By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 30, 2010
Ron Hatcher ©Stars and Stripes
Tokyo, April 1, 1980: Lionel Richie of the Commodores performs for a crowd of about 8,000 at Tokyo's Budokan Hall. Singer, pianist and saxophonist Richie and the group played many of their hits, including "Brick House" and "Too Hot to Trot." Richie began his move toward a solo career in 1980; during the period from 1981 to 1987, he had 13 Top 10 hits.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 29, 2010
Wilson Burge ©Stars and Stripes
South Korea, February 7, 1968: Two weeks after the seizure of the USS Pueblo by North Korea, armored personnel carriers from the 2nd Infantry Division line up in a frozen rice paddy near Freedom Bridge at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. A meeting of the armistice commission the same day at nearby Panmunjom produced no information about the captured ship, but North Korean accusations that U.N. forces were violating the rules of the DMZ were met by a countercharge that the North Koreans had sent a 31-man assassination team below the border with the intention of storming the presidential palace in Seoul and killing President Chung Hee Park.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 28, 2010
Red Grandy ©Stars and Stripes
Frankfurt, Germany, June 11, 1970: Raymond Burr, star of the "Perry Mason" and " Ironside" TV series, gives an autographed photo to German fan Heike Stern during a press gathering at the Hotel Frankfurter Hof. Burr was on a promotional tour sponsored by the distributors of "Ironside," which was then the top-rated show in the foreign TV market.
RELATED MATERIAL:
Read a June, 1970, story about Raymond Burr in Germany here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 27, 2010
Lloyd Borguss ©Stars and Stripes
Berlin, September, 1957: A worker chips away at a large block of granite to be used in a possible restoration of the old Reichstag building, which was badly damaged by fire in 1933 and gutted during World War II. The West German parliament had recently affirmed by a unanimous vote that divided Berlin was still the nation's capital, but Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and other key leaders "turned a cold shoulder to the idea of having the government moved 110 miles behind the Iron Curtain," according to a Stars and Stripes story. It wasn't until ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, in 1999, that the Bundestag returned to the building.
RELATED MATERIAL:
Read a 1957 story about the ruins of the Reichstag building, with more photos, here
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 26, 2010
Tony Evanoski ©Stars and Stripes
Germany, July, 1961: An East German soldier patrols the border near the West German city of Fulda, only steps away from American troops from the 14th Armored Cavalry who were conducting a patrol of their own.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 25, 2010
John Olson ©Stars and Stripes
South Vietnam, November, 1967: A feathered passenger gets the VIP treatment on the way to a base in Vietnam where hungry soldiers eagerly await its arrival. The turkey was one of 57,000 sent in to provide as many as possible of the half-million U.S. servicemembers in Vietnam with the traditional holiday feast. Also rolling through the supply chain for the 1967 meal were 225 tons of boneless turkey meat, 28 tons of cranberry sauce, 15 tons of mixed nuts, eight tons of candy, 11 tons of olives and 33 tons of fruitcake.
RELATED MATERIAL:
Read a wire service story about Thanksgiving 1967 in Vietnam here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 24, 2010
Ron Shaffer ©Stars and Stripes
Dinh Tuong Province, South Vietnam, December, 1970: A young North Vietnamese army soldier listens to his interrogator after being captured during a night operation by the South Vietnamese army's 3rd Battalion, 11th Regiment. Several prisoners were transported by sampan to a house for questioning before they were taken to regiment headquarters.
RELATED MATERIAL:
Read one captured Viet Cong soldier's story here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 23, 2010
Ted Rohde ©Stars and Stripes
Germany, July 19, 1953: Labor leader Walter Reuther, president of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), talks to a reporter during a visit with relatives in the Stuttgart area. Also visiting Germany that month was George Meany, head of the American Federation of Labor (AFL); over the next two years they would work together to merge the two groups into the AFL-CIO, which today represents over 12 million members.
RELATED MATERIAL:
Read Stripes' story about Walter Reuther in Germany here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 22, 2010
Red Grandy ©Stars and Stripes
Finthen, Germany, June, 1972: Tom Casselberry and his horse, Apollo, were named the best in the show after giving the fans plenty of excitement during a rodeo at the Finthen Army Airfield. The European Rodeo Association, most of whose 300-plus members were American military personnel, hosted more than a dozen events in Germany in 1972.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 21, 2010
George Penn ©Stars and Stripes
Bonn, West Germany, September, 1952: Gen. Matthew Ridgway and West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer arrive at a press conference during Ridgway's first visit to Bonn as SHAPE commander. In the doorway behind them is Walter J. Donnelly, U.S. High Commissioner for Germany. Ridgway lauded the German people for the "amazing and admirable spirit" they showed in rebuilding their country after World War II.
RELATED MATERIAL:
Read a story about Gen. Ridgway's visit to Bonn here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 20, 2010
Pete Milia ©Stars and Stripes
Frankfurt, Germany, April, 1977: Actress and singer Shirley MacLaine takes the stage at Frankfurt's Jahrhunderthalle to show off her multifaceted entertainment talents during the opening night of her European tour.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 19, 2010
Mile Mealey ©Stars and Stripes
South Vietnam, May, 1965: A soldier from the 173rd Airborne Brigade scans a clearing for signs of trouble during a jungle patrol out of Binh Hoa.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 18, 2010
Gus Schuettler ©Stars and Stripes
New York City, June, 1968: A worker at His Lordship Products, Inc., on Manhattan's Seventh Avenue, details a Medal of Honor, part of an Army order for 90 of the nation's highest military awards during the height of the Vietnam War. The company was the holder of the exclusive contract to produce the medals, providing about 600 of them to the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps between 1963 and 1968. As of 2010, a total of 247 servicemembers have received the Medal of Honor for combat actions during the Vietnam War. When Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta was honored on November 16, 2010, he became the eighth recipient from the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
RELATED MATERIAL:
Read a 1969 story about the production of the Medal of Honor here.
Visit the Web site of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 17, 2010
Red Grandy ©Stars and Stripes
Hanau, West Germany, March 28, 1957: A dazed competitor hits the canvas during the opening round of the U.S. Army Europe northern regional boxing championships at the Pioneer Kaserne gym.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 16, 2010
Red Grandy ©Stars and Stripes
Frankfurt, Germany, June, 1969: An airline worker at the Rhein-Main airport is clearly thrilled to be photographed with Rita Hayworth during the actress' stopover on her way from New York to the Berlin film festival.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 15, 2010
Stars and Stripes
Frankfurt, Germany, May, 1958: The arrival of a giant panda bound for the local zoo is a major event in the 21st century, with a climate-controlled luxury flight usually followed by a police-escorted motorcade. Things were different for Chi-Chi at the Frankfurt airport in 1958, though. Her ground transportation consisted of a lift into a hand cart, followed by a ride in a small cage on an open truck. But another difference between then and now illustrates the Cold War atmosphere. Due to a trade embargo, pandas — even if they happened to be one of only two in captivity at the time — were not allowed into the U.S., so Chi-Chi was stuck in Frankfurt while American zoos searched for a loophole in the regulations. One was never found, so she ended up in the London Zoo (by way of Copenhagen), where she lived until her death in 1972.
RELATED MATERIAL
Read a 1958 story about Chi-Chi-s plight here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 14, 2010
Lem Robson ©Stars and Stripes
Tokyo, December, 1991: A boy who apparently hasn't seen enough Godzilla movies to know he's supposed to be terrified reaches out to a model of the monster's head outside a store in Tokyo's Shibuya district. The model was part of a promotion for the latest Godzilla film, in which the prime target for the ornery reptile's wrath was Tokyo's new billion-dollar city hall.
RELATED MATERIAL
Read a story about the Godzilla movies here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 13, 2010
Raymond J. Denis ©Stars and Stripes
Tokyo, April 24, 1971: Mahalia Jackson, considered by many to be the best American gospel singer ever, talks to a reporter at her hotel a few hours after she performed for Empress Nagako and other members of the Japanese imperial family. Jackson sang at many important events in American history, including the Kennedy inauguration, the 1963 March on Washington, and the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At the March on Washington, she preceded Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech with the spiritual, "I Been 'Buked and I Been Scorned."
RELATED MATERIAL
Read Stars and Stripes' interview with Mahalia Jackson in Tokyo.
Hear Jackson sing in an NPR story about her role in the March on Washington.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 12, 2010
Kim Ki Sam ©Stars and Stripes
South Vietnam, August, 1968: Engineers prepare dynamite to clear trees for a hilltop landing zone in the A Shau Valley during Operation Somerset Plain.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 11, 2010
Norm Zeisloft ©Stars and Stripes
Ste. Mere-Eglise, France, June, 1961: U.S. Ambassador to France James M. Gavin talks with some of the children who took part in events marking the 17th anniversary of the liberation of Ste. Mere Eglise by Allied forces during the World War II D-Day invasion. Gavin commanded the 82nd Airborne Division on D-Day; during the anniversary celebration, a parade marched down a street named in his honor.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 10, 2010
John Olson ©Stars and Stripes
Khe Sanh, South Vietnam, March, 1968: U.S. Marines use sniperscopes to help zero in on North Vietnamese troops surrounding Khe Sanh during the 77-day battle at the remote outpost. The Marine Corps marks its 235th birthday November 10, 2010.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 9, 2010
Loy Westberry ©Stars and Stripes
Frankfurt, Germany, May 20, 1974: David Cassidy, who gained fame as a star of the Partridge Family TV show and went on to sell millions of records as the favorite of the bubble-gum set, sings at Frankfurt's Jahrhunderthalle. The death of a 14-year-old fan following a concert in London 10 days later led a shaken Cassidy to stop touring and concentrate on his acting career.
RELATED MATERIAL
Read a review of David Cassidy's 1974 show at Frankfurt here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 8, 2010
Gene Bane ©Stars and Stripes
Berlin, June, 1963: President John F. Kennedy looks out at the crowd as he stands at the door of his aircraft during his historic trip to Berlin. It was during this visit that Kennedy delivered his famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 7, 2010
Gene Bane ©Stars and Stripes
Vilseck, Germany, October 15, 1971: Two soldiers from the 17th Artillery, taking part in Winter Shield II, slog through the mud. The six-day exercise involved over 20,000 troops, divided into the "NATO" and "aggressor" forces.
RELATED MATERIAL
Read three stories about the exercise from the February 3, 1961 edition of Stars and Stripes:
"Aggressors" start Shield attack with river crossings
Engineers battle river, weather to open games
Rangers combine mobility, stealth
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 6, 2010
Gus Schuettler ©Stars and Stripes
Germany, August 23, 1959: Sfc. Harold Smith and Capt. Garland J. McAbee of the Golden Arrow Sports Parachute Club take part in their free-falling hobby in the skies above the Finthen airstrip.
RELATED MATERIAL
Read Stars and Stripes' story about the skydiving club here
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 5, 2010
Gus Schuettler ©Stars and Stripes
Bonn, Germany, April 26, 1967: West German Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger, left, reaches out to shake hands with President Lyndon Johnson, who has just arrived at Schaumburg Palace in Bonn. Johnson was in Germany for the funeral of former Chancellor Konrad Adenauer.
RELATED MATERIAL
Read a story about the leaders' meeting here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 4, 2010
Red Grandy ©Stars and Stripes
Mediterranean Sea, April 17, 1970: Late-afternoon flight operations on the deck of the carrier USS Forrestal.
RELATED MATERIAL
See a recent New York Times "Lens" blog item about photographer Red Grandy here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 3, 2010
©Stars and Stripes
Frankfurt, Germany, June 13, 1955: Army Chief of Staff-designate Gen. Maxwell Taylor, left, and USAREUR Commander Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe talk with reporters shortly after Taylor's arrival at Rhein-Main Air Base to begin a briefing tour of U.S. forces in Germany. During World War II, 101st Airborne Division commander Taylor parachuted into Normandy with his troops on D-Day, and McAuliffe led the heroic stand by U.S. forces at Bastogne while filling in for Taylor (who was in the U.S. for a conference) during the Battle of the Bulge.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 2, 2010
Fred G. Braitsch Jr. ©Stars and Stripes
Tokyo, Japan, October 14, 1964: U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Billy Mills (722) battles Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia (615) and pre-race favorite Ron Clarke of Australia on his way to an upset victory in the 10,000-meter race at the 1964 Olympic Games. Mills, an Oglala Lakota American Indian, grew up on the Pine Ridge reservation and attended the University of Kansas. He is now a spokesperson for Running Strong for American Indian Youth, a wide-ranging charitable organization. His story was told in the 1983 movie, "Running Brave."
RELATED MATERIAL
Read an Associated Press article about Billy Mills and his upset win here.
Read a 1999 Stars and Stripes interview with Mills here.
By Joe Gromelski
Published: November 1, 2010
Mark Allen ©Stars and Stripes
Camp Fuji, Japan, October 16, 1997: A night firing exercise at Camp Fuji is captured in a time-exposure photo.
