The name may not be familiar to you but it is one known to the intelligence community of the world and one feared by the Germans in World War II. Colonel Aaron Bank was an officer of the United States Army and the founder of the Army Special Forces. He is famous for his exploits as an OSS officer in World War II. He parachuted into occupied France in 1943 and recruited, coordinated, and led resistance fighters against the Nazis. He personally led one unsuccessful effort to assassinate Adolf Hitler. The Colonel was proud to be called the 'Father of the Green Berets.' He survived World War II and was instrumental in forming guerrilla warfare units in the Army. Bank died in Dana Point, California in 2004 at the age of 101. The V-42 Stiletto knife was designed according to the parameters of Colonel Bank and became a standard issue item to Green Berets. The stacked leather handle
was designed to be easily handled in cold weather. The double-edged stiletto was razor sharp and would pass through tough materials with ease. The grip above the guard was formed to keep the knife from slipping in wet weather or when wearing gloves. The pointed end of the handle made both ends of the stiletto lethal. I served with the Special Forces at Phu Bai, South Vietnam from January 1965 until March 1967. While the Marines will swear by their K-Bar knives, I loved the feel and handling characteristics of the V-42. I was contacted by the company making this reproduction of the V-42 about a commemorative model with Colonel Bank's signature on it. Needless to say, I ordered one and it arrived today.
Okay,...I am going to join in on the controversy surrounding the Confederate Flag. I have no dog in this hunt as my mother's side of the family came to America from Ireland in 1879 and my father's father arrived at Ellis Island in 1903 from Germany. Needless to say, the War Between the States was fought in the 1860's. Currently the State of Texas is considering license plates to honor descendants of Confederate Veterans. To deny these people would be an open door to shut off other organizations such as the environmentalists, the sports fans, political braggers, universities, and others from having personalized license plates. If you refuse one, you have to refuse them all to be fair. Since the United States has gone 'politically correct' on everything, both Georgia and South Carolina have been forced to remove the Confederate Flag from atop their state capitol buildings. I can understand not having the Confederate Flag fly from government and public buildings, but to try and prohibit it altogether would be an attempt to deny the war ever happened. In Germany today it is against the law to manufacture, sell, or display the Nazi flag, but it continues to show up at demonstrations across that country. You can not deny an event in history ever happened. That would be the same as saying the holocaust was pure fabrication and eleven million Jews were not killed by the Nazis....but back to the flag. There is already too much divisiveness in our country.. Each nationality wants to proclaim their heritage in such lingo as African-American, Mexican-American, or Anglo-American. I would speculate that most of those individuals have never been to Africa, Mexico, or England....That brings up another burr under my saddle,... Being a white dude, how come I am an Anglo?? That term comes from being a member of the Anglican Church of England. As stated above, my parents came from Ireland and Germany, both of which are not exactly on friendly terms with England. When the United States entered World War I my grandfather had been in this country twelve years, but left his family because his country needed him in the fight against the very country he immigrated from. In World War II my father was joined by six uncles in the conflict and I am happy to say all came home with only emotional battle scars. I, too, had to answer the call when the Vietnam 'conflict' rolled around and I came home without a Purple Heart, indicative of being wounded. When we fly a flag at our home there is never any consideration of the German or Spanish (wife's family from Spain) banner. We are Americans and my family has paid the price to proudly make that assertion. If some group wants to have the Confederate Flag on their license plate, let them. Whose business is it what that individual does with his automobile, home, or his personal property? American is the land of the free....because of the brave. In all of recorded history, only two people have ever volunteered to die for you... Jesus Christ died for your soul..and the American soldier
Saturday, October 1st, the city of Denison cordoned off five blocks of the downtown area for it's Annual Fall Festival. Vendors, display merchants, food servers, and musical groups were in abundance. The weather could not have been more accommodating as clear skies and temperatures in the 80's covered the entire proceedings. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and several booths were set up to take in donations for this very worthy charity. All of the workers in the booths were wearing 'pink wigs' for easy identification. The smell of caramel-flavored popcorn and hamburgers permeated the air for blocks around. The lemonade and water booths were making a killing in the warm temperatures. The Annual Car Show is one aspect of the Fall Festival that I really look forward to. This year was no dissappointment as reconditioned and hopped-up cars from the past were all on display for the large crowd to enjoy. I was impressed by the 1940 Ford Coupe painted a metallic maroon...and the green 1950 Chevrolet 2-door sedan. The Chevy looked like it just rolled off the assembly line,...everything was all original. The City of Denison has made an annual affair of this Fall Festival and this about the tenth year it has been held. It is a super activity and hopefully it will continue to grow and
