Author: Duane Vachon
Duane A. Vachon PhD works at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. He writes "HEROES OF THE PACIFIC" for Hawaii Reporter and the weekly "INSIGHTS" the ‘Big Island Reporter.' He has two books in print. First, "PUOWAINA - The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific" with a foreword by President Barack Obama. It is available from the American Legion in Honolulu, Hawaii. Second, "GEMS OF THE ANTIPODES" is available from Amazon, AuthorHouse, and Barnes & Noble. Reach Dr. Vachon at vachon.duane@gmail.com
Articles by Duane Vachon:
ANOTHER HOOSIER HERO - Captain Elihu Harlam Mason, Union Army, American Civil War, Medal of Honor (1831-1896)
Sunday, May 19th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D Elihu Harlam Mason was one of Indiana’s earliest recorded heroes. He was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and either the second or fourth recipient depending on what version of history you choose to believe, of the new, United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. [...]
Read Full Article >>COMRADES IN ARMS - ANZAC Day, 25 April 2013
Sunday, May 12th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. Recently I was privileged to participate in the ANZAC DAY memorial service at the National Memorial Cemetery here in Honolulu. The National Memorial Cemetery has been honored to host this service for our Comrades in Arms for several years. Certainly for us veterans, this represents a wonderful recognition of the [...]
Read Full Article >>GREATER LOVE HAS NO MAN - Rear Admiral Richard Nott Antrim, US Navy, WW II, Medal of Honor (1907-1969)
Sunday, May 5th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. Richard Nott Antrim is a native son of Peru, Indiana. He married his wife in June before graduating from the United States Naval Academy on June 4, 1931. After serving briefly in the 11th Naval District he was ordered to report to the battleship USS New York as fire control [...]
Read Full Article >>HOOSIER HERO RETURNS HOME - Lieutenant Colonel Donald Carlos Faith, Jr., U.S. Army, WW II, Korean War, Medal of Honor (1918-1950)
Saturday, April 27th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. It was almost a year ago to the day that I first wrote about Lt. Col. Donald Carlos Faith, Jr. in the Hawaii Reporter. An “R” for recovered will now be placed beside his name on the Wall in the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery [...]
Read Full Article >>ARMED WITH NOTHING BUT COURAGE - Sergeant Ross Franklin Gray, US Marine Corps, WW II, Medal of Honor (1920-1945)
Saturday, April 20th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
Sgt. Ross F. Gray, USMC, WWII, Medal of Honor BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. Ross Franklin Gray was born August 1, 1920 in Marvel Valley, Alabama. He attended the elementary schools of Bibb County and went on to Centerville High School, which he left in 1939 after three years in attendance. He went to work [...]
Read Full Article >>A HOOSIER HERO - Dr. Lawton E. Shank, WWII, Civilian (1907-1943)
Sunday, April 14th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
WAKE ISLAND BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. I now call myself a Kamaina, although my life began as a Hoosier. Maybe it’s days as a Hoosier that has drawn me to write about Dr. Shank. It’s more likely, however, that it was my friend Bonita Gilbert contacting me last week seeking some information on [...]
Read Full Article >>Not Ready to Meet His Creator - Lt. General H. C. (Hank) Stackpole III, U.S. Marine Corps, retired
Sunday, April 7th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. This week I am going to deviate a little from the normal style of these articles. Usually they tell the story of a hero who is no longer with us. Lieutenant General H.C. (Hank) Stackpole III is very much alive and if history teaches us anything will be for quite [...]
Read Full Article >>NOT A QUITTER - Lieutenant Commander (retired) Rufus G. Herring, USNR, WWII, Medal of Honor (1921-1996)
Saturday, March 30th, 2013 in News
DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. Rufus Geddie Herring, a native of North Carolina born June 11,1921, attended Davidson College in Davidson North Carolina, where he was initiated into Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity on February 3, 1939. After graduating in the spring of 1942, Rufus Herring enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve and attended the Naval Reserve [...]
Read Full Article >>JAPANESE MINDS, AMERICAN HEARTS - 442nd Regimental Combat Team, U.S. Army, WWII
Sunday, March 24th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. Most Japanese–Americans who fought in World War II were Nisei, Japanese–Americans born in the U.S. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese–American men were initially categorized as 4C (enemy alien) and therefore not subject to the draft. On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. [...]
Read Full Article >>Saint Dismas, The Good Thief - Father Emil J. Kapaun, U.S. Army, WWII and Korean War (1916-1951)
Saturday, March 16th, 2013 in Heroes of the Pacific
BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D. Since writing this article in March 2012 much has happened in regards to Father Kapaun. After a 60-year wait, on April 11, 2013, President Obama will present the Medal of Honor posthumously to Father Kapaun’s nephew Ray Kapaun. Father Kapaun will become only the seventh Army Chaplain to receive the [...]
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