Alan Wakim

Learning from those who have made history.

Learning History

I have read much of history’s greatest works: from the Bronze Age to Ancient Mesopotamia; the Classical Period of Egypt, Greece and Rome; the Medieval Period from the Collapse of Rome to the Collapse of Constantinople; the Modern Period from the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery; the Wars of the Modern Age in Europe and North America; the Imperial and Civil Wars fought around the globe; the World Wars, the Cold War, and the War on Terror.

Encountering History

I have visited numerous historically significant sites from the American Revolution (Independence Hall, Carpentars' Hall, Lexington Green, Concord Bridge, Fort Ticonderoga, Brandywine-Chadds Ford, Camden, Cowpens, Kings Mountain, Valley Forge, Trenton, Germantown, Monmouth, Saratoga, Boston's Freedom Trail, Fort Sullivan, Ninety Six, Guilford Courthouse, etc.), World War Two (Pearl Harbor, D-Day battlefields, Market-Garden battlefields, Dutch resistance hideouts, Battle of Britain facilities, Vichy French-Syria-Lebanon battlefields, Eagle's Nest, and Berchtesgaden), War of 1812-Texas Revolution-Civil War (the Alamo, San Jacinto, Goliad, Pensacola, Mobile, Baton Rouge, Chalmette, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Newton station, etc.), and Ancient-Medieval-Early Modern period (Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Baalbek, Crusader Castle in Sidon, Tyre, Beaufort Castle in Lebanon, the Tower of London, Monaco, Reims, Versailles, William the Conqueror's Castle, Old City of Luxembourg, and French village of Eze).
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I have met numerous American heroes, historical figures, and participants of historical events. The following are just some of the historical figures and heroes I have met: Dick Cole (Doolittle Raider), Tom Griffin (Doolittle Raider), Tom Ferebee (Hiroshima mission), Dutch Van Kirk (Hiroshima mission), Russell Gackenbach (Hiroshima mission), Charles Don Albury (Nagasaki mission), Fred Olivi (Nagasaki mission), Robert Morgan (Memphis Belle), David “Tex” Hill (Flying Tiger), Charles McGee (Tuskegee Airmen), Bud Anderson (P-51 ace), Fred “Boots” Blesse (F-86 ace), Joe McPhail (Death Rattler and Black Sheep Squadron), William “Wild Bill” Guarnere (Easy Company - Band of Brothers), Earl McClung (Easy Company - Band of Brothers), James Megellas (Waal River Crossing), George “Bud” Day (MOH),  James Swett (MOH), Clarence Sasser (MOH), Sammy L. Davis (MOH), Glenn McDuffie (Kissing Sailor of Times Square), R. Lee Ermey (Gunnery Sergeant and actor), Joseph L. Galloway (reporter portrayed in "We Were Soldiers"), Mike Kurth (Black Hawk Down), R.V. Burgin (Marine portrayed in “The Pacific”), Daniel Flores (Apache pilot portrayed in "Above the Best"), Vincent Bugliosi (Charles Manson’s prosecutor), Ariel Sharon, Mickey Leland, Tom Delay, Wayne LaPierre, Dinesh D'Souza, and Elizabeth Smart.

In addition to speaking English, I also speak Arabic, and can read Greek and Russian.