HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND FROM BALLADEER’S BLOG! It’s a time for remembering the people who go out and actually DO something and acknowledge their service along with the physical risks and the political abuse heaped upon them. In keeping with my blog’s theme of addressing items that slip through the cultural cracks I’m showcasing a few of the Congressional Medal of Honor winners from the neglected war the U.S. fought in the Philippines from 1899 to 1902.
HIRAM BEARSS (Correct spelling) – This Captain won the Medal for his actions on November 17th, 1901 during a battle at the confluence of the Sohotan and Cadacan Rivers in Samar. Bearss led his men in a surprise attack on the enemy positions in the fortified cliffs. Relying mostly on bamboo ladders the Captain and his troops drove their opposition from their entrenched positions, literally “charging uphill” against enemy fire.
They also had to contend with the countless booby-traps lining the hills, many of which had been in place since the Spanish- American War of 1898. Those deadly traps took the form of pits, poison- tipped spears, trip-sprung vine nets loaded down with literally tons of stones and many others. The opposition in the caves honeycombing the cliffs needed rooting out as well with various forms of death lurking around every twist and turn in the caverns. Continue reading
It’s hard to believe here in the 21st Century but there are actually people who foolishly believe that we never landed on the moon. Here in the U.S. those people are called “Obama supporters”. At any rate the conspiracy addicts who feel that the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 was a hoax are usually ignorant of the moon landings that followed. In the absurd debates over the legitimacy of the Apollo 11 mission the subsequent Apollo moon landings are often overlooked. In keeping with Balladeer’s Blog’s overall theme here is a look at the neglected Apollo missions that followed man’s first landing on the moon. 
Balladeer's Blog 