Today is Memorial Day …

Jean posted this in 2012 and suggested it to me. Even though he didn’t die in war, I didn’t want to wait until next March 11 so I thought I’d post it on Memorial Day … which is still worthy of a day to itself – May 30 – and not an excuse for a 3-day weekend.

I know I’ve mentioned
before that my dad served
in the Navy on the
USS Randolph during WW2.

As is so common with veterans,
he didn’t share many details
of his service with his family.
He talked about learning to box
and getting his nose broken.
He talked about making an
attempt in track and breaking
his ankle in the long jump…
or, was it pole vaulting?

The most serious thing he talked
about for a long time was one of
his mates who died from alcohol
poisoning after a day of drinking
in the hot sun.

If he was asked where he served, he would only say
“in the Pacific”. He mentioned being in Hawaii and
having no desire to go back. He enlisted after Pearl Harbor.

One day he showed us a scrapbook he made. The cover is a
piece of scratched plexiglass with some brown stains
near the edge. When I asked him what the stains were,
he said, “Oh, that’s blood from the Kamikaze pilot
who hit our ship.” He wouldn’t say anymore.

Not long ago, I read the book “Flyboys” by
James Bradley. It talks about US forces bombing a
tiny (three miles by five miles) island called
Chichi Jima and eight pilots who crashed there, were
captured, tortured and killed by the Japanese.
This book mentions the USS Randolph as part of the
support forces in the bombing raids on Chichi Jima.
This is where dad’s ship was when it was hit.

I lift a beer in memory to a couple of Mr B-Bar buddies from long ago.

On May 29, 1453, the siege of the capital of the Byzantium Empire ended and it fell to the forces of the Ottomans. Considered the final end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the modern age, these walls in their time were considered the finest of defensive systems. The advent of an effective use of artillery along with over-whelming force marked the end of walls as defensive structures. 1000 lb cannon balls broke through the walls, leaving entry points for the 60,000 Ottoman infantry to overcome the 7000 Byzantium defenders. The schism between the Latin and Orthodox Churches ultimately prevented western Europe help in defending the city.

Constantine XI, Byzantium emperor, placed a chain across the mouth of the Golden Horn and added 60ft wide moats along the 12 miles of ancient walls.

Sultan Mehmet II defeated the defenses: the Ottomans dragged their ships overland through Galata to bypass the chain barrier and used heavy artillery to open breaches in the wall.

“Everywhere there was misfortune, everyone was touched by pain. There were lamentations and weeping in every house, screaming in the crossroads, and sorrow in all churches; the groaning of grown men and the shrieking of women accompanied looting, enslavement, separation, and rape.“

A Byzantine survivor:

“On the third day after the fall of our city, the Sultan celebrated his victory with a great, joyful triumph. He issued a proclamation: the citizens of all ages who had managed to escape detection were to leave their hiding places throughout the city and come out into the open, as they were to remain free and no question would be asked. He further declared the restoration of houses and property to those who had abandoned our city before the siege. If they returned home, they would be treated according to their rank and religion, as if nothing had changed.“

The city wasn’t officially named Istanbul until 1930 after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the formation of the Turkish Republic.

Scattered throughout the dry country, these windmills stand alone, pumping water into stock tanks … or standing broken and discarded as the homesteaders and ranchers moved on.

The Aeromotor Company began experimenting with wind engines in 1883 and sold its first 24 all-metal windmills in 1888, selling over 20,000 by 1892. Through many changes in operations, names, and ownership, the company still exists, owned by a consortium of ranchers in Texas – having reverted back to its original name.

In 1890, the factory consisted of one large building. Sales were so great that by 1892, the factory had expanded to three buildings, the newest one-story building covering an acre.

By 1904, an 8ft mill cost $25 and a 20ft mill, $300 – but the mills required weekly maintenance. By 1915, an automatic oiler was developed that reduced maintenance to a yearly task rather than weekly.

The owner of the company, LaVerne Noyes, established university scholarships for veterans of WWI, primarily at Univ of Chicago and Iowa State. He died in 1919, leaving the company to a taxable trust. The scholarships are still available.

So are the windmills.

Today (2024 catalog), a basic 8ft windmill on a 21 ft tower weighs 795 lbs and costs just about $8600 and is of the same basic design as the 1888 windmill.

How it’s made:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0sc6INKmmc

first published by Jean on Aug 12, 2025

[ Jean: Is this a self-portrait? ]

It’s next Saturday … this is the Monday of a 3-day weekend.

Stolen from the wundernet:

As evening sets in, I do not honor “National BBQ Day”. I will pay my respects on the proper day. To a couple of high school buddies that breathed their last in the jungle. Traditions are more important than 3-day weekends.

In 1968, the U.S. government passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which put major holidays on specific Mondays to give federal employees three-day weekends. Memorial Day was one of these holidays, along with Washington’s Birthday, Labor Day and Columbus Day. The act also codified the name “Memorial Day” into law.

It all went into effect in 1971.