
1950s and 1960s meant it was back to school after a fun summer at the beach or
at the baseball yard...or...in the "back seat".
Ah...the memories of those years no
longer seem all that long ago....but a look in a mirror tells us differently,
doesn't it ?
We're now in our 60s and 70s but those
"wonder years" for some unknown reason seem to
be those many of us look back at as...."the best years of
our lives"
!
...and what brings those memories
alive more than anything else was the music that we enjoyed and danced to as we went to those sock hops
on Friday nights, or dressed up for that Saturday night date which was always
with a special someone !
And so...I thought I'd bring in September with the memories of those top hits that
made the #1 spots
in the month of September from 1955 to 1965.
So...settle back...and let's go
back....to the days of our youth and the songs that we all enjoyed as we entered
another school year !
1955
Mitch Miller would reign as the top tune in the first 3 weeks, with...
"The Yellow Rose
of Texas"
...until Pat Boone and his white bucks
would take over in the last week with...
"Ain't That a
Shame"
1956
By the time this year would arrive,
there was a new kid in town named Elvis Presley...
... who would forever be known as "The
King"...and the King he was...
during the first 2 weeks of the month, when he mesmerized the girls with....
during the first 2 weeks of the month, when he mesmerized the girls with....
"Hound
Dog"
...and then flipped it on the "B" side
to lead the pack for the last 2 weeks with....
"Don't Be
Cruel"
1957
As the calendar turned the page to
this year and "rock" became "cool", we ended up having four different tunes rule
the roost.
It began with a young kid named Paul
Anka...
...who still performs to capacity
crowds to this very day as he recorded a song about his babysitter...a gal
named:
"Diana"
...but in the second week, a tune from
a movie about a young girl and a bachelor made it to the top...the girl...Debbie
Reynolds...the song...
"Tammy"
In week three a group called "The
Crickets" with lead singer Buddy Holly would take over
with...
"That'll Be the Day"
...and the month of September would
close with yet another new star named Jimmie Rodgers singing
about his...
"Honeycomb"
1958
In this September year, the first
three weeks would be dominated by an Italian singer named Domenico Modugne who
couldn't speak English, but his song being recorded again and again in the years
to come...
" Ne Blu Dipinto Di
Blu"
...but we went back to the English
language when Tommy Edwards in the last week,
released...
"It's All in the
Game"
1959
As this year went by, we lost Buddy
Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper in February, but their passing didn't
spell the end of "rock n roll".
In the first two weeks of September,
The Browns said it all with...
"The Three
Bells"
...but in the final week, one of the
most beautiful pieces was recorded and today is still considered one of the top
5 instrumentals of all time. It was by Santo & Johnny, and many of us at
those sock hops couldn't wait to find that certain pretty girl and dance with
her to...
"Sleep
Walk"
1960
As this year would pass, so would
I...into high school.
And in the first two weeks of the
ninth month, "The King" would be discharged from the US Army, and would be back
with...
"It's Now or
Never"
...but in the third week, a man named
Ernest Evans would change dance music forever when he changed his name to Chubby
Checker and recorded...
"The
Twist"
...and in the final week, America's
newest female singing heart throb, Connie Francis, would
release....
"My Heart Has a
Mind of Its Own"
1961
In September of this year, the first
two weeks would be dominated by a group of young men called The Highwaymen when
they did...
"Michael"
....but another young rock n roller
would finish up the month in the final two+ weeks with a song that followed his
first hit song, "Rubber Ball". This one was Bobby Vee's greatest
hit....
"Take Good Care of My Baby"
1962
For two weeks, the charts were led by
a new singer...who would eventually gain even greater fame in the later years
with hits "Dizzy" and "Sweet Pea", but it all started for Tommy Roe with a hit
named...
"Sheila"
...but then four Jersey Boys would
change their names to The Four Seasons, and hit pay dirt with their first of
many hits....
"Sherry"
1963
No one could have possibly imagined
that less than two months after this September, our nation would witness the
murder of a president...a young and handsome man with a lovely wife and two
beautiful children...who was just within the first 2+ years of a "New
Frontier"...
..but rock n roll would continue when
three young ladies would dominate the first three weeks of the month with a song
that was a warning to any guy....who had plans to move in on another guy's
girl. Their song...
"My Boyfriend's
Back"
...and guys would figure out that
being "the nice guy who opened the car door" usually got the girl. Bobby Vinton
said it all in....
"Blue
Velvet"
1964
Yes, the Mop Tops arrived in February,
but another British Group would call the shots in the first three weeks of
September in this year...and these "Animals" would do it with a tune
called...
"The House of the
Rising Sun"
...but the month ended in a classic by
a guy who was "old school". His name was Roy Orbison...and his
song...
"Pretty
Woman"
1965
Well now, we've pushed
these past 11 "music years" to a point that most of you who were still in school
in that year are now pushing 70...yes....70 !
..and so what better songs to end our
journey as we head into the final years.
In the first three weeks of September,
the Beatles would make their second movie, and the title song would
rule.
Appropriately, it was
called....
"Help"
...and finally, as the year would wind
down, a foreign war would take over, and eventually take 58,000 American lives.
Berry McGuire said it best in our last song...
"The Eve of
Destruction"
Funny how 50-60 Years can pass...and
some things don't change, do they ?
We hope you've enjoyed this trip down the memory lane of your youth.
Have a great fall season
!
Dick
Arendt
Anthem Opinions
Administration
From Jill from Chicago...to...Anthem Opinions
I smiled all the way through your article.
I love the music we grew up with because it brings back
the memories of the people and places that brought joy to my life.
-
From Dave Nall of Wilmington, North Carolina...to...Anthem Opinions
Hey Dick!
Thanks SO MUCH for WONDERFUL AFTERNOON “Trip Down Memory Lane.
I really appreciated the journey!
__________________________
"Operation
Downfall"
The American
Invasion of Japan in
1945
EPILOGUE
(Part Three of
Three)
The invasion of Japan never became a
reality because on August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was exploded over
Hiroshima.
Three days later, a second bomb was
dropped on Nagasaki.
Within days the war with Japan was at
a close.
Had these bombs
not been dropped and had the invasion been launched as scheduled, combat
casualties in Japan would have been at a minimum of the tens of
thousands.
Every foot of Japanese soil would have
been paid for by Japanese and American lives.
One can only guess at how many
civilians would have committed suicide in their homes or in futile mass military
attacks.
In retrospect, the 1 million American
men who were to be the casualties of the invasion were instead lucky
enough to survive the war.
Intelligence studies and military
estimates made 70 years ago, and not latter-day speculation, clearly indicate
that the battle for Japan might well have resulted in the biggest blood-bath in
the history of modern warfare.
Far worse would be what might have
happened to Japan as a nation and a culture.
When the invasion came, it would have
come after several months of fire bombing all of the remaining Japanese
cities.
The cost in human life that resulted
from the two atomic blasts would be small in comparison to the total number of
Japanese lives that would have been lost by this aerial
devastation.
With American
forces locked in combat in the south of Japan, little could have prevented the
Soviet Union from marching into the northern half of the Japanese home
islands.
Japan could have
been divided much like Korea is today and Germany was until
1989.
The world was
spared the cost of "Operation Downfall"; however, because Japan formally
surrendered to the United Nations September 2, 1945, and World War II was
over.
The aircraft carriers, cruisers and
transport ships scheduled to carry the invasion troops to Japan, ferried home
American troops in a gigantic operation called "Magic
Carpet".
In the fall of 1945, in the
aftermath of the war, few people concerned themselves with the invasion
plans.
Following the surrender, the
classified documents, maps, diagrams, and appendices for "Operation Downfall" were packed away in boxes and
eventually stored at the National Archives.
These plans that called for the
invasion of Japan paint a vivid description of what might have been one of the
most horrible campaigns in the history of
man.
The fact that the story of the invasion of Japan is locked up in the National Archives and is not told in our history books is, in our opinion, something for which all Americans can be thankful.
And here's some additional history
little known to the world !
It was a General Thomas C.
Handy, who had signed the operational order to drop the atomic bombs on
Japan.
General Thomas B.
Handy
President Truman's orders were
verbal.
He never signed an order to drop the
bombs.
Many of you who are now
reading this article would never been born had your father participated in this
proposed invasion...and in all likelihood, not returned
home.
Many of you would never have seen brothers or members of their subsequent families had they participated...and not returned.
Lt. John F.
Kennedy
Lt. George H. W.
Bush
It was a time in our
history when the future was dangerous and unclear....an experience that altered
the lives of those who lived THEN....and those that would
follow.
...an American Spirit of
those who survived a "Great Depression" only to
suffer the devastation of war.
Yes...these men...
...and women...
...who
served with pride and a sense of nationalism...
...whether in uniform...
...or at home ...
Have nobly deserved the reputation of...
Perhaps this story might give a better understanding as to the American decision to use atomic warfare in lieu of other methods.
Was
it the right decision?
The historians will discuss the morality of a war, it's weapons, and it's objectives for as long as there is a United States of America....
But it's those who died in
such conflicts.... the fathers, the sons, the brothers of this and all nations, who pay the ultimate price for man's senseless
need to destroy himself !
So...now you know the
story of what "could have been" 70 years
ago.
...and as our preliminary
article mentioned, we'd like to hear from you.
Dick
Arendt
Anthem
Opinions
-
From George Jacobs of Cleveland, Ohio...to...Anthem Opinions
Dick,
This series was fascinating. Your history lessons are fabulous. Thank you for educating me.
________________________________
"Operation
Downfall"
The
American
Invasion of Japan in
1945
The Japanese Defense
Plan
(Part Two of
Three)
In this second of
a three part series, we'll discuss the plans made by the Japanese to
defend their nation in preparation of an American invasion during World War
II.
As you read these plans taken from the
National Archives in Washington, DC, ponder the "what
if's" had this invasion commenced.
This is what "the
Greatest Generation" would have encountered.
_________________________
Captured Japanese documents and post war interrogations of Japanese military leaders disclose that information concerning the number of Japanese planes available for the defense of the home islands was dangerously in error.
During the sea battle at Okinawa alone, Japanese Kamikaze aircraft
sank 32 Allied ships and damaged more than 400 others.
But... during the summer of 1945,
American top brass concluded that the Japanese had spent their air force since
American bombers and fighters daily flew unmolested over
Japan.
What the military
leaders did not know was that by the end of July, the Japanese had been saving
all aircraft, fuel, and pilots in reserve, and had been feverishly
building new planes for the decisive battle for their
homeland.
As part of " Ketsu -Go", the name for the plan to
defend Japan -- the Japanese
were building 20 suicide takeoff strips in southern Kyushu with underground
hangars.
They also had 35 camouflaged airfields
and nine seaplane bases.
On the night before the expected
invasion, 50 Japanese seaplane bombers, 100 former carrier aircraft and 50 land
based army planes were to be launched in a suicide attack on the
fleet.
The Japanese had 58 more airfields
in Korea,
western Honshu and Shikoku, which
also were to be used for massive suicide attacks.
Allied
intelligence had established that the Japanese had no more than 2,500 aircraft
of which they guessed 300 would be deployed in suicide
attacks.
In August 1945,
however, unknown to Allied intelligence, the Japanese still had 5,651 army and
7,074 navy aircraft, for a total of 12,725 planes of all
types.
Every village had some type of
aircraft manufacturing activity hidden in mines, railway tunnels, under
viaducts...
... and...
...in basements of department stores, work was being done to construct new planes.
Additionally, the Japanese were
building newer and more effective models of the "Okka", a rocket-propelled bomb much like the German V-1, but flown by a
suicide pilot.
When the invasion became imminent,
"Ketsu-Go" called for a fourfold aerial plan of
attack to destroy up to 800 Allied ships.
While Allied ships were approaching
Japan, but still in the open seas, an initial force of 2,000 army and navy
fighters were to fight to the death to control the skies over Kyushu.
A second force of 330 navy combat
pilots was to attack the main body of the task force to keep it from using its
fire support and air cover to protect the troop carrying
transports.
While these two forces were engaged, a
third force of 825
suicide planes was to hit the American
transports.
As the invasion convoys approached
their anchorages, another 2,000 suicide planes were to be launched in waves of 200 to 300,
to be used in hour by hour attacks.
By mid-morning of the first day of the
invasion, most of the American land-based aircraft would be forced to return to
their bases, leaving the defense against the suicide planes to the carrier
pilots and the shipboard gunners.
Carrier pilots crippled by fatigue
would have to land time and time again to rearm and
refuel.
Guns would malfunction from the heat
of continuous firing and ammunition would become
scarce.
Gun crews would be exhausted by
nightfall, but still the waves of kamikaze would
continue.
With the fleet hovering off the
beaches, all remaining Japanese aircraft would be committed to nonstop suicide
attacks, which the Japanese hoped could be sustained for 10
days.
The Japanese planned to coordinate their air
strikes with attacks from the 40 remaining submarines from the Imperial Navy - some armed
with Long Lance
torpedoes with a range of 20 miles -- when the invasion fleet was 180 miles
offKyushu.
The Imperial Navy had 23 destroyers
and two cruisers which were operational. These ships were to be used to
counterattack the American invasion.
A number of the destroyers were to be
beached at the last minute to be used as anti-invasion gun
platforms.
Once offshore, the invasion fleet
would be forced to defend not only against the attacks from the air, but would
also be confronted with suicide attacks from sea.
Japan had established a suicide naval
attack unit of midget submarines, human torpedoes and exploding
motorboats.
The goal of the
Japanese was to shatter the invasion before the
landing.
The Japanese were
convinced the Americans would back off or become so demoralized that they would
then accept a less-than-unconditional surrender and a more honorable and
face-saving end for the Japanese.
But....
... as horrible as the battle of Japan would be off the beaches, it would be on Japanese soil that the American forces would face the most rugged and fanatical defense encountered during the war.
Throughout the
island-hopping Pacific campaign, Allied troops had always out numbered the
Japanese by 2 to 1 and sometimes 3 to 1.
In Japan it would
be different.
By virtue of a combination of cunning,
guesswork, and brilliant military reasoning, a number of Japan's top military
leaders were able to deduce, not only when, but where, the United States would
land its first invasion forces.
Facing the 14 American divisions
landing at Kyushu would be 14
Japanese divisions, 7 independent mixed brigades, 3 tank brigades and thousands
of naval troops...
On
Kyushu the odds would be 3 to 2 in favor of the Japanese, with 790,000 enemy defenders against 550,000
Americans.
This time the bulk
of the Japanese defenders would not be the poorly trained and ill-equipped labor
battalions that the Americans had faced in the earlier
campaigns.
The Japanese
defenders would be the hard core of the home army .
These troops were well-fed and well
equipped.
They were familiar with the terrain,
had stockpiles of arms and ammunition, and had developed an effective system of
transportation and supply almost invisible from the
air.
Many of these Japanese troops were the elite of the army, and they were swollen with a fanatical fighting spirit.
Japan's network of beach defenses
consisted of offshore mines, thousands of suicide scuba divers attacking landing
craft, and mines planted on the beaches.
Coming ashore, the American Eastern
amphibious assault forces at Miyazaki would
face three Japanese divisions, and two others poised for
counterattack.
Awaiting the Southeastern attack force
at Ariake
Bay was an entire division and
at least one mixed infantry brigade.
On the western shores of Kyushu, the
Marines would face the most brutal opposition.
Along the invasion beaches would be the three Japanese divisions, a tank brigade, a mixed infantry brigade and an artillery command.
Components of two divisions would also
be poised to launch counterattacks.
If not needed to reinforce the primary
landing beaches, the American Reserve Force would be landed at the base of Kagoshima
Bay on November 4.
There they would be confronted by two
mixed infantry brigades, parts of two infantry divisions, and thousands of naval
troops.
All along the invasion beaches,
American troops would face coastal batteries, anti-landing obstacles, and a
network of heavily fortified pillboxes, bunkers,and underground
fortresses.
As Americans waded ashore, they would
face intense artillery and mortar fire as they worked their way through concrete
rubble and barbed-wire entanglements arranged to funnel them into the muzzles of
these Japanese guns.
On the beaches and beyond would be
hundreds of Japanese machine gun positions, beach mines, booby traps, trip-wire
mines and sniper units.
Suicide units concealed in "spider holes" would engage the troops as they passed nearby.
In the heat of battle, Japanese
infiltration units would be sent to reap havoc in the American lines by cutting
phone and communication lines.
Some of the
Japanese troops would be in American uniform; English-speaking Japanese
officers were assigned to break in on American radio traffic to call off
artillery fire, to order retreats and to further confuse
troops.
Other infiltration with demolition
charges strapped on their chests or backs would attempt to blow up American
tanks, artillery pieces, and ammunition stores as they were unloaded
ashore.
Beyond the beaches were large
artillery pieces situated to bring down a curtain of fire on the beach. Some of
these large guns were mounted on railroad tracks running in and out of caves
protected by concrete and steel.
The battle for
Japan would be won by what Simon Bolivar Buckner, a lieutenant general in the
Confederate army during the Civil War, had called "Prairie Dog Warfare."
This type of fighting was almost
unknown to the ground troops in Europe and the
Mediterranean.
It was known only to the soldiers and
Marines who fought the Japanese on islands all over the Pacific -- at Tarawa,
Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
"Prairie Dog
Warfare" was a battle for yards, feet and sometimes
inches.
It was a brutal, deadly and dangerous
form of combat aimed at an underground, heavily fortified, non-retreating
enemy.
In the mountains behind the Japanese
beaches were underground networks of caves, bunkers, command posts and hospitals,
connected by miles of tunnels with dozens of entrances and
exits.
Some of these complexes could hold up
to 1,000 troops.
In
addition to the use of poison gas and bacteriological warfare (which the
Japanese had experimented with), Japan mobilized
its citizenry.
Had "Olympic" come about, the Japanese civilian population,
inflamed by a national slogan - "One Hundred Million Will
Die for the Emperor and Nation"- were prepared to fight to the
death.
Twenty Eight
Million Japanese had become a part of the National Volunteer Combat
Force.
They were armed with ancient rifles,
lunge mines, satchel charges, Molotov cocktails and one-shot black powder
mortars.
Others were armed with swords, long
bows axes and bamboo spears.
The civilian units were to be used in
nighttime attacks, hit and run maneuvers,
delaying actions and massive suicide charges at the weaker American positions.
delaying actions and massive suicide charges at the weaker American positions.
At the early stage of the
invasion, 1,000 Japanese and American soldiers would be dying every
hour.
All this in preparation to defend a
homeland.
All the devastating losses that would
have been realized had an atomic bomb not been used !
We'll conclude this three part series
with Part
Thee, an Epilogue, reflecting what it all could have meant, and this
invasion plan had been implemented.
Stay Tuned for the
conclusion.
Dick
Arendt
Anthem
Opinions
____________________________
"Operation
Downfall"
The
American
Invasion of Japan in
1945
The American
Plan
(Part One of
Three)
"Operation Downfall" was finalized during the spring and
summer of 1945.
It called for two massive military undertakings to be carried out in succession and aimed at the heart of the Japanese Empire.
It called for two massive military undertakings to be carried out in succession and aimed at the heart of the Japanese Empire.
In the
first invasion - code named "Operation Olympic"-
American combat troops would land on Japan by amphibious assault during the
early morning hours of November 1, 1945 -
almost 70 years ago.
Fourteen
combat divisions of soldiers and Marines would land on heavily fortified and
defended Kyushu, the southernmost of the Japanese home islands,
after an unprecedented naval and aerial bombardment.
The second invasion
on March 1,
1946 - code named "Operation Coronet"- would send at least 22 divisions
against 1 million Japanese defenders on the main island of Honshu and the Tokyo
Plain.
Its
goal:
The
unconditional surrender of Japan.
With the exception of a
part of the British Pacific Fleet, "Operation
Downfall" was to be a strictly American
operation.
It called for using the
entire Marine Corps, the entire Pacific Navy, elements of the 7th Army Air
Force, the 8th Air Force redeployed from Europe), 10th Air Force and the
American Far Eastern Air Force.
More than 1.5 million
combat soldiers, with 3 million more in support or more than 40% of all
servicemen still in uniform in 1945 - would be directly involved in the two
amphibious assaults.
Casualties were expected
to be extremely heavy.
Admiral William Leahy estimated that there would be more than
250,000 Americans killed or wounded on Kyushu
alone.
General Charles Willoughby, chief of intelligence
for General Douglas MacArthur, the Supreme Commander of the Southwest
Pacific, estimated
American casualties would be one million men by the fall of 1946,
and Willoughby's own intelligence staff considered this to be a
conservative
estimate.
During the summer of 1945,
America had little time to prepare for such an endeavor, but top military
leaders were in almost unanimous agreement that an invasion was
necessary.
While naval blockade and
strategic bombing of Japan was considered to be useful, General MacArthur, for
instance, did not believe a blockade would bring about an unconditional
surrender.
The advocates for invasion
agreed that while a naval blockade chokes, it does not kill; and though
strategic bombing might destroy cities, it leaves whole armies
intact.
So on May 25, 1945,
the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, after extensive deliberation, issued to General
MacArthur, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and Army Air Force General
Henry "Happ" Arnold, the top secret directive to proceed with the invasion of
Kyushu.
The target date was after
the typhoon season.
President Truman approved the plans for the invasions July
24.
Two days later, the United
Nations issued the Potsdam Proclamation, which called
upon Japan to surrender unconditionally or face total
destruction.
Three days later, the
Japanese governmental news agency broadcast to the world that Japan would ignore
the proclamation and would refuse to surrender.
During this same period it was learned -- via monitoring Japanese radio broadcasts --
...that Japan had closed all schools and mobilized its school
children, was arming its civilian population, and was fortifying caves and
building underground defenses.
"Operation Olympic" called for a four pronged assault
on Kyushu.
Its purpose was to seize
and control the southern one-third of that island and establish naval and air
bases, to tighten the naval blockade of the home islands, to destroy units of
the main Japanese army, and to support the later invasion of the Tokyo
Plain.
The
preliminary invasion would begin October 27 when the 40th Infantry Division would land
on a series of small islands west and southwest of Kyushu.
At the same time, the
158th Regimental Combat Team would invade and occupy a small island 28 miles
south of Kyushu.
On these islands, seaplane
bases would be established and radar would be set up to provide advance air
warning for the invasion fleet, to serve as fighter direction centers for the
carrier-based aircraft and to provide an emergency anchorage for the invasion
fleet, should things not go well on the day of the
invasion.
As the invasion grew
imminent, the massive firepower of the Navy - the Third and Fifth Fleets --
would approach Japan.
The Third Fleet,
under Admiral
William "Bull" Halsey, with its big guns and naval aircraft, would
provide strategic support for the operation against Honshu and Hokkaido.
Halsey's fleet would be
composed of battleships, heavy cruisers, destroyers, dozens of support ships and
three fast carrier task groups.
From these carriers,
hundreds of Navy fighters, dive bombers and torpedo planes would hit targets all
over the island of Honshu.
The 3,000 ship Fifth
Fleet, under Admiral Raymond Spruance, would carry the invasion
troops.
Several days before the
invasion, the battleships, heavy cruisers and destroyers would pour thousands of
tons of high explosives into the target areas. They would not cease the
bombardment until after the land forces had been
launched.
During
the early morning hours of November 1, the invasion would
begin.
Thousands of soldiers and
Marines would pour ashore on beaches all along the eastern, southeastern,
southern and western coasts of Kyushu.
Waves of Hell Divers, Dauntless dive bombers, Avengers, Corsairs, and Hellcats from 66 aircraft carriers would bomb, rocket and strafe enemy defenses, gun emplacements and troop concentrations along the beaches.
The Eastern Assault Force consisting of the 25th, 33rd, and 41st Infantry Divisions, would land near Miyaski, at beaches called Austin, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler,and Ford, and move inland to attempt to capture the city and its nearby airfield.
The Southern Assault Force
consisting of the 1st Cavalry Division, the 43rd Division and Americal Division
would land inside Ariake Bay at
beaches labeled DeSoto, Dusenberg, Essex, Ford, and Franklin and attempt to
capture Shibushi and the
city of Kanoya and its
airfield.
On the western shore
of Kyushu,
at beaches Pontiac, Reo, Rolls Royce, Saxon, Star, Studebaker, Stutz, Winston
and Zephyr, the V Amphibious Corps would land the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Marine
Divisions, sending half of its force inland to Sendai and the other half to the port city of Kagoshima.
On November 4, the
Reserve Force, consisting of the 81st and 98th Infantry Divisions and the 11th
Airborne Division, after feigning an attack on the island of Shikoku, would be
landed -- if not needed elsewhere -- near Kaimondake, near
the southernmost tip of Kagoshima Bay, at the beaches designated Locomobile,
Lincoln, LaSalle, Hupmobile, Moon, Mercedes, Maxwell, Overland, Oldsmobile,
Packard, and Plymouth.
"Olympic" was not just a plan for invasion, but for conquest
and occupation as well.
It was
expected to take four months to achieve its objective, with the three
fresh American divisions per month to be landed in support of that operation if
needed.
If all
went well with "Olympic", "Coronet" would be
launched March 1,
1946.
"Coronet" would be twice the size of "Olympic", with
as many as 28 divisions landing on Honshu.
All along the coast east
of Tokyo, the American 1st Army would land the 5th, 6th, and 7th Marine
Divisions.
At Sagami Bay, just south
of Tokyo, the entire 8th and 10th Armies would strike north and east to
clear the long western shore of Tokyo Bay and attempt to go as far as Yokohama.
The assault troops landing
south of Tokyo would be the 4th, 6th, 8th, 24th, 31st, 37th, and 38th Infantry
Divisions, along with the 13th and 20th Armored
Divisions.
Following the initial
assault, eight more divisions - the 2nd, 28th, 35th, 91st, 95th, 97th, and 104th
Infantry Divisions and the 11th Airborne Division -- would be
landed.
If additional troops were
needed, as expected, other divisions redeployed from Europe and undergoing
training in the United States would be shipped to Japan in what was hoped to be
the final push.
Captured Japanese
documents and post war interrogations of Japanese military leaders disclose that
information concerning the number of Japanese planes available for the defense
of the home islands was dangerously in error.
...and
in Part Two.....
...we'll discuss the Japanese plan of defense of their
nation.
Stay tuned !
Dick Arendt
Anthem Opinions
Stay tuned !
Dick Arendt
Anthem Opinions
-
From Dorothy Yu...to...Anthem Opinions
I would have chosen the same way to end the second world war!
First of all, Japan invaded other countries!!!
Countless cruelties events took place in China!
If we were consider country stands for defending the world's righteousness, of course, we needed to end this overly long Second World War in the most effective way !!!
There a saying that if you do the crime, you need to do the time!
Secondly, we need to protect our own people!
There were many innocent people in Japan who suffered tremendous loss, but how about the Chinese people?
They were just trying to build a new country!!!
Dick, you know how painful I feel every time this subject comes up !!!
Thanks for bringing this topic up to so many unaware readers!!!
-
Dorothy,
Words can not describe my reaction to reading a book entitled "The Rape of Nanking" by Iris Chang.
The atrocities suffered by the Chinese people in 1937 at the hands of the Japanese before Pearl Harbor in 1941, seemed every bit, if not worse, than what the Jews suffered at the hands of the Nazis in the Second World War.
Two countries who had world domination as their goal,had to be defeated....and I feel as you do, it had to end....no matter what the price to the innocent people of those nations.
The difference between Germany and Japan....Germany subsequently apologized the world for those wrongs...and...we have yet to receive any such apology from Japan.
Sadly, within our lives the words "ethnic cleansing" still remain in the vocabularies of some...70 years after the beginning of the atomic age.
We can only pray that barbaric belief will never result in another nuclear catastrophe.
-
-
From Mary Lee Duley...to...Anthem Opinions
A continuing awesome job!
Great editorials ! -
From Tim Stebbins...to...Anthem Opinions
By July of 1945 the US had produced enough Uranium 235 for one bomb and enough Plutonium 239 for two bombs.
They were confident the Uranium 235 bomb would work so they decided not to test that design.
They were not as sure the Plutonium 239 bomb would work so they used half of the plutonium for a test bomb. That test bomb is the one exploded in New Mexico in July 1945.
They constructed the Uranium 235 bomb into "Little Boy" and that was dropped on Hiroshima August 6, 1945
After the successful test in July the rest of the Plutonium 239 was constructed into "Fat Man" and dropped on Nagasaki July 9, 1945.
We had no more materials after that. It would have taken many months to construct more bombs but the Japanese did not now that. Almost no one knew that.
___________________________
The Most
Beautiful Churches
in the
World
Our world may be divided in
disagreements, but over this earth on which we live, centuries have
brought people
together through one common thread...
... a belief that a Supreme
being made it all possible.
And to honor that belief, man has
honored that Being by building church after church in dedication to the wonders
he has given us....
....wonders that in today's world,
some faiths seem to have forgotten in their quest to destroy others for merely
disagreeing with them.
And thanks to a dear friend....Anthem
Opinions would like to share with you some of the marvels man has created to
celebrate his devotion to "freedom of religion" across the
globe.
Lake
Bled
Slovenia
Las Laras Sanctuary
Columbia
Notre-Dame
Basillica
Montreal,
Canada
Cadet
Chapel
US Air Force
Academy
Colorado Springs,
Colorado
Chapel of the Holy
Cross
Sedona,
Arizona
Borgund Stave
Church
Norway
Trinity Evangelical
Lutheran Church
Washington Island,
Wisconsin
.
Duoma
Milan,
Italy
Church of Holy
Cross
Santorini,
Greece
St. Vinzenz
Church
Heiligenblut,
Austria
St. Peter's
Basilica
Rome,
Italy
St. Michaels
Cathedral
Kiev, Ukraine
Church of
Assumption
Bled Lake, Slovenia
Church of Our
Savior
St. Petersburg,
Russia
Heddal Stave
Church
Norway
St.
Bartholoma
Lake Konigssee, Germany
Metropolitan
Cathedral of Our Lady Aparecida
Brasilia,Brazil
.
St.
Basil’s
Moscow, Russia
.
Collegiate Church of
Notre-Dame
Dinant, Belgium
Lutheran Church of
Hallgrimur
Iceland
Our Lady of Covadonga
Cathedral
Spain
Salisbury
Cathedral
Great Britain
Nuestra
Nenora de Gracia
Cuenca, Spain
Temple of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
San Diego,
California
Russian
Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene
Jerusalem
.
St. Charles
Cathedral
Vienna, Austria
.
Sacre-Coeur
Basilica
Paris,
France
Basilica of the National
Vow
Quito, Ecuador
Church of Dmitry on
Blood
Uglich, Russia
Memorial Temple of the
Birth of Christ
Shipka,
Bulgaria
Saint-Michel
d’Aiguilhe
Puy-en-Velay,
France
Once again, Anthem Opinions sends our
deepest thanks to Dave Nall of
Wilmington, North Carolina.
_____________________________
Did Ya Know ?
Travelers driving on Rt. 80 across the
United States often pass beautiful Lake Tahoe, but there's a small town nearby
that serves as the famous northern gambling spot of Nevada...."The Biggest Little City in the
World"...
...Reno,
Nevada.
But....
Did Ya
Know...
....How Reno got
its name?
The history of this city began in the
1850s when a few early settlers believed that part of the "Old West" could serve
both as a farming area...as well as...a business opportunity to serve those
traveling to California along the "California Trail"
toward Donner Lake, the last stop before they would
begin their journey across the Sierra Nevada mountains.
This area was located in the Truckee Meadows, a fertile valley, through which the
Truckee River made its way from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid
Lake.
It was in the winter of 1846-47 when a
group of settlers would make history on their journey westward when 39 of the 87 people of
the Donner party would perish as
a result of their unsuccessful attempt to cross the Sierra Nevada
mountains....resorting to cannibalism to survive.
Travelers needed safe
passage...
Gold was discovered in Virginia City
in 1850, but it was the discovery of silver in
1859...the Comstock
Lode, that led to a rush of miners to the area seeking their
fortune.
As a result of the boom, a
need to cross the Truckee River linking Virginia City and the California
Trail emerged, and an entrepreneur
named Charles W.
Fuller built a log toll bridge across the Truckee River
connecting the two.
Fuller's Log Toll
Bridge
Fuller also provided the gold miners a
place to rest, have a meal, and exchange information with other
prospectors.
In 1861 Myron Lake purchased Fuller's Bridge; and from the
tolls, eventually purchased more land and constructed a mill, livery
stable, hotel, and most importantly, a kiln (an oven that produces high
temperatures that extracts metals) to assist the
miners.
He would rename it "Lake's Crossing" in 1864.
Myron Lake
As the West began to be developed, the
Central Pacific Railroad would reach Nevada from Sacramento, California, and in
1868...
...Mr. Lake, the shrewd businessman
that he was, made sure that his crossing was included in its
path....
...by deeding a portion of his land
to Charles
Crocker, an organizer of the Central Pacific Railroad
Company...
Charles
Crocker
...who promised to build a depot at
the crossing's location.
The Civil War ended in
1865, and on May 9, 1868, the town
that emerged as a result of the "deal" between Myron Lake & Charles
Crocker, would be named...
"Reno"
...in honor of Civil War General, Jesse
Reno.
Major General Jesse L.
Reno
Myron
Lake would become known as
"the founder of Reno".
But...who was Jesse
L. Reno?
Jesse Reno entered West Point in 1842 and would develop friendships with fellow classmates (and subsequent Civil War heroes) George B. McClellan, George E. Pickett, and southern general, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.
He graduated 8th
in his class on July 1, 1846, and would eventually command a Rocketry and
Mountain Howitzer battery during the Mexican American War in 1847, fighting in
the famous battles of Vera Cruz and El Telegrafo, receiving a medal for "gallant and meritorious conduct".
When the Civil
War broke out in 1861, he trained and organized five regiments, and was promoted
to the rank of Brigadier General by General Ambrose
Burnside (the man for which history would coin the word "sideburns".
General Ambrose Burnside
Reno would
eventually face his former classmate, "Stonewall" Jackson, in the 2nd Battle of Bull Run in July,
1862.
On July 12, 1862
he was promoted to the rank of Major General.
Two months later
on September 14,
1862, he
would be shot and killed while driving back Confederate forces at
Fox's Gap.
Five days later,
his regiment would cross Burnside Bridge under the battle cry "Remember Reno", in one of the bloodiest battles of the
war.
General Burnside would eulogize Jesse
Reno in this official general
order:
“By the death of this distinguished officer the country loses one of its most devoted patriots, the army one of its most thorough soldiers. In the long list of battles in which General Reno has fought in his country’s service, his name always appears with the brightest luster, and he has now bravely met a soldiers death while gallantly leading his men at the Battle of South Mountain.”
Now ya
know....
...the
history of Reno, Nevada...
"The Biggest Little City in the
World"
Dick
Arendt
|
_________________________
I dedicate this article to my dear friend and valued reader, Dorothy Yu, who gave me the idea of a different way to say...
"God Bless this
Great Land"
...on its 239th
Birthday.
Love
of Country...Cost them
Much
These are the men who could have been hanged...had the British succeeded in suppressing a rebellion in the American colonies.
Why these men?
Each had the courage to sign a
document that had been placed before the Continental Congress on JULY 1, 1776.
No, it's not a
misprint.
The document that said we were no
longer a part of the British Empire was first brought before the men on July 1st...not July 4th.
What?
Here's how if all "went down" in July,
1776.
On July 1, 1776 the 2nd Continental
Congress met in Philadelphia, and onJuly 2nd, twelve of the
original thirteen colonies voted for independence on a motion brought before them by Richard Henry
Lee of
Virginia.
This was either independence or
treason depending on a statesman's point of view...and...like "thinking"
individuals often do....they needed time to make a proper
decision.
Thought the
men...
If the revolution succeeded, they
would be heroes in the minds of their constituents...
If they lost, the apple tree in front
of their mansions would have had something other than apples swaying in the
breeze !
So...they decided....hmmm...we better
talk this out before we actually tell the world we're no longer Brits
!
...and they spent the next two days
debating and revising the language of a statement drafted by a young 33 year
old statesmen from Virginia named Thomas Jefferson.
On July 4, 1776 Congress finally
adopted the revisions, and as a result, the Declaration of Independence was
"officially" adopted on that day.
...but unlike the movie "1776", not
many of the gentlemen
signed it on that hot July
day.
New York wouldn't give their
"official" support for the Declaration until July 9th.
Then...since xerox machines hadn't
been invented, it took two additional weeks to have the document written on
parchment !
As a result of the New York
"procrastination" and the "paperwork", most of the delegates actually signed the
document on August
2, 1776.
Several men (Elbridge Gerry, Oliver Wolcott, Lewis
Morris, Thomas McKean, and Mathew Thornton),
signed it at a later date.
...and two men...John Dickinson and Robert R.
Livingston....NEVER signed it !
Who were the courageous ones who
signed it ?
New
Hampshire
Josiah
Bartlett
William Whipple
Mattthew Thornton
Mattthew Thornton
Massachusetts
Button
Gwinnett
Their signatures of course will forever be etched on that historic document that is proudly displayed at the National Archives in Washington, DC....
But...
Have you ever
wondered what happened to the 56 men
who signed the Declaration of Independence?
who signed the Declaration of Independence?
Time and
space won't allow us to talk about each man personally, but to summarize the
"fate" of these men who "started" our nation, here's what became of
them:
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,
and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their
homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their
sons serving in the Revolutionary Army.
One had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.
From What Walks of Life Did Them Men
Come?
Twenty-four were
lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were
merchants.
Nine were farmers
and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated.
men of means, well educated.
Some Deserve a VERY Special Mention !
Carter Braxton of
Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy.
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy.
He sold his
home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British
that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British
that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding.
His
possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters.
He quietly
urged General George Washington to open
fire.
The home was
destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy
jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
So, take a few
minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and as you see fireworks light
the sky and hear bands play...
"God Bless America"
...silently thank these patriots
!
It's not much to ask for the price they
paid.
After all, everything you have today...was a result of THEM !
Dick
Arendt
______________________
You're a Grand Old Flag !
From 13 stars to 50 of them...not bad for a small number of British colonies that were ready to make a mark on the world with an idea that was first introduced by the ancient Greeks in 508 BC...
...a
government...
...OF the
people, BY the people, and FOR the people, more commonly referred to
as...
Democracy !
...and to do it, those original "13" had to fight the greatest military might in the world
at that time for it as well !
June 14th is Flag Day....and the entire
week is Flag Week as
well.
Though not an official national
holiday, during National Flag Week, the president will issue a proclamation
urging all US citizens to fly the American flag for the duration of that
week...and...be displayed on all government buildings.
...and we at Anthem Opinions hope all
of you will do so as our nation approaches its birthday on July
4th.
It officially became Flag Day on June 14, 1777 when
the Continental Congress adopted the following
resolution:
"Resolved: that the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes,
alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue
field, representing a new constellation."
...and though there is little proof
dear Betsy Ross was its first
designer....
Betsy
Ross
...this became the first official flag of the United States of America 238 years ago !
...however. this may surprise many of you !
Prior to making it "official" in 1777, there was a
previous flag that is considered the first national
flag of the United States of America....
...then more commonly referred to
as "The United Colonies of North
America !"
It went by different names too; a
number of which were the "Grand Union Flag", the
"Continental Colours", the "Congress Flag", the "Cambridge
Flag", and the "First Navy
Ensign".
Though similar to the flag
"officially" adopted in 1777, it consisted of alternating thirteen red and white
stripes with the British Union Flag (know as the Union Jack when at sea)...the variant prior to the inclusion of St. Patrick's cross for the
1801 unification of Ireland into the United
Kingdom.
Whatever the current form...
...the one thing all have in
common?
Old
Glory...you're a ...
Grand Old Flag !
And we have a 2015
version honoring you as well !
So put on those dancin' shoes...forget
your aches and pains....and "think flag" all day...and week !
It's our gift to all of you...young and old...who love what that "star spangled banner" has always represented...
Anthem
Opinions
________________________________
"It's A Wonderful Life"
"Miracle on 34th Street"
"A Christmas Story"
"It’s a Wonderful Life" is always shown at our home.
From Eleanore Homich...to...Anthem Opinions
1) "A Christmas Carol" - Reginald Owen 1938 - Still the best version!
2)" Scrooged" - Bill Murray 1988
"It's A Wonderful Life" gets my vote.
" A Christmas Story" is without doubt, the best.
"A Christmas Carol" is my favorite, but the best version was from 1951 with Alistair Sim as Scrooge and a cast of British actors and actresses.
I will never forget his housekeeper who ran out of Scrooge's house thinking he was berserk
when he started to feel the Christmas spirit.
For some reason this version was not shown on TV this year!
A real loss!
Definitely National Lampoon’s "CHRISTMAS VACATION".
I could watch it over and over again and still laugh.