Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Today we are visiting the island of Tulagi. The first armed invasion of the Pacific War took place on the islands of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tambogo. The islands of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tambogo are located approximately 33 miles north of Guadalcanal across the Savo Sound. These islands contained the headquarters for the Japanese Army in the Solomon…

August 5th was our first day on the Island of Guadalcanal. After breakfast we headed to our first stop; the United States Guadalcanal War Memorial. Along the side of the road all the way to the memorial sat wrecked and abandoned cars. Our guide explained this to be the “bush mechanics”. People help themselves to…

On August 4th we departed for Guadalcanal. Seriously, the World War II Museum people are outstanding. Our schedule had us off to the races early in the morning. Baggage had to be out in the hallway at 8:15 am. Breakfast was available starting at 6:30 am. Departure for the airport was 9:45 am. Our flight…

The next day we started our tour by experiencing Brisbane as it was from 1942 – 1945 when over one million American servicemen rotated through the city. The MacArthur Museum, located inside the wartime headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur, told the story of MacArthur’s time in Brisbane and the war in the South Pacific. Most…

The first day of our tour was spent in Brisbane where we learn about the city’s role during the war. Thousands of soldiers and sailors as well as every type of supply you can imagine passed through Brisbane on their way to the battlefield. Essentially the military took any vacant space, vacant land, house, hospital,…

When U.S. Marines splashed ashore on Guadalcanal in August 1942, they set in motion a savage, seven-month campaign. Guadalcanal’s thick jungle terrain made fighting an unbelievable ordeal for soldiers of both sides. The naval action was just as intense. For every American soldier that died on Guadalcanal, almost three Allied sailors perished in the water.…

Like so many of the men and women of the greatest generation, my father seldom ever talked about his service during World War II.  There are some stories dad told me and my brothers and sisters which I will relate to you shortly to the best of my recollection. It is almost impossible to access…

We had two days on our own in Brisbane and used the time to just kick back and explore the city. Our first night we went to a local pub by the water that had 500 tables! In most of the restaurants here you either order on line by scanning a QR code or order…

When we arrived in Perth we settled in walked to the Swan River waterfront and Elizabeth Quay. The main attraction is the Perth Bell Tower. It is one of the largest musical instruments in the world and was built to house the 18 bells from the parish church of Buckingham Palace in Trafalgar Square in…

Our last stop on the train was the Rawlinna Station. It is leased property and a sheep station. It is the largest sheep station in Australia and is serviced by The Trans-Australian Railway which is situated along the boundary of the station. We arrived at Rawlinna just after dusk, the sky was cloudy but we…