Love it or hate it, nearly everyone has an opinion on SPAM. In 1937, the Hormel Foods Corporation in Minnesota began producing blocks of a ready-to-eat meat, a combination of pork and ham. It was called “SPAM” from “Spiced Ham.” In a convenient can, this high-calorie, high-protein food was a valuable food for soldiers at war. The US military bought 75,000 tons of Spam during World War Two. Today SPAM is currently sold in over forty countries, with 15 different flavors. Over e

Biarritz France, Jack Munro in 1945 and Peggy Munro Scholberg in 2024 In 1944 the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, more commonly known as the GI Bill, was passed in the United States. President Roosevelt believed a post-war education program could increase morale of the troops that had been fighting in Europe. It would take months to ferry troops back across the Atlantic. General Dwight Eisenhower, commander of the European Theatre of Operations, was responsible for its impleme

Angel of the Smile statue located at Reims Cathedral in France and original typed manuscript   My mother always called it “The Angel of the Smile,” or in French, “L’Ange au Sourire.” She was referring to the 660 page document she typed up about her time serving in the Army during World War Two.   Eighteen years after she passed, I finally pulled those pages out of my closet and decided to attempt to publish her story. I proceeded to shorten it, added key markers about the war