Rhode Island’s Top Secret Ear on the World
A long time ago, when the world hadn’t known that it’d one day be capable of inventing the best handheld cb radio, on Darby Road in Scituate, Rhode Island, near the top of the 7th-highest point in the state (732 feet above sea level), is the site of what was once one of the nation’s […]
[MAY 9 DINNER MEETING] Guest Speaker LTC Oscar Diano (US Army): The Philippine Scouts and the Last Horse Cavalry Charge in Combat
The Philippine Scouts was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until the end of World War II. Made up of Filipino-Americans assigned to the United States Army Philippine Department, Philippine Scout units were given a suffix of (PS), to distinguish them from other U.S. Army units. One of these units, the […]
The Only Nazi Bomb To Hit North America: An East Greenwich Connection
This story takes us up north to Canada’s Gaspe Peninsula and involves a well-known East Greenwich resident. Our tale starts in 1942. Canada was under attack by marauding German U-boats that were sinking ships carrying vital supplies to Great Britain as they ventured down the St. Lawrence River and out to sea. Faced with the […]
The Quonset Hut: A Rhode Island Original That Went to War – Worldwide
It was 1941 and like it or not, America was gearing up for war. One major challenge was how to house people and supplies around the globe. The answer came from right here in Rhode Island: the Quonset hut. This writer recently became interested in this simple, multi-purpose structure while researching another story. As it […]
[FEBRUARY 15 DINNER MEETING] Barbed Wire College: Rhode Island and the Secret POW Camps of World War II
EVENT UPDATE: Due to the possibility of a winter storm, the Varnum Members Meeting scheduled for February 8 has been postponed one week. The new meeting date is MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15. PLEASE RSVP AGAIN: If you have already RSVP’d and plan to attend the February 15 meeting, please RSVP again by FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, to […]
[DECEMBER DINNER MEETING] Guest Speaker: Tim Gray of the World War II Foundation
We are honored to welcome Tim Gray (Chairman of the World War II Foundation and national award-winning documentary film maker) as our guest speaker at the December 2015 Varnum Members Meeting. The World War II Foundation is one of the world’s leading non-profit organizations committed to educating future generations about the personal stories of the […]
General George Patton: Master of the Sword
Few military exercises are as thrilling as the charge of a cavalry unit, sabers flashing as they face off against the enemy. Of course, in today’s advanced military arsenals, the saber has been relegated to ceremonial use. But as recently as the early days of World War II, you could have witnessed a cavalry charge. […]
The Aircraft Carriers of Block Island
Out on Block Island, there is a small plot of land with a very special memorial: a ship’s bell commemorating the two US Navy aircraft carriers that proudly bore the name USS Block Island. The first, designated CVE-21, was among the Bogue-class of escort carriers that went to sea early in World War II. These […]