The passing of Jeremiah Denton, Vietnam POW and US Senator

Sad news, kiddos. When we watched Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam, you were introduced to a heroic man named Jeremiah Denton. He was the brave patriot who was held as a POW for almost 8 years in Vietnam (remember his own teenage son grew up, served in Vietnam, and returned to the US during his dad's captivity). He just died :( Rest in peace, sir.

Below I have a link for the news release on his death. I also posted a short 5 mins clip on Mr. Denton's captivity.

http://news.yahoo.com/jeremiah-denton-vietnam-war-pow-u-senator-dies-160045967.html;_ylt=A0LEVzm3_zVTYFsAsVBXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTB0Nml0YmltBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1ZJUDA1MF8x

The color of valor: 24 minority veterans receive long overdue Medal of Honor

Happy to see these men finally receiving the recognition they deserve.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/18/politics/medal-of-honor-vets/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Social Transformations in the US- NEW Syllabus

Click on the link below to access our new syllabus.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bw14KMi9gWLUb0wxVXJYX0dFY0E/edit?usp=sharing

One World Trade Center

9/11. I was a Senior at WSHS. Like all Americans, I was horrified by what I saw on TV. I feel like I cried for days. I cried for those trapped in the towers and on the planes. I cried for our heroic firemen and police officers who willingly gave up their lives for others. I cried for the Moms and Dads who lost their children. For the children, who lost their parents. For the wives and husbands denied the pleasure of growing old together. I cried for my classmates who I knew would sign up for the military.

In the Fall of 2011, my husband and I visited NYC. We made a point to visit the World Trade Center Memorial. It is simple, beautiful, and haunting. At that time, construction crews were building One World Trade Center.

I love this building. It is proud and defiant. It shows strength and courage. 

It sends a clear message: We're Americans. We stand for freedom. We don't wilt in the face of tyranny- never have and hopefully never will.

Yea, I'm pretty much in love with our country. And no, I'm not kidding.

The link below will take you to the top of One World Trade Center.

http://time.com/world-trade-center/?hpt=hp_t3


Here are some pictures I took of the World Trade Center Memorial and One World Trade Center.

"Ich bin ein Berliner" and President Reagan's Address at the Brandenburg Gate

The Ukrainian Situation

Russian aggression? Eastern Europe under threat? Calls for NATO's intervention?

Hmmm, sounds like something we've heard before...

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/02/world/europe/ukraine-politics/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

 

The map above shows the percentage of various Ukrainian populations for which Russian is their native language.

 

Currently, there are Russian troops occupying Crimea.

 

As you can see from the map, over 75% of citizens in Crimea have described Russian as their native tongue. This suggests very strong ties, politically, culturally, economically, etc, to Russia. 

 

Did you know the Soviet Union gifted Crimea to Ukraine in 1954?

Putin, Cuba, and a little John McCain

Check out the video link below. The Cold War doesn't seem like such a distant history unit over the last few days.


http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/international/2014/02/27/lead-intv-mccain-russian-warship-cuba.cnn.html