John William Van de Kamp
John William Van de Kamp is a retired Air Force Colonel. A graduate of the Air Force Academy and Creighton University, he served in the Strategic Air Command and the Pentagon and State Department in national security strategy. He has also served as an opinion columnist for the Annapolis Capital Gazette.
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How Teddy Roosevelt Got The Military in Shape
It was a cold, overcast day in mid-January, 1909. Theodore Roosevelt, known as Teddy or T.R., 26th president of the United States, was holed up at the White House. The trust-buster, Rough Rider, and hero of San Juan Hill with his horse, Texas, had a keen interest in staying fit. e’d hiked the Alps with […]
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The Story Behind the Moonshine Explosion in Rocky Mount, Virginia
It was during the early days of the Great Depression, and Virginia’s statewide prohibition was still in effect, banning all sales of alcohol. Meanwhile, in Franklin County, the area was laying the foundation for its future title: the Moonshine Capital of the World. Nestled among the Appalachian and Blue Ridge mountains, the Turner Motor Co. […]
A Couple’s Small-Town Makeover
After a successful career in investigative services in Washington, D.C., Terri Wesselman and her husband, Julien Patterson, decided to settle down in Irvington. Initially drawn to the area by the Tides Inn, the couple had been weekending in the Northern Neck since the late ’90s. “There was something about the area that was quiet but […]
The Ghosts of Virginia
The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong.—Carl Jung It may be the little diversion on a vacation that no one can resist. After we pad the waistline with fries and ice cream, we turn to the ghost tour in a haunted house. On the surface, of course, […]
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