Going Home – soon
Christmas card
This was the Christmas card sent from Japan to Broad Channel, New York in December 1945. Anna Smith had been waiting to hear this news from her son Everett (Smitty) for over three years. On the back, it reads:
“Dear Mom:
This is the best Xmas card I’ve sent to you since getting in the army. I figured this would be what you have always been waiting to see, here it goes.
“I’m finally on my way, so don’t send any more mail.
Love, Everett
“P.S. I’ll keep you posted on my various stops.
Everett Smith, aka “Smitty” or “Pops”
CLICKAdvertisement from the era. At the bottom is an ad for George Burns & Gracie Allen
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Much can be said about General Joseph May Swing that I am very surprised no one had written his biography. He stood tall and lean with prematurely white hair and arresting blue eyes. The man had an instinct for command and left an impressive and formidable impression on all he met.
Swing was born on 28 February 1894 and graduated in the star-studded West Point class of 1915. His fellow classmates included Dwight D. Eisenhower and Generals Bradley, Beukema, Ryder, Irwin, McNarney and Van Fleet. Van Fleet had relieved General Ridgeway as commander of the Eighth Army, which included the 187th RCT during the Korean War.
Major General Joseph Swing
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If anyone happens to recognize these girls and women from Cavite, P.I., I would appreciate hearing from you.
woman from Cavite
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Tony Bersito – Stratford, NJ; US Army, Korea, 11th Airborne Division
James O. Brazee – Litchfield, MI; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Jesse D. Brown – Hyrum, UT; US Army, 187th RCT, parachute rigger
Timothy Donovan Sr. – Wethersfield, CT; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
John T. Halpin – Chatham TWP, NJ; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Everett D. LaFollette – Ogden, UT; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Co D/511/11th Airborne
George E. Mattor – Oxford, ME; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Pascal R. Politano – Boonville, NY; US Army, 503/11th Airborne Division, Major (Ret. 20 y.)
Charles O. Spoor – Shieldsville, MN; US Army, Co C/503/11th Airborne Division
Oren R. Vess – Flat Rock, NC, US Army, Spec. 4, Co B/11th Airborne Division
Jimmy T. Whitt – Duncan, OK; US Army, 11th Airborne Division, 1957-60
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Gen. Swing’s sword
Gen. Swing accepting the sword w/ Gen. Eichelberger
Even though Smitty had earned his points to go home, he was still an NCO on General Swing’s staff and was required to finish out his duties as such. After going through combat in the South Pacific, it would be in peaceful occupational Japan where Smitty’s temper would get the better of him.
Non-nonchalantly going about his business at the headquarters of Camp Schimmelpfennig, Smitty just happened to glance through the glass partition that sealed off Gen. Swing’s office. Inside was an officer holding and admiring the Japanese sword that his commander intended to keep and bring home as a souvenir. Smitty didn’t think much of it at the time; he was busy and many people commented on the weapon. so he continued down the hallway. A short while later, the entire office could hear the general demanding to know what had become of his sword. It was gone.
Cpl. Smith is standing far right
My father didn’t think twice, this was his general. He went into the room and told Swing what he had witnessed. Without a second thought, the two men went to the other man’s office, but neither the man or sword was there. The officer in question showed a few moments later. When the general explained why they were waiting for him, the officer became indignant and professed his innocence (just a tad too much). My father said the air of tension in the room became thick enough to use a machete on. This was when Smitty’s temper went out of control and with one right cross – sent the officer through his own glass partition.
Of course, this action made it necessary to bust Smitty back down to private, but he didn’t care about that. He was still furious that the sword was never returned. It all could have gone worse if the general had not been there or if he did not believe Smitty’s word. Smitty said it was worth being busted just to wipe the smirky grin off the officer’s face. The officer, I believe, was a replacement and had not seen much (if any) combat, just a blow-heart. Smitty later offered his two Japanese swords to General Swing, but he refused. My father didn’t believe the general would have taken the Emperor’s own sword as a replacement. I can clearly see my father’s face contort when he thought of the thief and he would say, “That know-nothing mattress salesman from Texas!” I’m sure it was for the best that the two men never met again stateside as civilians.
Smitty, in Japan
“The guy snapped the picture just as a flock of geese flew by.”
Unfortunately, a similar incident occurred to my father. As he happily began packing to go home, Smitty noticed that an expensive set of carved ivory chop sticks he had purchased somehow had disappeared. They also were never recovered. (I had often wondered if the two incidents had been related, but I suppose we’ll never know.)
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Norbert Antor – Comstock Park, MI; US Army, WWII, ETO, Purple Heart
Milton T. Bauer – Newton, KS; US Air Force, Korea, pilot, Distinguished Flying Cross
Traditions of Honor & Respect
Wiiliam A. Gardner – Allentown, PA; US Army, Korea / asst. chief scientist for NASA projects
Wing O. Hom – Boston, MA; US Army, WWII, ETO, Co B/7/3rd Infantry Division, KIA (Cisterna di Latina, ITA)
John L. McGraw – Summit, NJ; US Navy, Jacksonville Naval Air Station
Bobby Osborne – KY & OH; USMC, Korea, Purple Heart / Grand Ole Opry singer, “Rocky Top”
Anthony J. Palmer – Grove City, PA; US Army, Korea
Paul D. Rooney – Somerville, MA; US Coast Guard
Donald D. Shorr – Forest Hills, NY; US Navy, WWII
Ricky Z. Simon – Delray Beach, FL; US Army, WWII
Garrett A. Sullivan – Cambridge, MA; US Air Force, Korea
James W. Thompson – Wheeling, WV; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Corpsman w/ USMC
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AM I TOO LATE FOR MONDAY?
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Japan’s Underground
Ammunition is removed from storage cave at Takatsuki Dump, Osaka.
General Swing made General Pierson commander of the 187th and 188th joint group which became known as the Miyagi Task Force. They set up their headquarters in an insurance company building in Sendai. The principle responsibility of the Miyagi Task Force was to collect and destroy all arms, munitions and armament factories. They were also charged with seeing that General MacArthur’s edicts were all carried out. Many of the military installations had underground tunnels filled with drill presses and machine tools of all types. The entire zone needed to be demilitarized and equipment destroyed. Colonel Tipton discovered a submarine base for the two-man subs and a small group of men still guarding them. They told the colonel that they just wanted to go home.
The Japanese mainland was still potentially a colossal armed camp, and there was an obvious military gamble in landing with only two and a half divisions, then confronted by fifty-nine Japanese divisions, thirty-six brigades, and forty-five-odd regiments plus naval and air forces.
In this, June 23, 2015 photo, journalists walk underground tunnels that Japan’s Imperial Navy once used as secret headquarters underneath of Hiyoshi Campus. (Eugene Hoshiko)
On a hillside overlooking a field where students play volleyball, an inconspicuous entrance leads down a slope—and seemingly back in time—to Japan’s secret Imperial Navy headquarters in the final months of World War II. Here, Japan’s navy leaders made plans for the fiercest battles from late 1944 to the war’s end in August 1945. The navy commanders went rushing to the underground command center whenever US B-29 bombers flew over. The tunnel had ventilation ducts, a battery room, food storage with ample stock of sake, and deciphering and communications departments.
Considerable stocks of war equipment were dispersed amid the tangled masses of fire blackened girders, in thousands of caches located deep in the hills, in carefully constructed tunnels and warehouses, and over miles of Japanese landscape. Along the shores near the great ports, there remained many permanent fortresses. Japan’s frantic preparations for a last ditch stand against invasion resulted in numerous hastily built coastal defenses. (Plate No. 41) The majority of these coastal defenses were manned by brigades. The larger and more permanent installations were equipped with heavy artillery and were concentrated in strategic locations such as the peninsula which forms Tokyo Bay, the northern entrance to the Inland Sea, the southern tip of Kyushu, and the coastline around Fukuoka. Almost three hundred airfields, ranging from bomber and supply strips to “Kamikaze” strips, sheltered some 6,000 Japanese combat aircraft capable of providing air cover and close support for the ground and naval forces. (Plate No. 42) Japanese arsenals, munitions factories, steel plants, aircraft factories, and ordnance depots were widely scattered throughout the country. Japanese naval vessels consisting of carriers, battleships, destroyers, submarines, and auxiliary and maintenance craft were anchored in all of the major ports.
June 23, 2015 photo, staff members of Keio University walk underground tunnels that Japan’s Imperial Navy once used as secret headquarters underneath of Hiyoshi Campus in Yokohama. (Eugene Hoshiko)
In the Sixth Army zone during the month of November 1945, at least ten ports were in operation, and approximately 4,500 tons of ammunition were disposed of daily.
Records later indicated that actually some 2,468,665 rifles and carbines were received by the Occupation forces and later disposed of. The Japanese reported more artillery ammunition than small arms ammunition. Ammunition for the grenade launcher, often known as the “knee mortar,” was also more plentiful; some 51,000,000 rounds were reported, or an average of 1,794 rounds for each weapon.
This Japanese underground bunker consists of many rooms and was built by Korean and Chinese forced laborers during the Second World War.
A check on the police stations in Aomori, Hirosaki, and Sambongi (all towns in Aomori Prefecture) produced some 1,880 rifles, 1,881 bayonets, 18 light machine guns, 505,260 rounds of rifle and machine gun ammunition, 46,980 rounds of blank ammunition, one case of TNT, and 150 military swords. Daily G-2 and CIC reports revealed many instances of smaller caches, sometimes in school compounds.
The Matsushiro Underground Imperial Headquarters (松代大本営跡, Matsushiro Daihon’ei Ato, “Matsushiro Imperial Headquarters Site”) was a large underground bunker complex built during WWII in the town of Matsushiro which is now a suburb of Nagano, Japan. The facility was constructed so that the central organs of government of Imperial Japan could be transferred there. In its construction, three mountains that were symbolic of the Matsushiro municipality were damaged
Entrance to the Matsushiro Zouzan underground shelter
Approximately seven million armed men, including those in the outlying theaters, had laid down their weapons. In the accomplishment of the extraordinarily difficult and dangerous surrender of Japan, unique in the annals of history, not a shot was necessary, not even a drop of Allied blood was shed.
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Military Humor –
WELL, I THOUGHT IT WAS FUNY.
FUTURE WAR STORIES.
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Farewell Salutes –
Howard Alexander – Salt Lake City, UT; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 868th Bomb Squadron
Robert E. Becker Sr. – Denver, CO; USMC, WWII, PTO
Leon F. Chambers (100) – Wylam, AL; US Navy, WWII, Lt. Comdr., Flight Instructor / US Army, Captain, (Ret. 34 y.)
William Cunningham (100) – Burgettstown, PA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO
Robert Echterling – Cedar Lake, IN; US Navy, WWII & Korea
Josephine Gutierrez – Albuquerque, NM; Civilian, WWII, Kirkland Air Force Base
John Luvara – Greenwich, CT; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT
Robert C. McGuire – San Jose, CA; US Army, 82nd Airborne Division, Chaplin / DEA (Ret. 20 y.)
Franklin Riffle – Temperance, MI; US Army, 173rd Airborne Brigade
James F. Waldrum Jr. – Nashville, TN; US Army, 1st LT., 85th Airborne Division
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THE LOOK I GET WHEN MONDAY SNEAKS UP ON ME
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4 JULY, AMERICA’S 247TH BIRTHDAY
SEEMS WE DON’T SAY IT ENOUGH – SO, I’M TRYING TO FIX THAT RIGHT HERE – GOD BLESS THE USA!!!
HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!
Here we celebrate with a 1776 song…
HARK, hark the sound of war is heard,
And we must all attend;
Take up our arms and go with speed,
Our country to defend.
Our parent state has turned our foe,
Which fills our land with pain;
Her gallant ships, manned out for war,
Come thundering o’er the main.
There’s Charleton, Howe and Clinton too,
And many thousand more,
May cross the sea, but all in vain,
Our rights we’ll ne’er give o’er.
Our pleasant homes they do invade,
Our property devour;
And all because we won’t submit
To their despotic power.
Then let us go against our foe,
We’d better die than yield
We and our sons are all undone,
If Britain wins the field.
Tories may dream of future joys,
But I am bold to say,
They’ll find themselves bound fast in chains,
If Britain wins the day.
Husbands must leave their loving wives,
And sprightly youths attend,
Leave their sweethearts and risk their lives,
Their country to defend.
May they be heroes in the field,
Have heroes’ fame in store;
We pray the Lord to be their shield,
Where thundering cannons roar.
We can rant, we can complain and we can thank the troops for giving us the right to do so! Today we celebrate our country’s birthday, traditional BBQ’s, fireworks, family and friends, we have a day off and have a ball! – and to whom do we owe it all? You guessed it_____
THE SOLDIER’S POEM
When this is over
And we come home again,
Forget the band
And cheers from the stand;
Just have the things
Well in hand –
The things we fought for.
UNDERSTAND?
_____Pfc C.G. Tiggas
ONLY A SAILOR
He’s only a sailor on the boundless deep,
Under foreign skies and tropical heat.
Only a sailor on the rolling deep,
In summer rain and winter sleet.
TAKE A MOMENT TO LISTEN TO YOUR ANTHEM – IN FULL.
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FUN FACT:
Denmark is the only country outside of the United States that holds an official 4th July celebration. Celebrated annually since 1911, thousands of people from across the country gather in Rebild National Park in Jutland for picnics, speeches and to sing some American classics. Known as Rebildfesten, its organizers claim that it is is the biggest celebration of US independence outside of the USA.
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Fourth of July Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Margaret Bailey – Eastview, KY; Civilian, WWII, Civil Air Patrol Squadron 3
John A. Connolly Sr. – Wilkes-Barre, PA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Corpsman w/ 3rd Marine Division
Alfonzo Chavez Jr. – Mesa, AZ; US Army, Vietnam, 187th Rakkasans, Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Arthur F. Giles Jr. – Richardson, TX; US Merchant Marines, WWII / US Army, Korea
Robert Haas Sr. (100) – Beltsville, MD; US Army, WWII, Chief Warrant Officer
Richard Kaufmann – Chicago, IL; US Army, WWII, ETO
James J. Naughton – Youngstown, OH; US Army, Desert Shield/Storm & Iraq, 187th Rakkasans, Sgt.
John A. Popeo – Utica, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII. PTO, 188th/11th Airborne Division
John I. Stacks – Cedar Lake, IN; US Army, Vietnam, 82nd Airborne Division
George, Walker Jr. – Holyoke, MA, US Air Force, Vietnam
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Other Surrenders in the Pacific conclusion
Surrender on Okinawa
In the Ryukyus Islands, things were far more simple than on the Missouri. The senior officer in the Sakishima Gunto, Lt. General Gon Nomi, Toshiro, whose headquarters was on Miyako Shima, had been given authority to conclude a peace treaty for all Army and Navy forces in the Sakishima Gunto, Daito Islands and the islands in the Okinawa Gunto not already under American control. The official papers were signed on 7 September 1945, with General Stillwell presiding.
Gen. Hata at the Soviet table
General Shunroku Hata and his Army had taken only three weeks in April-May of 1944 to rout 300,000 Chinese soldiers in Honan to secure the Peking-Hankow railroad. He then moved south and then west to meet up with the Japanese forces in French Indochina. The 14th Air Force and the Chinese Air Force could not stop the offensive and by the end of May, General Marshall and the Joint Chiefs of Staff basically wrote off the Chinese Theater. Yet in the end, Gen. Hata signs the surrender.
17 August, American parachutists landed near Nanking on the Wse-hsien internment camp. The Japanese were forced to protect the troopers from the unrest (actually chaos) erupting in the area between Communist and Nationalist armies. On 9 September, General Ho Chin accepted the Japanese surrender of China (except Manchuria, Formosa [now Taiwan] and Indochina north of the 16th parallel in the name of Chiang Kai. Mao’s forces stayed away even though Allied officials were present. By not being at Central Military Academy in Whampoa, he was in violation of the Potsdam accords and went on to accept his own regional surrenders.
Lord Mountbatten with Gen. MacArthur
12 September, Lord Mountbatten accepted the surrender of all enemy forces in Southeast Asia in Singapore. Once again, the Union Jack was flying over Government House. But, due to Britain’s overstretched resources, Japanese soldiers were used to maintain law and order in the region. Europe’s colonialism was severely damaged and in 1947, Britain granted independence to India and Pakistan.
Lt. Gen. Masao Baba, Borneo
The British had been slow in retaking Hong Kong and revolts broke out. The POWs were not receiving food and the Chinese population caused riots in the streets. The British civil servants eventually took over while the Japanese kept the order. 16 September, the official surrender took place, but not until November were all Japanese troops in the New Territories relieved, disarmed and repatriated.
THE JAPANESE SURRENDER IN BURMA, 1945 (SE 4821) Brigadier E F E Armstrong of British 12th Army staff signs the surrender document at Rangoon on behalf of the Allies. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205208318
After a meeting in Rangoon, Mountbatten arranged for the Allied forces to enter Siam and Indochina. Thirteen days later, he flew his 7th Indian Division to Bangkok to move onward to Saigon. They were to assist the French in securing the southern half of Vietnam again as a French colony. The Americans felt that the French had already bled the country dry over the past century and so here – the start of the Vietnam War that would last until 1974.
Thailand had survived by playing both sides while attempting to appear neutral. Japanese General Hamada, responsible for heinous POW atrocities, committed seppuku.
Indonesia was grateful to the Japanese for throwing out the Dutch and declared their independence. Although British and Dutch troops made attempts to return them to colonization, they resisted. The Americans moved in with orders to disarm the Japanese and then leave. It would take four years of fighting before the Hague would recognize Indonesia as a sovereign country.
Burma disliked the Japanese, but they had given them a taste of independence from the British. They took no part in the surrender proceedings. After the Japanese were shipped home and fighting resumed with the British, the independent nation was established 4 January 1948.
India had acquired their own army under the Japanese Co-Prosperity Sphere, but not independence. After the war, the British tried in vain to hold the country, but hostility forced them to grant India their freedom in 1947. The transition was overseen by Governor General Mountbatten.
In Korea, 1945, disarming the Japanese
In Korea, the Japanese were ordered to sweep Inchon harbor of mines before the American fleet arrived. The Japanese, here again, were needed to maintain order until Koreans could be trained to contain the mobs. Korea had actually been ignored as far as surrender and removal of the Japanese. The U.S. had gone there to disarm the enemy. The end result of the incompetent handling of Korea during and after WWII attributed to the Korean War.
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Military Humor –
Survivalist, Best Before end of the world
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Farewell Salutes –
Helen J. Anderson (101) – Ely, MN; US Army WAC, WWII, 2nd Lt., nurse
David E. Beneze – Decatur, IL; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Newberry
Roman Charkowski (100) – Elizabeth, NJ; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Colahan
Stephen Engel – Seaford, NY; US Army, Vietnam, 101st Airborne Division
Henry Floyd – Taunton, CAN; RC Navy, WWII
James B. Gardiner (101) – Bakersfield, CA; US Navy, WWII, pilot
James Gualtieri – Atlanta, GA; US Army, 7th Special Forces, Major (Ret.)
Don B. Moffatt – Webster Springs, WV; US Army, WWII, Greenland
William E. Power – Boston, MA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Teton, Korea & Vietnam, 4 – Distinguished Flying Crosses / stunt pilot
Harold R. Walling – Antlers, OK; US Navy, WWII, PTO, yeoman, USS Makin Island
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Other Surrenders in the Pacific War part 1
Morotai, Dutch East Indies, Australian Gen. Sir Thomas Blamey accepts Japanese surrender.
Everyone has read about the Japanese surrender on the USS Missouri, but the Pacific War was far larger and spread out more than the European side.
The demands of the surrender were formidable. So many different ceremonies took place across Asia and the entire Pacific. Here we will some that preceded peacefully and others that refused the peace. In actuality, the state of war between the U.S. and Japan did not officially end until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect 28 April, 1952.
USS Segundo SS-398 located this Japanese sub 1-401 and negotiated with the crew being that their captain had committed suicide
One mass surrender did occur at Noemfoor in September 1944 when 265 Japanese enlisted men, angry at their superiors for stealing their food for their own use. And, in August 1945, another starving Japanese military unit surrendered to a lieutenant in New Guinea. On 1 December 1945, Captain Oba and 46 members of his unit were the last Japanese on Guam to surrender.
In 1946, on Lubang Island, Philippines, intense fighting developed on 22 February when American and Filipino troops met 30 Japanese soldiers. Eight of the Allied troops were killed. Then in April, 41 members of a Japanese garrison came out of the jungle, unaware that the war was over.
Gen. Robertson & interpretor accept surrender from Adm. Sata aboard ML805 (PT boat in Kairiru Strait
At the end of March 1947, a band of Japanese led by Ei Yamaguchi of 33 men renewed the fighting on Peleliu Island. There were only 150 Marines stationed on the island by that time and reinforcements were called in to assist. A Japanese Admiral also went to convince the troops that the war was indeed over. The holdouts came out of the jungle in two different groups in late April. Yamaguchi returned to his old tunnel in 1994 and Eric Mailander and Col. Joe Alexander interviewed him. To see the interview go to – http://www.pacificwrecks.com/people/visitors/mailander/
Ei Yamaguchi
In that same month, on Palawan Island, 7 Japanese troops armed with a mortar launcher emerged from the jungle and surrendered. On 27 October 1947, the last Japanese soldier surrendered carrying a water bottle, a broken Australian bayonet and a Japanese entrenching tool.
Not until late 1948, did 200 well organized troops give themselves up on Mindinoa, P.I. And, in China, 10-20,000 well equipped Japanese troops who were trapped in the mountains of Manchuria between the warring Nationalist and Communist forces, finally found a chance to surrender. In 1949, there was one report of two men living in the shadow of American troops finally turning themselves in.
Japanese weapons collected on Cebu, 1945
One unusual story – On 3 January 1945, a B-29 Superfortress from the 498th Bomb Group, 875th Squadron, crashed while returning from a bombing mission. On 30 June 1951, men were sent to the area to try and recover the bodies of the plane’s crew. What they encountered were 30 Japanese who did not believe the war was over. They had had a Korean woman with them, but after she spotted an American vessel sailing by and was rescued, the information was received and interest in the “Robinson Crusoe’s of Anatahan Island” developed.
Kaida Tatsuichi, 4th Tank Regiment & Shoji Minoru on HMAS Moresby at Timor
Teruo Nakamura was the last known holdout of WWII when he emerged from the jungle retreat that housed him in Indonesia, December 1974. He was hailed in Japan as a hero. There were rumors of men claiming to be holdouts later on, but none that were officially confirmed.
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Military Humor –
“IT SAYS,’I AM AN AMERICAN WITH 94 POINTS AND IF I’M LOST IN ENEMY TERRITORY, PLEASE GET ME HOME’”
“LAST MAN OUT JUST CLOSES THE DOOR, MURPHY, NEVER MIND LOCKING IT.” ___ Sgt. Douglas Bergisted
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Farewell Salutes –
James Andrecheck – Brn: Barry’s Bay, CAN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, MSgt., B-24 Ball turret gunner
Ronald K. Butler – Clarence, NY; US Army, 82nd Airborne Division
Robert H. Claypool – Hinsdale, MT; US Navy, WWII, PTO, SeaBee
Jaime Contreras – USA; US Army, Afghanistan, SSgt., 82nd Airborne Division, KWS (Fort Jackson, SC)
Anthony D’Ostilio – Trumbull, CT; US Army, WWII, ETO, 326th Infantry Regiment
Pierre A. Grethen – USA & FRA; French Resistance, WWII / US Air Force
Dorothy Keaton – Pipestem, WV; Civilian, WWII, Glenn L. Martin Aviation plant
Cormac McCarthy – Providence, RI; US Air Force / author
Bruce W. Pearce – Brooklyn, NY; USMC, Korea & Vietnam, 1st Marine Division, Captain (Ret. 30 y.)
Vernon H. Ross – Beverly, NJ; US Coast Guard, WWII, Atlantic, fire controlman, USS Brunswick
Edward S. Zloteck (103) – Manchester, NH; Pratt Whitney engine tester / US Army Air Corps, WWII
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Military/Goverment UN-Common Sense
I thought it was time for a humorous post ___ GP
Click to enlarge and get the full effect.
Military Common Sense Rules
From: the Strategy Page
A lot of life’s problems can be explained by the U.S. Military and its applications of common sense …
- “Sometimes I think war is God’s way of teaching us geography.”
(Paul Rodriguez) - “A slipping gear could let your M203 grenade launcher fire when you least expect it. That would make you quite unpopular in what’s left of your unit.”
(Army’s magazine of preventive maintenance ). - “Aim towards the Enemy.”
(Instruction printed on US M79 Rocket Launcher) - When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is not our friend.
(U.S. Marine Corps) - Cluster bombing from B-52s is very, very accurate. The bombs always hit the ground.
(U.S. Air Force) - If the enemy is in range, so are you.
(Infantry Journal) - It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed.
(US Air Force Manual) - Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons.
(Gen. MacArthur) - Try to look unimportant; they may be low on ammo.
(Infantry Journal) - You, you, and you . . . Panic. The rest of you, come with me.
(Marine Gunnery Sergeant) - Tracers work both ways.
(US Army Ordnance) - Five second fuses only last three seconds.
(Infantry Journal) - Don’t ever be the first, don’t ever be the last, and don’t ever volunteer to do anything.
(US Navy Seaman) - Bravery is being the only one who knows you’re afraid.
(David Hackworth) - If your attack is going too well, you have walked into an ambush.
(Infantry Journal) - No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.
(Joe Gay) - Any ship can be a minesweeper… once.
(Admiral Hornblower) - Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do.
(Unknown Marine Recruit) - Don’t draw fire; it irritates the people around you.
(Your Buddies) - Mines are equal opportunity weapons.
(Army Platoon Sergeant) - If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn’t plan your mission properly.
(David Hackworth) - Your job is to kill the other person before they kill you so that your national leaders can negotiate a peace that will last as long as it takes the ink to dry.
(Drill Instructor) - In the Navy, the Chief is always right.
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Farewell Salutes –
Raymond D. Baldwin – Binghamton, NY; US Army, Korea, 82nd Airborne Division
Rosemary (Wallig) Chaput – Kenosha, WI; Civilian, WWII, American Motors aircraft engine
Final Flight
Billy A. DeBord – Miamisburg, OH; US Army, Korea, Pfc., F Co/2/5/1st Cavalry Division, KIA (Yongdong, NK)
Raymond H. Frederick Jr. – Norfolk, VA; US Navy
Charles W. Green – Conroe, TX; US Army Air Corps, Japanese Occupation, MP, 11th Airborne Division
Dale D. Hofer Sr. – Paducah, KY; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT, Major (Ret. 27 y.)
Warren ‘Boo’ Miguez Jr. – Covington, LA; US Army, Vietnam, 27th Engineer Battalion
Lawrence E. Reitz – Hoopeston, IL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, TSgt., #$#BS/98BG/9th Air Force, B-24 radioman, KIA (Ploiesti, ROM)
Morgan “Pat” Robertson – Lexington, VA; USMC, Korea, 1st Marine Division / evangelist
Yukiko Sugimoto – USA; US Air Force, Nisei translator
John R. Westine – Chicago, IL; US Air Force, Oral Surgeon
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From: https://theroostercrows.wordpress.com/
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Nisei WACs | conclusion
If you were asked to describe a “soldier,” what kind of image does that word conjure up in your mind? History fails to give recognition to the Asian American women who contributed to the U.S.’s victory by taking on many different roles during World War II to assist the armed forces.
Starting in 1943, Japanese women, known as “Nisei”, were accepted by the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) and the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) to work as nurses and doctors to provide medical care and as Military Intelligence Service officers and linguists.. Though Asian American women served many important functions in World War II, they are still overlooked or completely ignored in modern discourse.
Private Shizuko Shinagawa, 21, of the Women’s Army Corps, who was sent to Denver to recruit Japanese-American women for the WAC. May 22, 1944, Denver, Colorado. Courtesy of WRA no. G-563, War Relocation Authority Photographs of Japanese-American Evacuation and Resettlement, BANC PIC 1967.014–PIC, the Bancroft Library
This post focuses on the Nisei women who served as linguists and their struggles balancing their identities as an American woman and a Japanese woman, while studying their mother tongue under considerable pressure at the U.S. War Department’s Military Intelligence Service Language School in Fort Snelling, Minnesota.
Their histories and struggles during the war are just as valid as any other American war veteran’s experiences out on the field. Women began turning them away from their traditional societal roles as homemakers and caretakers towards more proactive roles opening up in the factories and the military.
Nisei in Oregon
For Japanese Americans, on the West Coast, however, with Japan being the “enemy nation” after bombing Pearl Harbor in 1941, they were labeled as “enemy aliens” and by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, forced from their homes into internment camps. The military recognized the need to improve intelligence operations and trained and recruited specialists in the Japanese language to serve as interpreters, interrogators, and translators, and so around 5,500 Nisei were assigned to the Military Intelligence Service.
With struggles against racism combined with normalized sexism in the military, Nisei women, and many other Asian American women, had a unique experience while serving their country. While Military administrators rationalized the idea of accepting women, especially Japanese American women, it was under gendered and racialized reasoning. The WACs were given assignments that “did not transcend the domestic sphere”, therefore stuck behind desks doing clerical work. Furthermore, they were expected to emphasize their femininity through their physical appearances, “feminine” meaning short skirts and makeup. Along with these demands, the Nisei WACS were also expected to act as “American women” but retain their Japanese linguistic heritage in order “to serve as role models as Japanese women.
Nisei WACs
Like many second or third-generation Asian Americans today, Nisei WACs did not all possess fluency in Japanese, especially not at the level needed to comprehend military-related documents, hence they were sent to MIS school to learn Japanese.
Difficulties:
“I wasn’t very strong in Japanese, coming from an area [Idaho] where there were no Orientals. We just didn’t speak the language… And so, when we were sent to Japan, I had an awful hard time working with [Japanese] military terms…Some of the girls from Hawaii used to work as radio announcers in Japanese. They had a lot more training and they could read and write [Japanese] fluently. At Fort Snelling, I was in one of the lowest classes, just learning the basics.
Nisei Women’s Army Corps, Ft. Snelling
After they graduated from MISLS, they were assigned to various military sectors and helped the military forces immensely. Many of the graduates worked at war crimes trials as translators and interrogators and helped link a number of atrocities to individual Japanese by the captured diaries and letters, written during wartime, that they studied. Maybe one of their most impressive contributions, in the Civil Affairs branch, was censorship- screening the press, inspecting the postal system, watching communications of all kinds, and helping to find out what “has gone on in Japan these many years.” These linguists classified approximately 2,000,000 Japanese documents according to tactical, strategic, or long-range value. In all, they translated some 20,000,000 pages.
The WAC’s and other Nisei linguists’ work for the United States should be honored and remembered. They wanted to serve in the U.S. military for various reasons, but mainly to show their loyalty to the United States. Some were also motivated by reasons that were rooted in their culture and status in their family and community. One former Nisei WAC, Grace Harada reveals her discussion with her parents on why she felt the need to serve in the military:
“They just felt that I shouldn’t be doing something like that, and going so far away from
home. But I told them that I just couldn’t stay home and do housework. I wasn’t accomplishing anything. [Harada’s brother had already joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.] I said [to my parents] “There is a war going on and he can’t do it alone.” …I said what I would be doing is replacing all these men to help end the war. I tried to talk with my parents into letting me go, and finally they released me and signed the consent for me to go in.”
With political circumstances so against them, the Nisei had made every effort to forget their Japanese heritage and prove they are “American.” The experience of attending the MISLS was both a challenge and a chance for the Nisei, to balance both of their identities for a cause and prove their loyalty to their homeland, the United States. Furthermore, as Nisei women, they constantly had to navigate social norms and persevere against sexually and racially intertwined expectations to serve as model American women in Japan, yet maintain their “Japanese-ness” to be competent translators. Their experiences are invaluable in that they not only but also expand one’s perspective of what kind of people serve in the military but also add another complex layer to the Asian American narrative.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
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Military Humor – 
HEY, MOST CLIMB OVER, BUT WHATEVER WORKS FOR YOU.
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Farewell Salutes –
Martin A. Adler – Bronx, NY; US Army, WWII, 85th Infantry Division, Bronze Star / US Army Reserves, Captain (Ret.)
Peter “Russ” Brankston – Toronto, CAN; RC Navy, WWII
Lucille Esmon (100) – Grand Blanc, MI; US Navy WAVE, WWII
Bryce L. Grecian – Spokane, WA; US Army, 82nd Airborne Division
Henry C. Green (102) – Markham, VA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Communications officer, USS Belleau Wood
David Kakavas – Moline, IL; US Army, SSgt. (Ret. 22 y. )
Paul Lisun Sr. – Stratford, NJ/ FL; US Army, Korea, 11 Airborne Division
Evelyn McHugh – Wilmington, NC; Civilian, WWII, Wilmington Shipyards
Robert G. Salerno – Rochester, NY; US Army, WWII, Bronze Star, Purple Heart
Tamio “Tom” Sumoge – Hood River, OR; US Army, WWII, ETO, 88th Division
Charles E. Venn – Rochester, PA; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT Rakkasans
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Nisei Soldiers part 2 | Memorial Day 2023
306th HQ Intelligence Detachment, XXIV Corps, Leyte, Philippines, November 1, 1944. Front row, l to r: George Shimotori, Saburo Okamura, Thomas Sasaki, Francis Yamamoto Herbert Nishihara, Warren Tsuneishi. Back row, l to r: Hiroshi Itow, Joe Nishihara, Lt. Richard Kleeman, TSgt George Takabayashi, Lloyd Shimasato.
(Signal Corps photo)
When the first graduates were sent to the Pacific and landed in Australia, they were part of the Americal troops. Many were sent to help with the fighting on Iwo Jima, which MacArthur felt was taking far too long to complete. Some stayed and worked with the Australian troops and others went to British or Canadian units. (Canada also had their own S-20 Japanese Language School in Vancouver, British Columbia to train interpreters.) Only the U.S. Navy rejected the linguists. Admiral Halsey did in fact understand their importance and requested some MIS’ers for his fleet, but as a whole, Nimitz and the rest of the navy wanted to continue using their own intelligence personnel. (A very serious mistake in Leyte Gulf.)
Nisei at work in Manila, 1945
It was difficult to locate the Nisei that worked G-2 specifically for the 11th Airborne and when because the men were rarely ever put on the official rosters. A MISer could train with the 11th Airborne on New Guinea and by December he was in Burma or up in the Aleutians. They were as difficult to track as the 11th A/B themselves. One Nisei found himself stuck at the Panama Canal, not at all certain what he was supposed to do there.
Ben Hazzard (mustache) w/ the 306th Language Detachment
But, I did manage to locate a fair number of fellow paratroopers from Smitty’s division: Clarence Ohta and John Nakahara jumped with the 11th on Luzon. George Kojima, Koshi Ando and James Harada were with the 503d Regiment. Harry Akune jumped on Corregidor without any training, injured his ankle and went to work translating immediately. He was later at Atsugi airfield with MacArthur. After the service he went back to college.
314 HQ Intelligence/96th Infantry Div.
There was also: Robert Kimura and Mitsuo Usui; Takeshi “Jim” Fujisaka (lived in Fresno, CA and passed away 7 Sept. 1996); Tetsuo Koga; Norman Kihuta (with the 511th G-2 was discharged 6 Jan. 1946); Mike Miyatake went back to his customs job after his discharge; Akira Abe took his parachute training, flew to New Guinea and continued with the 11th A/B throughout Leyte and Luzon. Jiro Tukimura and Eddie Tamada were also noted in the records.
Nisei saving lives by flushing out caves.
In February of 1943, the Taiyo Maru, a Japanese transport ship, was sunk and a lifeboat washed up on Goodenough Island, north of New Guinea;s eastern tip. On that boat was a document that included a list of 40,000 Imperial Army officers from Hideki Tojo on down. These papers, once translated, gave the rank of each officer, unit assigned, the order of battle and the amount of men in each of these units. This information along with documents previously acquired and translated established the exact location of all Japanese units. This work alone was worth the time and effort of forming the MIS.
While their families were confined, more than 33,000 Japanese Americans played a major role in the war effort. Many of them loved their country enough to risk their lives in combat. For others, it was the chance to prove their loyalty and the honor of their families; this they did as members of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team fighting up the rugged Italian Peninsula and across Southern France. Others interrogated Japanese prisoners and translated Japanese documents in the Army’s Military Intelligence Section in the Pacific and China-Burma-India Theaters. Over eight hundred Japanese Americans were killed in action serving their country.
Click on images to enlarge.
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MEMORIAL DAY
I usually prepare a post just for Memorial Day, but after looking through those I did in the past, I felt I should just leave a link for those interested in honoring our fallen. Those who fell giving you the freedoms you enjoy today. Thank you.
https://pacificparatrooper.wordpress.com/?s=memorial+day
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Farewell Salutes –
Frederic M. Ashler – Hamburg, IA; US Navy, WWII
Richard Dow – Albuquerque, NM; US Army, WWII
Alexander Dreyfoos Jr. – W. Palm Beach, FL; US Air Force, Commander of photo recon lab / FL cultural icon, founder of the Dreyfoos Center
Gary Kent – Walla Walla, WA; US Navy / actor, stuntman, director
James Litherland – So. Williamsport, PA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, 2nd Lt. # 325585, 359/303 Bomb Group, B-17 co-pilot, KIA (Le Translay, FRA)
Wilbur A. Mitts – Seaside, CA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Navy Torpedo Squadron-20, radioman # 351669, USS Enterprise, KIA (Malakal, Palau Is.)
Leroy C. Nordby – Nisswa, MN; US Army, 187th RCT
Richard D. Rigdon – Bowling Green, KY; US Army, NATO, 187/101st Airborne Division, Sgt. (Ret. 20 y.)
Eugene “Butch” Skoch – East Meadow, NY; US Army, Vietnam, Pfc. # 298459, KIA (Gia Dinh prov., SV)
Henry “Joe” Tilk – E. St. Louis, IL; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT
Dominick R. Tranquilli Sr. – Summit, NJ; US Army, Korea, 187th RCT
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Japanese-Americans | the Nisei in WWII, part one (1)
Nisei soldiers
Smitty held the Nisei in very high regard and I would be remiss in neglecting to tell their story. Beside, one of these men might have been directly responsible for the safe return of my father. In reality, it would be near impossible to relate a story of the Pacific War without mentioning their service. Some of this unique intelligence force worked ‘behind the scene’ stateside U.S.A. or Australia, but many were up front and fighting at and behind enemy lines.
Smitty always had extreme appreciation for the courage, resilience and down-right crazy stunts they pulled off. They were capable of going behind the lines to acquire information or cut into the radio lines and all the while they remained quite aware that their own units might mistake them for the enemy when they returned. This did happen more than once.
Most everyone is aware of whom the Nisei are, but for clarification purposes, here are some of the terms that might be used in this section or if you continue with your own research:
AJA – Americans of Japanese Ancestry
MISers – the name used for students and graduates of the Military Intelligence Service Language School
Issei – first generation Japanese-American
Nisei – second generation Japanese-American, (this term is for definition only – Nisei prefer to state that they are American)
Kibei – Japanese-American who received education in Japan
At the language school, the students were crammed with courses and put on a strict schedule. Some courses included:
Kanji – a Japanese method of writing based on Chinese logographic characters
Kaisho – the printed form of Kanji and can only be read by someone who has memorized a great number of ideographs
Gyosho – hand written Japanese, very similar to the Palmer Method of Penmanship and is very difficult for Americans
Sosho – the shorthand version of Kanji and almost impossible for an American to learn. Most Japanese field orders were taken down by this method.
Kai Rasmussen
It must be noted that many of these men had family incarcerated in detainment camps and serving in the Imperial Army & Navy, but in school, on the job and in combat they loyally worked to do their level best. The language school began 1 November 1941 at Crissy Field, with Lt. Colonel John Wickerling in charge. His right hand man, educator and recruiter, Kai Rasmussen, was a primary force in the success of the school. He was a West Point grad who spoke Japanese with a Danish accent and would eventually earn the Legion of Merit for his efforts.
A move was necessary from San Francisco to Camp Savage, Minnesota. The change in location was largely due to the bigotry that had overwhelmed California at the time. The most influential white supremacists included: Earl Warren; The Natives Sons and Daughters of the Golden West; William Randolph Hearst and his newspapers and Congressman Leland Ford. Eventually, the school needed to expand and moved to Fort Snelling, St. Paul.
Rasmussen’s right hand man was John Fujio Aiso, an attorney out of Brown and Harvard and had studied at Chuo University in Tokyo. (He was originally assigned to a motor pool because the Army felt they had no need for additional lawyers.) Rasmussen traveled across the country in attempts to find candidates for the school. The Pentagon had kept the paperwork for the operations of the Nisei secret for three decades, but Smitty began talking about them once I was old enough to ask questions.
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Military Humor –
“BECAUSE DOORS ARE FOR SISSIES.”
“AIM FOR THE CAT!”
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Current News – 
Please hop on over to Pat’s blog to help share a veteran’s birthday! Click HERE for equips!!
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Farewell Salutes –
Ruby Atchley – Pine Bluff, AR; Civilian, WWII, ammo plant
Jerry G. Cooper – Hattiesburg, MS; US Army, Vietnam, Captain, 101st Airborne Division, helicopter pilot
Tabe de Vries – Ljmuiden, NETH; Dutch Underground, WWII
Harry E. Elston III – Warren, OH; US Army, Vietnam, H Co/75th Infantry Rangers
William Hodge – New Haven, CT; US Army, WWII, Sgt.
Clyde H. Lane – Greece, NY; US Army, 503/11th Airborne Division
Thomas C. Mayes, Jr. – Coral Gables, FL; US Air Force + Reserves, Captain
Douglas L. Townley – Tonawanda, NY; USMC, WWII
Robert E. Weisblut – Washington, D.C.; US Army
James A. Whitmore – Mesquite, NV; US Air Force, Electronic Warfare Officer on F-105’s & F-16’s
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Pacific Paratrooper 