DEJA VU MOMENT OR FLASH BACK, OR BOTH? ~ Today I was doing research for another blog and stumbled upon the uncut video below of President John Kennedy announcing to the world America's absolute will to not back down in face of the Russian buildup of Soviet nuclear weapons on the island nation of Cuba in 1962. That was a tense week for America and for the world. And it had an even more direct effect on me personally.
"Bill, how could this conflict between America and Russia over missiles in Cuba have a more direct impact upon you - than the threat of a nuclear war?" Glad you asked.
"Bill, how could this conflict between America and Russia over missiles in Cuba have a more direct impact upon you - than the threat of a nuclear war?" Glad you asked.
Let's digress to a blog I began writing on November 26, 2016, but lay aside and never finished. It was titled "Fidel Castro Memories" and was prompted by the death of Fidel Castro:
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FIDEL CASTRO'S DEATH today kind of brings me full circle with history. Early in July 1958, I was discharged from the Air Force and was spending time with my wife's parents in Denver. During the few weeks we were there, Grace and Lester, my in-laws, took us for an outing to the beautiful mountains of Denver. We enjoyed the day and found it pleasant that in Denver the July weather was warm allowing us to wear shorts on our drive to the mountains. But in the mountains we played in snow - in shorts. Go figure. That happens in the Mile High City.
As we were driving to the mountains, a radio news reporter excitedly told us that Fidel Castro had defeated the army of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista and was marching on Havana. In his words, Castro had taken control of Cuba.
What had really happened was the Battle of La Plata (July 11–21, 1958) the summer offensive launched by the Batista government during the Cuban Revolution. In that battle, Castro's revolutionary army soundly defeated and virtually destroyed the Cuban forces. But, the actual fall of the Batista government did not happen until January 1, 1959.
The next week, my family and I took a train from Denver to Los Angeles, California, arriving on my 21st birthday, Wednesday, July 23, 1958. And one week later, July 30, 1958, I was offered a job working for Burroughs Corporation in the computer industry. In the fall of 1959, Burroughs Corporation sent me to work as a Field Engineer at the Norfolk Naval Supply Depot in Virginia, and later moved me to Alexandria, Virginia, to work out of the Washington DC office.
In October 1962, I was the lead Field Engineer on a Burroughs Corporation B-220 computer system for our customer, Atlantic Research Corporation, a government contractor in Tysons Corner,Fairfax County, Virginia. Another Burroughs Field Engineer, Paul, worked with me - and since we both were ex-Air Force electronic techs, we decided that we would join the Air Force Reserve just to keep up with Air Force electronics technology. We had planned to go to the Air Force Reserve Center on Saturday, October 13, and join the Reserves.
But, as fate would have it, the computer we were responsible for at Atlantic Research Corporation had a problem and we had to work that Saturday. Not a problem, Paul and I agreed. We will just go next Saturday.
Well, Fidel Castro stepped into our plans. On Sunday, October 14, the Cuban Missile Crisis burst upon us. Russia had installed missile sites in Cuba - within easy target range of America. That Sunday led into a 13-day (October 16–28, 1962) confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the apparently offensive missile sites in Cuba.
Guess what happened to the Air Force Reserve Unit that Paul and I had planned to join the previous Saturday. You guessed it. President Kennedy activated that unit on Monday, October 15. If we had joined for what was supposed to be a weekend activity - we would have been activated into full time service that Monday. Needless to say, since that day, I have never volunteered to join anything - except the church.
And, today, November 26, 2016, I read that Fidel Castro had passed away the previous day. His impact on my life has come full circle. But, his communist legacy still lingers and is still a threat to the free world.
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I pray that you have enjoyed this wee walk down memory lane. Why should we study history? Glad you asked.
The Spanish philosopher, essayist, poet, novelist, George Santayana (1863-1952), wrote: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." And, in World War 2, England's great Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, paraphrased that declaration as: "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."
So, what do you know about the week that America, Russia, and the world - were standing on the doorsteps of a nuclear war over the Soviet missile installations in Cuba?
The uncut video below of President John Kennedy drawing a real line in the sand (unlike the wind-blown lines Obama constantly drew and then blew away) - making it clear to Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, that America would NOT accept Soviet offensive weapons so near our homeland, America.
President Theodore Roosevelt, in a letter to Henry L. Sprague on January 26th 1900, wrote: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
Praise God that America has had good presidents in my lifetime who knew how to speak softly of peace - while holding the big stick of the American military strength in hand.
In 1962, President John Kennedy took a stance for American freedom. In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan demanded and built a strong American military force, not for aggression - but to prevent aggression against America. And now President Donald Trump is effectively working to rebuild our American defense system and strategy which was allowed to wither under the administrations starting with Clinton and almost cease to exist under Obama.
Let us resolve to work with President Trump to solidify America's borders and rebuild our military strength. Our national defense and security is multi-faceted. It includes both our military strength to protect us at home and abroad - and also our homeland defense starting with secure and firm borders, which calls for walls on our southern borders.
God bless America - God bless President Trump - and God bless YOU and your family,
Bill
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
FIDEL CASTRO'S DEATH today kind of brings me full circle with history. Early in July 1958, I was discharged from the Air Force and was spending time with my wife's parents in Denver. During the few weeks we were there, Grace and Lester, my in-laws, took us for an outing to the beautiful mountains of Denver. We enjoyed the day and found it pleasant that in Denver the July weather was warm allowing us to wear shorts on our drive to the mountains. But in the mountains we played in snow - in shorts. Go figure. That happens in the Mile High City.
As we were driving to the mountains, a radio news reporter excitedly told us that Fidel Castro had defeated the army of Cuban President Fulgencio Batista and was marching on Havana. In his words, Castro had taken control of Cuba.
What had really happened was the Battle of La Plata (July 11–21, 1958) the summer offensive launched by the Batista government during the Cuban Revolution. In that battle, Castro's revolutionary army soundly defeated and virtually destroyed the Cuban forces. But, the actual fall of the Batista government did not happen until January 1, 1959.
The next week, my family and I took a train from Denver to Los Angeles, California, arriving on my 21st birthday, Wednesday, July 23, 1958. And one week later, July 30, 1958, I was offered a job working for Burroughs Corporation in the computer industry. In the fall of 1959, Burroughs Corporation sent me to work as a Field Engineer at the Norfolk Naval Supply Depot in Virginia, and later moved me to Alexandria, Virginia, to work out of the Washington DC office.
In October 1962, I was the lead Field Engineer on a Burroughs Corporation B-220 computer system for our customer, Atlantic Research Corporation, a government contractor in Tysons Corner,Fairfax County, Virginia. Another Burroughs Field Engineer, Paul, worked with me - and since we both were ex-Air Force electronic techs, we decided that we would join the Air Force Reserve just to keep up with Air Force electronics technology. We had planned to go to the Air Force Reserve Center on Saturday, October 13, and join the Reserves.
But, as fate would have it, the computer we were responsible for at Atlantic Research Corporation had a problem and we had to work that Saturday. Not a problem, Paul and I agreed. We will just go next Saturday.
Well, Fidel Castro stepped into our plans. On Sunday, October 14, the Cuban Missile Crisis burst upon us. Russia had installed missile sites in Cuba - within easy target range of America. That Sunday led into a 13-day (October 16–28, 1962) confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the apparently offensive missile sites in Cuba.
Guess what happened to the Air Force Reserve Unit that Paul and I had planned to join the previous Saturday. You guessed it. President Kennedy activated that unit on Monday, October 15. If we had joined for what was supposed to be a weekend activity - we would have been activated into full time service that Monday. Needless to say, since that day, I have never volunteered to join anything - except the church.
And, today, November 26, 2016, I read that Fidel Castro had passed away the previous day. His impact on my life has come full circle. But, his communist legacy still lingers and is still a threat to the free world.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I pray that you have enjoyed this wee walk down memory lane. Why should we study history? Glad you asked.
The Spanish philosopher, essayist, poet, novelist, George Santayana (1863-1952), wrote: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." And, in World War 2, England's great Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, paraphrased that declaration as: "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it."
So, what do you know about the week that America, Russia, and the world - were standing on the doorsteps of a nuclear war over the Soviet missile installations in Cuba?
The uncut video below of President John Kennedy drawing a real line in the sand (unlike the wind-blown lines Obama constantly drew and then blew away) - making it clear to Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, that America would NOT accept Soviet offensive weapons so near our homeland, America.
President Theodore Roosevelt, in a letter to Henry L. Sprague on January 26th 1900, wrote: "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
Praise God that America has had good presidents in my lifetime who knew how to speak softly of peace - while holding the big stick of the American military strength in hand.
In 1962, President John Kennedy took a stance for American freedom. In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan demanded and built a strong American military force, not for aggression - but to prevent aggression against America. And now President Donald Trump is effectively working to rebuild our American defense system and strategy which was allowed to wither under the administrations starting with Clinton and almost cease to exist under Obama.
Let us resolve to work with President Trump to solidify America's borders and rebuild our military strength. Our national defense and security is multi-faceted. It includes both our military strength to protect us at home and abroad - and also our homeland defense starting with secure and firm borders, which calls for walls on our southern borders.
JFK's "Cuban Missile Crisis" Speech (10/22/62) (Complete And Uncut) https://youtubemini.site/video/EgdUgzAWcrw/jfks-cuban-missile-crisis-speech-102262-complete-and-uncut
God bless America - God bless President Trump - and God bless YOU and your family,
Bill
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