Travelin' Tuesday: Slovenia

Slovenia is the northwesternmost piece of what used to be Yugoslavia. Piran is a lovely little town (pop 4092 in 2012) at the western tip of the Slovenian coast; that's the Gulf of Trieste in the background, and Venice, on the other side of the Adriatic Sea, is somewhere over the horizon near the left edge of the picture.  Most of the wall built across the base of the peninsula in the late 15th and early 16th centuries is still there; this is the view from the top of it. Visible near the centre of the photo is Tartini Square, with its statue of violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini (1692-1770), who was born in Piran. The large building on the right side of the town is the Church of St George, completed in 1637.

Picture taken 2 Jun 03.

Travelin' Tuesday: Portugal

The Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Bethlehem (commonly known as the Jerónimos Monastery), in Lisbon, was built in the 16th century. Originally a home for the Order of Saint Jerome, it is also the site of the tombs of various members of the Portuguese royal family, the explorer Vasco da Gama, and others. The Naval Museum is also located on its grounds.

Picture taken 12 Jun 91.

Travelin' Tuesday: Italy

Before World War I, Trieste was the fourth-largest city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the war it, like the South Tyrol and other pieces of the former empire, was taken over by Italy in accordance with the Treaty of London. The city was part of the Free Territory of Trieste, under direct control of the United Nations, from 1947 until it was returned to Italy in 1954. Long before these events, the city - then called Tergeste - was part of the Roman Empire. The forensic basilica was built in the 2nd century CE; its ruins are located on San Giusto Hill next to the 14th-century Cathedral of San Giusto (St Justus) and San Giusto Castle.

Picture taken 19 Jun 03.

Medal of Honor to be awarded for Afghanistan

ZUI this article from the New York Post:

His name is William “Kyle” Carpenter. He’s a corporal who was medically retired for wounds suffered when he used his body to shield a fellow Marine from a Taliban grenade.

Some 30 surgeries after he was written off for dead, he will next month become the 15th member of an elite company of men: those who have been awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Travelin' Tuesday: Shenandoah

The Shenandoah Valley, part of the Great Appalachian Valley, runs between the Blue Ridge Mountains to its east and the Ridge-and-Valley Mountains to the west.  Stonewall Jackson, the only Confederate general to have a submarine named after him, led the Yankees a merry chase up and down the valley a couple of times in 1862; Jubal Early was much less successful two years later.  Shenandoah National Park, established in 1935 as the 18th US national park (and only the second one east of the Mississippi), is in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Here you see the view looking west across the valley from a spot near the northern end of the Park.

Picture taken 17 Aug 08.

Travelin' Tuesday: Gibraltar

The so-called Barbary ape (Macaca sylvanus) is actually a monkey - a tailless macaque.  They're the only macaque that occurs outside Asia; most live in North Africa, from Morocco to Libya, but a couple hundred live in Gibraltar - the only primates other than humans native to Europe.  Legend has it that if they disappear from Gibraltar, the British will lose control of the colony.  They therefore receive good care; the British Army's Royal Gibraltar Regiment was responsible for them until 1991, when they turned the apes over to the government of Gibraltar.

Picture taken 25 Jul 03.

Travelin' Tuesday: France

This mural is on the outside of a building on the Rue Chevalier-Paul, in Toulon; the building's front faces straight down Place Gambetta.  The current picture in Google Maps street view, dated July 2012, shows that what was the Bar Le San Francisco is now La Balagne, but the mural is still there.  (It's continued down on the ground floor, by the way, beneath the - um - lady in the blue dress.)

Picture taken 4 Aug 98.

Travelin' Tuesday: Bahrain

I found these boats moored near the Bahrain National Museum, in Manama, the capital of Bahrain - I can't identify the exact spot on the map, but there's been plenty of time for new construction in the area.

Picture taken April 1998.

Travelin' Tuesday: Dubai

The Ruler's Court is located on the left bank of Dubai Creek, in the Al Bastakiya historic area in Bur Dubai.  The Grand Mosque and Al Fahidi Fort, the oldest existing building in Dubai, are also located in Al Bastakiya, which is one of the oldest residential areas in Dubai.

Picture taken July 1998.

Medal of Honor to be awarded for Afghanistan

ZUI this article from CNN:

An Army veteran credited with trying to save the lives of fellow soldiers during a firefight in Afghanistan will be awarded the nation's highest military award, the White House said on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama will bestow the Medal of Honor on May 13 to former Sgt. Kyle White for heroics stemming from the 2007 battle during which his only cover from enemy fire was a single tree jutting from a mountain cliff.

Six Americans were killed and several others in the group, including White, were wounded in the four-hour attack.

*******

White was a platoon radio telephone operator and among 14 American troops and Afghan soldiers ambushed while on patrol on November 8, 2007, in eastern Afghanistan.

Travelin' Tuesday: Hawaii

Marine Corps Base Hawaii is located near Kāneʻohe and Kailua, on the windward side of Oʻahu. In 1941 it was Naval Air Station Kaneohe; Chief Aviation Ordnanceman John Finn was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions there during the Japanese attack.

Picture taken 17 May 87.

Travelin' Tuesday: Crete

Khania (or Chania), on the north shore near the western end of Crete, is the second-largest city on the island.  It was ruled by Venice from 1252 to 1645 (less a couple of decades in the 16th century when it was under Genovese control), and there are several Venetian buildings still standing.  The lighthouse was built by the Venetians at the end of the 16th century, and took its final form in the 1830s.

Picture taken 28 Jun 03.

Book list - Jan-Mar 14

Figure Away - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
Old Bones - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
Spring Harrowing - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor *
The Danish Scheme - AH, by Herb Sakalaucks
Make No Bones - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
The Crimson Patch - mystery, by Phoebe Atwood Taylor
1636: Seas of Fortune - AH (short stories), by Iver Cooper
Icy Clutches - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
The Old Powder Line - children's time travel, by Richard Parker
Locomotive - children's railroading, by Brian Floca (Caldecott Medal, 2014)
Curses! - mystery, by Aaron Elkins *
New Amsterdam - AH/fantasy, by Elizabeth Bear
Twenty Blue Devils - mystery, by Aaron Elkins
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures - children's, by Kate DiCamillo (Newbery Medal, 2014)
The White City - AH/fantasy, by Elizabeth Bear
Night of the Living Deed - mystery, by E J Copperman
The Martian - SF, by Andy Weir (ARC)


Only 17 books this time round, five of them rereads (marked by asterisks). And I'm still at 58 of 74 on the Carnegie Medal winners - really ought to get back to them.

The Martian was one of the ARCs my wife and her mother brought back from the ALA midwinter convention in Philadelphia. Outstanding book - highly recommended.

Travelin' Tuesday: St Croix

The US Virgin Islands were purchased from Denmark in 1916, with the formal transfer taking place the following year. Christiansted National Historic Site, located in Christiansted, on the north shore of St Croix, includes several 18th- and 19th-century buildings, including Fort Christiansvaern, built in the 1740s. The fort was named after Christian VI, king of Denmark and Norway from 1730 to 1746.

Picture taken 4 Dec 84.

Travelin' Tuesday: Philippines

Jeepneys are a popular form of public transportation in the Philippines.  This lot are in Olongapo, near Subic Bay; ornate as the one closest to the camera appears, it's actually quite sedate compared to some that I saw.  In Olongapo, at least, they were colour-coded according to the route they followed.  (You can see a red one in the background, next to the third yellow one; there were also blue ones.)

Picture taken 10 Jul 88.

Medals of Honor awarded

As announced last month, President Obama presented the Medal of Honor yesterday to three Vietnam veterans, as well as to the families of 21 other soldiers who served in Vietnam, Korea or World War II. NPR has the complete list, with links to bios and citations, here. The names, units, and dates of heroism are:

Pvt Pedro Cano - Co C, 8th Inf Regt, 4th Inf Div - 2 Dec 44
Pvt Joe Gandara - Co D, 2nd Bn, 507th Para Inf Regt, 82nd Abn Div - 9 Jun 44
S/Sgt Salvador J Lara - Co L, 180th Inf Regt - 27-28 May 44
Pfc William F Leonard - Co C, 30th Inf Regt - 7 Nov 44
S/Sgt Manuel V Mendoza - Co B, 250th Inf Regt, 88th Inf Div - 4 Oct 44
Sgt Alfred B Nietzel - Co H, 2nd Bn, 16th Inf Regt, 1st Inf Div - 18 Nov 44
1st Lt Donald K Schwab - Co E, 15th Inf Regt - 17 Sep 44

Cpl Joe R Baldonado - Co B, 187th Abn Inf Regt - 25 Nov 50
Cpl Victor H Espinoza - Co A, 1st Bn, 23rd Inf Regt, 2nd Inf Div - 1 Aug 52
Sgt Eduardo C Gomez - Co I, 8th Cav Reg, 1st Cav Div - 3 Sep 50
Pfc Leonard M Kravitz - Co M, 3d Bn, 5th RCT, 24th Inf Div - 6-7 Mar 51
Sgt. Juan E. Negron - 65th Inf Regt - 28 Apr 51
M/Sgt Mike C Pena - Co F, 2nd Bn, 5th Cav Regt (Inf), 1st Cav Div - 4 Sep 50
Pfc Demensio Rivera - Co G, 2nd Bn, 7th Inf Regt, 3rd Inf Div - 22-23 May 51
Pvt Miguel A Vera - Co F, 2nd Bn, 38th Inf Regt, 2nd Inf Div - 21 Sep 52
Sgt Jack Weinstein - Co G, 21st Inf Regt, 24th Inf Div - 19 Oct 51

SP4 Leonard L Alvarado - 1st Cav Div - 12 Aug 69
SSG Felix M Conde-Falcon - Co D, 1st Bn, 505th Inf Regt, 82nd Abn Div - 4 Apr 69
SP4 Ardie R. Copas - 25th Inf Div - 12 May 70
SP4 Jesus S Duran - 1st Cav Div - 10 Apr 69
SP4 Santiago J Erevia - Co C, 1st Bn (AM), 501st Inf Regt, 101st Abn Div (AM) - 21 May 69
SGT Candelario Garcia - Co B, 1st Bn, 2nd Inf Regt, 1st Inf Div - 8 Dec 68
SSG Melvin Morris - Det A-403, Co D, 5th SF Group (Abn) - 17 Sep 69
SFC Jose Rodela - Det B-36, Co A, 5th SF Group (Abn) - 1 Sep 69

The addition of Erevia, Garcia and Rodela brings the number of living Medal of Honor recipients back up to 77.

Travelin' Tuesday: Italy

Capo d'Orso, in northern Sardinia near La Maddalena, gets its name from a rock formation that looks like a giant bear.  It was used as a landmark by ancient sailors, and was mentioned as such by the 2nd-century geographer Ptolemy. A popular tourist destination, la Roccia dell’Orso (Bear Rock) can be reached by heading east down the road from Palau* - not a long walk - and then climbing a path up the hillside.

Picture taken 18 May 03.


* Not to be confused with Palau.

RIP: Ola Mize

ZUI this article from the Washington Post:

Ola “Lee” Mize received the Medal of Honor, the military’s highest award for valor, for his heroism in the battle in which he defended a strategically important hill and saved the lives of numerous comrades — and in which his superiors thought he had lost his own. He later served three tours of duty in Vietnam and retired as a colonel.

He died March 5 at his home in Gadsden, Ala. He was 82. The cause was cancer, said Rick Vaughan, a family spokesman.

The son of an Alabama sharecropper, Col. Mize left high school and joined the Army to support his family. He was nearing the end of his enlistment when the Korean War began, according to several accounts, and he reupped so that he would not miss the opportunity to serve in combat.

*******

Ola Lee Mize was born Aug. 28, 1931, in Albertville, Ala. He was a butcher before joining the Army and was initially turned down by military recruiters because he weighed only 120 pounds.

After his tour in Korea, Col. Mize served in the Army Special Forces, or Green Berets, including as a camp commander in Vietnam. He helped train local populations to oppose the Viet Cong, according to a biographical sketch in the book “America’s Heroes,”and later was director of the Special Forces School at Fort Bragg, N.C.

Col. Mize retired in 1981 but remained involved in military affairs for several decades as a motivational speaker, trainer and consultant, his family’s spokesman said.

Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Betty Jackson Mize of Gadsden; their daughter, Teresa Peterson of Rainbow City, Ala.; a half-brother; four grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. His daughter Donna Feazell died in 2001.

Mize's death brings the number of surviving Medal of Honor recipients to 74, nine of whom were awarded the medal for heroism in Korea.

************* *** *************

OLA LEE MIZE

Sergeant, US Army; Company K, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division

Born: 28 August 1931, Marshall County, Alabama
Died: 12 March 2014, Gadsden, Alabama

Citation: M/Sgt. Mize, a member of Company K, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and outstanding courage above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. Company K was committed to the defense of "Outpost Harry", a strategically valuable position [near Surang-ni, Korea], when the enemy launched a heavy attack [during the night of 10-11 June 1953]. Learning that a comrade on a friendly listening post had been wounded he moved through the intense barrage, accompanied by a medical aid man, and rescued the wounded soldier. On returning to the main position he established an effective defense system and inflicted heavy casualties against attacks from determined enemy assault forces which had penetrated into trenches within the outpost area. During his fearless actions he was blown down by artillery and grenade blasts 3 times but each time he dauntlessly returned to his position, tenaciously fighting and successfully repelling hostile attacks. When enemy onslaughts ceased he took his few men and moved from bunker to bunker, firing through apertures and throwing grenades at the foe, neutralizing their positions. When an enemy soldier stepped out behind a comrade, prepared to fire, M/Sgt. Mize killed him, saving the life of his fellow soldier. After rejoining the platoon, moving from man to man, distributing ammunition, and shouting words of encouragement he observed a friendly machine gun position overrun. He immediately fought his way to the position, killing 10 of the enemy and dispersing the remainder. Fighting back to the command post, and finding several friendly wounded there, he took a position to protect them. Later, securing a radio, he directed friendly artillery fire upon the attacking enemy's routes of approach. At dawn he helped regroup for a counterattack which successfully drove the enemy from the outpost. M/Sgt. Mize's valorous conduct and unflinching courage reflect lasting glory upon himself and uphold the noble traditions of the military service.

Travelin' Tuesday: Norway

Austråttborgen (Austrått Manor) is located some 30 miles to the northwest of Trondheim, overlooking Trondheimsfjord. The manor as laid out today was completed around 1656; it burned in November of 1916, but restoration was completed in 1961. Since 1919 it has been property of the state, and it is open for tours during the summer.

Picture taken Mar 1992.

Travelin' Tuesday: Japan

The Great Buddha of Kamakura, on the grounds of Kōtoku-in, was probably completed in 1252 - that is, a statue of the Buddha was completed there, then, but it's unclear if the extant statue is the same one. Made of bronze, it is almost 44 feet high and weighs over 133 tons. To me, the startling bit was that it is hollow, and even has windows....

Pictures taken 8 Dec 86.