A junior Military Historian. In 2018 I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History. I'm also a professional student, specializing in Cold War era military history and American aviation history. I have composed several publications over the last four years, and continue to publish writings and photos to various journals, publishers, and blogs - including this one.
On a cold fall night at Rock Island Arsenal a Soldier named Sergeant Christiansen, who was described as “a giant” of a man with shoulders as broad as an elephant, found himself huddled near a fire while on guard duty at the Rock Island gate and wagon bridge. Meanwhile, hisContinue Reading
Of the many treasures on Arsenal Island, perhaps the most beloved one by the surrounding community is Quarters One. Designed by the second commander of the Arsenal, COL Thomas J. Rodman, Quarters One was constructed between 1869 and 1871. At the time that Rodman assumed command of the arsenal inContinue Reading
As World War II raged in Europe and East Asia, Americans had growing concerns and sense of duty towards the war effort. By the time the war touched the American home front on 7 DEC 1941, industry had already been partially mobilized and a handful of men were serving inContinue Reading
It took almost 40 years for members of the U.S. Army to define the requirements for a dedicated air force. The first time such a requirement was needed happened just months before a centralized force could be established. In 1941, the United States was pushed into World War II afterContinue Reading
The article below was a term research paper composed during my Sophomore Year. I’ve left it largely as it was at the time with a few minor changes for grammar and flow. The reflection focuses on Robbert Oppenheimer and his change in posture from the forefront of atomic weapons researchContinue Reading
Few things on this site have been blog posts outside of news posts and updates. But I feel so inspired on this rare occasion of taking leave from work. In my previous Unplugged post, I talked about the dangers of alternative history in media outside of the exposure component. Here,Continue Reading
After receiving an extremely positive review and amount of feedback from readers, I decided to do a bit of a follow up on this article that was posted earlier this year. As I had mentioned in the article many of the items covered in this discussion are not exclusive toContinue Reading
Greetings and salutations friends, It has been an interesting first half to 2022 to say the least. I don’t believe anyone here will disagree with that. We’ve had quite the number of real-world events unfold, a good amount of social media discourse, and who even knows how much mud flinging. Continue Reading
The history of the U.S. Government at Rock Island reaches back farther than 200 years and has many paradigm shifting events throughout. However, perhaps the single most important event occurred not at Rock Island, but in Washington D.C. on 12 JUL 1862. On this day, Congress established three new arsenalsContinue Reading
Rock Island Arsenal, and Arsenal Island has many storied individuals that have graced its history. Some were just simply passing through, while others lived and worked on the island. From the establishment of the Arsenal in 1862 to present, this installation has been known for its familial legacy and generationalContinue Reading
