Weekly History Wrap-Up: 06/17/11.

TGIF, and time for the Weekly History Wrap-Up!

The fully-restored B-17 bomber, Liberty Belle, was lost this week in an Illinois cornfield.  Thankfully, all the passengers survived with only minor injuries.

I love to see WWII vets getting their due.  At this weekend’s NASCAR race, Ryan Newman’s car will feature a photo of Bud Moore, car owner, crew chief and decorated WWII vet.

B-29 navigator, Ben West, recalls dispersing leaflets across Hiroshima prior to the A-bomb drop, warning residents of the impending doom.

Retired Army Colonel Glenn Frazier spoke recently to a Gainsville, Florida group on surviving the Bataan Death March.

Great article from the LA Times on bartenders at American Legion and VFW Posts, and the important role they often play in supporting our combat veterans.

The Pentagon Papers, detailing the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, are now available online.

Sad to see that only one in five 12th graders know who fought in the Korean War.  Forgotten War?  Not for those who served there.  There’s a country called South Korea today because of their sacrifices.

Iraq War vet, Troy Yocum, continues to Hike For Heroes across America to raise money for returning soldiers.

Some 36,000 pages of the Civil War-era newspaper, the Indiana Farmer, will be digitized thanks to Purdue professor and Civil War historian, Carl Snow.  I can’t wait to take a look.

Gotta love those historical oddities, like Balloon Fights from the Civil War.

Til Monday, have a historical weekend.