“You are our living link to the past. Tell your grandchildren the story of the struggles waged, at home and abroad. Of sacrifices made for freedom’s sake.
And tell them your own story as well – because [everybody] has a story to tell”.
-Former president George Bush during State of the Union Address in 1990
As told by Richard M. Portegay ( June 1946-Nov 1946)
“As all former Guardsmen will recall, the General was fond of movies and had a screening room in the Big House. In this room the chairs were lined up in 2 rows on each wall with 2 individual chairs side by side in the center. When I was informed that we could go on Tuesday night , which was Movie Night, I got there a few minutes before the showing and there were only those 2 center seats left. Well, I sat down in one of them. A few seconds after that the General arrived and we all snapped to, of course. He walked over to me and asked if I minded sitting next to him at this seat . I was of course almost overwhelmed and stuttered ,”No Sir ” . THEN, he asked me if I minded if he smoked and he held up a good sized cigar. When I said, heck, No Sir, my dad smokes them all the time and I grew up with them, He laughed and said ,OK soldier, That’s your seat Every Tuesday you come to see the show. I darn near passed out . It`s a memory I will never forget.”
Links To More Stories!
Korean War Poem
Only The Finest
Operation Downfall
Alton L Orlomoski
Bob Sedlacek and the General
Bud Erickson’s Letter Home
John Hanner – He Served
Gene Hudson’s Story
Howard Goes To War
Newsflash or False News: the Abdication of Emperor Hirohito – General MacArthur’s Honor Guard
Peter Fesovich
Robert Havemeyer
Robert Nieman
The Little Diplomat
Tokyo – April 2001