Mom and Dad spent a virtual Christmas in December 1944 through their frequent letters. To avoid infecting others with the rampant corona virus, many of us in America will again have to forego our traditional holiday visits with distant sons, daughters and grandchildren, other relatives and friends. Front line workers …
Military families come to mind this Veterans’ Day this year. Not not only our own military heroes, past and present, but also their families, especially the women, help defend our home front and our way of life. My friend E. Tracy Beckette, Brigadier General, USA (Ret.), has hosted and produced …
On August 14, 2020, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Japan’s surrender, ending World War II. My dad, Private First Class Ben Green, a seasoned ad man who had assumed management by default of Armed Forces Radio Station WXLI, Guam, slapped the news on the air a 3:58 PM …
An architect’s dream trip to Europe I made in 1959 came to mind, as forced confinement stimulated my urge to record my memoirs. The extended pandemic and the new travel ban Europe has imposed on the U.S. are making me nostalgic for the days when such a trip was easy, …
An architectural elite: the Bauhaus Did you ever wonder why so much of twentieth century architecture looks the same? In fact, its stripped steel and glass look was hard to ignore – it was rising all around us in the major cities. It started when the 1930s German architect Walter …
My writer’s journey began with letters I wrote home from college. Yes, we had long distance telephone service in those early times, but the good stuff — detailed descriptions of my doings, parental advice and our deepest feelings — were best expressed in those long, thoughtful ramblings, often written late …
Lockdown blues getting you down? Does the TV news sound the same every day? Remember those years when you discovered how to escape with a good book? It could take you to exotic places, earlier times or new adventures. In The Turn of the Key, (Scout Press/ Simon & Schuster, …
According to the experts, social distancing is the only measure available to slow the spread of coronavirus until a vaccine is developed in a year or so. So many of us are stuck inside, and ought to remain until the pandemic subsides. For sure, we are sticking close to home. …
Ever met a real patriot ? I’ll bet you have one or more in your own family–one who has served our country in the military, in government or as a first responder. Let’s not forget the women, like my mother, with two young children, and the nineteen million others who …
Isn’t organized crime, “the mob,” a thing of the past? Not so, according to Brian Bardsley, Jr., Chicago Police SWAT Team leader and medical response specialist. It has merely gone respectable, although not legit. Over a half-century ago, after the FBI, the Kefauver Commission and RICO, the Racketeer Influenced and …
