Toy Soldiers at The History Store Chillicothe Ohio

Check out the detailed toy soldiers at The History Store in Chillicothe Ohio!

Matchbook Cover- Kennedy General Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee

 I found a great WWII era matchbook cover from Kennedy General Hospital.  It is defunct, but, when it was in operation, it was in Memphis!

"Call Sign Dracula" by Joe Fair

I found this interesting little 1st hand account of the Vietnam War at Sweetwater Bookstore in Campbellsville.

Joe Fair's "Call Sign Dracula" reads like a journal a descriptive person may have kept about their 1 year experience fighting in Vietnam.  He gets right to it too...  sure, he gives a LITTLE information about his life before the war, but he gets to the meat of things pretty quick.

The book doesn't follow the traditional format of a book either.  He rambles a bit about his friends, what happened to them, what happened to him, etc.  You feel like you are setting next to Joe listening to his many stories from that time in his life.

There is a huge picture section, but a lot to read too.  You get the good- Joe gets the girl and lives happily ever after, but you get the bad too- a friend accidentally shoots and kills a buddy while they are horsing around.

I really like this book.  I know a lot of Vietnam vets are super reluctant to discuss their time in that war, and it is to Joe's credit that he has put this book out there.  Readers, and historians for generations to come will be glad that it exists.  This one gets my highest recommendation.

Minuteman Missile National Historic Site- Delta-01 Launch Facility- South Dakota

We left Rapid City, sadly.  We really enjoyed our time there, and have developed a certain love for the area, and the town.  It was a real joy getting to stay at the wonderful old Hotel Alex Johnson for a second time.

Our first stop, a little over an hour from Rapid City, was the Minute Man Missile National Historic Site.  We ended up getting there about 50 minutes early.  You get off the interstate then drive down a gravel road to get there.  We drove around the area a little.  There is a farm, and a red car that has obviously been used for target practice in a field.

We waited by the gate at the parking area, and a pit bull came up.  He actually looked very sweet, and I wanted to get out and play with him, but decided to be cautious and stay in the car.

It was interesting being here for a little while on this morning.  A ranger finally came and unlocked the gate, You actually walk through a couple of fence gates and then get to a fenced in looking house.

The whole thing had a bit of an apocalyptic sci fi movie feel.  Weird and cool.  A young Ranger named Erin came and unlocked the fence to let us and the 2 other couples in.

Our tour stared around 9, and lasted 45 minutes.  It was very interesting.  The site was declassified in 1993, though it was generally known about, especially by protesters (you can still buy a book from them that tells where all of the nuclear launch sites are- Erin joked that you could buy it in the gift shop).

 It was well guarded while open, and as far as Erin knew, no one really tried to get in.  Food was kept locked too, in case someone was thinking about poisoning it.

In 1993, there was an agreement signed with Russia, and this site, and another in Russia, was deactivated.  The Russian one is now in a forest in the Ukraine.  She said it is hard to get there.  She has had the people in Russia who had the same job (waiting in a bunker for word that they would have to turn the key) tour this facility.  Two people would wait for the warning, which thankfully never came. 

BUT, while it was active, a couple of guys would be stationed in the bunker area waiting for the coded call to come.  If they ever got that call- each would have to turn a key at the same time.  The two ignition slots were placed far enough apart that one man could not turn them both.

Our informative guide told us that actually, two keys being turned at one facility really did nothing on its own....  BUT if two others in a similar bunker site turned their keys too.....  well THAT would literally start a nuclear conflict.

It was exciting taking the elevator down the 31 feet to the bunker area.  Tour groups are limited to 6 people, and we did order our tickets early.  This was a site and tour that has been on my list for some time, and I am glad that I was finally able to visit.

Rowan County Veterans Museum in Morehead Kentucky

Morehead is a nice little town with more to do there than you might think.  So, on a recent Saturday we went down there just to explore a bit.

As we walked towards the campus in town, we noticed a small building with a sign up that said the Rowan County Veterans Museum was open.  AND it was free!  So, we went inside.

The museum is fit snugly into a historic 1937 WPA building.  It houses a video and book library locals can use too.

This was a totally unplanned side trip to a spot that wasn't on our radar, but we were so glad that we stopped by.

AND, what we thought might be a quick, "lets stick our head inside just to see whats going on" quickly turned in to a great couple of hours learning about this area's contributions to the military.

Korean War Veteran Danny Knipp was running the place.  He politely introduced himself and told us to yell if we had any questions.

He also told us that the museum was very hands on.  He invited us to pick up the various relics and take a look at them!  This was easily the most open and "hands on" military museum I have ever seen!

The museum in crammed with nice table and wall displays throughout.  Signs and labels tell you about the equipment, uniforms, and various other relics.

There is a small Civil War area, then a larger WW1 area moving on from there.  There are manikins throughout the building too, displayed wearing uniforms donated by locals.

As we looked around, Danny came by and was putting up a new framed display on a local who was at Pearl Harbor.  We started chatting and he ended up telling us the stories of many from the area who served in various conflicts.

The collection is mammoth, and could fill a building many times larger and still look packed.

I saw a lot of impressive relics too.  Purple Hearts, weapons, a piece of a scud missile, and a set of rations from Vietnam all impressed me.

Other than a few hats for sale, there wasn't really a gift shop.  There was a small, almost hidden donation box by the door.  You can tell that the guys running the museum are more concerned about telling the story of veterans in Rowan County than money.  I am sure that they appreciate any support they get though.

Like I said, this is a great, little known museum that is only open on Saturday from 10-2 (which is a convenient time for most people).  It is an obvious labor of love that is amazing.  It gets my highest recommendation.

USS LST 325 in Evansville Indiana

I took a few photos from the outside of the LST 325 ship in Evansville Indiana.  I took my disabled Vietnam Vet father with me, and they were not able to accommodate him on a tour.

There were other issues here too.

I know the ship and tours are ran by volunteers, and I understand the stressors of running a non-profit.  I did send an email to them expressing my disappointment.  I did receive what I thought was a sincere email apologizing for the situation.

I don't want to be too critical of a non-profit trying hard to keep a mammoth piece of history alive, and I may try to give the ship another visit some other time.

Mongolian BBQ at Hickam Officer's Club in Hawaii

We felt very privileged when our friend who lives on Hickam Air Force Base invited us to the Thursday Mongolian BBQ night at the Hickam Officer's Club.  This was another event that we had access to thanks to our friend's years of service.  This was also the last meal we would enjoy in Hawaii with all of our friends together.

I enjoyed my last shrimp meal, choosing shrimp once again as my meat of choice while in Hawaii.

This was a great setting for our trip, which involved seeing a lot of beauty around Oahu, and also taking in all of the military history linked to the area.  This was simply a perfect night, and I hated for it to end.  Even if we ever come back to Oahu with the same group of people, and eat here again, it simply could not be the same.  The food, the friends, the place, and the vibe were all perfect, and we will never have a last night of our first trip to Hawaii ever again.

USS Utah on Ford Island, Hawaii

The USS Utah went down on December 7th, 1941 in the Attack on Pearl Harbor.  It was hit by two torpedoes.   64 crew members were killed while 461 survived.

I mentioned that we had a friend on Oahu who was kind enough to tour us around the army bases in the area.  Well, he helped us with access to this part of Ford Island, which is also not generally open to the public.

It is a very short distance from the USS Missouri, which IS accessible through a ticket system at the Pearl Harbor National Park area, but the remains of the Utah are not.

I do think there are infrequent tours that have access to the area, but being able to go here with just our small group and no crowds was very special.

Hickam Air Force Base- Oahu Hawaii

We were VERY lucky while in Hawaii to have some access to Hickam Air Force Base!

Our friends have a relative who is military, and who gave us a bit of a personal tour around the area!

Some people don't realize how encompassing the attack on Oahu was by the Japanese in 1941.  I am sure that some might simply assume that they flew over the island, attacked the USS Arizona, and that was it....  but more was done.  Much more.

They attacked Hickam to prevent pilots from following them back to their aircraft carriers.

AND this base took a big hit.  Nearly 200 were killed here and over 300 wounded. 


We saw several areas that were attacked, and one of the main buildings still shows the scars of the attack vividly.  It is still an active building, but the outside has not been repaired.  Also, INSIDE of the same building is a staircase penetrated by two bullets during the attack.  They have also not been repaired.

I did see a flyer about private tours that tourists can take to see Hickam and its historic areas, but I am not sure of how much access the general public has to these areas.

USS Missouri at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii

The Battleship the USS Missouri is at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.  I don't think my photos really show just how big the ship is!

The Missouri is noted for being the site of the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II.  The Missouri saw action up through Desert Storm.

I was reading that a kamikaze pilot actually crashed into the ship during WWII.  The Captain of the Missouri felt that the now dead pilot had done his job to the best of his ability and he gave the man a military funeral.

Here are a few of my photos of the USS Missouri!

USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii

You can tour the submarine the USS Bowfin at Pearl Harbor!

We have been to a couple of other subs before, and I was thinking that there are only a handful or so that you can tour...  but I just looked it up, there are lots!

You can look up the Bowfin's history pretty easily, and I really don't have a lot to add.  Here are my photos.

The important thing to remember about a submarine tour is that you will be in a very tight and cramped area.  In some places, on shoulder was touching one wall, and the other shoulder was against another.  If you are claustrophobic, you might want to skip a tour.