Monthly Archives: January 2015
A little WWII humor
Proof that the military enjoys its humor!!!!
Mymom took a lot of pictures, saved a lot of pictures, and clipped cartoons during WWII (1940’s). Here are 2 I thought you might enjoy:
The images were scanned while in the plastic protectors. Remember, these a cartoons from a 1941 newspaper. I’m not about to remove a 73 year old newspaper clipping from 43 year old plastic.
I’ll end this blog post with style, specifically the style worn by my maternal grandfather in 1940:
Intelligence
The Dozier Family in Japan, circa 1920’s
The Japanese altered their pre-war message codes after the Coral Sea (6 May 1942), and a few weeks before the Aleutians and Midway ( June 1942). The changes were enough to send US Naval Intelligence in Honolulu scrambling.
The Secret Service brought in a well-known Southern Baptist missionary who had recently arrived in Hawaii after being booted out of Japan along with the other undesirable westerners. Reverend Edwin Burke Dozier, who became part of the Olivet Baptist Church in Honolulu, was the son of S.B.C. missionaries from Georgia. He had been born and raised in Japan – the Nagasaki-Fukuoka area of Kyushu’s west coast.
Rev. Dozier’s masterful ear for the Japanese language discerned that the enemy was using Japanese baby-talk in the key parts of their altered code. These were not words found in any dictionary and a person would have had to been raised from birth in a Japanese home to know them.
Dozier helped to break the new code, and later, he was called upon frequently to evaluate O.N.I. reports and guide the code breakers in nuances in Japanese thought that steered their code formations. All the data was then sent on to Washington D.C.
ONI seal
On numerous occasions through and after the war he was offered high commissions in both the military and governmental intelligence services; all of which he refused. Dozier believed his calling in life was to preach the Gospel to the Japanese people.
When G-2 BGeneral Henry Muller Jr. was informed about these developments from Matt Underwood, Editor of “The Voice of the Angels” 11th A/B Division Assn., he was fascinated. Muller considered it to be no real surprise that an enemy as formidable and resourceful as the Japanese could come up with their own version of Navajo codetalkers by speaking a sort of language not found in any dictionary.
“Edwin Dozier In Japan”
Rev. Dozier’s account is mentioned in his biography, “Edwin Dozier of Japan: Man of the Way,” by Lois Whaley, Women’s Missionary Union, 1983. This data was published in the “Voice of the Angels,” 11th A/B Div. Assn., Vol. 185, December 2014.
Judy Hardy at – Greatest Generation Lessons and I are attempting to coordinate our websites. As I post about June 1942 and the activity in the Aleutian Islands, she will be posting letters and home front stories that correspond. Judy had her Uncle Ced in Alaska at this time along with a family friend, Rusty.
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Military Humor – what have they been saying?
Join The Army!
Concealed – from Chris at Muscleheaded
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Farewell Salutes –
Anthony Angerosa – Fishkill, NY; US Army, WWII, ETO, Purple Heart, Bronze Star
Turi Blake – Taranaki, NZ; RNZ Navy # 621648, WWII
Gunther Ditzel – Carlsbad, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII
William Fay Jr. – Delray Beach, FL; US Navy, WWII, pilot
Donald Huard – Augusta, ME; US Army, WWII, PTO, 161st Infantry Reg/25th Infantry Div.
Harry Karas Jr. – Yakima, WA; US Army, Navy & Air Force, Korea, Vietnam, (Ret. 30 Years)
J.W. Landry Jr. – Crowley, LA; US Army, WWII, ETO, Bronze Star
Virginia Powers – Lansing, MI; USMC, Sgt. (Ret.)
Daniel Quinlin – Columbus, GA; US Army, Colonel (Ret. 33 years)
Raymond Sinclair – UK & CAN; British Army, WWII, ETO
Stella Uhorczuk – Alexandria, VA; WIMSA (USMC), WWII, (Ret. 30 years government service)
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May 1942 (3)
Japanese Boys Festival
5 May – In Japan, the towns and villages held parades of brightly colored carp banners and painted kites to celebrate the annual “Boys Festival” and the nations military victories. It was also the day then the Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo chose to issue Navy Order No. 18 which specified the details of Yamamoto’s complex Operation MI [Midway]. This directive would ultimately turn the tide of the Japanese Blitzkrieg.
Here’s a traditional song for Tango no Sekku called Koinoburi or Carp Windsocks…
Koinobori
(Japanese Transliteration)Yane yori takai koinobori.
Okii magoi wa otoosan.
Chisai higoi wa kodomotachi.
Omoshiro soni oyideru.Carp Windsocks
(English)Carp windsocks are above the roof.
The biggest carp is the father,
The smaller carp are children,
They’re enjoying swimming in the sky.Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto
Dutch Harbor, Alaska was Yamamoto’s AL Operation [not to be confused with the AL Plan of 1941], for 2,000 Japanese troops to raid the American bases in the Aleutians on designated N-Day and the AF section to hold synchronized movements on Midway at the beginning of June. Six separate forces to sail across the Pacific with the mission to separate the United States from Australia and draw the US Naval Fleet out of Pearl Harbor for a showdown.
Admirals Spruance, King, Nimitz & General Jarman
18 May – When Admiral King was turned down for reinforcements to be sent to the Pacific, he humbled himself to go begging to the British in a cable that read: “WILL ADMIRALTY ENTERTAIN REQUEST FOR CARRIER FROM EASTERN FLEET TO JOIN UP WITH LEARY TEMPORARILY, IF SO, MOVE MUST BE MADE AT ONCE.” This was a true measure of the dire Pacific crisis. The fact that the Admiralty refused him was something he never forgave them for. Churchill would later regret his mistake.
Since Adm. Nimitz’s visit to Midway in the beginning of the month, so many reinforcements and matériel had been flown to the Marine 6th Defense Battalion that they joked about the atoll sinking under the weight: 23 Navy PBY seaplanes; 27 Marine fighters; 16 dive bombers; 17 torpedo bombers. From the Army: 4 B-26 Marauders and 17 B-17 Flying Superfortresses; as well as 17 submarines dispatched as Task Force 7 to patrol the coastline.
Admiral Theobald
21 May – Admiral Robert Theobald and his 2 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers and 4 destroyers left Pearl for the Aleutian Islands to face the enemy and their Operation AL. The admiral was well aware of the fact that his fleet was no match for the Japanese. At the same time, CINCPAC arranged for the seaplane tender, Tangier, (used as a portable seaplane base), at Efate Island and the heavy cruiser USS Salt Lake City, in Australian waters northwest of New Zealand, to break their radio silence and release false transmissions – hoping to deceive the Japanese into believing Halseys’s force was still in the SW Pacific.
22 May – As US intelligence deciphered the specific details of the Japanese operations for Midway and Alaska, Adm. Nimitz divided his forces to confront Adm. Nagumo’s Japanese Carrier Striking Force. Task Force 16 would have the carriers Hornet and Enterprise and Task Force 17 with the Yorktown.
Potrero del Llano
Also on this date, the Mexican government declared war on the Axis powers after German vessels attacked their tankers, Potrero del Llano and the Faja de Oro, enroute to the US with crude oil. Potrero del Llano was hit by the German submarine, U-564.
German submarine – U-564 resuppling in the Caribbean, 1942
26 May – When Halsey returned to Pearl with the damaged Yorktown and reported to Nimitz, it was obvious that the “Bull” was suffering from exhaustion. He recommended RAdmiral Raymond Spruance to be his replacement for the forthcoming operations. The Yorktown took only 4 days to repair and on the 30th of May, her aircraft began boarding.
Commonwealth CA-12 Boomerang
29 May – Australia’s first home-produced wartime aircraft, the Commonwealth CA-12 Boomerang, made its first flight. Despite being designed in only 5 months, the plane would prove to be tough a maneuverable fighter.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
Looks like the men were adjusting to their new surroundings?
Even if this is a booby trap, can you think of a better way to die?
Postcards are courtesy of Chris, over at – Musclehead a great place to visit!!
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Farewell Salutes –
Darlynn ‘Andy’ Andrews – Ocala, FL; US Army, Vietnam, Bronze Star
Ernie Banks – Chicago, IL; US Army, MLB player
Joseph Darr, MD – Los Angeles, CA; US Army, Lt.Col. (Ret.), T-28 “Wings of Gold” 3rd Army Special Service Medical Corps, surgeon, 101st A/B Div.
Leland Fuller – Brooklyn, NY; US Coast Guard, WWII, Petty Officer 2nd Class, carpenter’s mate/ USCG Band
Loren Harbert – Canon City, CO; US Army (Ret.), Vietnam, Bronze Star
William Jones – Oklahoma City, OK; US Navy, Korea
Lawrence McManua – Moosejaw, CAN; RC Navy, HMCS Magnificent
Leonard Quintin – St.Alban’s, VT; US Army, WWII & Korea
Robert Rogers – Seattle, WA; US Army, Medical Corps (Ret. 24 years), Korea
G. Ellen Taylor – Midland, MI; US Army WACS, WWII
Anthony Yorio – Corning, NY; US Army, WWII
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December 10 – The Loss of the First Sealion
USS Sea Lion
THE USS SEA LION – DAMAGED BY THE JAPANESE. LT. CROTTY,USCG, LED THE TEAM TO STRIP HER AND LAY CHARGES FOR HER FINAL DESTRUCTION.
The attack at Pearl Harbor was barely finished when the predicted attacks in the Philippines began. In order for the Japanese empire to complete their planned establishment of a Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, the Philippines would have to be “liberated” from the American’s influence. A casual study of that part of the world shows that the oil and food that would be needed to satisfy the growing Japanese empire could easily be obtained form the vast resources in the southern Pacific. The small Japanese islands were hardly capable of supplying the basic needs of her own people at home no less the far flung forces of its marauding armies. Like a giant hungry tiger, she was consuming as much as her army and navy could take in a furious march across the hemisphere.
The Philippines were the key to her ability to anchor her gains. These beautiful islands lay across…
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Tribute
Lt. James Crotty
Lt. Thomas James Eugene Crotty, USCG
This tribute to Lt. Crotty was condensed from an article written by William H. Thiesen, Ph.D., Atlantic Area Historian, USCG. Courtesy of the MacArthur Memorial Library, Norfolk, Virginia.
Lt. Thomas James Eugene Crotty
Lt. ‘Jimmy’ Crotty graduated from the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1934 and for 6 years he served on board cutters, including the Tampa during its famous rescue of passengers from the burning liner Morro Castle. In April 1941, Jimmy received training at the Navy’s Mine Warfare School and Mine Recovery Unit. He then received orders for the Philippine Islands in October.
On 10 December, the American Navy Yard at Cavite was bombed by the Japanese. Crotty supervised the demolition of strategic facilities to prevent them from falling into enemy hands as ground troops made their way to Corregidor. This included the ammunition magazine and the fleet submarine, USS Sea Lion, which had been damaged during the air attacks.
USS Quail
During February and March 1942, Crotty served as executive officer of the Navy minesweeper USS Quail which shot down enemy aircraft and swept the minefields so US subs could deliver supplies and evacuate personnel. They also provided shore bombardment against Japanese beach landings.
Crews on board Navy vessels cannibalized deck guns and moved them onto the island to mount a final stand against the encircling enemy forces. Crotty served to the bitter end. Eye witnesses reported seeing him commanding a force of Marine and Army personnel manning the 75-mm beach guns until Japanese bombardment put the guns out of commission.
Marines fire a 75-mm gun, 1942
With Corregidor’s capitulation on 6 May, Lt. Crotty became the first Coast Guard POW since the War of 1812. His fellow prisoners at Cabanatuan knew him for his love of sports as well as his sense of humor and optimism. One person later recounted: “The one striking thing I remember was his continued optimism and cheerfulness under the most adverse circumstances. He was outstanding at a time when such an attitude was so necessary for general welfare.”
Lt. Crotty
Crotty received little recognition for his heroic efforts during those desperate days due in part to the destruction of records and the death of so many eye witnesses. To this day, no one knows the precise day he died, from the diphtheria epidemic that killed 40 prisoners a day, or the exact location of his final resting place.
Crotty’s shadow-box
In the words of one of his shipmates, intelligence officer, Lt.Cmdr. Denys W. Knoll:
“Lieutenant Crotty impressed us all with his fine qualities of naval leadership which were combined with a very pleasant personality and a willingness to assist everyone to the limit of his ability. He continued to remain very cheerful and retained a high morale until my departure from Fort Mills the evening of 3 May. Lt. Crotty is worthy of commendation for the energetic and industrious manner in which he performed all his tasks. He continued to be an outstanding example of an officer and a gentleman to all hands and was a source of encouragement to many who did not posses his high qualities of courage and perseverance that he displayed.”
Lt.Cmdr. John Morrel also, along with 17 others escaped 2,000 miles to Darwin Australia in a 36′ motor launch and wrote the book, “South From Corregidor.”
Click onto images to enlarge.
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Military Humor – now they’re into ‘planking’
military planking
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Farewell Salutes –
James Caporale – CT & FL; US Navy (Ret. 20 years)
Gert Dalby – Santa Ynez, CA; Danish Military
William Foster – Goshen, IN; USMC
Richard Hottelet – Brooklyn, NY; WWII journalist, last of the “Edward R. Murrow Boys,” ETO, POW
Norman Lucas – Knox, ID; USMC, WWII, PTO, Company C/1/24th Div.
Douglas MacLean – Calgary, CAN; RC Navy, WWII, HMCS Oakville
Donald Moore – Grand Rapids, MI; US Army Air Corp, WWII, PTO, Med/457 Artillery
Betty Quilan – Oklahoma City, OK; Military Intelligence, WWII
Marion Stults – Tucson, AZ , US Army, 511th/Signal
Jack Walsh – Portland , ME; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Perry & Shenandoah
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May 1942 (2)
CORREGIDOR
3 May – Corregidor had been bombed without mercy for weeks and the beach fortifications began to fall away. For the 1,300 men of the 4th Marine Division, “…it was like living in the center of a bulls-eye.” The confines of the Malinta Tunnel became terribly overcrowded. The US submarine, “Starfish was able to evacuate 25 more of the personnel, (13 of them nurses) and Wainwright told the skipper of the boat as it left, “They will have to come and get us… They will never get us any other way.” The “Rock” had only five days of fresh water remaining.
US officer giving water to a wounded Japanese soldier
4 May – Wainwright sent a radio message for General Marshall, “In my opinion the enemy is capable of making an assault on Corregidor at any time.” As if in response, 600 Japanese soldiers landed and the First Marine Battalion went into heavy combat, but the enemy made their way to the tunnel. Wainwright received a message from President Roosevelt, “You and your devoted followers have become the symbols of our war aims and the guarantee of our victory.”
troops pour into Malinta Tunnel during air raid
Just before noon on 5 May, Japanese General Homma was notified that the white flags of truce were flying over The Rock. Wainwright had given the order, “Execute Pontiac” – surrender. The general had been unaware that Homma’s men were having great difficulty in crossing the swift current of the channel and were running low on their small landing boats. Homma was fearing a possible defeat about the time the white flags were raised. More than 800 US and Filipino troops had been lost in that final assault, but it cost the enemy in excess of 3x that amount. Mindanao fighting would continue for two more days.
Japanese troops headed toward the ‘mile-long’ barracks
10 May – Gen. Wainwright officially surrendered to Gen. Homma. At MacArthur’s press conference he said, “Corregidor needs no comment from me. It has sounded its own story at the mouth of its guns. It has scrolled its own epitaph on enemy tablets. But, through the bloody haze of its last reverberating shot, I shall always seem to see a vision of grim, gaunt, ghastly men still unafraid.”
With the end of the Philippine campaign, the Allies had lost 140,000 lives. Nearly 12,500 US and Filipino soldiers became POWs. Of the surviving 4th Marine Division, no more than one-third would live through their brutal captivity as enemy prisoners of war.
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For further information, very short videos and a radio broadcast by General Wainwright, The Tragedy of Bataan website can be located – HERE!
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Aviation Humor –
WE’RE ALL STUCK IN THE SAME TRAFFIC JAM – SO KEEP A HANDLE ON THE ROAD-RAGE!!
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Farewell Salutes –
Stanford Brunson – Macon, GA, USMC, Vietnam
Ralph Buelow – Racine, WI; US Army, WWII, ETO
Alice Caccgillo – Windham, NY; US Navy WAVES, WWII
Tommie Falkner – Calera, AL; US Air Force (Ret. 21 years)
Ebo Jansseen – Fort Myers, FL; USMC, WWII, 2 Purple Hearts
Norman Johnson – Tauranga, NZ; NZ Army, Cpl. # 676003
George Kilvington – Victoria, CAN; RC Navy, WWII, ETO
Leonard Romeo – Piscataway, NJ; US Navy, WWII
Chuck Stevenson – Ft. Smith, AR; US Army, Vietnam
Frank Vargas – Hillside, IL; USMC, WWII, PTO / US Army, Korea
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Knocking out the 403rd
The IHRA historians always have further in-depth information for us ___
On January 17, 1942, four B-17s from the 43rd Bomb Group’s 403rd Squadron had taken off from Milne Bay for a mission to Rabaul. When the crews returned home later that day, they found smoke, a partially destroyed camp, and that the other three B-17s belonging to their squadron had been destroyed as well.
While the four crews were gone, the air raid sirens went off around midday. This was fairly common at Milne Bay and some of the personnel didn’t take it too seriously. For ten minutes men waited in nearby slit trenches. Nothing happened. The crew of FIRE BALL MAIL was getting ready to take the plane up before the alarm, scattered when it went off, then started going back to the plane. They soon heard what sounded like twin-engine bombers and looked up to see 23 Japanese bombers with 48 fighters flying over the base. The crew…
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May 1942 (1)
Burma Road cut by the Japanese
1 – 20 May – the Japanese 18th and 56th divisions in Burma were swift in their victory cutting through the Chinese 5th Army’s defenses and taking Mandalay. The 33rd Division captured Monywa to the west and then drove up the Irrawaddy Valley. On the 8th, Myitkyina, an important rail terminus and air base in the north, was taken. Heavy monsoon rains, made jungle trails impassable and did slow the enemy down, but by 12 May, when the 20th Division arrived, Burma was conquered. The Japanese suffered about 7,000 casualties, while the British, Indian and Burma troops lost 13,463 KIA.
Mandalay is taken.
The Australian Coastwatching Service again reported an enemy sighting past New Georgia on 2 May and the 50 Australian servicemen, at the Tulagi base in the Solomons, were evacuated. The Japanese landed on the island the following day. 4 May, the Yorktown launched a strike group. The enemy destroyer Kikuzuki and several smaller boats were sunk; the destroyer Yuzuki and the mine layer Okinoshima were damaged. The enemy would turn the island into a seaplane base.
After an RAF plane dropped food, Gen. Stilwell helps to carry some bully beef out of the Uyu River.
4-6 May – as the Battle of the Coral Sea was about to begin (the first major carrier battle of the war), 3 US task Forces united to intercept a Japanese invasion group, including the carriers: Shoho, Zuikaku and Shokaku bound for Port Moresby. As the enemy went around the Solomons, hoping to attack the Americans from the rear, they weren’t there. US intelligence had decoded their plans in time to elude and confuse the enemy. 7 May – Task Force 44, commanded by RAdmiral Crace, (Royal Navy) turned the enemy invasion force back, but not before they managed to sink the destroyer, USS Sims, and the fleet oiler, USS Neosho. Adm. Fletcher had split his force into two groups, which was the reason the Japanese only caught these 2 ships. The enemy air squadron had not been detected by the Allies.
HMAS Australia being attacked
Japanese Captain Izawa made an error near Misma Island when he turned the Shoho into the wind to try and launch his planes. He had made his ship an easy target. The Yorktown and Lexington sent a massive air attack on the enemy carrier. On the Yorktown the message received from Lt.Cmdr. R.E. Dixon was, “Scratch one flattop. REPEAT Dixon to carrier, scratch one flattop.” Skillful helmswork of the HMAS Australia and the cunning of other captains of the US< New Zealand and Australia, the squadron was saved from all but superficial damage.
Shokaku under attack
8 May – major air strikes were exchanged throughout this day at a range of only 200 miles (320 km). Dive bombers badly damaged the Shokaku, but the Yorktown was also in bad condition. The USS Lexington was bombed and torpedoes which ruptured her gasoline tanks. While smoke filled the air, the crew was rescued and then later sunk by other US ships.
destroyers assisting Lexington
This left Commander William Ault in the sky without a carrier to return to and far too distant from land. Both Ault and his radio-gunner, William T. Butler, apparently suffered wounds when Zeros attacked their SBD Dauntless. The Lexington heard his distress call, but he was not on the radar. Ault radioed to “the Lady Lex”: “O.K. So long people. We put a 1,000-pound hit on the flattop… flying low on fuel and nowhere to land…” Their reply was, “Good Luck.” Neither man was ever seen again and the wreckage was never found. Comdr. Ault received the Navy Cross posthumously.
9 May – the Japanese and Americans broke contact, with shipping losses to both sides. The enemy put their plans for expansion to Papua and the Solomons on hold. The Japanese lost 77 planes, 1074 men and the light carrier Shoho. The US Navy lost 66 planes, 543 KIA, one tanker and destroyer sunk and damage to the Yorktown. The overall result of the battle was the first major Japanese reversal in the war.
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Safety first with the new PT belts!
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Marvin Barnes – Mesa, CO; US Army, Korea, MP
John Como – Nashua, NH; US Army Med. Corps, 99th Evac Hospital, WWII, Bronze Star
Harry Davis – Dyer, AR; US Army, Korea
Christian Delionback – Birmingham, AL; US Air Force
Jerry Heinz – Tarboro, NC; US Army, Company F/187th RCT, Korea
Marjorie Johnson – Almeda, CA; US Army WACS, WWII
Wayne Kessel – Abbottstown, PA; US Army Air Corps, HQ2/11th A/B
Thornton Lounsbury – Toronto, CAN; US Navy, WWII
Michael Marino – Jupiter, FL; USMC (Ret. 40 years), Sgt.
Sebastiano ‘Buster’ Paciocco – Honeoye, NY; US Army, Cpl, WWII, ETO
Lloyd Tatton – Pukekohe, NZ; NZ Army # 514720
Thaddaeus Wozniak – Whitfield, AUS; SAS British Army # 2105322
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April 1942 (3)
Equipment set ablaze before retreating from the Japanese, Tenangyaung, 16 April 1942
23 April – troops of the Chinese Expeditionary Force held off the Japanese advances around Twingon, Burma, which allowed thousands of Allied troops into the area of Tenangyaung to escape the enemy’s surrounding net. But, six days later, when the Chinese 55th Division were defeated in the northern zone, the Japanese forces reunited and together the divisions successfully cut the Burma Road. On the 30th, General Stilwell, who was appalled by the Chinese leader’s corruption, dubbed Chiang Kai-shek “Peanut” for his do-nothing attitude, received permission to withdraw his troops to India.
“Daily Mirror” headlines of 29 April ’42, Lashio-Mandalay Railway in danger, enemy 110 miles away!
New Caledonia 1942
25 April – US troops landed on the Free French colony of New Caledonia. The island’s capital, Nouméa became a major US naval base. [The “Boomer” generation might recall this island as the naval base where “McHale’s Navy” was stationed. For the younger readers, this was a very popular sit-com about a bunch of misfit sailors during the war, staring Ernest Borgnine and Tim Conway.)
30 April – during the heavy bombing and artillery fire transpiring on Corregidor, P.I., incredibly, 2 Navy PBY flying boats managed to land and take off again. They were able to evacuate 50 people from ‘The Rock’, mostly from the female nursing staff.
Some nurses of Corregidor
To sum up April 1942: Doolittle’s Raid caused the Japanese Navy to overreact and deploy nearly every warship in the Imperial Combined Fleet. They dispersed into far too many different operations over too great a distance. One of the major objectives was their vital plan to sever the American sea route to Australia and allow the capture of Port Moresby, New Guinea. The US Naval fleet and Admiral Nimitz, despite being aware that they lacked the strength of the Japanese, felt they could use their military intelligence against the enemy.
Japanese Admiral Inouye developed a series of complex operations for both sides of the Coral Sea. [the US sea route]. This plan was virtually dependent on the element of surprise, but this major factor was foiled by the Australian Coastal Watching Service, when the radio outposts reported spotting the enemy in the upper Solomons.
Another mistake was made on the part of the Combined Fleet’s eagerness to disperse. Their wide distribution and speed resulted in the failure to change their signalling codes. Hence, intelligence outposts from Alaska to Australia were able to pick-up and de-code Japan’s messages, (code-named JN 25). This uncovered every move the enemy made during the Second Operational Phase.
Military communiques of the world
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor – the Old and the New
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Farewell Salutes –
William Ackerman – Granite Ridge, CAN; RC Navy
Edward Brooke III – Washington DC; US Army, WWII
Stanley Butlin – Birmington, UK; RAF, radio telecommunications 
Erland Coombs – Scarborough, ME; USMC, WWII, PTO, Purple Heart
Noel Ford – Christchurch, NZ; LAC No. 5 SU Air Force # 439576, WWII
Henry Guardino – El Centro, CA; USMC, Korea, radio operator
David Joy – Connerville, IN; USMC, Vietnam / US Army (15 years)
Helen McKinley – Jupiter, FL; civilian, Secretary to the Red Cross Field Director, WWII
Kenneth Staples – Stroudesburg, PA; UA Army Air Corps, WWII, F/187th/11th A/B
Fernand Tremblay Sr. – Meriden, CT; US Army, WWII, Sgt., Silver Star
Woody Whigam – Folkston, GA; US Army, WWII
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A Nation Honors WWII Heroes
Fellow Blogger, Karen Evans has written the final chapter for the Doolittle Raiders. Please enter and read her article. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend.
Orders in hand, Navy Capt. Marc A. Mitscher, USS Hornet skipper, chats with Lt. Col. James Doolittle, attack group leader of the Army Air Forces. The group of fliers, in coordination between the two services, carried the battle of the Pacific to the heart of the Japanese empire with a daring raid on military targets in major Japanese cities. The USS Hornet carried the 16 North American B-25 bombers to within take-off distances of the Japanese Islands.
(U.S. Navy photo)
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In long overdue recognition, Doolittle Tokyo Raiders of WWII have been honored with a Congressional Gold Medal. Bestowed for their tremendous valor and sacrifice at a pivotal point in our military history, it is one of our nation’s highest awards.
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Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, provoked a responsive Declaration of War, as Americans enlisted and Doolittle Tokyo Raiders prepared a retaliatory strike.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt…
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Pacific Paratrooper 
