Monthly Archives: May 2017
Memorial Day 2017
MEMORIAL DAY.
WHO DO YOU SAY THANK YOU TO?
Should you care to see Memorial Day posts from past years ____
Michael’s Tree – planted by Lavinia & Rick Ross in honor of my son, Michael USMC.
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Farewell Salutes –
Jacob Baboian – Watertown, MA; US Army, WWII, ETO
Thomas Coughlin – Portland, OR; US Army, WWII, Corps of Engineers
Lamar Day – Salt Lake City, UT; US Navy, WWWII, PTO, USS John Pope
Edward Flora – Mishawaka, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, A/674th Artillery/11th Airborne Division
Earle Garlinger – Roswell, NM; US Army Air Corps, WWII, (Ret. 21 years)
Harold Kline – Charlotte, NC; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, 737th/454/15th Air Force
James O’Leary – Manchester, NH; USMC, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Cuban Missile Crisis
Michael Sadlo – Hollywood, FL; USMC, Pfc
Everett Smith – Broad Channel, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, HQ/187th/11th Airborne Division
Vartan Torosian – Pleasant Hill, CA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 188th/11th Airborne Division
Albert Washington Jr. – Midland, TX; USMC, WWII, PTO
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WWII – in memorial
Memorial Day is to honor those that have left us after they served to guarantee us the freedoms we too often take for granted. I do not have the words – so I present Jay who wrote a poem that expresses what I feel.
Once upon a battlefield
I stood where heroes fell,
where brothers, sons and lovers paused
to hear death’s tolling knell.
Once upon an open sea
I sailed where deep remain
the bodies of courageous men
who, by war were sadly slain.
Once upon the azure blue
I drifted through the crimson cloud
where valiant fighters dealt with death
to die alone in sullen shroud.
I’ve felt the moments summoned.
I’ve seen the grave despair.
I’ve witnessed every breath so gained
and every soul laid bare.
I’ve shed a tear not meant for me,
but for the uncaressed
that ne’er again felt warmth of love
before their final rest.
To their souls my prayer,
my honor and my truth,
that they be blessed eternal,
and blessed in memory’s youth!
Gen. Robert Eichelberg’s Leyte
Col. Aubrey Newman depicted in Leyte 1944, “Follow Me” H. Charles McBarron
“Eighth Army took over Leyte on Christmas Day. There were 8 divisions fighting there when I assumed command. When the 32nd Div. and 1st Cavalry broke through on a narrow front, GHQ described the Leyte campaign as officially closed and future operations as “mopping-up.”
“Actually, the Japanese Army was still intact. I was told there were only 6,000 Japanese left on the island. This estimate was in serious error. Soon, Japanese began streaming across the Ormoc Valley, well equipped and apparently well-fed. It took several months of the roughest kind of combat to defeat this army. Between Christmas Day and the end of the campaign, we killed more than 27,000 Japanese.
“Many others, evacuated safely by bancas (small boats), and reappeared to fight the 8th Army on other islands. I called these singularly alive veteran troops the Ghosts of Leyte.
Gen. Douglas MacArthur with Maj. General Joseph Swing, Lt. Gen. Richard Sutherland, and Gen. Robert Eichelberger. (US National Archives)
“I am a great admirer of Gen. MacArthur as a military strategist… But I must admit that after 6 years serving under him, I never understood the public relations policy that either he or his assistants established. It seems to me ill advised to announce victories when a first phase had been accomplished…
“Too often, as at Buna, Sanananda, as on Leyte, Mindanao and Luzon, the struggle was to go on for a long time.Often these announcements produce bitterness among combat troops, and with good cause. The phrase “mopping-up” had no particular appeal for a haggard, muddy sergeant of the Americal Division whose platoon had just been wiped out in western Leyte… Or to the historian of the 11th Airborne, who wrote:
‘Through mud and rain, over treacherous rain-swollen gorges, through jungle growth, over slippery, narrow, root-tangled, steep foot trails, the Angels pushed wet to clear the Leyte mountain range… It was bitter, exhausting, rugged fighting – physically the most terrible we were ever to know.’
457th Field Artillery/11th Airborne Div., Leyte
The combat infantryman deserved the best and usually fared the poorest in the matter of sugar plums, luxuries and mail from home. The home folks in America were vastly generous, but transport to the front could not always carry out their good intentions. Ammunition and rations came first. This – the G.I. could understand… But, it was disconcerting to find out he had only been “mopping -up”.
“If there is another war, I recommend that the military and the correspondents and everyone else concerned, drop the phrase “mopping-up” from their vocabularies. It is NOT a good enough phrase to die for.”
This informational quote is from “Our Jungle Road to Tokyo” by General Robert Eichelberger.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
John Carrington – Philadelphia, PA; US Army, Korea, 11th Airborne Division
Norman Fraser – No. York, CAN; RC Navy, WWII
Virgil Hess – South Bend, IN; USMC, WWII, PTO
Thomas Kinsman – Renton, WA; US Army, Vietnam, B/3/60/9th Infantry Div., Medal of Honor
Roger ‘Whitey’ Lebon – Pana, IL; US Navy, WWII, PTO
Anne Morrissy Merick – NYC, NY; civilian war correspondent, Vietnam
Roger Moore – London, ENG; Royal Army Service Corps # 372394, Captain, (beloved actor)
Amos Smith – Houma, LA; US Army, WWII
Richard Tuff – Salem, OR; US Navy, WWII, USS Enterprise
Joseph Valderrama – brn: SPN/NJ; US Coast Guard, WWII, ETO, USS Faunce & Breckenridge
Wayne Wills – Hampton, VA; US Coast Guard, WWII
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December on Leyte
11th Airborne member with carabao and herder
In the hills west of Burauen, Gen. Swing ordered Col. Harry Wilson into the hills. According to Chief Warrant Officer Nelson, “We moved off light, each man carrying his own weapon, with ammo and 2 day’s K rations. In our wake moved Lt. Eli Berheim’s supply train; its rolling stock a herd of sluggish, patient carabao loaded with heavy weapons, spare ammo and the heavier signal equipment. Such was the life in the ‘modernized war.'”
Eli Bernheim had more than his share of trouble with the carabao and resupplying the 2nd Battalion/187th Regiment/11th Airborne Division.
“I had the problem of getting adequate ammo resupply to the battalion area through the incredible mud. Col. Wilson has issued me a substantial amount of pesos. I bought a number of carabao and a couple of young Filipino herders. We built some heavy bamboo sleds and dragged the ammo to the battalion area…
“I became somewhat notorious as the chief of the carabao pack train. There were some humorous incidents. We didn’t know that males and females had to be separated. Unfortunately, we had one females who went into heat and the males started fighting and goring, resulting in some severe wounds.
457th Field Artillery Battalion
“The Filipinos kept yelling “creosote, creosote” which we didn’t understand until it became apparent that this was the prescribed treatment for gore wounds. We had no creosote, but there was the usual supply of the World War II delight – Dubbin, and for once it was useful.
“I won’t go into the details on the horrors of the march through the mountains, I can recall more than one night spent in a hole with water up to my chin or in places where you couldn’t dig a hole and tried to sleep on the mud covered by a poncho.
“Eventually, we could take the carabao no further. We lost 2 heavy machine-gun cradles when a carabao fell off a ridge. We finally turned the animals lose and the herders tried to backtrack, I don’t know what ever happened to them.”
While Lt. Bernheim had his hands full supplying the 2nd/187th, the 1st Battalion had been patrolling deep into the area behind Bito Beach going after and successfully eliminating a number of the Japanese who had survived their transport crashings. The battalion moved by amtracs to occupy the east end of San Pablo airstrip.
A battery of the 457th/11th Airborne was preparing to make a jump on Manarawat. Normally 12 C-47’s were required for the firing battery to make the jump, but Colonel Nick Stadherr only had one. To spare the battery from making a trek across the mountains, the pilot chose an area 500′ x 150′ for the drop zone (DZ). With cliffs on all sides, the 11th Airborne historian wrote:
“…tremendously proficient jump-mastering by Col. Stadherr, who personally jumped each planeload, landed all equipment and men in 13 plane trips, directly in the center of the field… No injuries were sustained, even though the men jumped from 300′. From that day on, A Battery provided 360° support to all the infantry fighting in the area.
This information is from, The Angels: A History of the 11th Airborne Division, by Lt.General E.M. Flanagan (Ret.). Gen. Flanagan was the commander of B Battery/457th Parachute Field Artillery/11th Airborne Division
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
Army – Practical Joke.
‘Every war game scenario I’ve run has you picking up the check.’
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Farewell Salutes –
Ray Aders – Lelcester, NC; US Army, WWII, ETO, Graves Registration
Michael Beard – Sussex, ENG; British Navy, WWII, HMS Vengence, radioman
Lois Dinnadge – NZ; NZWAAC # 809017, WWII
Elroy Hempstead – Brooklyn, NY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Sgt.
Elmer Kessel – Independence, KY; US Army Air Corps, WWII
Jack LaFleur – Island Heights, NJ; US Army, WWII, ETO & Korea
Albin Lozowski – Chicago, IL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division
Adolph ‘Len’ Scott – Dryden, MN; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Belleau Wood. aviation machinist mate
Kenneth Trickett – San Bernadino, CA; US Navy, WWII, USS Price, fire control
Joseph Zasa – Mountain Brook, AL; US Army, WWII, PTO, Corps of Engineers
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Armed Forces Day 2017
20 May 2017
The longest parade in the U.S. for Armed Forces Day is Chattanooga, Tennessee. Here’s what’s planned for this year’s extravaganza…….
Hamilton County and the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council will sponsor the 68th annual Armed Forces Day parade and luncheon on Friday, May 5, at 10:30 a.m. in downtown Chattanooga.
The parade highlights a different branch of service every year, with the Air Force featured on Friday. The parade will begin with a flyover of two F-16s piloted by Lt. Col. Dave Snodgrass and Maj. Gen. Richard Scobee.
A small peek at 2016
Scobee, son of Chattanooga resident June Scobee Rodgers, is a command pilot with more than 3,800 flight hours, including 248 combat hours. He is the 10th Air Force commander, Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base.
His command includes all fighter, bomber, special operations, rescue, airborne warning and control, fighter and bomber flying-training missions, combat air operations battle staff, remotely piloted aircraft, space and cyber units in the Air Force Reserve CommaTwo Air Force veterans will serve as parade marshals: Jack Rolfson, a WWII B-17 pilot, and Eugene Parrott, a fighter pilot in the Korean War.
Another special guest will be Lt. General Arnold W. Bunch Jr., military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Air Force Secretary for Acquisition at the Defense Department.
Gen. Richard Scobee June 10, 2014.
Lt. General Bunch
For more information, visit the parade’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/chattafparade/ or the Chattanooga Area Veterans Council at http://chattareaveterans.com.
Do you or your area have plans for the day?
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Personal Note # 1 –
Branden Charters needs help with having flowers put on every veteran’s gravesite for Memorial Day. Find ways to help HERE.
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Personal Note # 2 –
Our fellow blogger, Jacqui Murray, writer, teacher and mother of two currently active serving children in the military has now published her second novel, Twenty Four Days. Check it out HERE with a sample chapter!
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Paul Adams – Lincoln, NE; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, 332nd Fighter Group, pilot (Ret.)
Robert Atwater – Elmira, NY; US Navy, WWII, SeaBees
Marino DiChiara – brn: ITL; US Army, WWII
Barbara Grooters – Grand Rapids, MI; US Navy WAVES, WWII
David Herrington – Baxley, GA; US Army, WWII
Kermit Miller – Lehighton, PA; US Navy, WWII, Radarman 3rd Class
Bob Price Sr. – St Louis, MO; US Navy, WWII & Korea
Dewey Stephenson – Waterboro, ME; US Navy, WWII / US Army, Korea, 187th RCT
Daniel Stewart – Fort Wayne, IN; US Army, WWII
John Zilar – Denver, CO; US Air Force, machinist
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for the Veterans – Military Appreciation Month
Martha Cothren with her class
This is a contribution from my brother for the veterans! There is a lesson here that the students of Little Rock High School will never forget. I would presume also that most students would never have given this a thought……
In September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a History teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks in her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.
‘Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?’
She replied, ‘You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.’
They thought, ‘Well, maybe it’s our grades.’ ‘No,’ she said.
‘Maybe it’s our behavior.’ She told them, ‘No, it’s not even your behavior.’
Martha Cothren
And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. Kids called their parents to tell them what was happening and by early afternoon television news crews had started gathering at the school to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.
The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom. Martha Cothren said, ‘Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he or she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.’
At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) U.S. Veterans, all in uniform, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began
Martha Cothren with veterans
placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.
Martha said, ‘You didn’t earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have. Now, it’s up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don’t ever forget it.’
By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awarded the Veterans of Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year for the State of Arkansas in 2006. She is the daughter of a WWII POW.
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Military Humor –
INCOMING !!
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Farewell Salutes –
Verdun Affleck – Timaru, NZ; RNZ Army # 8383, WWII, 20th NZ Btn., driver
Tommy Haynes – Abanda, AL; US Navy, WWII, Sea Bees
Joseph Hillman Jr. – Rock Run, GA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, Engineers (Ret. 30 Years)
Ralph Iossa – Madison, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Sgt., 11th Airborne Division
Adolph Kiefer – Chicago, IL; US Navy, WWII, [Olympian swimmer]
Ralph Pierman – Shawnee, OK; US Navy, WWII, Carpenter 1st Mate, LST-471, 3 Bronze Stars
Wilburn Ross – Whitley City, KY; US Army, WWII, ETO, MSgt. (Ret.), Purple Heart, Medal of Honor
Kenji Tashiro – CA; US Army, WWII, ETO, MSgt., 442 RCT / Korea & Vietnam
Leo Thorsness – Walnut Grove, MN; US Air Force, Vietnam, POW, Medal of Honor
Julius Younger – NYC, NY; US Army, WWII, Manhattan Project
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December 1944 (2)
Avenger on the deck of the USS Anzio, Typhoon Cobra, December 1944
16 December – Douglas MacArthur was promoted to Five-Star General. It seemed that General MacArthur’s promotion to General of the Army would require assistance from many sides. It posed a problem in the respect that there was no such object as a five-star insignia in existence in the Pacific. A clever Filipino silversmith created one from a miscellaneous collection of Dutch, Australian and Filipino coins.
USS Langley (CVL-27), Typhoon Cobra
17 December – Typhoon Cobra hit the Philippine Islands. TF-38 was caught off-guard and the destroyers, USS Hull, Mongham and Spence were sunk and 22 other vessels received damage. While 150 aircraft were blown off the decks of the carriers, more than 750 sailors drowned.
19 December – Adm. Nimitz was made Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Fleet and Pacific Areas, thereby promoting him to Fleet Admiral of the US Navy, a 5-Star Admiral.
USS Bryant
21→22 December – an American destroyer, the USS Bryant was damaged by the Japanese kamikaze pilots off Mindoro, P.I. The Bryant had seen the plane approaching and while maneuvering to avoid collision, the kamikaze basically just clipped her and exploded beneath the waves.
22→29 December – Japanese Gen. Yamashita radioed Gen. Suzuki’s headquarters in Cebu City: “RE-DEPLY YOUR TROOPS TO FIGHT EXTENDED HOLDING ACTIONS IN AREAS OF YOUR CHOICE. SELECT AREAS SUCH AS BACALOD ON NEGROS WHICH ARE HIGHLY SUITABLE FOR SELF-SUSTAINING ACTION. THIS MESSAGE RELIEVES YOU OF YOUR ASSIGNED MISSION.”
Gen. Yamashita
This message would not reach Suzuki for 3 days, by which time his troops were being surprised by Gen. Bruce’s men. The enemy fled to San Isidro and Palompon was taken by the 77th Division unopposed on Christmas Day. Suzuki and about 10,000 of his troops concentrated at Mount Canquipot, whose eastern and western slopes made the sector a natural fortress. They could hear Christmas carols coming from the G.I.’s. Stragglers arrived from the Japanese 1st Division and 68th Brigade, but lost 100 men a day due to starvation.
29 December – Suzuki received a mess age from Gen. Fukue stating that the 102nd Division were leaving in boats for Cebu. When Suzuki ordered them to remain in place – his message was ignored. Approximately 743 men, all that remained of the prize Gem Division would evacuate by 12 January 1945. Gen. Eichelberger’s 8th Army closed in on Suzuki and Mount Canquipot.
25 December – Yamashita informed Suzuki that he considered Leyte a lost cause and this date was originally designated as the end of organized resistance on Leyte, but the troops that remained assigned to the “mopping-up” of the island [7th Division] would beg to differ.
26 December – a Japanese naval force bombarded US installations on Mindoro and the Americans sank the IJN destroyer Kiyoshimo, (清霜, “Clear Frost”).
click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes – for those finally returning home…
Homer Abney – Dallas, TX; US Army, Korea, Sgt., KIA
Robert Barnett – Austin, TX; US Air Force, Vietnam, Captain, pilot, KIA
Murray Cargile – Robertsonville, NC; US Navy, Pearl Harbor, Seaman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA
Louis Damewood – Carroll County, MD; US Army, Korea, Cpl.,HQ/3/38/2nd Div., KIA
Joseph Durakovich – Gary, IN; US Army, Korea, MSgt., KIA
William Kennedy – Titonka, IA; US Navy, Pearl Harbor, Fireman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA
James Mainhart – Butler, PA; US Army, Korea, Cpl., KIA
George Perreault – Burlington, VT; US Army, Korea, Cpl., KIA
William Ryan – Hoboken, NJ; USMC, Vietnam, 1st Lt., KIA
James Whitehurst – Dotham, AL; USMC, WWII, PTO, Pfc., KIA (Tarawa)
Those that still remain missing –
from WWII – 73,060
Korea – 7,751
Vietnam – 1,611
Iraq – 6
At the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.
A military ceremony was held for unclaimed cremains of five Veterans from Potter County (Amarillo), Texas. The Veterans are:
Michael Topp
Michael Papencheck
Ronald Stevenson
Laird Orton Jr.
Jerry Harris
Filipina Heroine
Magdalena Leones
The Silver Star is the third-highest honor for gallantry in the U.S. Armed Forces. Previous recipients include Audie Murphy, Chuck Yeager, and Norman Schwartzkopf. But few people have heard of Magdalena Leones – she was a Filipino woman that served as a guerrilla soldier under U.S. command in World War II.
Leones was in her 20s when she joined the Philippine-American military effort. She is part of a small group of women – and is the only Filipino woman – to receive the award for her heroism. She died on June 16th in Richmond, California at 96-years old.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recognized her on June 28. “We are diminished by the passing of Corporal Magdalena Leones, Silver Star Filipina World War II veteran — the only Asian to receive this honor,” Supervisor Jane Kim said. “Corporal Leones has paved the way for many women that are breaking barriers in every arena. I look forward to her story and the story of the 250,000 Filipino World War II veterans being told for all to remember.”
Leones was part of why General Douglas MacArthur was able to return. Leones was able to gather the parts needed to make a radio that allowed communications with MacArthur, which in turn led to the invasions at Leyte and the re-taking of the Philippines.
Cpl. Magdalena Leones
The Army awarded the Silver Cross to Leones on October 22, 1945.
“For gallantry in action at Luzon, Philippine Islands, from 27 February to 26 September 1944,” the citation reads. “During the period cited, Corporal Leones repeatedly risked her life to carry important intelligence data, vital radio parts and medical supplies through heavily garrisoned enemy-held territory.”
“Although she knew that detection by the enemy would result in torture and execution, Corporal Leones fearlessly continued her perilous missions between guerrilla forces throughout Luzon with notable success. Through her intrepidity and skill as a special agent, Corporal Leones contributed materially to the early liberation of the Philippines.”
Lt. Gen. O.W. Griswold, commanding officer, U.S. Army, signed the citation. San Francisco’s Civic Center has had the citation and a replica medal on display in their Filipino Veterans Education Center since last January.
Rudy Asercion is a Vietnam veteran and the leader of American Legion Bataan Post 600 in San Francisco. He said that Leones’ heroism was not widely known, even in the Filipino community. “She was very private and deeply religious who never talked about her exploits,” Asercion told NBC News. “No one knew anything about her. We didn’t hear about the Silver Star until we commemorated the Leyte Landing and MacArthur’s return in 2004. Then I vetted and researched her and found out the truth. She’s a Filipina, an Asian woman. A Silver Star holder. The only one.”
Magdalena (Far right) with Leones family, 1960’s
Leones moved to the States in the late 1960s. She worked for the telephone company. Family members mourned Leones in a small, private funeral.
Libingan ng mga Bayani
“Even with the Silver Star, there were no top brass, no admirals, or generals, to remember her. It’s very sad,” Asercion said. “No obit in the mainstream papers about her heroism either. Nothing.” She will be buried in Libingan ng mga Bayani, the place where the Philippines buries its heroes.
“The biggest issue to me, is she was not recognized by anybody, in the Philippines or the U.S.,” Asercion said, still troubled by her lack of recognition. “She’s elite, a one of a kind hero.”
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Ian Boxall – Bellevue, AUS; RC Army, Vietnam
Alfred Cabral – Walpole, MA; US Navy, WWII
Arthur Gordon – Rochester, NY; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Cabot
William Herbert – Cherry Hill, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division, Signal Corps
Thelburn Knepp – Peoria, IL; US Army, WWII, ETO, 89th Infantry Division
Douglas Lane – Chatham, CAN; RC Army, WWII, 17th Field Reg/3rd Forward Observer Unit
Harold Madson – Eastpointe, MI; US Army, WWII & Korea, 1st Lt.
Darby Silvernail – Huntsville, AL; US Army, Afghanistan, Medical Corps
Kenneth Trickett – San Bernadino, CA; US Navy, WWII, fire control, USS Price
Edward Yamasaki – Honolulu, HI; US Army, WWII, ETO, 442nd RCT (author)
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Japanese Airborne Attack 11th Airborne
Gen. Robert Eichelberger
The first eye witness account is from General Robert Eichelberger, Commander of the Eighth Army on Leyte as written in his book, “Our Jungle Road To Tokyo”
“There is a memento of this struggle now in the Military Academy at West Point. [General] Joe Swing gave it to me, and I sent it on from the Pacific.
“During the fighting on an airstrip, two ducking and dodging American GI’s – Allen W. Osborne and Eustis A. Jolly – were hand-carrying ammunition to the troops under fire. They noticed a large Japanese flag fluttering in a tree and, being incorrigible souvenir hunters, decided to acquire it.
“Each time they attempted to shinny up the tree, they were met by a fusillade of Japanese bullets. So they changed their tactics. They got an ax from their truck and while still under fire, chopped down the tree. That hard-won Japanese flag now hangs in the West Point museum.
“How can you explain youngsters like that? Despite the calamity howlers they continue to exist. Whatever challenge the future holds, I think Americans can meet it.”
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Gen. Henry Muller, Jr.
This condensed eye witness account was written by BGen. Henry J. Muller, Jr.; courtesy of “The Drop Zone” website and published in “The Voice of the Angels” newspaper, Matt Underwood, Editor.
“TRANSPORTS!!” – “JAPS!!” – “PARATROOPERS!!”
“The time was 1800 hours, 6 December 1944 and at first it sounded like a swarm of bees in the distance. Then it became clear. No paratrooper could mistake the drone of a formation of troop carrier aircraft. Someone outside shouted “AIRCRAFT!!” – then many – “JAP TRANSPORTS!!” – “PARATROOPERS!!”
Situation map 6 December 1944
“The division staff dashed out of the mess tent looking skyward. By now, a dozen parachutes had opened above us and everyone began firing at them. I even emptied 2 clips from my .45 at the nearest parachutists. Most jumped well beyond our HQ, landing in and about the San Pablo airstrip. Only a few who jumped too soon dropped over us and floated down just north of our perimeter.
“There was considerable rifle fire from the vicinity of the airstrip and some from the HQ area. Someone ordered that the generator be shut down as the lights could attract sniper fire. Each section had been required to dig foxholes and trenches around their tents, although rather shallow soil piled on the upper rim provided cover from small arms fire if one kept low.
“During the night, the G-3 Col. Quandt prepared a plan for a provisional battalion of Ordnance and Quartermaster companies, with odds and ends of Service and Administrative troops, to counterattack across the airstrip at first light.
“The firing had subsided, but we had no contact with the small aerial resupply detachment at the strip. So early that morning, Gen. Swing and I, accompanied by his aide and dismounted driver, made our way to the airstrip for a first-hand appraisal of the situation.
“Our counterattack had cleared the field… the Japanese paratroopers had withdrawn into a wooded area north of the strip. They had burned some of our light aircraft along with small stores of aviation fuel and various supplies which were part of our resupply effort for units in the mountains.”
Click on images to enlarge.
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Current News – if anyone is looking for my V-E Day post here today, simply type in V-E Day into the Search bar in the top-right-hand corner of the post. You will be brought to my past 4 posts commemorating that great day!
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Military [Airborne] Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
James Davis – Philadelphia, PA; US Army, WWII, ETO, K/47th QM Regiment
Graham Harding – Hawkes Bay, NZ; RNZ Army # 442167, WWII, 27th Battery, Signal Corps
Norman Hatch – Boston, MA; USMC, WWII, PTO, Photographic Services, combat-cameraman
Freddie Henson – Klamath Falls, OR; US Army, Korea, A/57/7th Infantry Division, KIA
Edward Kitchell – W.Milford, NJ; US Navy, WWII, Sea Bee
Anthony Lipari – Racine, WI; US Army Air Corps, WWII, aerial engineer, Purple Heart
Kyle Milliken – Falmouth, ME; US Navy SEAL, Somalia, Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator, 4 Bronze Stars, KIA
Donald Omodt – St. Paul, MN; US Army, WWII & Korea
Thomas Strath – Ottawa, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII, pilot
Russell Turner Jr. – Houston, TX; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division
Moray Watson – Sunningdale, ENG; British Army, Northamptonshire Reg., Captain, (beloved actor)
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[In a past post in July 2015, I did an article on the wartime cameramen with Norman Hatch mentioned.]
Sgt. Norman Hatch
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December 1944 (1)
Japanese destroyer sinks in Ormoc Bay
6 December – the main thrust of Operation Wa on Leyte, P.I. was provided by the Japanese 26th Division, minus the battalion that was attempting to protect Ormoc, but the enemy found it difficult to maintain their schedule given to them by the Manila headquarters. General Suzuki requested a 2-day delay, but he was denied.
Only 300 Japanese paratroopers of the 16th Division were left after desertions to jump on the Buraen airfield. The 700 troopers of the 3rd Parachute Regiment, flying in from Luzon, ran into heavy flak and lost 4 planes. The remaining Japanese
Major Shirai Tsuneharu suiting up for Leyte jump.
aircraft dropped their troopers on the 11th Airborne Headquarters Company. [Smitty’s unit] (an eye witness story on this will appear on another day.)
8→9 December – 500 more enemy paratroopers were assigned to to jump on an airfield above Ormoc near Highway 2, but they landed 5 miles north of their target. Col. Mitsui, with poorly armed service units, was dug-in on a high ground position below the city waiting for support. MGen. A. Bruce’s US 77th Division broke through the defense. He sent the following message to Corps Commander, John Hodge: “HAVE ROLLED TWO SEVENS IN ORMOC. COME SEVEN, COME ELEVEN.” [referencing to the 77th; 7th and 11th divisions].
9 December – two more enemy convoys were enroute to Ormoc Bay. The first convoy had 3,000 men of the 8th Division and 900 tons of matériel and supplies in 5 transports, 3 destroyers and 2 sub-chasers with an escort of about 30 fighters. US Marine Corsairs sank 3 transports and then one more was sunk in a combined USMC/Army aircraft effort.
The other convoy of 2 destroyers and 2 transports carried 700 men, tanks, and mortars. These were spotted by the destroyer Coghlan which proceeded to sink one of the Japanese vessels. Despite the fact that so many enemy ships were destroyed, a very large number of reinforcements made it to shore, but their effectiveness was hampered by the amount of supplies that went to bottom of the ocean.
11th Airborne encampment, Leyte.
13 December – 1,800 prisoners at Santo Tomás, Luzon began marching to Pier 7 to board the enemy “hell ship” Oroyoku-Maru. It was sunk 2 days later near Subic Bay by American carrier aircraft. Angry Japanese guards shot at the men trying to escape the ship’s sinking hull and those struggling in the water. Those that made it to shore were sent out on other ships 27 December and 2 January. Out of the original 1800 Americans, 1,426 perished.
Also on this date, the cruiser USS Nashville and destroyer USS Haraden were damaged by kamikaze pilots.
15→20 December – The Visayan Force [ between Mindanao and Luzon are the Visayan Islands – Cebu, Panay, Negros, Leyte and Samar.], the US 24th Division landed on Mindoro just off the SW coast of Luzon. The island only had a small garrison, but 4 abandoned airfields that would soon be used by the US Army Air Corps. The 503rd PRCT came ashore. They could not jump in due to the weather.
+ Maryann Holloway’s father saw a lot of what transpired here – her father’s story on the USS Hornet.
On and over Luzon, US carrier aircraft destroyed 225 enemy aircraft in 3 separate attacks.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Russell Curione – Toms River, NJ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-17 tail gunner, MSgt. (Ret. 20 years)
Drew DeVoursney – Atlanta, GA; USMC (Ret.), Iraq
Philip Helms – Halifax, CAN; RC Army, WWII, ETO, Ordnance
John ‘Jack’ Kelly – Broad Channel, NY; USMC, Korea
Jack Lapouraille – BelAir, MD; US Navy, WWII, USS Salerno Bay
Joseph Maltese – Emmaus, PA; US Army, WWII, Sgt., emergency communication
Gene Nooker – Cheyenne, WY; Manhattan Project, WWII
Louie Piszor – Green Bay, WI; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Sea Bee shovel operator
William Ryan – Parma, OH; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 82nd Air Engineer Squadron
Franklin Stearns Jr. – Conway, NH; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 188th/11th Airborne Division
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Pacific Paratrooper 