A Brief History On September 11, 2012, the ascending aorta in the author’s chest exploded, a burst aneurism followed by a massive aorta dissection, spelling almost certain death. Incredibly, the surgeons, surgical nurses and assistants at the Cleveland Clinic performed emergency open heart and aorta surgery and saved my life, a fantastic feat with nearly no chance of success. It is unlikely any other hospital on Earth could have provided the treatment to save my life that day, with the finest cardiac and vascular surgeons and surgical teams operating at the same time! Digging Deeper The Cleveland Clinic is perhaps…
Author: Major Dan
Major Dan
Major Daniel Zar is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.
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A Brief History On September 10, 2017, the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League open their regular season schedule for 2017 against arch-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Prior to the game, a plan having Cleveland Police and EMS (Rescue Employees) officers holding an enormous US Flag while the National Anthem is played is being boycotted by Police and EMS unions angry over Browns’ management reaction to players protests during previous playing of the National Anthem. Digging Deeper In 2016, 49’rs quarterback Colin Kaepernick, an African American, decided to sit during the playing of the National Anthem before football games as a…
A Brief History On September 9, 9 A.D., Germanic tribes under the leadership of Arminius dealt an army of three Roman Legions and their auxiliaries a crushing and total defeat at Teutoburg Forest in what is now Germany. Called a “turning point in world history,” “Rome’s greatest defeat,” and “one of the most decisive battles recorded in military history,” the Battle of Teutoburg Forest ensured that the Romans would never go East of the Rhine River and the Germanic tribes in the East would not be subjugated by Rome. Digging Deeper The Romans were led by Publius Quinctilius Varus, a…
A Brief History On September 8, 1761, King George III of the United Kingdom married Duchess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Germany today, what was then the Holy Roman Empire). George himself had been born in London, England, unlike his father and grandfather (George II and George I) who were born in Hanover, Prussia (Germany). Did you know British monarchs were not necessarily British? Or that they did not necessarily speak English? If not, then you may not know some of the other things we list here today, trivial tidbits about Britain that may surprise you. Digging Deeper 1. British Monarchs not from…
A Brief History On September 7, 1776, American revolutionary Ezra Lee attempted to use a submarine called the Turtle in combat. The hand powered little one man sub did not perform as expected, and Lee was unable to attach his offensive explosive charge to a British warship. Twice in the past we have used this example and the B-32 Dominator to make a list of 10 Underperforming Weapons and 5 More Underperforming Weapons. Today we take this opportunity to list another 5 weapons that disappointed the people meant to use them. Digging Deeper 1. M-4 Sherman Tank, 1942. When the American Army…