ROSS SIMPSON

Soldiers run for cover during crossfire between pro-Ceaucescu
troops and anti-regime supporters near the Republican square in Bucharest.

Romanian demonstrators sit on top of a tank as it passes in
front of a burning building, December 22, 1989.

General George Washington at Valley Forge.

Alton Glenn Miller (March 1, 1904 – disappeared December 15, 1944)

Glenn Miller was a big-band trombonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader
in the swing era. He was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1942,
leading one of the best-known big bands. Miller’s recordings include "In the
Mood", "Moonlight Serenade", "Pennsylvania 6-5000", "Chattanooga Choo
Choo", "A String of Pearls", "At Last", "(I’ve Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo",
"American Patrol", "Tuxedo Junction", "Elmer’s Tune", and "Little Brown
Jug". In just four years Glenn Miller scored 16 number-one records and 69
top ten hits—more than Elvis Presley (38 top 10s) and the Beatles (33 top - 
10s) did in their careers.   
       

In 1942, Miller volunteered to join the U.S. military to entertain troops during
World War II, ending up with the U.S. Army Air Forces. On December 15,
1944, while flying to Paris, Miller’s aircraft disappeared in bad weather over
the English Channel. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

What is the birthday of the Army National Guard? The official birth
date of the Army National Guard as a reserve component of the
Army is December 13, 1636. On this date, the Massachusetts
colonial legislature directed that the colony’s existing militia
companies be organized into three.

When the National Guard’s oldest regiments met for their first drill
on the village green in Salem, Massachusetts, they were barely
three months old, organized on December 13th, 1636, the date
we now celebrate as the National Guard birthday.

The July 24, 1965, issue of TV Guide with a painting of Perry Mason
on the front (above). “Raymond Burr: Alone on a Treadmill,” the
cover line declared. In the feature story, “Pleading His Own Case”
by Dwight Whitney, we learned that Burr took several trips to
Vietnam to entertain the troops as part of the USO. It goes on to
say that during his third trip, the TV star suffered a severe
shoulder injury when the helicopter transporting him came under
fire. (MeTV)

Raymond Burr as Perry Mason with a cast on his right arm in “The
Case of the Loquacious Liar.”

Lance Cpl. Larry Borschel (right) met actor Raymond Burr when
Burr visited Vietnam in May 1965. More pics from the tour shown
below.

Original CBS-TV series: September 21, 1957 – May 22, 1966.