News Day
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE EXPECTING A LABOR DAY POST, I HAVE HERE A LINK TO MY POST FROM LAST YEAR WHICH DEPICTED THE DAY’S CELEBRATION IN THE STYLE OF THE 1950’S. I’M SURE MANY OF YOU WILL REMEMBER IT, BUT – WE HAVE HAD NEW READERS JOIN US SINCE THAT TIME. PLUS – I’VE ACCUMULATED A LOT OF CURRENT NEWS THAT NEEDS TO BE POSTED. THANK YOU….
Labor Day Post – HERE
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WWII VETERAN – STILL HAS WHAT IT TAKES!
Arthur M. Lewis, 89, an Army veteran of the Pacific Theater, was working behind the counter of The Jewelry Exchange in Lake Park, Florida when an armed robber entered the store. Lewis grabbed the attacker’s gun and pulled out his own weapon. Shots were fired. Lewis was grazed on his arm and the would-be thief escaped carrying 6 bullets in his body. The man and his get-away driver were caught by the Boca Raton police when they sought medical attention. The suspect faces felony charges when he is released by the hospital.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Fallen WWII Soldier Comes Home
DNA testing and a set of dog tags has positively identified the missing US Army Pvt. Bernard “Max” Gavrin who fought in the PTO and went missing in Saipan. He will be laid to rest on 12 September. The remains were discovered by the non-profit Japanese organization, the Kuentai Group.
Gavrin’s nephew, David Rogers of Delray Beach, Florida, last saw his uncle when he was years old, said in an interview: “I am completely in awe of where he is going to be buried. Arlington Cemetery is the single most hallowed ground in this country. Beneath its surface contains the who’s who of American history. To think that my uncle will also be buried there is incredible to me.”
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Java Sea Wreck Confirmed
More than 70 years after the heavy cruiser, USS Houston, was sunk by the Japanese during the Battle of Sunda Strait in February 1942, the grave for 700 of its sailors and Marines has been confirmed. Nicknamed the “Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast” had only 291 survivors. The commander, Captain Albert H. Rooks, was killed during the battle and awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.
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U.S. Military Downsizing
A Marine Corps battalion decorated for extensive combat in WWII and Vietnam earned the nickname “Walking Dead.” The 1st Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, which also saw action in Iraq and Afghanistan, was deactivated during a ceremony at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The unit had a reputation for heroism that included Medal of Honor recipients at Guam and Iwo Jima and two in Vietnam.
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Did You Know?
__ Elvis Presley did a benefit concert and raised over $50,000 to help in the cost of erecting the Arizona memorial. __ Some former crew-members are choosing to have their ashes scattered over their former ships at Pearl Harbor. __ Fuel, to this day, continues to leak from the USS Arizona. __ Twenty-three sets of brothers died when the Arizona sank. Click on any image to enlarge.****************************************************************************************************************************
Merchant Navy Day – New Zealand – 3 September
The men and boys of the New Zealand Merchant Navy had one of the most perilous wartime occupations as they carried supplies to the troops and wounded to safety. Their virtually unarmed ships were sitting ducks for the enemy. Hundreds of mines were laid by German raiders in the early years of the war and several vessels were sunk, including the minesweeper, Puriri, May 1941 off Whangarei, NZ.
Around 130 New Zealand seafarers lost their lives and around 140 were taken prisoner. Captain Inkster, pictured above, served for 60 years, including all six years of WWII. Let’s join them this Wednesday in honoring these civilians who put their lives on the line for the Allied troops!
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A Current Political Cartoon____
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Farewell Salutes –
Stuart Avery – Tauranga, NZ; RNZ Air Force # W327494
William “Dan” Boone – Adelanto, CA; US Air Force, MSgt. (Ret. 20 years), Vietnam
Charles Catanzaro – Syracuse, NY; US Army, Sgt., Vietnam
Morris “Moose” Fontenot – Longmeadow, MA; US Air Force, LtCol., 104th Fighter Wing, F-15 pilot
Gerald McHaffie – Ozark, MO; US Navy, Korea
Walter Pacholka – Pointe-Claire, CAN; RC Air Force [attached to RAF Squadron 199], WWII
Harry Peterson – Oak Park, IL; US Army, 99th Div., WWII, ETO, [author]
Bertrand Vachon – Augusta, ME; US Army, Sgt., WWII
Herbert Waits – LaPine, OR; US Army, Corps of Engineers, WWII
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Posted on September 1, 2014, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged Army, family history, History, Japan, Java, Merchant Navy, Military, Navy, New Zealand, Pearl Harbor. Bookmark the permalink. 54 Comments.
Reblogged this on KCJones and commented:
Getting tough to keep up to your blogs.
My boss helped me out here “Charles Catanzaro – Syracuse, NY; US Army, Sgt., Vietnam”; great guy to remember!
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The blogs are certainly keeping you busy, Penny, so please know how much I appreciate what you do in sharing the veterans’ stories.
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And separately, the downsizing really invites our nation’s enemies to come a-knockin’.
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The similarity to the downsizing after WWI & WWII is uncanny. Obama knows it too, I’ve seen it on the news and in the papers – not exactly a secret – YET here we are….
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I don’t believe using the word “love” would be appropriate…but I loved the snippets of heroes found and coming home. May their souls finally be at peace with their extended families.
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Reblogged this on quirkywritingcorner and commented:
Awesome post!
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Thank you very much. I am very happy to hear to enjoyed the post that much!
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well I hope toy get caught up on your posts – but for now I had the chance to enjoy this one – and I had no idea the Arizona still leaks gas and how cool that Elvis helped raise moola for it – and also did not realize the USS Arizona Memorial is the number one visitor destination in Hawaii –
oh – and that cartoon – loved it – and that was my father – sitting there – because pearl harbor was 9-11 to me and when I bought a Japanese made car, just an old Honda – well my dad was put off for a while – the memory, for him, was “a day that will live in infamy…”
a while ago we watched a documentary on the History channel – where an old Japanese soldier met up with soldiers from pearl Harbor – and they hugged and had lunch and visited the USS Arizona – it was cool.
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There have been a few cases recorded about reunions like that – good to see. According my dad, Smitty, and many historians, the occupation went so well because sides pretty much just laid down their guns and moved on. Happy this site gave you some info you didn’t know before.
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Great storys, each and every one of them gp.
Its kind of ironic to see the old servicemen still have what it takes
to take a stand, such as the old hero in the jewellery store
Emu
You have a great ability for tracking down details, wondering if you could send me your email address, to help me track down a chopper pilot in Vietnam, all I have to go on is the year and pics of the chopper he flew, I want to thank him.
Maybe there is some sort of Vietnam chopper pilots organisation somewhere
Cheers
Emu aka Ian
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Tell me right here, Ian – maybe the readers can help as well!! Name, unit – anything you know about him might be a clue in finding him. Pierre has the public looking for pictures and info all the time and he has great success in locating RCAF and Canadian ancestors. The more people involved – the better chance we’ll have in finding him, Ian.
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Mate,all I got is a copy of his choppers number and the year 1971, how do I send you a couple of pics so that you can judge there value in my hunt for the unknown chopper pilot
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A GREAT way would be to make a post of it!! Put a call out and I’ll reblog it – you never know – the pictures might go viral and be circulated even more. For now, why don’t you give me his name and chopper numbers, unit?
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Great storys, each and every one of them gp.
Its kind of ironic to see the old servicemen still have what it takes
to take a stand, such as the old hero in the jewellery store
Emu
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Pretty feisty, eh!!? Here in Fla. we recently had two different house break-ins where an elderly woman foiled the plans of the would-be thief – I LOVE it!!
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Thank you for stopping by my Colorado Farm Blog!!! I just wanted to say my Dad was in the South Pacific only in the Navy. He passed away in 1999 …I miss him more every day.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
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I don’t know why you would say, ‘only in the Navy,’ every job in the service is of vital importance or the system breaks down. I would love to hear any story about him you happen to know about, ship? what his duty was aboard ship? I hope this blog interests you in some way to and helps to keep your father’s memory alive. Have a great weekend.
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Sorry poor choice of words! I will work on getting you something.
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
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I’m glad it was a typo and I’ll look forward to the info.
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Hi, I nominated you for One Lovely Blog Award, please check http://createthissimple.wordpress.com/2014/09/05/one-lovely-blog-award/
Thank you ❤
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I thank you very much for the offer. I appreciate the sentiment with which it is offered, Risty.
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I admire you ability and dedication. I read this post with a feeling of gratitude for some things that turned out all right. We need so much more of that because of the insanity that has taken over this world. Thank you for your good work.
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My pleasure, Jim. I wish there was a way to fix this world, but too many humans have been born with the idea that they are all-powerful and the world revolves around them, between greed and the insecure desire for more and more power – well, I just don’t know what the answer is. I wonder how we will be seen in 70 years. Thanks for coming by, Jim.
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Twenty-three sets of brothers…?
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That’s what the article said…
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Thanks for the updates!
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I like people to know that we’re not the only ones who are interested in this era. I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to read here, Chris.
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Oh man, I always enjoy your blog and it’s always enlightening, too.
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You know what we need – a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ emoticon….
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Hahahaha— no sarcasm at all intended, brother. 🙂
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I get so much out of your writing and information, thankyou .
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That is so wonderful to hear! It’s for words like that that get me up in the morning!
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Liking them all, the trivia had me riveted. Wow. 23 sets of brothers and Elvis’s contribution to erecting the AZ memorial. I have been there twice and it always brings tears.
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I can only imagine, Cindy. The picture of the memorial gets to me! Thank you for stopping in.
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Such an inspiring post. Thank you.
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My pleasure, Sarah. I appreciate you making a visit today.
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Agree with great news updates. Smiling at the political cartoon 🙂
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I appreciate you reading, and on your vacation no less! Thanks for coming by, Kathy.
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Love reading your blog vacation or not. Going through the pictures now and will do a blog post soon 🙂
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I’ll look forward to seeing it – but enjoy your time off!
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Will Do and Thanks!
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Great post, GP. Just what I needed for Labor Day.
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Glad to hear it, Jacqui – I wasn’t sure how people would take it with no Labor Day post.
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Pvt. Bernard Gavin coming home after all these years is wonderful news. That is the final chapter in his life and now his family can close the book,
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That’s how his nephew sounded in the interview. Mr. Rogers isn’t young, so this is an opportune time for the burial. Thank you for reading, Jackie.
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Two posts in one day (I checked out the Labor Day post too). I don’t remember exactly when I started following here. I’m pretty sure we connected through Dan’s blog (it kind of got away from you) but the date escapes me. as I’ve said before, I thought I knew a lot about the history of these wars but I’ve learned so much from your posts. The role and (lack of) recognition of the merchant fleet is one of those things. Glad to see them getting some recognition now.
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My Follow list no longer gives me the date I started, but I do know it was quite awhile ago. Wherever I went it seemed – your Gravatar pix was already there and I wanted to know who you were, so I went to your About page. I am quite complimented by your comments and very happy to know you’ve learned something from here. [Like my dad Smitty always said – “The day I stop learning – Please close the lid!”] I continue to learn myself with all the research.
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As always, thanks for the moving news and retrospectives. I didn’t know about Elvis’s fund raiser for Pearl. BRAVO your dedication and sharing!
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I appreciate that, Job. This site means a lot to me.
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Reblogged this on MrMilitantNegro™.
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I see you’re blogging each post – I hope that means you like them.
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Great news updates, and pleased to see the NZ Merchant Navy article I mentioned to you. Your blog is truly inclusive.
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Thank you so much, Ann! When you mentioned NZ Merchant Day – it went right onto my calender!
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