Living History

This series includes two presentations that could be called "Grandpa, what did you do during the Vietnam War?" and another "Grandpa, what did you do during Desert Shield and Storm?" These have both anecdotes from his role as well as details to help the audience understand what actually happened.

I'm passionate about the topic of "Jews in the American Military." Very few Americans, much less members of the Jewish community know or understand the contributions these men and women made. For example, did you know the founder/father of the Green Berets was Colonel Aaron Bank? Or, that Rear Admiral Uriah P. Levy pushed through legislation that ended flogging as a punishment inthe American military and saved Monticello from being broken up and sold at a bankruptcy auction.

 

Navy Combat Search and Rescue Over and Around North Vietnam

What the attendees will learn: What and where the Navy’s combat search and rescue operations were conducted during the Vietnam War. Overview: The common perception is that the Air Force made all the combat rescues during the Vietnam War.  The truth is that 50% of the combat rescues (based on the DOD definition) were made…

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Navy Helicopter Operations in the Arabian Gulf During Desert Shield and Storm

What the attendees will learn: How a multi-national task force used helicopters during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Overview: During Desert Shield/Storm, Marc was responsible for tasking and operational control of 140+ helicopters flown from pilots from 14 nations. This is his “Grandpa, what did you do during Desert Storm?” talk. Navy and Army helicopter…

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Naval Lessons from the American Revolution

What the Attendees Will Learn: Four naval lessons were valid in 1775 and are more so today. Overview: When the Continental Navy came into existence in 1775, the Royal Navy had 350+ rated ships with 20 guns or more and another 150 smaller ones. At the time, the Royal Navy was the most experienced, best…

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Jews in the American Military

What the attendees will learn: The stories of American Jews not named Rickover who made significant contributions to the American military. Overview: Most Americans (and American Jews) do not realize the significant contribution their fellow congregants made to American military history. Mr. Liebman introduces you to men and women, starting with the American Revolution and…

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The Thunderbirds Go to War

The squadron that became the original Thunderbirds started as the 34th Aero Squadron during World War I. After the war, they became the 34th Pursuit Squadron, and in 1932, the War Department approved their distinctive logo based on an American Indian design and the squadron became the Thunderbirds. At the time, they were flying Curtiss…

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Wildcat vs. Zero – Resetting the Record

Conventional wisdom says that the performance of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero-Sen (Zero) was far superior to the Grumman F4F Wildcat. However, if that is truly the case, why is the exchange ratio – number of F4Fs vs. Zero’s shot down – significantly in favor of the Wildcat? From the attack on Pearl Harbor until the…

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Mustang vs. Corsair – Which is the Better Fighter

The P-51 is considered by many experts to be the best piston-engine fighter of World War II? But was it? Barring the Me-262, which was the first operational jet fighter, were there any other piston engine fighters that offered better all-around performance? Is the P-51 the king of the hill? Many Navy and Marine Corps…

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10 Issues from that American Revolution that Still Plague Our Democracy Today

Winston Churchill once said that “democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried….” Looking at history, Churchill is (or was) right. If one studies American history and the path taken by this country’s Federal government, it appears as if the government is following a winding road through…

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Why Helicopters are Different and More Difficult to Fly

Some say helicopters beat the air into submission so they can fly. While this is not true, the helicopter flies differently than an airplane. In many ways, it is much more difficult to fly because if you move one control, you must move the other two. In this YouTube video, Marc provides a brief history…

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The Dogfight That Never Was

On November 18th, 1952, the Korean War had been going on for two and half years. On the ground, the war was stalemated along a line that would ultimately become the Demilitarized Zone that, to this day, separates North and South Korea.  In the Sea of Japan, the carriers and escorts comprising Task Force Task…

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Basics of World War II Dogfighting

There are many misconceptions about how the dogfight in World War II evolved after what we call today the “merge.” By definition, the merge is when two (or more) airplanes from opposing sides begin to maneuver in close proximity to shoot the other side down.  In the days before air-to-air missiles, to shoot down the…

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Focke-Wulf 190D versus the F4U Corsair

By 1943, the variants of the FW-190 were in many Luftwaffe units. When the type was first introduced in the spring of 1941, it outclassed the Spitfire Vs flown by the RAF. In June 1941, FW-190s shot down 15 Spitfire Vs without a loss and then again in August, 25 more Spitfire Vs went down…

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