This issue is shorter than most - mainly because I've been through a pair of hurricanes since the last issue, so have been, um, distracted. On the upside, we're OK, I got to meet Barry Manilow, Judy Collins sang "Happy Birthday" to me, and my research on Tim Walz's Irish roots made the front page of the Wall Street Journal. More highs than lows, so I may be tired, but also beyond fortunate.
Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but I leave y'all with the hope for a calmer November.
“No Man Left Behind”
The faces of 21 of the 23 soldiers who have been identified since last Memorial Day. If you take a close look at this illustration, you'll find a McKeeman, McCarthy, and McGuire among those 21 soldiers, so Irish America is well represented.
“No Man Left Behind” is so much more than a slogan to me. In a sense, I contemplate Memorial Day year-round due to my work with the Army. For the past 25 years, I’ve been assisting the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) with the identification of our soldiers who gave their lives in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam but have not yet been accounted for.
Threads of History - From one of my alumni magazines - an interesting artifact from Inheritance Baltimore, a JHU initiative to examine its relationship and history with the local Black community.
BBC Sound Effects Archive - So this isn't genealogical, but it's still very cool - and perhaps you could find some sounds to borrow for videos or podcasts you make about your ancestors or other roots-related topics.
Back from the dead: could AI end grief? (video) – Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Such mixed feelings. If this caught on, descendants in future generations could “speak” with us. Great, right?! But also, imagine the creepiness, the distortion, and everything else. This video is about 12 minutes long, but will give you lots to think about.
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