July 31st is like our overachieving intern of the calendar. It is lined up last behind the pipeline of all the other days, yet somehow doing the most. Let's look at 1498, when Christopher Columbus spotted Trinidad on his third voyage. Third! By this point, Columbus was basically that friend who … [Read More...]
Why the USA should return to soft power leadership The ‘soft power’ term was coined 36 years ago by Harvard political scientist Joseph Nye Jr. However, the concept has existed since the dawn of history. … [Read More...]
This story excerpt is reposted with permission from the Vancouver, Canada-based Afro News, a publication for which Military Success Network's Managing Editor, wrote this original article about the memoir of Lt. Cdr. Joseph C. Marston, RCN, CD, DSC. The Canadian Navy officer, born in May 1916, wrote … [Read More...]
June 23, 2012 By
Research and future rights skate Antarctica
On June 23, 1961, the Antarctic Treaty came into effect. At that time, the Cold War was in full swing and nobody wanted to have additional headaches working through the overlapping and competing claims to Earth’s last true frontier. [Read more…]
June 21, 2012 By
Pancho Villa
On June 21, 1916, the Mexican military attacked elements of the U.S. 10th Cavalry at Carrizal, a city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. The clash occurred during the punitive expedition carried out by General Pershing in pursuit of the guerilla leader “Pancho Villa.” [Read more…]
June 19, 2012 By
Wrapped up in a bit of security
Stepping off the plane after my fourth deployment I saw my anxious family waiting. Then they were running. That scene was to record one of the top moments in my life and it was definitely an emotional roller coaster.
My twin boys were clutching their blankets. It being midnight, they were well past their bedtime. As I picked them up I noticed how tightly they held on, not to me but to their blankets. I also noticed that both blankets were well-worn and a little frayed. What I didn’t know was the routine they had with their “Be Be”s and how important their “security” blankets were to them. [Read more…]
June 17, 2012 By
Vlad Courtesy of National Authority of Tourism The medieval citadel of Sighisoara
On this day, 550 years ago, the Ottoman Turks faced the wrath of Vlad Dracula also known as Vlad the Impaler.
Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, had invaded Wallachia with the intention of controlling the lower Danube. The odds were stacked against Vlad as the Ottomans heavily outnumbered the Wallachians. [Read more…]
June 15, 2012 By
James Douglas 1st Governor of Vancouver Island which straddled the 49th parallel
On this day in 1846, the United States and the British Empire agreed to extend the 49th parallel border from the Rockies all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
As a result, the southern tip of Vancouver Island remained as the only British (now Canadian) territory, west of Minnesota that lay south of 49th parallel. [Read more…]
June 14, 2012 By
Grave marker for Air Force fighter pilot BGen. Robin Olds
What do you do when your daughter wants to see her best friend-the one who helped her through her dad’s last deployment? If you are within a 100 mile radius you load up the Family and make it happen.
We all met up at a hotel outside of the Air Force Academy and soon saw that the rest of the tribe was getting restless with simply hanging out at the hotel.
In the previous week, I had just missed an opportunity to check out the Air Force Academy. I had been on location surveying possible upcoming training areas for use in my new assignment. [Read more…]
June 13, 2012 By
Ernesto Miranda
On June 13, 1966, the Supreme Court of United States decided that all criminal suspects must be advised of their rights before an interrogation.
The decision was a legal procedural landmark that marked the transition from the “tell me all you know” method to the “you have the right to remain silent…” scenario. [Read more…]
June 12, 2012 By
J.E.B. Stuart dapper and daring Cavalry General
On June 12, 150 years ago, the Confederate Cavalry ran a 100 mile long reconnaissance raid. They went full circle around the Union Army of the Potomac of General McClellan.
J.E.B. Stuart, the Confederate Cavalry General, accomplished this feat by eluding the northern cavalry commanded by his father-in-law, Philip St George Cooke.
June 11, 2012 By
My favorite breakfast spot while stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina, was the golf course snack bar. The routine was to appear around 0930 just as breakfast was closing. After awhile, the ladies knew my order and the portions started to increase as did the frequency of my visits.
As I left the building, feeling pretty content with my belly full of a Western omelet and home fries that would have buckled anyone under the weight of 200 pounds, I ran into Sheila Van Dyke. [Read more…]
June 11, 2012 By
On June 11 1937, the NKVD (old style KGB) executed eight Soviet high ranking officers (one Red Army Marshal included). A military court found them guilty of anti-Soviet conspiracy.
In order to keep the purge productive and secret, most members of the court later died of pneumonia caused by cold bullets. [Read more…]