kevin gangloff @glott77

To George and Laura, Bill and Hillary — we're grateful for your friendship, counsel, and devotion to this country. And to Joe and Jill, thank you for being on this journey with us.

3 days ago we got a report of a young puppy. Locals were frantic with worry. We were told it had been poisoned. It was time to swing into action as time was very limited (1/7) 🧵

Today on June 18, President Trump will award the Medal of Honor to retired Recon Marine Major James Capers Jr. for his heroism during a 1967 ambush in Vietnam. Major Capers was shot twice and suffered 17 shrapnel wounds and other injuries during the April 1967 ambush. Not only did Capers lead his team to safety, but he twice tried to get out of the helicopter carrying the rest of his teammates so that it would be light enough to take off, and had to be pulled back inside by his men. Major Capers is the first Black Marine to lead a reconnaissance company and to receive a battlefield commission. The 1967 ambush began when hidden explosives detonated. Capers suffered shrapnel wounds to his abdomen and other parts of his body and a broken leg. Despite his wounds, he ordered a mortar strike on the team’s position to keep the enemy at bay. Then, even after losing a significant amount of blood and being administered morphine, he led his team to a helicopter landing zone. When a helicopter landed, Capers refused to get on board unless the crew took the body of the team’s military working dog. Capers was originally awarded the Bronze Star with “V” device for his heroism, which was upgraded to the Silver Star in 2010.

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Before the 1970 season began, Ted Williams, Del Wilber’s old Red Sox teammate, learned that Del had not qualified for full pension because he had fallen 85 days short of required 9 years’ service in MLB. Ted Williams made his ex-teammate his bullpen coach in Washington. "Dad led long, often charmed life, been friends and teammates of ballplayers from the early 1940s to the 1980s. He’d hit home runs off Bob Feller, caught fastballs from Robin Roberts, coached Rod Carew, been a good friend of Stan Musial, Ted Williams and Joe Garagiola." Rick Wilber on his Dad, Del.

March 9: "We're now totally independent of the Middle East. We don't need their oil." April 1: "It doesn't really affect us. We have so much oil. We have tremendous oil and gas, much more than we need." June 17: If I didn't agree to the MOU, we "would run out of reserves at about 4 weeks...we would really run out, and there'll be a time when you wouldn't be able to get it."

The 82nd Airborne has been in action since 6 June. Men are exhausted but still getting the job done, resting when they can. Photos by the great Robert Capa.

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Michelle Obama: Not once did you melt from the heat. Not once did you let it harden you… the claims that a U.S. Senator and constitutional law expert wasn't qualified for the job. The lies about your birthright, your faith, your patriotism, the outrage when you stated the biological fact that if you'd had a son that he too would be black, yet you were unflappable at every turn, always focused.

The Obama Presidential Center is finally opening! Tune in today on Obama.org starting at 11am CT as Michelle and I share what this moment means to us and celebrate with friends, family, and members of the community in Chicago.

BREAKING: A major MAHA influencer is now bottling tiny jars of the Reflecting Pool's algae-and-hydrogen-peroxide-filled water, and selling it online as "Patriot Shots" with claims that it "prevents infection from COVID, ebola, and libtardation, and boosts mitochondrial health."

Yes! It’s true… I’m out with Brian Fallon 9/29 thru 10/13. West to East. Tickets on sale June 26. Shows will sell out! Please get advance tickets.Links in bio. Thanks for having me Brian. timbarryrva.com

"I shined shoes outside the Hotel Somerset. The doorman was from South Boston, and he let one kid from 'Southie' work the front every year. I was that kid for a few years. Ted Williams lived at the Somerset, and the Yankees also stayed there when they came to town. One afternoon, the Yankees all were coming down from their rooms, heading to Fenway. They were waiting out front for cabs. I got a piece of paper and an old pen, and I went up to a couple of the players and asked for their autographs. The pen didn't work! Jerry Coleman reached into his suit jacket and takes out a gold pen. He signs and hands the pen to someone else, and now Joe DiMaggio is there. For some reason, he thinks I'm Jerry Coleman's nephew or something, and he smiles and takes the gold pen and signs. While he's signing, Ted Williams comes down. He comes over to Joe and me. He takes the gold pen and signs. They're talking, Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio, how are ya, back-and-forth, and for some reason Williams thinks I'm DiMaggio's nephew or something. Jerry Coleman says: 'Hey, it's getting late. Let's get to the ballpark.' We get into the cab, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and me. I leave my shoeshine box right on the street because that would be a giveaway, you know? I ride in the middle of the backseat. I have Joe DiMaggio on one side of me. I have Ted Williams on the other side. I have both of their autographs. And I also have Jerry Coleman's gold pen in my pocket. Who ever has made out better than this? Williams and DiMaggio figure it out by the time we get to Fenway that I'm nobody's nephew, but for that short time...." Raymond Flynn. 51st Mayor of Boston. Later United States Ambassador to the Holy See from 1993 to 1997. DiMaggio and Williams. 1941 All-Star Game.

"Ted Williams?? No, he doesn't come in. He's too damn cheap. He'd go all over town that sonofabitch, and he'd pay by cheque, hoping they wouldn't cash the check and they'd put it on the wall." Restaurateurs in Islamorada and the Florida Keys. Legend has it that Sam Snead and Ted Williams once argued over which sport was harder. Ted Williams said it was baseball because you have to hit a moving target, but Sam Snead supposedly won the debate: “Ted, you don’t have to go up in the stands and play your foul balls. I do.” "Watch Williams when he bats. He’s up there to knock that ball as hard as he can, and he puts all his muscle and concentration into every swing. Williams’ wrist action is impressive. He has that “delayed” hit, holding those wrists back until the last second. Golf is a hitter’s game, too. There never was a golfer worth his spikes who didn’t pulverize the ball. I don’t mean to say you should get up there with the idea that you can start hitting when you take the club back: But when the time comes, you gotta mash it." Sam Snead. "Sam Snead is graceful in everything he does. No doubt he would have been able to hit until the time his legs finally gave out under the stress of everyday baseball. Because of his muscular harmony, Sam would have lasted longer than most baseball stars, although maybe not as long as the 20-plus years he has been atop the world of golf." Ted Williams. "Slamming Sammy" Snead and Ted Williams.

"He was a meteor streaking across the heavens." "Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy" Jane Leavy. "I think it’s incredible because there were guys like Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle and Henry Aaron who were great players for ten years. I only had four or five good years." Sandy Koufax. After finishing the Cy Young season with 27-9 record and a league-leading 1.73 ERA, 30-year-old Sandy Koufax shocks the baseball world by announcing his retirement. Koufax has thrown four no-hitters and set the single season strikeout record last year with 382 in 1966. "Cracker Jack Old Timers Classic." RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C. July 23, 1984.

"After completing basic training, Yogi Berra volunteered for what he was told was a secret mission. So secretive, in fact, that he was not permitted to disclose any details to his family. This mission was to serve onboard a rocket boat in support of the first offensive waves of the Allied invasion of Normandy. These 36-foot rocket boats, classified as Landing Craft Small Support (LCSS) boats, were armed with six crew, a dozen rockets, and several machine guns each. Their job was to get within 300 yards of Normandy’s shore and pound the German machine gun nests with rockets so that the soldiers landing could have a better chance of survival. For months before the invasion, Yogi’s LCSS trained with eleven others under the attack transport, "USS Bayfield" to prepare for the invasion. As gunner’s mate, Yogi was responsible for the operation and maintenance of all weapons and ordinance onboard while also manning one of the ship’s machine guns throughout the mission. On D-Day at the mere age of 19, Yogi Berra was awestruck by the sheer magnitude of all the explosions and gunfire going on around him. His officer actually had to yell at Yogi to keep his head down before he got hit. As the invasion progressed, the LCSS crews also assisted in recovering bodies of those soldiers killed in action on their way to the shores of Utah Beach. 197 men were recovered onto the USS Bayfield alone. Hero!!!

To everyone who helped bring the Obama Presidential Center to life, thank you. Michelle and I are so grateful for all your dedication and hard work over the years. I got a little teary-eyed tonight thinking about my mother-in-law, Marian Robinson.

On 20 November 2015, Delta Force operator Kyle Morgan wasn’t supposed to be fighting a war. He was serving as a Special Operations Advisor to the US Embassy in Mali. But when heavily armed terrorists seized the Radisson Blu Hotel and started taking dozens of innocent lives, he didn’t wait for a green light. For hours, Morgan and a small, makeshift team of international assets cleared seven floors under heavy fire in close quarters. Because of his decisive actions, dozens of civilians made it home alive. For his extraordinary valor, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation's second highest award for heroism in combat. But Kyle’s toughest battle didn't happen in a hotel in Africa. It happened when he took the uniform off. After 11 years in the Army’s most elite Tier 1 unit, the echoes of combat followed him home. Morgan has spoken openly about the brutal reality of the transition: sustaining multiple traumatic brain injuries, battling severe PTSD, and surviving a near fatal substance overdose. Today, he uses that same relentless warrior spirit to fight a new mission. He helps others build a "Protector Mindset" and navigate the darkest corners of mental health and recovery. True strength isn't just about how you handle a rifle in a crisis. It’s about how you rebuild your life when the smoke finally clears.

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It means so much to Barack and me to open up the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago. This is where I grew up, where Barack got his start, and where we raised our girls. So having a place where kids from our community can see themselves, connect with each other, and channel their hope—there’s nothing more powerful than that.

On this day in 1915, Scotty Davidson was killed when he refused to retreat during a battle in France. A gifted hockey player, he won a Stanley Cup in his Hall of Fame career. His death helped inspire his friend Capt. Jim Sutherland to create the Memorial Cup. 📸 HHOF

On the night the Titanic sank, a 21-year-old college student watched his father die. Hours later, doctors told him both of his legs would have to be amputated. Instead, he got up and started walking. His name was Richard Norris Williams. And surviving the Titanic was only the beginning of his story. In April 1912, Richard and his father, Charles Duane Williams, boarded the Titanic as first-class passengers in Cherbourg, France. They were traveling to America so Richard could continue his studies at Harvard. When the ship struck the iceberg on April 14, father and son made their way to the deck together. Then disaster struck again. As the Titanic sank, one of its massive funnels collapsed. The falling structure hit Charles Williams and killed him instantly. Richard was standing beside him. He narrowly escaped the same fate. Moments later, he was in the freezing North Atlantic. The water temperature was around 28°F (-2°C). Most people survived only minutes. Richard spent roughly six hours in the water or clinging to one of the partially submerged collapsible lifeboats before rescue arrived. When the RMS Carpathia finally picked up survivors at dawn, his condition was severe. His legs were frozen from the knees down. The ship's doctor examined him and delivered a grim verdict: Both legs would need to be amputated. In 1912, severe frostbite often meant gangrene, infection, and death. Amputation was considered the safest option. Richard refused. He reportedly told doctors that he was going to need his legs. Then he got out of bed. Against medical advice, he began walking the deck of the Carpathia every two hours. Day and night. Step after painful step. For four days. By the time the ship reached New York, his condition had improved enough that amputation was no longer necessary. He walked off the ship on his own. Most people would consider that the defining story of a lifetime. For Richard Williams, it wasn't. A few months later, he enrolled at Harvard. Then he returned to tennis. In 1914, he won the U.S. National Championship, the tournament that would later become the U.S. Open. In 1916, he won it again. Over the following years, he became one of the best tennis players in the world, winning multiple major doubles titles and representing the United States internationally. Then came World War I. Williams served in the U.S. Army and distinguished himself in combat. France awarded him both the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor for his service. After the war, he returned to tennis once again. At the 1924 Paris Olympics, he badly sprained his ankle during the mixed doubles tournament and considered withdrawing. His partner, Hazel Wightman, refused to let him quit. Williams played much of the tournament barely able to move. Together, they won Olympic gold. Over the years, he became a Davis Cup captain, a respected figure in American tennis, and eventually a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Yet people who knew him rarely heard him talk about any of it. Not the Titanic. Not the championships. Not the war. Not the medals. Not the Olympic gold. In fact, he disliked attention so much that later in life he had approximately 160 tennis trophies melted down into a single silver serving tray. He used it to serve drinks to guests in his Pennsylvania home. Most visitors had no idea what it was. Or what it represented. A Titanic survivor. A two-time national champion. A decorated war veteran. An Olympic gold medalist. A Hall of Famer. All hidden inside an ordinary tray sitting quietly on a side table. Richard Norris Williams died in 1968 at the age of 77. If you had met him, he probably wouldn't have told you any of this. And that may be the most remarkable thing about him.