8 August, 2022
HISTORY MARCHES ON...military history that is!
Remembrances of past military events are what keeps the attention of veterans at the monthly Vets Breakfast at the Hopkinton Senior Center. Early August throughout recent history seems to be unusually memorable; e.g., in 1917, the entire National Guard was conscripted for World War I; in 1936, the German hot air balloon "Hindenburg" met a firery death in New Jersey, losing all passengers and crew; in 1945, Hopkinton USAAF members were at-hand when "Little Boy" departed Tinian for a critical bombing of Hiroshima, Japan; in 1964, carrier-based aircraft flew from the USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation in 64 sorties against North Vietnamese coastal targets in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident.
Recently departed Edward O'Leary (US Army) and William Macmillan (USN) were specifically remembered. Quotations by Richard Brault (USMC) were read to the eager listeners as all learned about Brault's occupation of Japan duty just weeks after the bombing of Nagasaki.
A sample of the 3+ dozen Breakfast attendees who contributed to the discussion are shown in the photo: L to R; Al Monfreda (USAF), Rick Ferguson (USMC), Bill Krans (USMC), Ken West (USAF), Dick Gooding (US Army), and Bob Letendre (US Army). Krans holds a photo of the Hindenburg fireball; West shows the fabled Mushroom Cloud; and, Gooding has a photo of the Hindenburg over Manhattan enroute to New Jersey.
The next Vets Breakfast is scheduled for 2 September 2022, along with a van trip to Battleship Cove (pre-registration please).
