I Hiked Currahee and it Kicked my Ass

Call me J or Yosefa. Jewish and Queer. I made this blog for WWII history and to post my own experiences with it

[brbrunningcurrahee]

I'm truly trying to post more on this page, both to share things with other WWII history enthusiasts and to create a digital diary for myself, but it's a bit rough! I was almost completely offline for all of the last week of March to work an event, and I wasn't online much the week before that or this week because I was either preparing for that event or playing catch-up. I've missed... quite a bit, in many ways. Anyway, I'll truly try to post more if I can!

[theworldatwar]

Canadian and American soldiers from the 2nd Armoured Division meet - Elbeuf, France, 27th Aug 1944

[captain-price-returns]

Robert McCurty, left, from Newark, New Jersey, Sgt. Harold Smith, of Brush Creek, Tennessee, and Sgt. Richard Bennett, from Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, raise their glasses in a toast, La Haye du Puits, France. July 15, 1944

[bleedingcoffee42]

Ralph Spina's WW2 questionaire. Some gems:

[bleedingcoffee42]

When WW2 men hear the campaign is over or someone is retiring and it's time to scrapbook:

[bleedingcoffee42]

"101st Airborne Div 506th Para. Inf Regt Co. E 2nd BN

This photo was taken by a paratrooper went we went back to recapture the ground the Germans took. The whole medic staff was captured. Bastogne Dec 1944. Colder than hell.

WWII 1982

Ralph F. Spina"

326 Medics -101st Airborne

[sidsledge]

> coming out under fire (1994) dir. arthur dong

[brbrunningcurrahee]

One of the veterans I loved dearly passed away last night, and I just realised I’d never gotten a photo with him. I unfortunately didn’t know him too long, but he was such a joy. The first time I met him, at the end of the conversation, he held my hand and said, “You have warm hands. You must have a warm heart”. He was just a lovely man. I’m trying to book flights for his funeral, but timing just might not work out. I don’t know. I might just road trip it even though it’d be about nine hours. I’m just kind of doing whatever so I don’t cry anymore

[brbrunningcurrahee]

Hey, y’all! I don’t know if this’ll get anywhere, but anyone who looks through behind the scenes photos or through the series for details: can you please look for any scenes or photos of/with the 506th Headquarters sign? We know of one where they drive past it, but we’re trying to see something

[theworldatwar]

US ground crew watch helplessly as a returning aircraft crash lands and bursts in to flames - East Anglia, England, date unknown

[theworldatwar]

A member of the US Cavalry Reconnaissance Unit does some quick defrosting - Ardennes, Dec 1944

[rachamemories]

This June was the 82nd anniversary of the sinking of SS Tanais, a cargo ship used by the Nazis to transport nearly the entire Cretan Jewish community that was torpedoed by the British, resulting in nearly everyone drowning and effectively destroying the Cretan Jewish community. The synagogues of Crete included Beth Shalom (bombed and destroyed in 1941) and Etz Hayyim, which was looted and desecrated, then occupied by squatters until the mid-1950, then served as a place to dump trash, used as a chicken pen and dog kennel. Etz Hayyim was finally restored in the years 1996-1999. It houses the oldest surviving and functional mikveh in Greece.

[brbrunningcurrahee]

I’m waiting to hopefully hear back from a wwii veteran I was told about in my community. I know four in my state already, but I don’t know if this man is connected to the CircutTM (groups working with and honouring wwii vets). I dropped a letter to him yesterday, so now I wait to hear from him to see if he’ll speak with me

[brbrunningcurrahee]

HE RESPONDED? I'M MEETING HIM TODAY???

[brbrunningcurrahee]

I’m waiting to hopefully hear back from a wwii veteran I was told about in my community. I know four in my state already, but I don’t know if this man is connected to the CircutTM (groups working with and honouring wwii vets). I dropped a letter to him yesterday, so now I wait to hear from him to see if he’ll speak with me

[iliveinprocrasti-nationn]

top 5 pieces of wwii media?

OH MAN. Ok. This is hard. I do want to mention that a lot of my WWII knowledge has come from family history, historical societies, and my museum work. I also am blessed to know a number of WWII veterans personally, so I've heard stories of their experiences, as well.

"Sons and Soldiers" by Bruce Henderson (book). This was how I got introduced to the history of the Richie Boys, and it remains my favorite WWII book.

"Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II" by Allan Bérubé (book). I'm still reading this, but it is an incredibly comprehensive book about not only individual stories and experiences, but also policy decisions and history. It's a very content-heavy book that I think I'll have to reread multiple times, but it's just so well researched.

"Bandstand" (musical). I will admit that this is not necessarily the most informational piece of media, but it focuses on a group of veterans and a gold star wife navigating post-war America and coping with their experiences using music. The soundtrack is gorgeous, but the staging truly ties it all together (especially lighting choices). It goes into subjects like the conflict between "gold star" messaging and grief, PTSD, and the lies in the "return to normal" messaging of post-war America. It just has a special place in my heart.

"The Pacific" (miniseries). I love Band of Brothers and Masters of the Air, too, but The Pacific is my favorite for not pulling as many punches. From the conversations I've had, there is no "tv friendly" way to represent the pacific theater of war, but that show represents a level of brutality in a way that isn't always depicted in WWII media. I think it has something to do with its basis in a memoir rather than a biography, but that's another thing. I recommend people watch The Pacific out of any of the "HBOWar" miniseries.

"Camp Confidential: America's Secret Nazis" (documentary). This is a short animated documentary about P.O. Box 1142, an American military intelligence facility which, among other things, housed Nazi POWs for interrogation. Along with just being fascinating, this documentary really reframed my understanding of history and international relations, and it's changed the way I think about the relationship between the U.S. and Soviet Union (during the war, but also post-war, Cold War, and current Russian relations).

Notable mentions that I'm excited for but haven't gotten to yet (this isn't comprehensive lol): "Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad" by Dr. Matthew Delmont, and "Because I don't want you to be forgotten" by Richard Ramsey.

[aliciax3]

[brbrunningcurrahee]

staring at the project mincemeat musical fandom. do y’all want to keep going