Faces of War

Wounded tommies facetiously called it “The Tin Noses Shop.” Located within the 3rd London General Hospital, its proper name was the “Masks for Facial Disfigurement Department”; either way, it represented one of the many acts of desperate improvisation borne of the Great War, which had overwhelmed all conventional strategies for dealing with trauma to body, mind and soul. On every front—political, economic, technological, social, spiritual—World War I was changing Europe forever, while claiming the lives of 8 million of her fighting men and wounding 21 million more.

If any of my followers watch Boardwalk Empire, then what’s being discussed in this article should be familiar.

October 11, 2011, 10:37pm / 413

Down the road from my farm is one of Al Capone’s old speakeasy’s it’s perfectly preserved inside and really cool to go in and walk around and see. It’s still run as a bar and local hangout.

I wish I could see that! We have a few Capone places around me, like his house in Ormond Beach but all that proves is he had horrible decor sense after you got past the great skylight. It’s not that well preserved but still a good thing to sight see.

There’s also one of his old rum runner houses right down the way from my house as well, but someone actually lives there so it was never preserved. He didn’t even live there, so I suppose I could understand why. However what’s so awesome is the house has its own “secret” dock to the canal the house is built next to that would allow someone to run in booze (or drugs) if the occasion called for it.

Capone was a sneaky bastard, but taxes always get you in the end.

October 11, 2011, 8:18pm / 3

Two Turkish soldiers somewhere in Korea, showing their swagger.

October 11, 2011, 8:09pm / 20

Anonymous asked: are you related to anyone historically relevant?

The only provable connection I have to anyone is Al Capone and the Capone family. And (I believe) the relations go back to the Old Country cause our families are from the same area? His parents and my grandparents all came over around the same time, blah blah blah grew up in the same Little Italy.

Apparently the “friendship” (if you would like to label it so) was good enough for Al to send one of his brothers down here to FL to help my grandpa and his brother out when some people were threatening them for their liquor license.

It’s always fun when us fledging historians compete with who has the most famous (or infamous) relative.

October 11, 2011, 8:08pm / 21

A French POW of the Indochina war, 1950

October 11, 2011, 7:52pm / 8