Every so often a new fact becomes public about WWII, which ended in 1945, 68 years ago. We’ve all seen the name Bill Blass, the fashion designer. At the age of 22, after the D-Day invasion, he was assigned to a unit called The Ghost Army, which operated light-weight rubberized tanks designed to deceive the Nazis. The group broadcast sound effects through loudspeakers to enhance the ruse. For some reason, this information was classified for 40 years. Next month PBS will air a documentary on the subject. The unit did not see a lot of combat but several of its members were killed in action. Blass, who passed away in 2002, would read Vogue in foxholes. He carried a sketch pad, which he filled with drawings of the women in the areas the unit visited. Just when you thought there couldn’t possibly be anything new about WWII, along comes something like this. I gleaned the information from an article by Michael Starr in today’s NY Post.
RIP Pat Summerall, the long time voice of the NFL on CBS. His polished, spare, no-nonsense delivery was a pleasure to listen to and a perfect complement to his broadcasting partner, the vivacious John Madden. His real name was George Allen Summerall. He was called PAT because of his prowess as a kicker, Point After Touchdown. He played nine years in the league, five with the Browns, four with the Giants. He participated in what is billed as The Greatest Game Ever Played, the Colts 23-17 overtime victory over the Giants in the 1958 NFL championship. He called 16 Super Bowls, 27 Masters, and many U.S. Tennis Opens. Well done, sir.
Margaret Thatcher was buried yesterday, and while her clueless enemies, many too young to remember the chaos that characterized the UK before her ascension, continue to rejoice at the passing of one of the giants of the 20th Century, I celebrate her accomplishments. Here is one of her most famous quotes: “Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” She joins her other ideological cohorts and champions of freedom, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, on the other side. Thank you, madam.
It was the most beautiful day of the year, plenty of sunshine and barely a breath of wind. I suppose it was too much to ask the great luck of the past two days to continue. Still, I thank the gentlemen who purchased CDs by Genesis, Tatu and Leonard Cohen. I am shocked that the three Cohens have sold before the one Bon Jovi. The hedges have begun to bloom. I suspected they'd been killed by the salt water that flooded the area during Hurricane Sandy. Unfortunately, the six-foot cylindrical-like bushes that surround our complex don't look like they're going to make it back. They remain an ugly, rusty brown.
Vic's Third Novel (Print or Kindle): http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
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