These are articles sent to the county journal for publication                                                                      Veterans Corner

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Bay of Pigs

     Some time back I had the opportunity to sit down with a gentleman who was 83 by the name of Thomas Stockwell, ex-Army, a resident of Middleville, Mi. Vets for Christ was able to supply Thomas with a new softener system in his home. I have visited Thomas several times and chatted about many things. The topic that captured my attention the most was when he told me about his experience leaving the carrier to advance the southwestern coast into Cuba at a port of entry known as the Bay of Pigs in April of 1961. The plan was orchestrated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration, after elected, John F Kennedy approved the continuation to invade Cuba, this was at a time when Cuba feared that the U.S. was going to over through Cuba by collaborating with local Cubans to take over the Fidel Castro's regime, with over 2000 Cuban exiles ready to stand against a tyrannical communist dictator.

    The bay is told to have gotten its name from the possibility of pigs being shipped to Cuba by the Spanish colonists or a mistranslation of the name of a fish known as the trigger fish. Nevertheless, the bay is only 90 miles from Florida. The plan to overtake Fidel was thwarted when Fidel found out about the plans of the United States to enter at the Bay of Pigs. The invasion turned out to be a complete failure due to the incompetence of multiple sources, including CIA. A sophisticated intelligence network known as Directorate General of Intelligence (DGI) of Cuba had infiltrated Cuban exile groups with spies in Miami and Guatemala, where the CIA was training the invasion force, also detailed reporting from U.S. Media such as the New York Times!!! and other media outlets leaked valuable information in depth to the point that everyone knew about it. When will we ever learn? Don't trust the media?

      Fidel armed his forces at the bay and was ready for any altercation that may threaten his domination over the Cuban people, over 2000 Cuban exiles anti-Castro were arrested and thrown into prison, executed or tortured during the invasion. This not only cost the lives of those who were willing to be martyred for their need for freedom, these exiles who had moved to the U.S. for training were also be traded by the United States for its lack of secrecy. Under the funding of the CIA these exiles formed a Brigade 2506 they lost 114 men, 360 were wounded, 1,202 captured (including wounded), hundreds executed and tortured. While the U.S. only lost 4 killed, 2 B-26 bombers shot down, and 2 supply ships lost. The greatest failure of the invasion was when President Kennedy neglected to send air support over to Cuba known as operation mongoose at a time when the United States was deeply concerned with Cuba receiving ballistic missiles from the Soviet Union. This posed a serious threat to the U.S. when intelligence discovered Soviet missile sites in Cuba.

     Please comment if you were a part of the invasion or training of the Cuban exiles, I will gladly accept any constructive criticism\ or comments you can e-mail Lawrence Eberly   vetsforchrist2nd.div@gmail.com or on the web @ www.vfc2nd-div.org

                                                      LOST DIARY OF A BRAVE SOLDIER

 This is the story of a young man's diary that was discovered after his death by his son, David Persell and his wife Kay.  David's father, Charles Louis Persell, was born November 4th 1918 in Brooklyn New York, just 4 years after world war one had ended. After the war the country was facing inflation and layoffs, as manufacturing shutdowns of war production had come to a close, (The old saying never waste a good crisis). Then a severe recession hit from 1920-1921. Our troops faced widespread unemployment, poor housing, little government support, psychological trauma, and racism. This led to alcoholism, violence, PTSD, suicide and feeling abandoned by their government. By 1922, America was booming and America became an economic superpower, experiencing a boom like never before. The roaring twenties took off like a wildfire across our nation. The mass media exploded. The radio, and Hollywood films brought new entertainment, jazz music flourished, new consumer goods fueling a massive consumer culture. New roads and cars like the model T required the need for gas stations. The mass production of the automobile made them affordable for every average American family, which spurred the growth of our nation. Anyone looking for work had a job. For any young person, opportunity was at their fingertips for those who were willing to reach out and grab it. The 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. The U.S. went from debtor to the world's largest economy, it seems almost overnight. But by 1929, the stock market came crashing down, once again America was in turmoil. This led to the Great Depression until 1939, ten years of economic struggles. On Dec. 7th, 1941, 84 years ago, Japan launched an aerial attack on the U.S. Naval base in Pearl Harbor. Over 2,400 Americans were killed prompting the U.S. to declare war on Japan on Dec 8th, 1941. This attack brought the United States into World War 2. Hence forth the diary of Charles Louis Persell to be continued.

If you have a story or any information pertaining to this article, comment, or constructive criticism you can contact Larry Eberly @ vetsforchrist2nd.div@gmail.com  or www.vfc2nd-div.org  God Bless America.

                                                                                                                     A Christmas Blessing from VFC

From the team at Vets for Christ we wish all of our veterans and first responders a  very Merry Christmas. The Bible says there is no greater gift than a person who would lay down their life for someone else. Because of the generous giving of our supporters this last year VFC was able to reach out to more than 60 veterans who were shut in, in assisted living, or just needed a little help this Christmas. God Bless and God Bless the U.S.A.