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Daily Update
...conversation "6 Minutes" todays print story and information on the new Historians Podcast tomorrow, Friday, January 7, 2022 with Jim Kaplan "Evacuation Day"--on the recording schedule a podcast about the history of Wall Street.
Amsterdam man’s Guadalcanal diary
By Bob Cudmore, Focus on History
Frequent contributor Richard Ellers has memories of Joseph A. Bucci, an Amsterdam man who fought heroically in World War II.
Ellers, a 1945 Amsterdam High School graduate who lives in Ohio, said Bucci was a close friend of his parents. Ellers recalled that Bucci started as a private and ended up as an officer during the war.
Bucci was the son of Charles and Mary Bucci who lived at 12 Lark Street in the East End. Charles Bucci had served in World War I. Joseph Bucci’s brother Anthony served in the Army Air Corps in World War II.
Joseph Bucci was a graduate of St. Mary’s Institute and the University of Notre Dame. He was among the first local youths to enlist as a private in the Leathernecks on January 26, 1942. He had been working as a life insurance agent for John Hancock in Amsterdam.
By October he was fighting the Japanese on Guadalcanal Island in the Pacific and found himself and six others pinned down by Japanese artillery fire in the Battle of Matiniku River. The small band had missed orders to move from their foxholes to another position.
Through one long night and the next day the seven endured a Japanese artillery barrage and attack. The seven Marines were credited with killing 175 to 200 Japanese soldiers. Then Bucci and his comrades came under American artillery fire in a Marine counter attack. Ultimately the seven Marines were reunited with their unit.
That November in the struggle on Guadalcanal or another of the Solomon Islands, Bucci was wounded by three pieces of shrapnel. He contracted malaria and was shipped to a military hospital in San Diego, California.
It was there that he learned he was to receive the Silver Star for his actions on Guadalcanal. He was promoted to Sergeant.
Bucci was home on leave in July 1943 when the Recorder printed an account of his actions on Guadalcanal written by Marine private Eddie Lyon, who had interviewed Bucci at the San Diego hospital. Bucci and his parents went to the Recorder offices to get their first look at the news story and to have their picture taken.
In December 1943, Bucci was still at home, assigned to the Scotia Naval Depot on Route 5, today an industrial park. He had applied for Officer Candidate School.
That month Knights of Columbus Council 209 in Amsterdam honored Bucci at a dinner at the then Amsterdam Hotel on East Main Street and presented him with a special ring. Bucci was honored or spoke at numerous gatherings while home on leave.
“When I was in the South Pacific, I dreamed of getting home,” Bucci told the Knights of Columbus, according to a newspaper account. “Just at the present I wish I were down there again.”
He also said, “It is my fond wish and hope that this international mess will soon be over and that all of us can come back to the good old American way of life. However, I expect to be shoving off again soon and in whatever part of the world I am I will have this ring with me, a reminder of your thoughtfulness and I will be thoughtful for you.”
Bucci went to Officer Candidates School and became a second lieutenant in October 1944. It’s not known what further service he saw in World War II. A 1951 clipping states that Bucci was promoted to captain in the Marine Corps Reserve by President Truman. Bucci was studying at Albany Law School at the time.
Ellers said the last he knew Bucci had moved to California in the 1960s.
Tomorrow, Friday, January 7, 2022
This is not a page error code, this is the episode number
Episode 404
Evacuation Day was November 25, 1783, the day the British left New York City finally ending the American Revolution. Attorney and historian Jim Kaplan discusses the significance of Evacuation Day and how the day has been commemorated through the years.
January 6, 1880 – Tom Mix, cowboy and actor, if you like bad/good six shooter movies from the 30's
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Focus on History in the Daily Gazette and Amsterdam Recorder-Albany Congressman corresponded with town of Florida soldier
Mohawk Valley Weather, Thursday, January 6, 2022
Partly sunny, with a high near 32. West wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Thursday Night
Snow likely, mainly after 3am. Cloudy, with a low around 23. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Friday
Snow likely before noon, then scattered snow showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. West wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Mohawk Valley News, Thursday, January 6, 2022
Daily Gazette
ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s first State of the State Address was as far-reaching and ambitious as those offered by…
Canajoharie passes updated animal law; owner of emotional support pig may be affected
The Village of Canajoharie officially passed an updated law spelling out which types of animals are illegal in the village….
https://dailygazette.com/
Amsterdam Recorder
Legislators, hospitals lobby Hochul for resources to run state testing site at FMCC
As COVID-19 cases surge across the state — including in Fulton and Montgomery counties — Fulton-Montgomery Community College is ready…
As COVID-19 cases surge across the state — including in Fulton and Montgomery counties — Fulton-Montgomery Community College is ready…
High schools: Pair of girls’ basketball games postponed
A pair of Foothills Council girls’ basketball games scheduled for Thursday night — Amsterdam at...
https://www.recordernews.com/
Leader Herald
Gloversville Zoning Board of Appeals hires consulting firm for Eden solar farm case
by Jason Subik
https://www.leaderherald.com/
View all episodes
By Bob Cudmore...conversation "6 Minutes" todays print story and information on the new Historians Podcast tomorrow, Friday, January 7, 2022 with Jim Kaplan "Evacuation Day"--on the recording schedule a podcast about the history of Wall Street.
Amsterdam man’s Guadalcanal diary
By Bob Cudmore, Focus on History
Frequent contributor Richard Ellers has memories of Joseph A. Bucci, an Amsterdam man who fought heroically in World War II.
Ellers, a 1945 Amsterdam High School graduate who lives in Ohio, said Bucci was a close friend of his parents. Ellers recalled that Bucci started as a private and ended up as an officer during the war.
Bucci was the son of Charles and Mary Bucci who lived at 12 Lark Street in the East End. Charles Bucci had served in World War I. Joseph Bucci’s brother Anthony served in the Army Air Corps in World War II.
Joseph Bucci was a graduate of St. Mary’s Institute and the University of Notre Dame. He was among the first local youths to enlist as a private in the Leathernecks on January 26, 1942. He had been working as a life insurance agent for John Hancock in Amsterdam.
By October he was fighting the Japanese on Guadalcanal Island in the Pacific and found himself and six others pinned down by Japanese artillery fire in the Battle of Matiniku River. The small band had missed orders to move from their foxholes to another position.
Through one long night and the next day the seven endured a Japanese artillery barrage and attack. The seven Marines were credited with killing 175 to 200 Japanese soldiers. Then Bucci and his comrades came under American artillery fire in a Marine counter attack. Ultimately the seven Marines were reunited with their unit.
That November in the struggle on Guadalcanal or another of the Solomon Islands, Bucci was wounded by three pieces of shrapnel. He contracted malaria and was shipped to a military hospital in San Diego, California.
It was there that he learned he was to receive the Silver Star for his actions on Guadalcanal. He was promoted to Sergeant.
Bucci was home on leave in July 1943 when the Recorder printed an account of his actions on Guadalcanal written by Marine private Eddie Lyon, who had interviewed Bucci at the San Diego hospital. Bucci and his parents went to the Recorder offices to get their first look at the news story and to have their picture taken.
In December 1943, Bucci was still at home, assigned to the Scotia Naval Depot on Route 5, today an industrial park. He had applied for Officer Candidate School.
That month Knights of Columbus Council 209 in Amsterdam honored Bucci at a dinner at the then Amsterdam Hotel on East Main Street and presented him with a special ring. Bucci was honored or spoke at numerous gatherings while home on leave.
“When I was in the South Pacific, I dreamed of getting home,” Bucci told the Knights of Columbus, according to a newspaper account. “Just at the present I wish I were down there again.”
He also said, “It is my fond wish and hope that this international mess will soon be over and that all of us can come back to the good old American way of life. However, I expect to be shoving off again soon and in whatever part of the world I am I will have this ring with me, a reminder of your thoughtfulness and I will be thoughtful for you.”
Bucci went to Officer Candidates School and became a second lieutenant in October 1944. It’s not known what further service he saw in World War II. A 1951 clipping states that Bucci was promoted to captain in the Marine Corps Reserve by President Truman. Bucci was studying at Albany Law School at the time.
Ellers said the last he knew Bucci had moved to California in the 1960s.
Tomorrow, Friday, January 7, 2022
This is not a page error code, this is the episode number
Episode 404
Evacuation Day was November 25, 1783, the day the British left New York City finally ending the American Revolution. Attorney and historian Jim Kaplan discusses the significance of Evacuation Day and how the day has been commemorated through the years.
January 6, 1880 – Tom Mix, cowboy and actor, if you like bad/good six shooter movies from the 30's
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Focus on History in the Daily Gazette and Amsterdam Recorder-Albany Congressman corresponded with town of Florida soldier
Mohawk Valley Weather, Thursday, January 6, 2022
Partly sunny, with a high near 32. West wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph.
Thursday Night
Snow likely, mainly after 3am. Cloudy, with a low around 23. West wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Friday
Snow likely before noon, then scattered snow showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. West wind 5 to 10 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
Mohawk Valley News, Thursday, January 6, 2022
Daily Gazette
ALBANY — Gov. Kathy Hochul’s first State of the State Address was as far-reaching and ambitious as those offered by…
Canajoharie passes updated animal law; owner of emotional support pig may be affected
The Village of Canajoharie officially passed an updated law spelling out which types of animals are illegal in the village….
https://dailygazette.com/
Amsterdam Recorder
Legislators, hospitals lobby Hochul for resources to run state testing site at FMCC
As COVID-19 cases surge across the state — including in Fulton and Montgomery counties — Fulton-Montgomery Community College is ready…
As COVID-19 cases surge across the state — including in Fulton and Montgomery counties — Fulton-Montgomery Community College is ready…
High schools: Pair of girls’ basketball games postponed
A pair of Foothills Council girls’ basketball games scheduled for Thursday night — Amsterdam at...
https://www.recordernews.com/
Leader Herald
Gloversville Zoning Board of Appeals hires consulting firm for Eden solar farm case
by Jason Subik
https://www.leaderherald.com/