Author Archives: Michael K. Barbour

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About Michael K. Barbour

Michael K. Barbour is the Director of Faculty Development and a Professor of Instructional Design for the College of Education and Health Sciences at Touro University California. He has been involved with K-12 online learning in a variety of countries for well over a decade as a researcher, teacher, course designer and administrator. Michael's research focuses on the effective design, delivery and support of K-12 online learning, particularly for students located in rural jurisdictions.

Battle of Britain Service 2024

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For several decades the Royal Canadian Air Force Association 900 Wing San Francisco (otherwise known as the “Golden Bear Wing”) hosted a Battle of Britain service at the Presidio Chapel in San Francisco. In honour of the 100th anniversary of the RCAF, Branch 25 (San Francisco) of the Royal Canadian Legion hosted a 2024 Battle of Britain service. The service was originally streamed at 11am on Sunday, 15 September 2024, and a recording of that stream (with some editing to address some of the technical issue) is available above.

The program for the service can be viewed at https://royalcanadianlegionus25.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/battle-of-britain-2024.pdf

We wish to place on record their sincere appreciation to the staff of the Interfaith Center at the Presidio, for making this service of prayerful remembrance possible. We graciously thank the United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps – Arkansas Division, their leaders & instructors for their continued assistance. We would also like to thank Travis Air Force Base Elite Honour Guard for their participation in the service. Finally, we’d like to thank Rana Sarkar, Consul General of Canada in San Francisco, and the staff at the Consulate General.

As we did not have an organist for the service, we used the following recordings as the musical accompaniment for the hymns:

Below are some pictures from the event courtesy of Marie Alnwick and Lisa Barbour.

[FINAL REMINDER] Battle of Britain Service 2024

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The Battle of Britain was formally held from July 10th to October 31st, 1940.  According to Veterans Affairs Canada:

Many Canadians served in the squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes which repulsed the Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940. No. 1 Fighter Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), equipped with modern eight-gun fighters, became the first RCAF unit to engage enemy planes in battle when it met a formation of German bombers over southern England on August 26, 1940. It shot down three of them and damaged four others with the loss of one pilot and one plane. Its next meeting with the enemy was not as fortunate as it was attacked out of the sun by Messerschmitts and lost three planes. By mid-October the squadron had accounted for 31 enemy aircraft destroyed and probably 43 more destroyed or damaged. It lost 16 Hurricanes; thre pilots had been killed.

The Canadians flew with the Royal Air Force during that difficult period. No. 242 (Canadian) Squadron RAF, which had been formed in 1939 from some of the many Canadians who flew directly with the Royal Air Force, was now reinforced with Veterans from the French campaign and joined in the battle. On August 30, nine of its planes met a hundred enemy aircraft over Essex. Attacking from above, the squadron claimed 12 victories and escaped unscathed.

Canadians also shared in repulsing the Luftwaffe’s last major daylight attack. On September 27, 303 Squadron RAF and 1 Squadron RCAF attacked the first wave of enemy bombers. Seven, possibly eight enemy planes were destroyed, and another seven damaged. The Royal Canadian Air Force thus received its baptism of fire.

For several decades the Royal Canadian Air Force Association 900 Wing San Francisco (otherwise known as the “Golden Bear Wing”) hosted a Battle of Britain service at the Presidio Chapel in San Francisco.  In honour of the 100th anniversary of the RCAF, join Branch 25 (San Francisco) of the Royal Canadian Legion and Rana Sarkar (Consul General of Canada in San Francisco) for the 2024 Battle of Britain service.

Sunday, 15 September 2024 at 11am
Presidio Chapel – 130 Fisher Loop, San Francisco, CA 94129

If you are unable to attend the service in person, we will do our best to stream the service on the day of the event.  To register to watch the service online, please visit https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_S3GLUF7JQDWESFbZfVa5hw

USS Pampanito: A genuine WW II relic on Fisherman’s Wharf

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An item from the Legion Magazine.
Front Lines
Front Lines

USS Pampanito sank six Japanese vessels—more than 27,000 tons of shipping—on six war patrols in 1944-45. It is now a museum boat tied alongside Pier 45 on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.[Stephen J. Thorne]

USS Pampanito: A genuine WW II relic on Fisherman’s Wharf

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

It is the rare wartime relic that can be claimed to have engaged in significant action 80 or more years ago, but tied alongside Pier 45 on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco there sits the real deal—a genuine fighting submarine of the Second World War’s U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Built in 1943 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, USS Pampanito made six war patrols, sank six Japanese ships, damaged four others, and barely survived a sustained depth charge attack on its maiden voyage.

Named for the pompano fish, the 95-metre Balao-class diesel-electric submarine narrowly escaped a double torpedo strike, rescued 73 Allied prisoners of war, and earned six battle stars for WW II service.

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Military Milestones

ATTENTION CANADIAN MILITARY FAMILIES : Did you or a family member receive VAC disability benefits between 2003 and 2023?

On 17 January 2024 the Federal Court approved a settlement in a class action involving alleged underpayment of certain disability pension benefits administered by Veterans Affairs Canada (“VAC”) payable to members or former members of the Canadian Armed Forces (“CAF”) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (“RCMP”) and their spouses, commonlaw partners, survivors, other related individuals, and estates (the “Settlement”).

If you received any of the disability-related benefits listed below at any time between 2003 and 2023, you may be entitled to compensation under the Settlement. As the executor, estate trustee, administrator, or family member of a deceased class member who collected VAC-administered disability benefits, you may also be able to claim on behalf of the estate.

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Military Milestones
Military Milestones

Defeat of the British Army at Plattsburg by General Macomb. [Wikimedia]

The Battle of Plattsburg: An Anglo-Canadian Defeat in the War of 1812

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

There had been gains and losses, victories and defeats, but the War of 1812 had gone well enough for Anglo-Canadian forces by early September 1814.

This was especially the case on the eastern seaboard where, in one of the conflict’s earliest engagements, HMS Belvidera had evaded the pursuit of three American vessels. The British had then decisively rebuffed a U.S. invasion of Canada at the battles of Crysler’s Farm and Châteauguay in late 1813.

With Napolean subdued—albeit temporarily—in April 1814, Britain had turned its attention to North America by providing sufficient troops for offensives into the United States. Already, the King’s men had begun their invasion of eastern Maine, spearheaded by Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor John Sherbrooke.

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Email sent to: mkbarbour@gmail.com

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