BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Decades after the Vietnam War, retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Bennie Adkins had a simple way of explaining how he survived mortar attacks and rifle bullets that killed so many people all around him. “It was not my day,” he’d say. Then the coronavirus found Adkins and...
Hmong Celebrate New Year in Fresno Amid Tight Security
FRESNO — Thousands of people gathered Thursday in Fresno to celebrate the Hmong new year amid heightened security in the wake of a neighborhood shooting that killed four people. The celebration, which runs through Jan. 1, features Hmong foods, dance, music and games along with sports tournaments, and it typically...
Special Ops Plane That Led POW Rescue Mission Coming to Castle Air Museum
A military plane that played a pivotal role in a daring Vietnam War mission will make Castle Air Museum in Atwater its new home. Aircraft 0212, a Lockheed MC-130P outfitted for special operations, helped guide the daring 1970 Son Tay Raid to rescue prisoners of war being held captive in...
Giant Plane That Led POW Rescue Mission Coming to Castle Air Museum
A military plane that played a pivotal role in a daring Vietnam War mission will make Castle Air Museum in Atwater its new home. Aircraft 0212, a Lockheed MC-130P outfitted for special operations, helped guide the daring 1970 Son Tay Raid to rescue prisoners of war being held captive in...
Rediscovering America: A Quiz on the Vietnam War
National Vietnam War Veterans Day officially is observed March 29, which is the date in 1973 when the last of American combat troops were withdrawn from Vietnam. The quiz below, from the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio, provides an opportunity for you to test your knowledge of the...
King's Speech Inspires Writer to Break Silence on Palestine
One year before his assassination in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King took a strong, public stand against the Vietnam war. NY Times opinion writer Michelle Alexander says most of King's closest advisors advised him to stay silent on the topic or soften his criticism. "They knew that if he told...
My Band of Brothers Died in Vietnam. Only They Didn't Know It.
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation." — George Washington Diabetes, Hodgkin’s disease, chronic B-cell leukemias, ischemic heart disease, chloracne,...
This Video Brings the Cost of Freedom Close to Home
Since 2013, Central Valley Honor Flight has been thanking area veterans by providing them with expense-paid trips to visit America's service memorials in Washington, D.C. To date, more than 700 World War II veterans, 300 Korean War veterans, and 25 Vietnam war veterans have taken part in the memorable and patriotic...
Selfless Patriotism Died 50 Years Ago Today With MLK Assassination
The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, was a shot that rang out like none other in the tumultuous 1960s. Washington and many other cities erupted in riots, mostly described as race riots, but I would aver. I was there. I walked the streets of the...
They Fought for Our Country. Now They Are Forced to Leave.
Imagine sitting at the San Ysidro border crossing and peering over the horizon. One side is Mexico. One side is California. A constant stream of cars and people on foot easily crosses back and forth, except for a growing brotherhood of deported U.S. veterans. The words ‘"deported" and "veteran" seem...