Witness to War: important reading this Memorial Day

by Sean McLachlan on


Every Memorial Day weekend we remember the soldiers who fought for the United States. For those of us who have never experienced war, however, it’s hard to understand their experiences.

The Witness to War program is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the wartime memories of veterans and helping to give civilians a better idea of what they went through. As their website says, “These are the stories of scared 18 and 19 year olds thrust into circumstances of such intensity and violence, that they became the defining moments of their lives.”

Some are video interviews, like Hap Chandler’s thoughts on his involvement in the Dresden bombing, and Jim Paine’s harrowing memory of being the only survivor when his Jeep ran over a German mine. There are also written memoirs and wartime diaries. Some are short anecdotes while others are more extensive. Tucker Smallwood gives us 23 pages of his gripping Vietnam memoir.

All of the stories Witness to War collects will be donated to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and other non-profit organizations willing to spread their message.

There’s plenty of reading here and a lot of food for thought. So sometime this Memorial Day, take a break from the cookouts and TV and check this out.

[Photo of American soldiers during the Battle of the Bulge courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

Google launches flight schedule search

by Kraig Becker on

You knew it was only a matter of time before Google jumped into the travel game, especially after their acquisition of ITA Software was approved awhile back. But on Friday of last week, the Internet search giant launched its flight schedule search option, allowing travelers to get a list of flight options directly from the basic Google search box that we all know and love.

The new options was announced on Google’s Inside Search blog and in typical Google fashion, it couldn’t be any easier to use. Simply type in the search term “flights” followed by the city you’re flying from and the city you’re flying to. The search engine will go to work, and give you an option on the results page to view a schedule of flights. Clicking that link will display a drop down menu of the days and times for flights offered by the major carrier.

In their blog post, Google used the example of “Flights from San Francisco to Minneapolis,” and and you can see exactly how the results are presented by clicking here. As you would expect, the results are given in a neat, clean, no-frills fashion.

So, what do you think? Will this option replace your normal online flight search tool of choice? It is nice to have such a simple approach, but for now, I personally still prefer the options presented by Kayak.com or some of the other services. But who knows, Google may just be getting started, and they’re likely to refine this over time, giving us more features and search tools in the future.

[Photo credit: Google]

Four top battle locations to remember on Memorial Day

by Chris Owen on
Memorial Day is all about honoring those who gave their lives via military service to the United States. Picnics, celebrations and parties are typical to commemorate the day. Travel to typical Memorial Day locations like beaches, parks and theme-parks is too. But what about locations where some of the most famous battles of all times occurred? Check these four top battle locations with photos from Flickr users who give their impressions of what they mean today.

Gettysburg– Flickr user Soaptree tells us “the portrait statue of General Gouverneur K. Warren, Chief Engineer of the Army of the Potomac, stands on the boulder from which he spotted the Confederate advance on Little Round Top the afternoon of July 2, 1863.”


Pearl Harbor survivors render a salute during Taps in this photo from Flickr user expert infantry taken at the joint U.S. Navy and National Park Service ceremony commemorating the 66th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. “More than 2,500 people attended the ceremony on board Naval Station Pearl Harbor that honored those who gave their lives during the attack. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Hight)”

Midway was a major event in the Word War II campaign against Japan. Just 1,000 miles northwest of Hawaii, Midway atoll was an important strategic objective for the Japanese Navy who thought a victory there would prove their superiority in the Pacific. Little did they know that the United States had cracked Japanese message codes and set up an ambush. This Flickr photo from USFWS Pacific shows “Albatross and bonin petrel nests can be seen on both sides of the walkway. Sand Island, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. “

Iwo Jima This photo of The Marine Corps War Memorial, aka the Iwo Jima Memorial, in Arlington, Virginia comes from Flickr user NCinDC showing the iconic image of five Marines raising the U.S. flag, a photograph that brings support for American soldiers even today.

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Kids travel free on Utah summer rafting trip

by Kraig Becker on

Yesterday we told you that 2011 is shaping up to be an epic year for whitewater rafting and kayaking in the U.S., thanks in large part to the record amounts of snow that hit the western states this past winter. Now that the warm spring weather has started melting all of that snow, rafting companies are gearing up for what should be a very busy season, and some are offering great deals in an effort to lure adventurous travelers their way.

Take for example Dvorak Expeditions, which is offering a fantastic promotion for families who want to take a rafting trip this year. The company is running a “Kids Go Free” option that allows one child (ages 5-12), per paying adult, to travel for free on one of their week-long rafting trips this summer. That means a family of four only have to pay for mom and dad, and the two kids get to come along at no extra cost.

The six day, five night, trip runs the legendary Green River, located in Utah. It is one of the most spectacular and scenic paddles in the entire U.S., and a top draw for paddlers the wold over. River guides will lead the family through miles of unspoiled wilderness that passes by two Native American Indian reservations and through the deepest canyon in the entire state. The trip offers excellent meals along the way, plenty of off the water entertainment, and a number of day hikes that reveal ancient petroglyphs, hidden rock grottos, and outlaw hideouts from a bygone era when Butch and Sundance led their “Wild Bunch” through this very region.

But the real highlight of the trip is the Green River itself. Stretching 84 miles in length, the waterway is typically considered one of the best beginner and intermediate rafting spots in the U.S. This year however, it should exceed all of those expectations, as the extra snow will likely add an unexpected punch to what is already a great river experience.

If you’re wondering what to do with the kids on your summer vacation, consider taking them on a Dvorak rafting adventure. 2011 will be the prefect year for just such an excursion, and it is likely to generate memories for a lifetime.

[Photo credit: Jerry Magnum Porsbjer via WikiMedia]

Photo of the Day: Downtown Vancouver

by Chris Owen on

Flickr user James Wheeler brings us this photo of downtown Vancouver which was also featured on www.photo-blog.ca.

This one caught my eye because several contributors to Gadling will be in Vancouver next month for the second annual Travel Blogger’s Exchange, a networking and learning opportunity for new media travel writers. TBEX ’11 is June 11-12, 2011 in Vancouver and hosts Kim Mance and the Galavanting Gals are planning a dynamic and useful lineup of in-depth workshops and sessions.

Do you have an image you would like to share with us? Upload it to the Flickr Gadling group pool. If we like your image we might just pick it to be a future Photo of the Day.

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