WELCOME
to the Black Hills Veterans Writing Group which meets at 9 a.m. (until 11 or so) on the second Saturday of each month. The next meeting will be at Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City (left on first light past Campbell on Omaha). Main door. Can't miss it. Lots of close parking. All meetings are open to the public. You are invited.
On May 12th, US Army Air Corps veteran S/Sgt. Victor Weidensee talked about his World War II service in the Phillippines
(1944-1945) as part of a special-operations guerrilla unit behind Japanese lines.In 1945, he was an eyewitness to the destruction at Hiroshima and the extensive bomb damage to other Japanese cities. He served under Walter "Bud" Mahurin,
fighter pilot ace in Europe and later a POW in the Korean War. Weidensee remembers daily life with the Philippine people, as well as an LST ride from Leyte to Luzon in a hurricane.A Gettysburg, South Dakota, native who enlisted in 1942, Weidensee now lives in Rapid City and is a retired music professor from Black Hills State University. He has recently written up his wartime story. more
Also at the May 12 meeting, we also heard from Col. Dale Friend, a US Army battalion commander during the Vietnam War, who led troops into jungle combat as part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He talked about entering the Army at age 15 when a judge gave the then-delinquent boy a choice between incarceration or enlisting in the military.
70th Anniversary of Ellsworth AFB is underway and the USAF wants contributions from Black Hills veterans and residents. Perhaps you have some old photographs, memorabilia, or memories that are worth sharing. more
On June 9th, USMC veteran Alan B. Walker will talk about his combat experiences in the Vietnam War. Walker is the author of Every Warrior Has His Song. He was born and raised on the Winnebago Indian Reservation in Nebraska. His father was an Omaha Indian, and his mother, Winifred P. Hatchett, was a granddaughter of William Hatchett, one of the original 75 braves who served as scout for the U.S. Army in 1863.
On July 14th, US Army veteran Peter J. Dalberg will talk about his experience during the Battle of the Bulge and crossing the Luedendorff Railway Bridge at Remagen. Dahlberg has just finished his autobiography about growing up on a North Dakota farm and entering the military during World War II.
On August 11th, USMC Maj. Ed McGaa (Eagle Man) will speak. Born on the Pine Ridge Reservation, he saw himself as preserving the Sioux warrior tradition while serving as a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War.
Flying over Vietnam, Laos, and Camboda, McGaa survived 110 combat missions in F-4B Phantoms, often as many as 5 in a 24-hour stretch. McGaa received 8 air medals and 2 Crosses of Gallantry, and was recommended for a Distinguished Flying Cross. “There is a mystique about being a Marine pilot,“ he says, “you actually believe you're invincible. I didn’t know any pilots who refused a mission. WWII pilots were in much more danger. You were lucky if you flew 25 missions.”
Read about former Rapid City soldier John Bickford, who fought in the Iraq War, and his struggle with PTSD. The story is by Dean Muehlberg--and just submitted, exclusively here. Both Dean and John live in Meridian, Idaho, near Boise. John graduated from Stevens High School in 1996. His father and mother still live in Rapid City. more
Vacation in Barry, Wales, June 2012 ?
Rapid City Coastguard veteran Gordon Lease was in Barry during WWII. Glenn Booker continues to send us installments of the publication he puts out from Barry which tracks GIs and their Welsh brides. He's organizing an event that might be a good excuse to travel to Barry next June. The town is full of history and has excellent accommodations.
The event will feature an Allied encampment and civilian homefront living history areas, appropriate themed stalls and entertainment.
Barry at War Group, in partnership with stakeholders will be holding a ‘Barry Wartime Weekend’ living history event in Barry, on June 15-17 2012. The event will commemorate the 70th anniversary of US troops coming to the town as part of the build up for the liberation of Europe.
Send us a message to be on confidential email list to receive monthly notices of meetings. Do you have a story about your military service that you'd like to share and possibly write down? We'd like to hear from you.
Contact us at veterans@battlestory.org