History Buffs

October 2, 2025 11:06 am

Harry Truman, A Different Kind of President. Love him or hate him, Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many important decisions regarding our nation's history as any o... View MoreHarry Truman, A Different Kind of President. Love him or hate him, Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many important decisions regarding our nation's history as any of the other 42 Presidents. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House. The only asset he had when he passed away was the house he lived in, located in Independence, Missouri. His wife had inherited the house from her mother, and other than their years in the White House, they lived their entire lives there. When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an 'allowance' and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year. After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There were no Secret Service agents following them. When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, "You don't want me. You want the office of the President, and that doesn't belong to me. It belongs to the American people, and it's not for sale." Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, "I don't consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise." As President, he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food. Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency, resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress have also found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale. (sic. Illinois) He was once chased by Porta Rican assassins while being protected by his Secret Service agents. Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, "My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference! I say dig him up and clone him!! I think we have another Harry Truman in the form of Donald J. Trump only bigger.

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oldmarinesgt5

October 1, 2025 11:30 am

PURPOSE OF 1969 NUCLEAR ALERT REMAINS A MYSTERY For two weeks in October 1969, the Nixon Administration secretly placed U.S. nuclear forces on alert. At the time, the move was considered so sensitive... View MorePURPOSE OF 1969 NUCLEAR ALERT REMAINS A MYSTERY For two weeks in October 1969, the Nixon Administration secretly placed U.S. nuclear forces on alert. At the time, the move was considered so sensitive that not even the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was briefed on its purpose. Still today, no conclusive explanation for the potentially destabilizing alert can be found. Even with full access to the classified record, State Department historians said in a new volume of the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series that they were unable to provide a definitive account of the event. Previous historical scholarship has inferred from selected declassified documents that the alert was somehow intended to communicate a firm resolve to end the Vietnam War by whatever means necessary. (See "Nixon's Nuclear Ploy" by William Burr and Jeffrey Kimball, National Security Archive, December 23, 2002; and "The Madman Nuclear Alert" by Scott D. Sagan and Jeremi Suri, International Security, Spring 2003.) But based on the classified record, that interpretation remains unproven and uncertain, according to the gripping new State Department FRUS volume on "National Security Policy" (pdf). "The documentary record offers no definitive explanation as to why U.S. forces went on this alert, also known as the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Readiness Test," the editors of the FRUS volume said (Document 59). "There are two main after-the-fact explanations: first, that nuclear brinkmanship was designed to convince the Soviets that President Nixon was prepared to launch a nuclear attack against North Vietnam in order to convince Moscow to put pressure on Hanoi to negotiate an end to the war in Southeast Asia" along the lines that previous historians have suggested. The second proposed explanation is "that the President ordered the alert as a signal to deter a possible Soviet nuclear strike against China during the escalating Sino-Soviet border dispute." Consistent with the second interpretation, the FRUS volume provides new documentation of intelligence reports indicating that Soviet leaders were considering a preemptive strike against Chinese nuclear facilities. Astonishingly, even the most senior U.S. military leaders were kept in the dark by the White House about the nature of the alert-- before, during, and after the event. "It is difficult to measure the success of this operation," wrote JCS Chairman General Earle G. Wheeler to Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird on November 6, 1969, "since... the objectives of the test are unknown." "It seems prudent if maximum benefit is to be gained from an operation of this type that at least you and I and the senior commanders are informed of the objectives and goals," General Wheeler suggested (Document 92). In the end, the secret U.S. military alert -- one of only a few such cases involving U.S. nuclear forces -- had little discernable impact. "There has been no reflection of acute concern by the Soviets...," the CIA reported in an October 27, 1969, memorandum included in the FRUS volume (Document 89). "There has been no reflection of the US military alert posture in Soviet or Chinese news media or diplomatic activity." Of the small White House group that directed the secret 1969 alert, perhaps only Henry Kissinger remains alive and active. He did not mention the alert in his memoirs, the FRUS editors noted, except perhaps in an oblique statement that the United States "raised our profile somewhat to make clear that we were not indifferent" to Soviet threats against Chinese facilities.

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P61 Black Widow

That’s interesting.

1 October 2, 2025

P61 Black Widow

Remember in 1973 when Nixon put US Troops Worldwide on alert? It was because Israel was at War and the USSR was preparing to airlift 5,000 paratroops to the war zone.

1 October 2, 2025

oldmarinesgt5

September 30, 2025 11:18 am

Revolt in Athens, Tennessee! 20 People Wounded 14 Autos Overturned, and Burned at Town Square Jail Under Seize 8 hours Sheriff, Senator & Others Flee County... View MoreRevolt in Athens, Tennessee! 20 People Wounded 14 Autos Overturned, and Burned at Town Square Jail Under Seize 8 hours Sheriff, Senator & Others Flee County Athens, Tennessee: The uprising was led by ex-GIs recently returned from battle, to discover dishonest election tactics and corrupt and crooked local government. Having seen first-hand, Tennessee blood spilled and Tennessee lives lost in the battle for freedom, these patriotic veterans weren't about to knuckle under to the special interests. Certain insiders, for their own profit and benefit, had taken control of the small community of Athens, a town of about 7600 people. The violence started on election day when a poll watcher was attacked and thrown through a glass door. The town folks, already agitated, became incensed. They went home and returned with pistols, shotguns and whatever weapons they could lay their hands on. The incumbents and "insiders" had recruited extra deputies from neighboring cities and counties but they were no match for the now armed and angry citizens of McMinn County. Sheriff Pat Mansfield and State Senator Paul Cantrell, along with others, fled the scene. Twenty-five deputys retreated to the jail which was surrounded and fired upon by the civillian army. At 4:00 A.M. the next morning, the "25" surrendered their arms and came out with hands up. Although a cry went up to "hang 'em", cooler heads prevailed. The "25" were taken to the edge of town, stripped naked and told not to come back. The upshot was the incumbent and "insider-clique" were out. The slate backed by the citizens and supported by the GI patriots was officially certified victorious by State authorities in Nashville. Thus, a new sheriff, trustee, register of deeds, circuit court clerk and county court clerk were seated (3 Democrats, 2 Republicans). All were new, all were honest and freely elected. The year was 1946. In 1948, a city council / county commission form of government, one of the first in the state of Tennessee was created. Athens prospered and grew and today has more than doubled in population.

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P61 Black Widow

There’s a film called The Battle of Athens. https://youtu.be/x5UgsOiPkXw?si=XqjktIB2yXFh2B5A

American Story The Battle of Athens 1946 Athens, Tennessee Full Movie youtu.be

1 October 2, 2025

oldmarinesgt5

P61 Black Widow ‌ Thanks!

October 2, 2025

P61 Black Widow

oldmarinesgt5 ‌You are most welcome.

1 October 2, 2025

oldmarinesgt5

September 26, 2025 11:44 am

The Battle of Fort Pillow (April 12, 1864) In April 1864, the Union garrison at Fort Pillow, a Confederate-built earthen fortification and a Union-built inner redoubt, overlooking the Mississ... View More

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oldmarinesgt5

September 25, 2025 12:14 pm

The History of MRE’s Many people know that MRE stands for Meal Ready to Eat and that they are used by the US Military but few know the history behind this innovative and life sustaining product. MRE... View More

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P61 Black Widow

Used to have a case of MREs. Ate them over the years.

1 September 25, 2025

oldmarinesgt5

P61 Black Widow ‌ I still believe "C" rats were better but a chore to carry.

September 25, 2025

P61 Black Widow

When I started airbase ground defense school, in late 1982, at Camp Bullis TX, we still had C rats

September 25, 2025