Today, I’d like to wish a happy 94th birthday to Monuments Man Rouben Sami! I was privileged to meet with Rouben and his wife Lee at their home in Florida just this past year, the 21st? Monuments Man I’ve met and interviewed during my many years of research. His recollections about the work he did as Deputy Director of the Offenbach Archival Depot (OAD) brought back a flood of memories for me about another Monuments officer I interviewed and came to love—Colonel Seymour Pomre

Monuments Man Lennox Tierney has died, age 101. Only five Monuments officers are still living. Of the twenty Monuments Men and women I have interviewed, only Tierney and Sherman Lee had served in the Pacific Theater, primarily in Japan. Fluent in Japanese, and a greater scholar of Asian art, Tierney was assigned to General MacArthur’s occupation headquarters as Commissioner of Arts and Monuments following the end of the war. In this role, he advised General MacArthur on all

Tomorrow, across this great land, people will be enjoying the July 4th holiday. On the eve of those celebrations we would be well served to remember the lives of more than one million military service men and women that were sacrificed to gain independence for our nation — and preserve it — these past 230 years. During the American Revolution (1775-1783) more than 4,435 Americans gave their lives to enable the 13 colonies to unite as one nation in the war for independence fro