Bill’s blog archive: Daily Posts

Parker Fondren Phyllis Lee Fondren 1
Parker Fondren Phyllis Lee Fondren 1
Parker Fondren Phyllis Lee Fondren 1
Parker Fondren Phyllis Lee Fondren 1
Parker Fondren Phyllis Lee Fondren 1
Parker Fondren Phyllis Lee Fondren 1
Parker Fondren Phyllis Lee Fondren 1

Parker Fondren’s Daughter

Clients come to me from many places and for many reasons. Some come from universities or towns, hoping to learn about the WW2 military service of their students or citizens. Some are from overseas, hoping to find out the story of a particular American serviceman who died in the liberation of their nation. Many are family historians, such as Donna King of Tennessee. In September of 2017, Donna wrote to me with a poignant inquiry about her uncle, Parker Fondren. As many clients who are...
PFC Frank P. Witek
PFC Frank P. Witek
PFC Frank P. Witek
PFC Frank P. Witek

From “Satisfactory” to Medal of Honor

August 3, 2015 marks the 71st anniversary of the death of Frank Witek, by all accounts, a polite, but fairly ordinary kid from Chicago by way of Connecticut. Enlisting in the Marines after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Frank continued building his “good guy" résumé – competent, but not exemplary. But Fate has a way of sorting out the truly heroic ones, by putting them in situations where they can’t be anything else. Frank Witek distinguished himself in the most extraordinary way, when...
Barenaked 1024x681
Barenaked 1024x681
Barenaked 1024x681
Barenaked 1024x681

Barenaked Ladies Edition – Research Tour Travelog

Today I started on a trek through the Southwest and some of the middle states, conducting in-person research and visiting more than half a dozen military and aviation museums. I'll do my best to blog every day of my trip. Left home about 10:45, worried that I would get caught in the “Cajon Crawl” in the Cajon Pass on I-15 to Victorville. Although the traffic was heavy, I beat the Crawl. Temperature was 97 degrees in the Pass. Listened to Bare Naked Ladies CD. Four miles west of the...