James Arness

James Arness (born James King Aurness, May 26, 1923  – June 3, 2011) was an American actor, best known for portraying Marshal Matt Dillon for 20 years in the CBS television series "Gunsmoke". Arness has the distinction of having played the role of Dillon in five decades: 1955 to 1975 in the weekly series, then in "" (1987) and four more made-for-television "Gunsmoke" films in the 1990s. In Europe, Arness reached cult status for his role as Zeb Macahan in the Western series "How the West Was Won". He was the older brother of actor Peter Graves.
Early life.
James Arness was born in Minneapolis. His parents were businessman Rolf Cirkler Aurness and journalist Ruth Duesler. His father's ancestry was Norwegian; his mother's was German. The family name had been Aurness, but when Rolf's father, Peter Aurness, emigrated from Norway in 1887, he changed it to Arness. Arness and his family were Methodists. Arness' younger brother was actor Peter Graves. Peter used the stage name "Graves," a maternal family name.
Arness attended John Burroughs Grade School, Washburn High School, and West High School in Minneapolis. During this time, Arness worked as a courier for a jewelry wholesaler, loading and unloading railway boxcars at the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad freight yards in Minneapolis, and logging in Pierce, Idaho. Despite "being a poor student and skipping many classes," he graduated from high school in June 1942.
Military service in World War II.
Although Arness wanted to be a naval fighter pilot, he was concerned his poor eyesight would bar him. However, his 6-ft, 7-in (2.01 m) frame ended his chances because the limit for aviators was set at 6 ft, 2 in (1.88 m). He was drafted into the US Army and reported to Fort Snelling, Minnesota in March 1943. As a rifleman, he landed on Anzio Beachhead on January 22, 1944, with the 2nd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. Arness - due to his height - was the first man to be ordered off his landing craft to determine the depth of the water; it came up to his waist. He was severely wounded in his right leg during the Battle of Anzio, and medically evacuated from Italy to the U.S., where he was sent to the 91st General Hospital in Clinton, Iowa. His brother, Peter, (later known as actor Peter Graves), came to see him when he was back in the U.S., beginning his long recuperation, assuring him to not worry about his injuries, that likely he could find work in the field of radio. After undergoing several surgeries, he was honorably discharged from the Army on January 29, 1945. His wounds continued to trouble him, though, throughout the remainder of his life. In his later years, he suffered with chronic leg pain that often became acute, and was sometimes initiated when he was mounted on horses during his performances on "Gunsmoke." His military decorations included the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the American Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with three bronze battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
Acting career.
After his discharge from the service, Arness entered Beloit College in Wisconsin. He began his entertainment career as a radio announcer at Minneapolis station WLOL in 1945.
Determined to find work in films, Arness hitchhiked to Hollywood, where he made the rounds to agencies and casting calls and soon began acting and appearing in films. He made his movie debut at RKO, which immediately changed his name from "Aurness". His film debut was as Loretta Young's (Katie Holstrom) brother, Peter Holstrom, in "The Farmer's Daughter". He was credited in "The Farmer's Daughter" as Aurness.
Though identified with Westerns, Arness also appeared in two science-fiction films, "The Thing from Another World" (in which he portrayed the title character) and "Them!". He was a close friend of John Wayne and co-starred with him in "Big Jim McLain", "Hondo", "Island in the Sky", and "The Sea Chase", and starred in "Gun the Man Down" for Wayne's company. He also starred in a 1988 TV remake of Wayne's 1948 classic "Red River".
An urban legend has it that John Wayne was offered the leading role of Matt Dillon in the longtime favorite television show "Gunsmoke", but he turned it down, instead recommending James Arness for the role. The only true part of this story is that Wayne did indeed recommend Arness for the part. Wayne introduced Arness in a prologue to the first episode of "Gunsmoke", in 1955. The Norwegian-German Arness had to dye his naturally blond hair darker for the role. "Gunsmoke" made Arness and his co-stars, Milburn Stone, Amanda Blake, Dennis Weaver, Ken Curtis, Burt Reynolds, and Buck Taylor, world-famous, and ran for two decades, becoming the longest-running primetime drama series in US television history by the end of its run in 1975. The series' season record was tied in 2010 with the final season of "Law & Order" and tied again in 2018 with season 20 of "". Unlike the latter show, "Gunsmoke" featured its lead character in each of its 20 seasons; "Gunsmoke" also aired 179 more episodes, and was in the top 10 in the ratings for 11 more seasons, for a total of 13, including four consecutive seasons at number one.
After "Gunsmoke" ended, Arness performed in Western-themed movies and television series, including "How the West Was Won", and in five made-for-television "Gunsmoke" movies between 1987 and 1994. An exception was as a big-city police officer in a short-lived 1981–1982 series, "McClain's Law", co-starring with Marshall Colt. His role as mountain man Zeb Macahan in "How the West Was Won" made him a cult figure in many European countries, where it became even more popular than in the United States, as the series has been rebroadcast many times across Europe.
"James Arness: An Autobiography" was released in September 2001, with a foreword by Burt Reynolds (who had been a cast member of "Gunsmoke" for several years in the 1960s). Arness noted that he realized, "[I]f I was going to write a book about my life, I better do it now ... 'cause I'm not getting any younger."
Personal life.
Arness married Virginia Chapman in 1948, and adopted her son Craig (1946 – December 14, 2004). Besides Craig, Arness and Chapman also had a son, Rolf, (born February 18, 1952) and a daughter, Jenny Lee Arness (May 23, 1950 – May 12, 1975). Rolf Aurness became World Surfing Champion in 1970. Craig Arness founded the stock photography agency Westlight and also was a photographer for "National Geographic". When they divorced in 1963, Arness was granted legal custody of the children. Daughter Jenny died of a drug overdose in 1975. Former wife Virginia died of a drug overdose in 1977.
Four years after his divorce from Virginia Chapman, James Arness met Thordis Brandt, who was his girlfriend for six years before they ended their relationship.
In 1978, Arness married Janet Surtees. She survived him.
Despite his stoic character, according to Ben Bates, his "Gunsmoke" stunt double, Arness laughed "from his toes to the top of his head." Shooting on the "Gunsmoke" set was sometimes suspended because Arness got a case of the uncontrollable giggles. James Arness disdained publicity and banned reporters from the "Gunsmoke" set. He was said to be a shy and sensitive man who enjoyed poetry, sailboat racing, and surfing. "TV Guide" dubbed him "The Greta Garbo of Dodge City." Buck Taylor (Newly on "Gunsmoke") thought so highly of Arness that he named his second son, Matthew, after Arness' character.
Death.
Arness died of natural causes at the age of 88 years at his Brentwood home in Los Angeles on June 3, 2011. His body was interred in the Sanctuary of Abiding Hope alcove in the Jasmine Terrace section of the Great Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Awards.
For his contributions to the television industry, Arness has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street. In 1981, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Arness was inducted into the Santa Clarita Walk of Western Stars in 2006, and gave a related TV interview.
On the 50th anniversary of television in 1989 in the United States, "People" magazine chose the top 25 television stars of all time. Arness was number six.
In 1996, "TV Guide" ranked him number 20 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.
Arness was nominated for these Emmy Awards:


Unteroffizier

Unteroffizier is a military rank of the "Bundeswehr" and of former German-speaking armed forces ("Heer" and "Luftwaffe"), OR-5b on the NATO scale of ranks. There is no equivalent in the British Army, Royal Marines and various Commonwealth armies (it is senior to an OR-4 Corporal and junior to an OR-6 Sergeant), although the Canadian Army equivalent is OR-5 Master Corporal. The equivalent in the United States Army and United States Marine Corps is OR-5 sergeant. However, "Unteroffizier" is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers.
Germany.
In German military, "Unteroffizier" ("subordinate officer") is both a specific military rank as well as a generic term for any non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the army and air force, while in the navy the term "Deckoffizier" is used. It has existed since the 17th century.
"Unteroffizier" means a specific junior NCO rank of both the Heer and Luftwaffe. It is placed between Gefreiter and Feldwebel, roughly equivalent to a Corporal in the English-speaking world.
Until the end of German Reich, the equivalent of "Unteroffizier" rank in Jäger units was "Oberjäger".
The term "Unteroffizier" continues to be used by the German "Bundeswehr".
Informally, the non-commissioned officers ""mit Portepee" are often called "Feldwebel" ranks", which creates confusion as the collective term "Unteroffizier" already exists. The word "Unteroffizier", in turn, is getting a third meaning, namely: non-commissioned officer "ohne Portepee", as opposed to ""Feldwebel" ranks".
"Unteroffizier" translates as "subordinate-officer" and, when meaning the specific rank, is in modern-day usage considered the equivalent to sergeant under the NATO rank scale. Historically the "Unteroffizier" rank was considered a corporal and thus similar in duties to a British Army corporal. In peacetime an "Unteroffizier" was a career soldier who trained conscripts or led squads and platoons. He could rise through the ranks to become an "Unteroffizier mit Portepee", i.e. a "Feldwebel", which was the highest rank a career soldier could reach. Since the German officer corps was immensely class conscious a rise through the ranks from a NCO to become an officer was hardly possible except in times of war.
The "Unteroffizierskorps" was made up of professional soldiers which formed the backbone of German armies. This tradition has not been changed by the "Bundeswehr" where all ranks of "Unteroffizier" and up consist only of professional soldiers who sign up for a period extending conscription.
"Unteroffizier" is one of the few German military ranks whose insignia has remained unchanged over the past one hundred years. The shoulder boards of a modern "Unteroffizier" are relatively similar to the World War I and World War II designs.
A modern-day German "Bundeswehr" "Unteroffizier" typically commands squad sized formations or acts as an assistant platoon NCO. The rank is also used in the modern-day German Air Force. In the "Bundeswehr" the grade of "Stabsunteroffizier" (a junior NCO) ranks between "Unteroffizier" and "Feldwebel".
East Germany.
By the East German National People's Army (NP's A) and the Border troops the grade was introduced in 1956, comparable to NATO OR-6b. The rank insignia remained almost identically to these Wehrmacht and Reichswehr. There designation of the two classes of non-commissioned officers, i.e. "Unteroffiziere ohne Portepee" and "Unteroffiziere mit Portepee", was generally disapproved by the East German communist military leadership, and consequently uncustomary.
There sequence of grades was as follows:
Austria.
Unteroffizier(e), also Unteroffizier corps (en: Non-commissioned officer(s)), is the collective name to all junior NCO-ranks in the modern day's Austrian "Bundesheer". It comprises the ranks of the assignment group M BUO 2 (professional NCO 2; de: Berufsunteroffizier 2) with the rank Oberwachtmeister (OR6), and M ZUO 2 (time serving NCO 2; de: Zeitunteroffizier 2) with the rank Wachtmeister (OR5).
Training and education of the "Unteroffizier corps" was reformed in 1995 and until 2000 finally introduced to the armed forces. First effected were professional NCOs of the assignment group M BUO 1 (Stabsunteroffiziere, staff NCO's), followed by the assignment group M BUO 2 (Unteroffiziere, NCO's).
In the result of a positive entrance examination aspirants attended the NCO trainings course (new) on the (HUAk) in Enns. After positive HUAk-graduation regular assignments to a "Unteroffizier" might be squad leader (de: "Gruppenkommandant"), or service in a military staff or headquarters.


Germantown order of battle

The Battle of Germantown on 4 October 1777 pitted a 9,000-man British army under General William Howe, 5th Viscount Howe against an 11,000-strong American army commanded by General George Washington. After an initial advance, the American reserve allowed itself to be diverted by 120 English soldiers holding out in the Benjamin Chew House. A heavy morning fog disoriented the American assault columns and led to a friendly fire incident between elements of Major General John Sullivan's right column and Major General Nathanael Greene's left column. At about this time, the American attack lost impetus and both columns retreated. Meanwhile, two wide flanking columns numbering 3,000 American militia had little effect on the outcome. American losses was numbered at 673 soldiers killed and wounded plus 400 captured, while the British suffered 520 casualties.
British Army order of battle.
General Sir William Howe (9,000)
Picket.
Brigadier General Sir William Erskine
Right Wing.
General Sir William Howe
Left Wing.
Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen
American Army order of battle.
General and Commander-in-Chief George Washington (8,000 regulars, 3,000 militia, 200 cavalry)
Right Wing Militia.
Brigadier General John Armstrong Sr. (1,500)
Left Wing Militia.
Brigadier General William Smallwood (1,500)
Right Wing Continentals.
Major General John Sullivan
Left Wing Continentals.
Major General Nathanael Greene
Reserve.
Major General William Alexander, Lord Stirling (1,200)


Edmund P. Radwan

Edmund Patrick Radwan (September 22, 1911 – September 7, 1959) was an American politician from New York.
Life.
He was born on September 22, 1911, in Buffalo, New York, of Polish descent. He attended the public schools, and graduated from University of Buffalo Law School in 1934. Radwan was an athletics coach at East High School in Buffalo from 1929 to 1934.
He was admitted to the bar in 1935, and practiced law in Buffalo. He was Attorney of the Village of Sloan from 1938 to 1940. During World War II he served as a corporal in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945.
Radwan was a member of the New York State Senate (54th D.) from 1946 to 1950, sitting in the 165th, 166th and 167th New York State Legislatures.
He was elected as a Republican to the 82nd, 83rd, 84th and 85th United States Congresses, holding office from January 3, 1951, to January 3, 1959. Radwan voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
He died on September 7, 1959, in Buffalo, New York; and was buried at the St. Stanislaus Cemetery there.


Lawrence D. Peters

Lawrence David Peters (September 16, 1946–September 4, 1967) was a United States Marine who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on September 4, 1967 during the Vietnam War.
Biography.
Lawrence Peters was born on September 16, 1946, in Johnson City, New York. He attended Benjamin Franklin Elementary and Junior High Schools in Binghamton, New York, and graduated from Binghamton North High School in Binghamton, New York in 1964.
While still in high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) on September 18, 1963 and was assigned to the 48th Rifle Company, USMCR, Binghamton.
In September 1964, he completed recruit training with the 1st Recruit Training Battalion, Recruit Training Regiment, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. In October, he completed individual combat training with the 1st Infantry Training Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and advanced infantry combat training in December with the 2nd Infantry Training Battalion, at the same installation.
Upon completion of his training, he returned to Binghamton, where he remained with the 48th Rifle Company until he was discharged to enlist in the Regular Marine Corps on January 30, 1966. He was promoted to private first class on December 16, 1964; to Lance Corporal on July 1, 1965; and to Corporal on January 1, 1966.
Corporal Peters requested assignment to Fleet Marine Forces, Pacific, and in March 1966, joined Staging Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, for transfer overseas.
In May 1966, he joined Company D, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, 3rd Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam, and served consecutively as fire team leader, squad leader, and non-commissioned officer in charge of the Combined Action Company. He was promoted to Sergeant on September 1, 1966. In November 1966, he served on temporary additional duty as company gunnery sergeant with Headquarters Company, 7th Engineer Battalion (Combined Action Company).
That December, he was transferred to Combined Action Company, Sub Unit #1, Service Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, where he served as non-commissioned officer in charge, until April 1967. He then served with the Military Police Company, attached to the 1st Marine Division, until the following July.
Sergeant Peters next served as squad leader of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. While serving in this capacity, on September 4, 1967, he was killed in action during Operation Swift in Quang Tin Province. For his "indomitable fighting spirit and determination against overwhelming odds," Sergeant Peters was awarded the Medal of Honor.
He is buried in Chenango Valley Cemetery in Binghamton, New York.
Medal of Honor citation.
The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR posthumously to
SERGEANT LAWRENCE D. PETERS
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
for service as set forth in the following CITATION:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Squad Leader with Company M, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam on 4 September 1967. During Operation SWIFT, in the province of Quang Tin, the Marines of the second platoon of Company M were struck by intense mortar, machine gun, and small arms fire from an entrenched enemy force. As the company rallied its forces, Sergeant Peters maneuvered his squad in an assault on an enemy defended knoll disregarding his safety, as enemy rounds hit all about him, he stood in the open, pointing out enemy positions until he was painfully wounded in the leg. Disregarding his wound he moved forward and continued to lead his men. As the enemy fire increased in accuracy and volume, his squad lost its momentum and was temporarily pinned down. Exposing himself to devastating enemy fire, he consolidated his position to render more effective fire. While directing the base of fire, he was wounded a second time in the face and neck from an exploding mortar round. As the enemy attempted to infiltrate the position of an adjacent platoon, Sergeant Peters stood erect in the full view of the enemy firing burst after burst forcing them to disclose their camouflaged positions. Sergeant Peters continued firing until he was critically wounded by a gunshot wound in his chest. Although unable to walk or stand, Sergeant Peters steadfastly continued to direct his squad in spite of two additional wounds, persisted in his efforts to encourage and supervise his men until; he lost consciousness and succumbed. Inspired by his selfless actions, the squad regained fire superiority and once again carried the assault to the enemy. By his outstanding valor, indomitable fighting spirit and tenacious determination in the face of overwhelming odds, Sergeant Peters upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
/S/ RICHARD M. NIXON
Awards and decorations.
Sgt Peters was awarded the following medals:

References.
Inline
General


Panzerkanonier


John Hart (actor)

John Lewis Hart (December 13, 1917 – September 20, 2009), also credited as John Hilton, was an American film and television actor. In his early career, Hart appeared mostly in westerns. Although Hart played mostly minor roles in some fairly well known films, he was probably best known for having replaced Clayton Moore in the television series "The Lone Ranger" for one season (1952–53).
Career.
Hart began his screen career in 1937 with a bit part in "Daughter of Shanghai". He continued in a variety of B pictures such as "Prison Farm" and "King of Alcatraz" before appearing in two of Cecil B. DeMille's films "The Buccaneer" (1938) and "North West Mounted Police" (1940). In 1941, Hart's acting career was interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army. He rose to the rank of first sergeant in the Coast Artillery and eventually served in the Philippines. Following his military service, Hart worked frequently for Sam Katzman; he was given the lead role in the "Jack Armstrong" (1947) film serial. Hart did stunt work and acted in numerous westerns.
Hart was eventually offered the opportunity to replace Clayton Moore on "The Lone Ranger" television series. Based on the assumption that the masked character, rather than the actor, was the true star of "The Lone Ranger," the program's producers fired Moore (presumably over salary differences) and replaced him with Hart, who was of a similar build and had a comparable background in Westerns. However, the public never truly accepted Hart as the Lone Ranger, and by 1954 the producers returned Moore to the role. According to Clayton Moore's autobiography "I Was That Masked Man," Moore never knew why he was replaced by Hart, and also stated that he had not sought a pay increase. Hart acted in minor roles in two episodes of "The Lone Ranger" before being asked to replace Clayton Moore for the entire third season. The episodes were "Rifles and Renegades" (#34) and "Sheriff at Gunstock" (#46).
Hart continued to act in films for more than two decades, appearing in films of several genres, almost always in supporting roles. Hart appeared twice in on the TV series "I Love Lucy" as Lucy's old boyfriend and again in the Hollywood episodes as a lifeguard at the hotel pool. In 1955, Hart starred in "The Adventures of Captain Africa", which was originally intended to be a new movie about famous comic book hero The Phantom. However, licensing issues forced Columbia Pictures re-film the entire serial and re-christen the hero "Captain Africa." Hart also had numerous supporting roles in the "Highway Patrol" TV series. In 1957, Hart portrayed Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler in the syndicated western series "Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans,". The one-season program was based loosely on the novels of James Fenimore Cooper. It was filmed in Canada and featured some Indians in a favorable image. Interviewed by Tom Weaver in "Western Clippings" magazine (May–June 2000), Hart revealed that he met actress Beryl Braithwaite when she played a role in an episode of the series; they married just days later, with "Hawkeye" co-star Lon Chaney, Jr., the best man at the wedding.
In 1965 Hart made two brief appearances on the TV series "Perry Mason", including the role of title character and murder victim Jamison Selff in "The Case of the Wrathful Wraith." In the 1970 film "The Phynx", Hart played the Lone Ranger alongside Jay Silverheels as Tonto, spoofing their characters. Hart's last theatrical film appearance was in 1981's "The Legend of the Lone Ranger" in which he appeared as a newspaper editor. He appeared in the television series "Happy Days" as the Lone Ranger in the episode "Hi Yo, Fonzie Away" (February 9, 1982). In this episode Fonzie, played by Henry Winkler gets to meet his childhood hero, the Lone Ranger, for his birthday. Hart's other major late appearance was in an episode of "The Greatest American Hero", "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys", where Hart gives the title character an inspiring speech about heroism.
Personal life and death.
Hart was born in Los Angeles. His mother was named Enid, and he had a sister, Shari. Hart attended South Pasadena High School and later studied acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. He and his wife Beryl had a son, Buddy, and a daughter, Robyn. On September 20, 2009, Hart died from complications of dementia at his home in Playas de Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico at the age of 91. His ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.


Captain (D)

In the Royal Navy, a Captain (D) or Captain Destroyers is a commander responsible for the administration of ships and other vessels of either a destroyer flotilla or squadron.


Iraq War order of battle, 2009

Below is an estimated list of the major units deployed within the Multi-National Force – Iraq and other United States military units that were operating in Iraq under the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) in 2009, during the Iraq War.
In military science terminology, the description of the units involved in an operation is known as the order of battle (ORBAT). NATO and the U.S. Department of Defense define the order of battle as the identification, strength, command structure, and disposition of the personnel, units, and equipment of any military force.
From September 2008 to 31 December 2009, the overall military commander in Iraq was General Raymond T. Odierno, Commander, Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) who reported to United States Central Command. MNF-I replaced Combined Joint Task Force 7 in May 2004. MNF-I consisted of Multi-National Corps - Iraq, Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq (MNSTC-I), and the Joint Contracting Command, Iraq/Afghanistan (JCCIA).
On January 1, 2010, Multi-National Force Iraq became United States Forces - Iraq.
Special Operations Task Forces.
There is a distinction in U.S. military terms between the troops of Multinational Force-Iraq and forces which fall directly under CENTCOM's control but are in Iraq also. There are two special operations task forces operating in Iraq, Task Force 77 and CJSOTF-AP. Though TF 77, a 'black' force, does not answer to MNF-Iraq, it is included here for the sake of completeness of the U.S. forces operating within Iraq. TF 77 was under the command of the Joint Special Operations Command and its principal mission was to hunt down the leaders of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).
The second force, which appears to be separate from TF 77, is the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP). CJSOTF-AP is a "white", or unclassified, special operations task force that as of 2008 was always organized around the headquarters of either 5th Special Forces Group or 10th Special Forces Group. Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula (CJSOTF-AP), itself answers to Special Operations Command Central.
Order of battle as of 2009.
Unless otherwise noted, all units were U.S. in origin. This order of battle extends to battalion level and lists maneuver units only; artillery, support, special operations, and advisory units are not listed. Many brigade combat teams (BCTs) lent battalions to other BCTs during the course of their deployments, giving them "operational control" of those units. In such cases, the battalion's name is followed by "OPCON." Many higher-echelon units have two or more designations, often the formal unit around which the formation is based and then the name of the provisional task force; in these cases, both names are included, separated by a slash. Units were stationed at a variety of bases, including Forward Operating Bases (FOB), Contingency Operating Bases (COB) and Joint Security Stations (JSS).
Multi-National Corps - Iraq.
(General Raymond Odierno)—Camp Victory, Baghdad
Multi-National Division Baghdad.
1st Cavalry Division (Major General Daniel P. Bolger)—Camp Victory, Baghdad
Also known as Task Force Baghdad, this division headquarters was provided by the 1st Cavalry Division. The division's area of responsibility (AOR) was the city of Baghdad. MND-B headquarters was previously provided by Headquarters 1st Armored Division (2003–2004), Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division (2004), Headquarters 3rd Infantry Division (2004–2005), Headquarters 4th Infantry Division (2005-2006) and Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division (2006-2007), Headquarters 4th Infantry Division (2007-2009), Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division (2009-2010).
Multi-National Division South.
34th Infantry Division - (Major General Rick C. Nash)—Contingency Operating Base Basra
Multi-National Division South, also known as Task Force Mountain, assisted the Iraqi Armed Forces with security in the area south of Baghdad ranging from Najaf to Wasit provinces extending to Basra. MND-South headquarters was provided by the 10th Mountain Division (Light) from Fort Drum, New York. The areas south of Baghdad were previously organized into Multi-National Division-Center, under U.S. leadership, and Multi-National Division (South East), which was provided by the British Army. The areas were merged into MND-South on March 31, 2009, to reflect the departure of the UK from Iraq. MND-Center took in portions of the area previously controlled by the long-disbanded Polish-led Multi-National Division Central-South.
The 34th Division transferred control of MND/USD-South to the 1st Infantry Division on February 2, 2010.
Multi-National Division North.
25th Infantry Division/TF Lightning (Major General Robert L. Caslen Jr.)—COB Speicher, Tikrit
This division headquarters was provided by the 25th Infantry Division and was also known as Task Force Lightning. Its area of responsibility included the cities of Balad, Kirkuk, Tikrit, Mosul, and Samarra. It was based at Contingency Operating Base Speicher outside Tikrit, where one of its brigades was also stationed. It also had one brigade based in Mosul, one in Kirkuk, one at Taji, and one in Baqubah.
Multi-National Force West.
II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) (Major General Richard T. Tryon) — Al Asad Airbase
This formation headquarters was provided by the II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). It covered western Iraq, including Al Anbar Governorate and the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, the area where Iraq's Sunni insurgency was at its strongest. Headquartered first at Camp Fallujah and then at Al Asad Airbase.
3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).
The 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) was the senior logistics command under Multi-National Corps-Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-10. Its headquarters was located at Joint Base Balad.
Located approximately 40 miles north of Baghdad, Joint Base Balad was home to the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force's 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing. It was formerly known as Logistics Support Area Anaconda, the largest army supply center in Iraq.
Training.
Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq also played an important role.
United States naval forces in Iraq.
The U.S. Navy Riverine Squadrons of the U.S. Navy are elements of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) that have taken active part in the land operations in support of the army and Marine units. According to the Navy: "The Navy's Riverine force focuses on conducting Maritime Security Operations and Theater Security Cooperation in a riverine area of operations or other suitable area. The force is capable of combating enemy riverine forces by applying fires directly, or by coordinating supporting fires. It will share battle space with the other Services in an effort to close the seams in Doctrine, Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures, and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance."
As of 2008, three riverine squadrons were active in the U.S. Navy, all under the command of Riverine Group 1, located in Norfolk, Virginia. Riverine Squadron 1 (RIVRON 1) deployed to Iraq in April 2007 and was relieved by Riverine Squadron 2 (RIVRON 2) in October 2007. Riverine Squadron 3 (RIVRON 3) was established in July 2007 and will presumably relieve RIVRON 2 in Iraq when their deployment is completed. Also deployed to Iraq, but in support of CJSOTF-AP and TF-77, is Combat Camera Group Pacific/Atlantic. This unit provides highly trained combat photographers who integrate with SEAL Teams and Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha (ODA) Teams in order to provide intelligence collection and combat documentation.
Other countries contributing to MNF-I.
United Kingdom.
The British Armed Forces was the second-largest contributor of foreign troops to Iraq, behind the United States. The British Army commanded the former Multi-National Division (South-East) (Iraq), which included UK, Italian, Australian, Romanian, Danish, Portuguese, Czech, and Lithuanian troops. However, the UK turned over command to the United States on March 31, 2009, and were in the process of withdrawing the 4,100 UK personnel based in and around Basra, leaving behind just 400 by the end of July 2009. 20th Armoured Brigade commanded the British forces in Iraq, which were then attached the U.S.-led Multi-National Division South.
Australia.
The Australian Defence Force had about 100 personnel providing security for the Australian Embassy in Baghdad. Known as Joint Task Force 633, it consisted mainly of infantry, cavalry, military police and combat service support personnel from the Darwin-based 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment and 2nd Cavalry Regiment. The ADF also had 45 personnel embedded in various coalition headquarters and contributes two officers to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
Romania.
The Romanian Army had one battalion deployed to Iraq. The 26th Infantry Battalion, based at Contingency Operating Base Adder, part of Tallil Air Base, near Nasiriyah, was attached to the 4th BCT, 1st Cavalry Division and performed convoy and infrastructure guard missions. The battalion was withdrawn from early June 2009.
NATO Training Mission – Iraq.
The NATO Training Mission – Iraq was not a combat mission but was focused on training and mentoring the Iraqi Armed Forces and the Iraqi Police. It was supported and funded by all 28 NATO nations, and 14 nations had staff in theater as of January 2009, including Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Ukraine participated alongside these nations, though it is not a member of NATO.


List of Allied warships in the Normandy landings

This is a list of warships which took part in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944.
Battleships.
Seven battleships took part: four British and three US:
In addition ( main armament: nine 16-inch guns) was held in reserve until June 10.
Heavy cruisers.
Five heavy cruisers (main guns of 8 inches) took part, three from the United States and two from Britain, HMS "Hawkins" had her original armament of seven 7.5-inch guns while HMS "Frobisher"s main gun armament had been reduced from seven to five single-mounted 7.5-inch guns.
Light cruisers.
17 British light cruisers took part along with two of the Free French navy, and one of the Polish navy. All carried either 6- or 5.25-inch guns of varying numbers.
Destroyers and escorts.
139 ships (eighty-five British and Dominion, 40 US, 10 Free French and 7 other Allied):
Other warships.
508 ships (352 British, 154 US and 2 other Allied):
The British 9th and 159th minesweeping flotillas and U.S. 7th Minesweeping Squadron provided minesweeping protection.
A distant anti-submarine screen to the operation was provided by HMS "Onslow", "Offa", "Onslaught", "Oribi", "Melbreak" and "Brissenden". Additional protection from E-boats was provided by Motor Gun Boat flotillas.


Perryville Confederate order of battle

The following Confederate Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Perryville of the American Civil War. The Union order of battle is listed separately.
Army of the Mississippi.
Gen Braxton Bragg, Commanding
Escort:
Right Wing.
MG Leonidas Polk
Escort:
Left Wing.
MG William Joseph Hardee
Escort:


Darbytown and New Market Roads Union order of battle

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads (October 7, 1864) during the Petersburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Order of battle is compiled from the official tabulation of casualties and includes only units which sustained casualties.
Army of the James.
X Corps.
MG David B. Birney


Hauptfeldwebel (rank)

Hauptfeldwebel (HptFw or HF; ) is the third highest Non-commissioned officer (NCO) grade in German Army and German Air Force. It is grouped as OR-7 / OR-8 in NATO, equivalent to US Army Sergeant 1st Class and Master Sergeant. In army/ air force context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as "Herr Hauptfeldwebel" also informally / short "Hauptfeld".
History.
The "Hauptfeldwebel" introduced by the German "Wehrmacht" in 1938, was not as a military rank but an assignment to "company sergeant" ( or ). Most experienced Portepée-NCO with the rank Stabsfeldwebel or Oberfeldwebel (more seldom Feldwebel) have been assigned to that distinguished position. The equivalent assignment in the Waffen-SS was the SS-"Stabsscharführer".
The assignment was also used in the GDR National People's Army from 1956 until 1990.
In 1957, the rank was introduced in the West German Armed Forces.
Rank sequence.
The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group ("Senior NCOs with portepee") is as follows:


Opequon Confederate order of battle

The following Confederate States Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Opequon on September 19, 1864. The Union order of battle is listed separately. The battle was fought on September 19, 1864 near Winchester, Virginia, and Opequon Creek. The battle is also known as the Third Battle of Winchester and the Battle of Opequon Creek.
Army of the Valley District.
LTG Jubal Early
Staff:
Adjutant general: Ltc Alexander Pendleton
Size as of September 10, 1864 = 15,514 men.
Breckinridge's Corps.
MG John C. Breckinridge
Staff:
Chief of Artillery: Ltc John Floyd King
Cavalry Corps.
MG Fitzhugh Lee (w)


Jagged Alliance (series)

Jagged Alliance is a series of turn-based tactics video games. The first games in the series were released for DOS. From "Jagged Alliance 2" on, the games were developed using DirectX for native Windows operation. "Jagged Alliance 2" was also released for Linux and is available on Steam and on GOG.com for Windows.
Overview.
The "Jagged Alliance" games center on strategically controlling mercenary squads, on and off the field, who complete various missions such as freeing countries from oppressive dictators. The games feature a mix of turn-based battle simulation, 4X (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) elements and role-playing.
Humour via spoken character comments is a trademark of the series. The personalities of the individual mercenaries range from mildly eccentric to disturbed. This contrasts the games' setting which is otherwise closely linked to such subjects as war and death.
Each mercenary is an individual with their own traits. Part of the strategy was the player's freedom to select a multi-faceted team to win the game in different ways. Not all teams would work; for example, Ivan and his nephew Igor, who work well together, are hated by Steroid, the Polish bodybuilder. "Buns", a Danish markswoman, hates "Fox", a medic with centerfold looks. In contrast, "Fox" loves working with "Grizzly," on whom she has something of a crush.
The mercenaries may be out on various assignments, determined randomly, so that the available pool of characters is never the same for each game.
The player has to maintain a level of reputation in the "Jagged Alliance" games. If the player gets their troops killed often, regularly hires and dismisses members or generally is insensitive (such as not paying for deceased merc body shipments back home), their reputation will lower. Bad player's reputation affects all mercenaries. Mercs may demand a significant pay raise to consider working for the player. Hired mercenaries may quit unless the player discreetly pays them a bonus. And only desperate-for-work mercs will agree to work for really notorious players.
Intellectual property.
The intellectual property (IP) for "Jagged Alliance" has been exchanged between many companies. The series and IP were created by Mad Labs Software, who later became a part of the publisher for the first game, Sir-Tech Software, Inc., along with a transfer of IP. The second game, "Jagged Alliance 2", was also started by Sir-Tech. When Sir-Tech's publishing arm went bankrupt, the game rights were transferred to its development house Sir-Tech Canada and published by TalonSoft. By the time "Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business" was released, Sir-Tech's publishing arm was out of business and the game was released by Interplay. Subsequently TalonSoft went bankrupt. At the moment Strategy First owns the IP and has published "Jagged Alliance: Wildfire". Strategy First made several attempts to extend the series with "Jagged Alliance 3D" and "Jagged Alliance 3", both of which never saw the light of day. Strategy First was acquired by Silverstar Holdings, which then ran into financial problems and was delisted by NASDAQ. It is unclear what effect this will have on future games using the "Jagged Alliance" IP, though in the final SEC filing before being delisted Silverstar stated that it had reached a settlement of some issues with Russia-based Akella: "Akella and 3A Entertainment have the option to acquire certain intellectual property rights for the Jagged Alliance and Disciples franchises for an additional $100,000".
The first "Jagged Alliance" game was developed by MadLab Software, Montreal. Qc, the following three games were developed by Sir-Tech Development based in Ottawa, Ontario. Ian Currie, Shaun Lyng and Linda Currie were the lead designers on the "Jagged Alliance" series. MadLab was absorbed by Sir-Tech Canada but the company shut down in late 2003.
Games in the series.
"Jagged Alliance".
Released in 1995 for MS-DOS, this first game of the series tasks the player with freeing the fictional island of Metavira from the greedy Santino. The player must recruit mercenaries as they explore, capture, and hold new territory. The natives harvest the valuable trees from which a revolutionary medicine can be extracted; a result of the island having been used as a nuclear testing ground in 1952. The more trees the player holds, the more income they make. Income can be used to hire native guards and hire more mercenaries to take the offensive and clear more sectors of enemies.
This game features a top-down perspective of the game field for battles, with character portraits framing the view on the left and right sides. A separate map view shows the entire country broken up into distinct conquerable sectors.
"Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games".
Released in 1996, "Deadly Games" is a DOS sequel to the original game. It features a different format, however, and is considered by some to be more of a spin-off than a sequel. This game features the same engine and top-down perspective as the original game.
"Jagged Alliance 2".
This game was released in 1999 for Windows and was later ported to Linux by Tribsoft. The mission of this second official game of the series is to free the country of Arulco from its evil dictator Queen Deidranna. Deidranna married the democratically elected King of Arulco, then launched a coup d'état eight years ago, deposing her husband and taking power for herself. The player is "hired" by the exiled king, Enrico Chivaldori, to free his homeland of Deidranna's dictatorial regime.
Gameplay is similar to the original grand adventure style of "Jagged Alliance", but features higher-resolution graphics and an isometric pseudo-3D view of the battleground. The terrain has two height levels (ground and rooftops) for player / enemy sprites and a basic physics engine for thrown objects and ballistics. It also features "destructible terrain" in that players are able to blow open walls and buildings with explosives. The game also takes place across diverse and rather imaginative locations, including a multi-level prison facility, a school, a hospital, surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, a swamp and a junkyard.
The weapons arsenal has grown considerably to include a variety of weapons based on real-life counterparts (such as automatic weapons, shotguns, rocket launchers) and also fictional weapons like an auto firing rocket rifle. There are some more role-playing elements like specialty professions and the possibility to create a custom mercenary as well.
Mercs can talk to one another during missions, usually spouting one-liners and other comments to each other.
JA2 has been extensively modded by fans of the series. Most notable include, but are not limited to: "v1.13", "Urban Chaos", "Deidranna Lives", "Renegade Republic". and "JA2-Stracciatella".
"Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business".
"Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business", alternatively known as "Jagged Alliance 2.5" is a short, mission-based standalone sequel released by Sir-Tech in 2000. This release adds some tweaks to the combat engine, as well as a scenario editor, yet the gameplay remain largely unchanged. It allows importing of the character created for JA2 with his or her final stats, improved stats of other mercenaries will then be imported too.
A new plot is introduced in "Unfinished Business". The original owners of Arulco's lucrative mines have returned and established a missile base in the nearby country of Tracona, demanding the mines are returned to them. They destroy Arulco's now-empty Tixa prison as an example of what happens if their demands are not met. The player must put a team of mercenaries together to infiltrate Tracona and disable the missile base.
"Jagged Alliance 2: Gold Pack".
"Jagged Alliance 2: Gold Pack" was published by Strategy First on August 6, 2002 and adds the improvements of "Unfinished Business" to the final release of "Jagged Alliance 2". "Unfinished Business" and a scenario editor are also included in the package.
"Gold Pack" introduces notable changes to the difficulty setting. The player choosing an advanced difficulty level may also decide to make the player turns timed and whether to disallow saving during combat, as opposed to the original "Jagged Alliance 2", which set these settings automatically.
"Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire".
"Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire", version 5, was programmed by i-Deal Games and published by Strategy First in 2004 as an official expansion pack. The game's sourcecode was also published in the package, albeit under license. The project had started as a hobby add-on by Serge "WildFire" Popoff, who decided to make it commercial since version 4.
Compared to the original "Jagged Alliance 2", "Wildfire" 5 has not altered the game engine or controls and can be considered a mod. The focus was instead directed into designing revamped environments, new items and stronger enemies. This presents players with a more challenging campaign, however the goals and progression remain the same. In terms of gameplay features, the game remains almost unchanged.
Soon after release, i-Deal Games terminated relations with Strategy First stating "...SF fulfilled none of obligation of contract and paid no single cent to i-Deal Games...". Consequently, WF5 remains largely unpatched, only minor hotfixes were published. I-Deal Games also stated that buggy version were released by Strategy First.
After the falling out with Strategy First, i-Deal Games developed another version of "Wildfire", identified as "version 6", with Zuxxez Entertainment (now TopWare Interactive AG) as distributor.
"WF6" contains changed source code, a tweaked graphics engine that allows for a higher resolution, introduces new mercenaries and increases squad size from 6 to 10. It can be patched up to version 6.04 (for English version), up to 6.06 (for German version), or up to 6.08 (for Russian version).
WF5 can not be upgraded to WF6 and patches for WF6 can not be applied. See Digital distribution for further details.
"Jagged Alliance Online".
gamigo AG and bitComposer Games announced at Gamescom 2010 that a new title, "Jagged Alliance Online", a web browser tactical MMORPG was in development and due for a 2012 release.
The MMO offers the usual "Jagged Alliance" game mechanics, a mix of turn-based combat and real-time action. From a 3D isometric perspective, each player controls and maintains a group of mercenaries and is tasked to use their abilities to complete missions and collect money and build reputation. To succeed, players are required to train and equip their mercenaries with better weapons and tools. Players can also help each other working together to complete battlegrounds and there are also player versus player battles. Players operate from a Headquarters which can be built up and improved upon. From here players can send their mercenaries on over 100 missions around the globe. Although the game is free, there is additional single player content that needs to be purchased, which can be done so online.
"Jagged Alliance Online" was developed by Cliffhanger Productions using Unity and features full 3D graphics. In July 2013 a free-to-download version was made available on the Steam marketplace.
"Jagged Alliance: Back in Action".
On August 20, 2010, bitComposer Games announced "Jagged Alliance: Back in Action", a full-scale remake of "Jagged Alliance 2". It was originally titled "Jagged Alliance: Reloaded". The game was demonstrated at GDC 2011 and released on February 9, 2012.
The stated goal of the remake was to improve the original game concept as well as the visual weaknesses of the original. The story and content are noticeably different from the original as well, with key strategic elements such as boardable vehicles and training of militia removed. Mercenaries are easier to train and permanently hired for a one-time fee rather than the time-based pay of the original. Conversation trees with NPCs have been replaced with linear "talk or stop talking" dialogue. Humorous cut-scenes featuring the exploits of the Queen have also been removed.
"Jagged Alliance: Back in Action" features then-modern 3D graphics in an isometric perspective. The user interface was completely redesigned and includes a new detailed tutorial that helps new players to learn how to play the game properly. The new real time "Plan & Go" system optionally removes the classic "Jagged Alliance" staple of turn based gameplay. It also initially removed the fog of war, making the tactical element of the game simpler and faster to play as it was unnecessary for the player to prepare for enemy surprise attacks or ambushes with all enemies immediately visible. A fog of war system was added to the game post-release called tactical mode, which requires mercenaries to acquire a line of sight on an enemy for them to become visible. The developers estimate that the remake will take players around 70 hours to complete.
The critical reception was mixed at best, with armchairempire.com saying ""Jagged Alliance: Back In Action" is, and probably will for many years hence be, the definitive textbook example of how to mess up by the numbers when attempting to "relaunch" a classic franchise". Even Finnish Pelit magazine, in one of the most positive reviews internationally, stated ""Back in Action" is not a bad game, but pales in comparison to its father".
"Shades of Red".
The first Downloadable content pack "Shades of Red" was released for "Jagged Alliance: Back in Action" on May 18, 2012.
"Point Blank".
The second Downloadable content pack "Point Blank" was released for "Jagged Alliance: Back in Action" on June 14, 2012.
"Jagged Alliance: Crossfire".
On June 13, 2012, bitComposer Games and Kalypso announced the first add-on to "Jagged Alliance: Back in Action". The standalone add-on, "Jagged Alliance: Crossfire" adds new mercenaries, new environments and new weapons.
The setting of Crossfire takes place shortly after the events of "Jagged Alliance 2" at Khaanpa, a small micronation located somewhere in the volatile Asia region. A huge temple has been uncovered and with it a large vein of coltan ore. This triggers a destructive religious conflict funded by the resources which had led to the deaths of many innocent people caught in crossfire, as the leader of the Jenitenn Cult profits from the disaster through humanitarian aid. The United Nations is unwilling to send peacekeepers in a possible chance to fail in peacekeeping efforts and the ambassador of Khaanpa sends AIM to defuse the threat. Upon the death of the leader of the cult, a volcanic eruption occurs near Khaanpa and the UN finally sends in a peacekeeping effort to help rebuild the nation in the wake of the crossfire.
It was released on August 24, 2012, on Steam in a downloadable format and elsewhere on September 25, 2012 as a physical product.
"Jagged Alliance: Crossfire" was developed by the Coreplay Studio in Munich.
"Jagged Alliance 3D and 3".
Strategy First and Game Factory Interactive announced in June 2004 that Russian developer MiST Land South would develop the next two games in the "Jagged Alliance" series: "Jagged Alliance 3D" (JA3D) and "Jagged Alliance 3" (JA3).
"Jagged Alliance 3D" was envisioned as "JA2 in 3D", or basically the same game as "Jagged Alliance 2" but using a 3D engine. "Jagged Alliance 3" would be the "true sequel" to JA2, a full-fledged game in the same spirit as JA2, and using the engine developed for JA3D. JA3D would come out quickly, within a year or two of the release of the generally successful "Wildfire" mod, and be followed by "Jagged Alliance 3". SFI choose GFI because GFI had already released "Cops 2170", a tactical-strategy game published by SFI in North America. The two companies already had a relationship, and it was felt the JA3D project could be mutually beneficial.
From statements made by both Strategy First and Game Factory Interactive, it is apparent that GFI assumed the costs for the development, with SFI providing the intellectual property and the overall vision for the project. This arrangement proved to be very cumbersome, and prone to misunderstandings and confusion. SFI, naturally enough, had very ambitious goals for JA3D while GFI sought to control development costs and time.
The initial plan was for GFI to use a modified "Cops 2170" engine to quickly produce JA3D. However, GFI already had a second strategy game in production, "", and they made the decision to use this engine for both games. GFI planned to set the game in Africa, which was fine with SFI. However, GFI ran into trouble with the strategic layer for Jagged Alliance. They proposed a mission-based structure for JA3D instead. There would be no free-flowing strategic layer, as in "Jagged Alliance" and "Jagged Alliance 2" where the player made strategic movement decisions, and initiated attacks on a map. Instead, the game would be structured like "Jagged Alliance : Deadly Games", with a series of missions, which were essentially combat-only levels. SFI was resistant to the idea, but agreed to it, feeling this would shorten the development time. Besides, JA3D was always intended as a bridge between JA2 and JA3, so it was acceptable that it was not a "full game".
In 2004, initial screenshots of the new engine were released, showing a somewhat primitive 3D engine with familiar "Jagged Alliance" characters, such as Shadow.
In May 2005, the MiST Land South developers announced they would be discarding the turn-based combat system in favor of real-time combat. The turn-based combat had been a hallmark of "Jagged Alliance" from the very beginning, and it was a major reason why most fans stayed with the game. This announcement was a surprise to Strategy First, and was very quickly vetoed by Richard Therrien, VP product development of SFI.
In September 2005, SFI withdrew the rights for "Jagged Alliance 3" from GFI, leaving them with the "JA3D" license only.
A pre-beta version of "JA3D" was shown at the 2006 E3 convention, and received a generally favorable reception. The gameplay appeared to be very similar to "Jagged Alliance 2", with updated and improved graphics, as well as a 3D combat engine.
On July 20, 2006, Game Factory Interactive announced that MiST Land South was being dissolved, as of August 1, 2006.
In August 2006, SFI withdrew the rights to "JA3D" as well. GFI claims that the game simply did not fit within SFI's plans. SFI, on the other hand, states that "JA3D" was in an incomplete state and not ready for the scheduled release date. It was obvious that SFI, having faced years of development without any progress, had finally given up on the project.
This left GFI with no rights to use any of the intellectual property of "JA3D", including characters and story line. GFI now plans to rework the characters and story to remove "Jagged Alliance"-specific details, and will publish the game under a different name. In a September 3, 2006 post on its discussion boards, GFI claims that SFI owes it money, but this is denied by SFI without further elaboration. One of the changes GFI plans to make to "JA3D" is the introduction of a strategic layer.
Strategy First intended to produce "Jagged Alliance 3" internally, with head developer Thiessen promising a much more open experience than any other "Jagged Alliance" game. There were expected to be five separate factions to fight in "JA3", instead of a single enemy. Characters were said to have their own agendas and allegiances in addition to randomization of various settings of the game upon startup in order to make it less predictable; a character who was allied with the player in one game could be their enemy in the next. Player actions were also said to influence how the characters of the world react to them.
In December 2006, Strategy First outsourced "Jagged Alliance 3" again. The publisher, along with Russian developers Akella and F3games, were to create the game, setting an approximate release date of late 2008.
As of October 2008 the game has been delayed again, and Akella's website was displaying a release date of Q1 2010. This delay was likely due to publishers demand to improve graphics.
On December 21, 2009, a German language game site reported that Akella had stopped development on "Jagged Alliance 3". Strategy First has made no statement on the future of the Jagged Alliance series.
On March 9, 2010, German outfit bitComposer Games (now bitComposer Entertainment AG) picked up the rights to the PC strategy series, and started "preliminary development" on the third full game for release in 2011. In August 2015, Nordic Games acquired the rights from bitComposer. “The decision to acquire Jagged Alliance was an absolute no-brainer for us”, commented Reinhard Pollice, Business & Product Development Director at Nordic Games, although no immediate announcement has been made regarding their specific plans for the series.
"Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge".
In November 2007 Game Factory Interactive released "Hired Guns: The Jagged Edge". The game does not have any storyline or characters in common with "JA2", as GFI lost the rights to use any of the intellectual property of Strategy First. Still, it is seen as a spiritual successor; the game is structurally similar to "Jagged Alliance" series and features a mercenary-themed plot, turn-based gameplay, and a familiar game interface.
"Jagged Alliance DS".
In June 2005, Pocket PC Studios and Strategy First announced a conversion of "Jagged Alliance 2 Gold" for the Nintendo DS.
In May 2009, a Nintendo DS "Jagged Alliance" game was released, based on the original "Jagged Alliance".
"Jagged Alliance: Flashback".
In April 2013, Full Control, a Denmark-based game studio, launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund "Jagged Alliance: Flashback". The Kickstarter campaign was successful on May 23, 2013, resulting in the game being fully funded including its firsts stretch goal. The game was released on October 21, 2014.
Upon release Jagged Alliance: Flashback received mostly negative reviews from both critics and players alike and, as a result of poor sales, the developers of Full Control announced that they would no longer be providing support for the game. Full Control went out of business shortly afterwards due to financial difficulties.
"Jagged Alliance: Rage".
Jagged Alliance: Rage is set 20 years after the first Jagged Alliance (1995). The game is being developed by "Cliffhanger Productions" and published by "HandyGames" with a December 6, 2018 release.
Film.
In March 2007, Strategy First announced that they had penned a deal for the creation of a film based upon the "Jagged Alliance" property. The movie license was acquired by Los Angeles-based Union Entertainment.
Board game.
In 20 October 2017, Underground Games announced a board game based on the franchise. The game was originally planned for a 2018 release but this was delayed to 2019.
Digital distribution.
On July 6, 2006 "Jagged Alliance 2" was made available to buy via the Steam distribution service. It is also available via download from Manifesto Games.
"Jagged Alliance 2 Wildfire (v5)" was distributed electronically by StrategyFirst. "Jagged Alliance 2 Wildfire (v6)" was distributed electronically by Zuxxez Entertainment.
Two versions of the same game ("Wildfire") exist due to the game's publisher Strategy First, Inc. falling out after a disagreement with the game's developer, I-Deal Games Studios concerning expenses. Version 5 is the version published by SF before this spat and so is more problematic than v6, the version released through Zuxxez and others by the developer since the incident.
"Jagged Alliance 2: Gold" is available via GameTap.
"Jagged Alliance Classics" (which includes "Jagged Alliance", "Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games", "Jagged Alliance 2" and "Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business") was developed by Full Control and published by bitComposer Games in GamersGate, DotEmu and the Humble Weekly Sale of bitComposer Games.
"Jagged Alliance", "Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games", "Jagged Alliance 2" (distributed by Strategy First), "Jagged Alliance 2: Wildfire" (distributed by Zuxxez Entertainment/TopWare Interactive) and "Jagged Alliance 2: Unfinished Business" (distributed by Interplay Entertainment) are all available from GOG.com.
"Jagged Alliance: Back in Action"; the DLC "Shades of Red" and "Point Blank;" "Jagged Alliance: Crossfire" "and Jagged Alliance: Rage!" are available to buy via the Steam distribution service.


John H. Geiger

John Henry Geiger (June 19, 1926 – January 10, 2011) was an American architect and engineer who served as the National Commander of The American Legion from 1971 to 1972.
Early life and career.
On June 19, 1925, John Henry Geiger was born to Hugo and Martha (Thies) Geiger in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He moved several times during his youth, living in Minden, Crespo, Belle Plaine, and Winterset, Iowa. His father directed units of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression and was influential in bringing The American Legion to Iowa starting John's interest in the subject. At age 17, he joined the Army, serving in the 42nd Tank Battalion, 11th Armored Division, and then the 35th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge and the Army of Occupation in Germany. After the Second World War ended, he returned to the United States. Upon returning to the United States, He went to the University of Illinois where he received an Architecture and an Engineering degree. He returned to Iowa and started his own architecture firm, "John H. Geiger and Associates". In 1966, he was offered a position at United Airlines, which he accepted. While the famed architect Helmut Jahn designed United's O'Hare Terminal 1 in 1987, it was Geiger who supervised its construction.
The American Legion.
Geiger joined The American Legion before leaving active service in 1945, becoming Illinois Commander in 1960 and National Commander in 1971. His tenure as National Commander was marked with his campaign for better healthcare for veterans and opposition to blanket amnesty for draft dodgers. He was also a staunch defender of presidential power during the Vietnam war saying, "Any limitations on the ability of the president as commander in chief to conduct military operations in southeast Asian would endanger the lives of our fighting men and make more difficult the achievement of a just peace". He believed those who objected to President Richard Nixon's war policies were" divisive and defeatist and likely to encourage Hanoi in its demands". On March 1, 1971, he spoke before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Administrative Practice and Procedure of the Committee on Judiciary on The American Legion's opposition to draft dodging, he believed amnesty would devastate morale of those who served in the war and dishonored the memory of the dead. A large project of his was the Three Letter Campaign as he advised each member of the legion to write three letters: one to their congressman and one to each senator. The purpose of the campaign was to improve the GI Bill for veterans of Vietnam. He later served on the National Commander's Advisory Committee from 1978 to 1999.
Personal life.
John Geiger had a wife named Vivienne DeBaets Geiger who died in 1992, a companion named Florence Tanka, six children, 10 grand children and four great grandchildren.


Jonesborough Union order of battle

The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Jonesborough of the American Civil War on August 31-September 1, 1864. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately.
Military Division of the Mississippi.
MG William T. Sherman

Headquarters
Escort
Army of the Cumberland.
MG George Henry Thomas

Headquarters
IV Corps.
MG David S. Stanley
XIV Corps.
BG Jefferson C. Davis
Cavalry Corps.
BG Washington Elliott, Chief of Cavalry, Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Tennessee.
MG Oliver O. Howard

XV Corps.
MG John A. Logan
XVI Corps.
BG Thomas E. G. Ransom
XVII Corps.
MG Francis P. Blair, Jr.


Jimmie Lee

Jimmie C. Lee (born March 27, 1937) is an American politician and former Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing District 25 from January 1993 to January 2015.


James Bethel Gresham

James Bethel Gresham, (August 23, 1893 – November 3, 1917) was an American soldier, the first Hoosier serviceman and perhaps the first American serviceman to die in World War I, along with Private Merle Hay of Glidden, Iowa and Private Thomas Enright of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Early life.
James Gresham was born on August 23, 1893 in McLean County, Kentucky. In September 1901, his family moved to Evansville, Indiana, where he attended the Centennial School and he later worked in local furniture factories.
Military service, death, and legacy.
Gresham enlisted into the U.S. Army on April 23, 1914 with his service beginning at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri. By June 1914, he was serving in El Paso, Texas under General John J. Pershing. He shipped out from Fort Bliss for France with the first American soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force in June 1917. Just before daylight on November 3, 1917, Gresham was killed along with Privates Hay and Enright during an early morning raid by the Imperial German Army near Artois, France. Two days later, on 5 November 1917, Enright, Gresham, and Hay were buried near the battlefield where they had died. An inscription marked their graves: "Here lie the first soldiers of the illustrious Republic of the United States who fell on French soil for justice and liberty." Later in 1921, the body was moved to its current resting place in Evansville, Indiana. As a memorial, as the first American casualty of World a house in Evansville was built in his honor and given to his mother, Alice Dodd.


Stabsgefreiter

Stabsgefreiter ("abbr." StGefr, on lits SG) is the second highest rank of enlisted men in the German Bundeswehr, which might be comparable to Corporal (OR-4) in Anglophone armed forces.
History.
In the 19th century German Army the "Gefreiter" (plural: "Gefreite") always belonged to the rank group of enlisted men (below noncommissioned (NCO) level). However, during training and fatigue duty "Gefreite" were competent, authorized, and tasked to act on behalf of NCOs. So "Gefreite" became the first superior rank above the lowest-level privates. Nevertheless, until 1853 there were no special rank insignia for "Gefreiter". In contrast, from 1811–1853 the "Vize-Unteroffizier" (deputy sergeant) wore the NCO "Portepee" (sword-knot).
In 1846 the rank of Obergefreiter () was introduced. This rank was shown by the so-called sergeant's button on the collar and the NCO "Portepee" on the sword. From 1853–1919 promotion to "Obergefreiter" was suspended with the exception of the "Fussartillerie" (foot artillery).
In the early German Reichswehr the ranks of "Gefreiter" and "Obergefreiter" were both indicated by one identical horizontal 9 mm "Tressenstreifen"" (lace stripe) on both upper arms of the uniform jacket.
Regarding regular 12 years duty time from 1921 onwards, the newly introduced ranks of enlisted men (Oberschütze (1st/Senior rifleman) and "Stabsgefreiter" (Staff Gefreiter) were indicated by angular cuff chevrons on the left upper arm. The sequence of ranks of enlisted men was now as follows:
National People's Army.
In the GDR National People's Army the rank Stabsgefreiter was used until 1990. The equivalent of the "Volksmarine" was "Stabsmatrose".
Bundeswehr.
A soldier of the German Bundeswehr might be promoted from OR1 Soldat to "Stabsgefreiter" OR4b after a regular service time of 36 months.


205 (Scottish) Field Hospital

205 (Scottish) Field Hospital is a unit of the Royal Army Medical Corps within the Army Reserve of the British Army.
History.
The hospital was formed upon the formation of the TAVR in 1967, from the amalgamation of 5th (City of Glasgow) General Hospital, 50th (Scottish) Casualty Clearing Station, 155th (Lowland) Field Ambulance, and 157th (Lowland) Field Ambulance, as 205 (Scottish) General Hospital. Throughout the Cold War, the hospital was under 51st (Highland) Infantry Brigade; and on transfer to war, would re-subordinate to Commander Medical BAOR, to provide 800 beds to the 4th Garrison Area. During the reforms implemented after the Cold War, the hospital was re-designated as 205 (Scottish) Field Hospital. As a consequence of Army 2020, the unit now falls under 2nd Medical Brigade, and is paired with 34 Field Hospital.
Current Structure.
The hospital's current structure is as follows:


Operation Jubilee order of battle

Operation Jubilee was the Allied code name for the raid at Dieppe on the French coast on August 19, 1942. The following order of battle lists the significant military units that participated in the battle, or were available as reserve.
Allied.
Ground forces.
The landing force commander was Major-General John Roberts, the commander of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division.
In addition a detachment of the 1st U.S. Ranger Battalion was assigned as observers to various units
Naval forces.
The naval forces were under the command of Captain John Hughes-Hallett RN.
Eight s:
Supporting elements came from Royal Navy Coastal Forces
Air forces.
The Allied air forces were under the command of Air Vice Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory. The Deputy Senior Air Staff Officer in the group, Group Captain Harry Broadhurst flew "air observation" at Dieppe.
The RAF Air Sea Rescue Service also operated some aircraft.
German.
Heer.
Reserves not participating in the battle:


Jean Shepherd

Jean Parker Shepherd Jr. (July 26, 1921 – October 16, 1999) was an American storyteller, humorist, radio and TV personality, writer, and actor. He was often referred to by the nickname Shep. With a career that spanned decades, Shepherd is known for the film "A Christmas Story" (1983), which he narrated and co-scripted, based on his own semiautobiographical stories.
Early life.
Born in 1921 on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, Shepherd briefly lived in East Chicago, Indiana, and was raised in Hammond, Indiana, where he graduated from Hammond High School in 1939. The movie "A Christmas Story" is loosely based on his days growing up in Hammond's southeast side neighborhood of Hessville. As a youth, he worked briefly as a mail carrier in a steel mill and earned his amateur radio license (W9QWN) at age 16, sometimes claiming he was even younger. He sporadically attended Indiana University, but never graduated. Shepherd was a lifelong Chicago White Sox fan.
During World War II, he served stateside in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. Shepherd then had an extensive career in a variety of media.
Career.
Radio.
After his military service, Shepherd began his broadcast radio career in early 1945 on WJOB in Hammond, Indiana, later working at WTOD in Toledo, Ohio, in 1946. He began working in Cincinnati, Ohio, in January 1947 at WSAI, later also working at Cincinnati stations WCKY and WKRC the following year, before returning to WSAI in 1949. From 1951 to 1953, he had a late-night broadcast on KYW in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after which he returned to Cincinnati for several different shows on WLW. After a stint on television there, he returned to radio. "Shep", as he was known, settled in at WOR radio New York City, New York, on February 26, 1955, and on an overnight slot in 1956, where he delighted his fans by telling stories, reading poetry (especially the works of Robert W. Service), and organizing comedic listener stunts.
The most famous stunt was a hoax he created about a nonexistent book, "I, Libertine", by a fake author "Frederick R. Ewing", in 1956. During a discussion on how easy it was to manipulate the best-seller lists based on demand, as well as sales, Shepherd suggested that his listeners visit bookstores and ask for a copy of "I, Libertine", which led to booksellers attempting to order the book from their distributors. Fans of the show planted references to the book and author so widely that demand for the book led to claims of it being on "The New York Times" Best Seller list. Shepherd, Theodore Sturgeon, and Betty Ballantine later wrote the demanded book, with a cover painted by illustrator Frank Kelly Freas, published by Ballantine Books.
Among his close friends in the late 1950s were Shel Silverstein and Herb Gardner. With actress Lois Nettleton and them, Shepherd performed in the revue he created, "Look, Charlie". Later, he was married to Nettleton for about six years.
When he was about to be released by WOR in 1956 for lack of sponsors, he did a commercial for "Sweetheart Soap", not a sponsor, and was immediately fired. His listeners besieged WOR with complaints, and when Sweetheart offered to sponsor him, he was reinstated. Eventually, he attracted more sponsors than he wanted—the commercials interrupted the flow of his monologues. Former WOR engineer, Frank Cernese, adds, "The commercials of that era were on 'ETs'—phonograph records about 14" in diameter. Three large turntables were available to play them in sequence. Shepherd preferred the engineer to watch and listen to his stories. That left little time to load the turntables and cue the appropriate cuts. That was when he started complaining about "too many commercials".
His last WOR broadcast was on April 1, 1977. His subsequent radio work consisted of short segments on several other stations, including crosstown WCBS, and occasional commentaries on NPR's "All Things Considered". His final radio gig was the Sunday-night radio show "Shepherd's Pie" on WBAI in the mid-1990s, which had him reading his stories uncut, uninterrupted, and unabridged. The show was one of WBAI's most popular of the period. In addition to his stories, his shows also contained humorous anecdotes and commentaries about the human condition, observations about New York City life, accounts of vacations in Maine, and travels throughout the world. One striking program recounted his participation in the March on Washington in August 1963, during which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, and another program that aired on November 25, 1963, covered the burial day of President John F. Kennedy. His most scintillating programs, however, were his often prophetic, bitingly humorous commentaries about ordinary life in America.
Throughout his radio career, he performed entirely without scripts. His friend and WOR colleague Barry Farber marveled at how he could talk so long with so few notes. During a radio interview, Shepherd claimed that some shows took weeks to prepare, but this may have been in the planning rather than the writing of a script. On most of his Fourth of July broadcasts, he did read one of his most enduring and popular short stories, "Ludlow Kissel and the Dago Bomb that Struck Back", about a neighborhood drunk and his disastrous fireworks escapades. In the 1960s and 1970s, his WOR show ran from 11:15 pm to midnight, later changed to 10:15 pm to 11 pm, so his "Ludlow Kissel" reading was synchronized to many New Jersey and New York local town fireworks displays, which would typically reach their climax at 10 pm. It was possible, on one of those July 4 nights, to park one's car on a hilltop and watch several different pyrotechnic displays, accompanied by Shepherd's masterful storytelling.
Print.
Shepherd wrote a series of humorous short stories about growing up in northwest Indiana and its steel towns, many of which were first told by him on his programs and then published in "Playboy". The stories were later assembled into books titled "In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash", "Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories: and Other Disasters", "The Ferrari in the Bedroom", and "A Fistful of Fig Newtons". Some of those situations were incorporated into his movies and television fictional stories. He also wrote a column for the early "Village Voice", a column for "Car and Driver", numerous individual articles for diverse publications, including "Mad Magazine" ("The Night People vs. Creeping Meatballism", March/April 1957), and introductions for books such as "The America of George Ade", "American Snapshots", and the 1970 reprint of the 1929 "Johnson Smith Catalogue".
When Eugene B. Bergmann's "Excelsior, You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd" was published in 2005, "Publishers Weekly" reviewed:
This prismatic portrait affirms Shepherd's position as one of the 20th century's great humorists. Railing against conformity, he forged a unique personal bond with his loyal listeners, who participated in his legendary literary prank by asking bookstores for the nonexistent novel "I, Libertine" (when publisher Ian Ballantine had Shepherd, author Theodore Sturgeon, and illustrator Frank Kelly Freas make the fake real, "PW" called it "the hoax that became a book"). Storyteller Shepherd's grand theme was life itself ... Novelist Bergmann ("Rio Amazonas") interviewed 32 people who knew Shepherd or were influenced by him and listened to hundreds of broadcast tapes, inserting transcripts of Shepherd's own words into a "biographical framework" of exhaustive research.
"Shep's Army: Bummers, Blisters, and Boondoggles", almost three dozen of Jean Shepherd's radio stories about the army, transcribed, edited, and introduced by Eugene B. Bergmann, is a book of stories by Shepherd, never before in print. (Opus Books, August 2013)
Television and films.
Early in his career, Shepherd had a television program on WLWT in Cincinnati called "Rear Bumper". He claimed that he was recommended to replace the resigning Steve Allen on NBC's "Tonight Show". Shepherd was reportedly brought to New York City by NBC executives to prepare for the position, but they were contractually bound to first offer it to Jack Paar. The network was certain Paar would hold out for a role in prime time, but he accepted the late-night assignment. However, he did not assume the position permanently until Shepherd and Ernie Kovacs had co-hosted the show.
In late 1960 and early 1961, he did a weekly television show, "Inside Jean Shepherd", on WOR-TV (channel 9) in New York, but it did not last long. Between 1971 and 1994, Shepherd became a screenwriter of note, writing and producing numerous works for both television and cinema, all based on his originally spoken and written stories. He was the writer and narrator of the show "Jean Shepherd's America", produced by Boston Public Television station WGBH for PBS, in which he visited various American locales, and interviewed local people of interest. He used a somewhat similar format for the New Jersey Network TV show "Shepherd's Pie". On many of the Public TV shows he wrote, directed, and edited entire shows.
He also wrote and narrated many works, the most famous being the 1983 MGM feature film "A Christmas Story", which is now considered a holiday classic. Shepherd narrates the film as the adult Ralph Parker, and also has a cameo role playing a man in line at the department store waiting for Santa Claus.
PBS aired several television movies based on Shepherd stories, also featuring the Parker family. These included "The Phantom of the Open Hearth" (1976), which aired as part of the anthology series "Visions"; "The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters" (1982) and "The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski" (1985), both as part of the anthology series "American Playhouse"; and "Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss" (1988), a co-production with The Disney Channel. All were narrated by Shepherd, but otherwise featured different casts.
Once Shepherd noticed the amount of money he was making from reruns of "A Christmas Story" (which was slowly becoming a television tradition), he abandoned television; in 1994, "A Christmas Story" director Bob Clark and he returned to the same working-class Cleveland street neighborhood to film a sequel, "It Runs in the Family" (later known as "My Summer Story"), released by MGM in 1994 and (because the 11-year span between films caused almost all the actors to age out of their roles) featuring an almost entirely different cast from the previous film.
Live performances and recordings.
On Saturday nights for several years, Shepherd broadcast his WOR radio program live from the Limelight Café in New York City's Greenwich Village, and he also performed at many colleges nationwide. His live shows were a perennial favorite at Rutgers to wildly enthusiastic standing-room-only crowds, and Fairleigh Dickinson Universities (he often referred to the latter as "Fairly Ridiculous University" on his WOR show). He performed at Princeton University for over 30 years, beginning in 1956 until 1996, three years before his death.
He performed before sold-out audiences at Carnegie Hall and Town Hall.
He was also emcee for several important jazz concerts in the late 1950s. Shepherd's first known recording, the 1955 Abbott Records album "Jean Shepherd... Into the Unknown with Jazz Music", featured his short comments interspersed with jazz pieces composed by Mitch Leigh and Art Harris. Shepherd improvised spoken-word narration for the title track on jazz musician Charles Mingus's 1957 album "The Clown". Mingus was a fan of Shepard's radio show, and outlined a concept for Shepard but encouraged him to elaborate and improvise.
Eight record albums of live and studio performances of Shepherd's were released between 1955 and 1975. In 1993, Shepherd recorded the opening narration and the voice of the Audio-Animatronics "Father" character for the updated Carousel of Progress attraction at Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom.
Music.
On some of his broadcasts, he played parts of recordings of such novelty songs as "The Bear Missed the Train" (a parody of the Yiddish ballad "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen") and "The Sheik of Araby". Sometimes, Shepherd would accompany the recordings by playing the Jew's harp, nose flute, or kazoo, and occasionally even by thumping his knuckles on his head.
The theme song of his show was "Bahn Frei!" by Eduard Strauss. The particular version Shepherd used was a recording by Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, with arrangement by Peter Bodge, released in April 1946 by RCA Victor-Red Seal. This arrangement recast the 19th-century polka from one relating to travel by train to a fast-tempo piece directed to horses and a race track, principally achieved by opening with a well-known bugle call named "Call to the Post."
Personal life.
When discussing his personal life, Shepherd was evasive to the point of being intentionally misleading about the actual details.
Shepherd lived in several New York City locations during his WOR days and for a time in New Milford, New Jersey and in Washington Township, Warren County, New Jersey.
Shepherd was married four times. He was briefly married in 1947 to Barbara Mattoon in Hammond. Shepherd had two children, a son Randall and daughter Adrian, with his second wife, the former Joan Laverne Warner. Randall has said that Mr. Shepherd left his mother shortly before they divorced in 1957. His third wife was actress Lois Nettleton. In 1984, he moved to Sanibel Island, Florida, with his wife Leigh Brown. He died in a hospital in nearby Fort Myers, Florida, in 1999, of natural causes.
Shepherd maintained his interest in amateur radio throughout his life. As his career took him to different locations, he obtained new call signs: W4QWN (Kentucky), W8QWN (Ohio), and W3STE (Pennsylvania). Upon his arrival at WOR in New York in 1955, he obtained the call K2ORS, with which he was often heard speaking to other ham radio operators for the remainder of his life.
Fact and fiction.
To what extent Shepherd's radio and published stories were fact, fiction, or a combination of the two is unknown. The childhood friends included in many of his stories were people he claimed to have invented, yet high-school yearbooks and numerous other sources confirm that many of them, including school buddies "Flick" and "Schwartz", did indeed exist. His father was a cashier at the Borden Milk Company. Shepherd always referred to him as "the old man". During an interview on the "Long John Nebel Show"—an all-night radio program that ran on WOR starting at midnight—Shepherd once claimed that his real father was a cartoonist along the lines of Herblock, and that he inherited his skills at line drawings. This may well have not been true, but Shepherd's ink drawings do adorn some of his published writings, and a number of previously unknown ones were sold on eBay from his former wife Lois Nettleton's collection after her death in 2008.
The 1930 Federal Census Record for Hammond, Indiana, indicates that Jean's father did work for a dairy company. His actual occupation reads "cashier". The 1930 census record (which misspells the last name as "Shephard" when searching) lists these family members: Jean Shepherd, age 30, head; Anna Shepherd, age 30, wife; Jean Shepherd Jr, age 8, son; and Randall Shepherd, age 6, son. According to this record, Jean Sr, Anna, Jean Jr, and Randall were all born in Illinois, and Jean Sr's parents (Emmett and Flora) were born in Kansas. However, all other decennial federal and state census records, as well as other official documents such as death certificates, indicate that Emmett and Flora were born in Indiana. Anna's parents, August and Katherine, were born in Germany.
The younger Jean Shepherd had two children, a son Randall, and a daughter Adrian, with his second wife Joan, but he publicly denied this, including in his last will and testament, executed some five months prior to his death. Randall Shepherd describes his father as having frequently come home late or not at all. Randall had almost no contact with him after his parents' divorce.
Legacy.
Shepherd's oral narrative style was a precursor to that used by Spalding Gray and Garrison Keillor. Marshall McLuhan in "Understanding Media" wrote that Shepherd "regards radio as a new medium for a new kind of novel that he writes nightly." In the "Seinfeld" season-six DVD set, commenting on the episode titled "The Gymnast", Jerry Seinfeld said, "He really formed my entire comedic sensibility—I learned how to do comedy from Jean Shepherd." Furthermore, the first name of Seinfeld's third child is "Shepherd." On January 23, 2012 the Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) presented a tribute to Shepherd. Seinfeld was interviewed for the hour and discussed how Shepherd and he had similar ways of humorously discussing minor incidents in life. He confirmed the importance of Shepherd on his career.
Shepherd's life and multimedia career are examined in the 2005 book "Excelsior, You Fathead! The Art and Enigma of Jean Shepherd" by Eugene B. Bergmann.
Shepherd was an influence on Bill Griffith's "Zippy" comic strip, as Griffith noted in his strip for January 9, 2000. Griffith explained, "The inspiration—just plucking random memories from my childhood, as I'm wont to do in my Sunday strip (also a way to expand beyond Zippy)—and Shep was a big part of them".
In an interview with "New York" magazine, Steely Dan's Donald Fagen says that the eponymous figure from his solo album "The Nightfly" was based on Jean Shepherd.
Though he primarily spent his radio career playing music, New York Top-40 DJ Dan Ingram has acknowledged Shepherd's style as an influence.
An article he wrote for the March–April 1957 issue of "MAD", "The Night People vs Creeping Meatballism", described the differences between what he considered to be "day people" (conformists) and "night people" (nonconformists). The opening credits of John Cassavetes' 1959 film "Shadows" include "Presented by Jean Shepherd's Night People".
In 2005, Shepherd was posthumously inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame, and in November 2013, he was posthumously inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame.