Blog Archives
USMC Birthday / Veterans Day 2022
The Marine Corps birthday has been commemorating on November 10 every year since 1775, the year of establishment of Continental Marines. Every year the cake cutting ceremony with the conventional ball follows.
Saluting the U.S. Marine Corps
Marine Corps Birthday Cake
Sketch of the original Tun Tavern
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Veterans Day
On November 11th, we pause to reflect on the history of this great Nation and honor all those who fought to defend it. Originally titled “Armistice Day” and intended to celebrate the end of World War I, “the war to end all wars,” Veterans Day allows us to give thanks to veterans past and present, men and women from all walks of life and all ethnicities, who stood up and said, “Send me.” We recognize your sacrifices, your sense of duty and your love for this country.
Thank you – To ALL our veterans!
The 11th Airborne Division jumps again!
PLEASE CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE.
For many other countries who remain free thanks to their veterans, this day is called Remembrance Day. I thank you!!
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Lawrence “Junior” Anderson – Blanchard, MI; USMC, WWII, CBI, scout observer
Catherine Batoff – Cedar Lake, IN; US Army WAC, WWII
Jesse G. Bell – Roopsville, GA; US Navy, WWII, USS Case DD-370
Leo E. Cummings – Jackson, MI; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division
Ralph Fiorio – Peekskill, NY; US Army, WWII, ETO, 8th Armored Division
David E. Holeman – Le Harpe, KS; US Air Force, WWII, PTO, # 646029, 17/24th Pursuit Group, POW, KWC (Cabanatuan Camp, P.I.)
Merle L. Pickup – Provo, UT; US Army Air Corps, WWII, CBI, Cpl. # 39832953, 393 BS/308 BG, KIA (India)
Paul J. Simons Jr. (102) – Wyoming, MO; US Army, WWII
James M. Triplett – King County, WA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, TSgt # 39202130, B-24 radio operator, 700BS/445 BG/2/8th Air Force
Allen H. Tuttle – King County, WA; US Army, Korea, Sgt. # 19261249, field artillery cannoneer, C Batt/38/2nd Infantry Division, POW, KWC (NK Camp # 5)
Larry A. Zich – Lincoln, NE; US Army, Vietnam, Chief Warrant Officer # 508603819, HQ/37/1st Signal Brigade, KIA
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Why is the only one standing the man with a wheelchair?
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MEMORIAL DAY 2021
Our nation marks Memorial Day to honor and pay tribute to brave Americans who gave their life for this country. Many generations have sacrificed in defense of our nation, our liberty, and our desire to improve our country. On Memorial Day, we humbly honor these incredible patriots and have a solemn duty to uphold their legacy.
At its core, Memorial Day speaks of personal sacrifice for a greater good. It resonates in the stories of ordinary Americans, who fought for a better world and were willing to lay down their lives. Our way of life is shaped by those who have served and those who were lost. We have benefited from their positive influence on our world. It is our solemn duty to honor for our fallen brothers and sisters in arms and their families. This day reflects on heroes from historically distant wars passed and current operations. We honor their legacy and work toward a peaceful future, in which wars are a faded memory.
I encourage you all to keep the legacy of our fallen brothers and sisters in arms alive within your communities. Take time to reflect together with your friends, neighbors, groups, and communities, so those stories and sacrifices are never forgotten.
Respectfully, Colonel Christopher K. Lacouture 913th Airlift Group Commander
The image of the poppy is from: Marylou at natuurfreak3 click on image to enlarge.
I know that many are looking forward to their bar-b-ques and celebrations, especially after a year and a half of lockdowns, and quarantines, but Please take a moment to remember why we have this commemorative weekend.
Also from Marylou is this wonderful Memorial Day ecard…
From: Lt. Colonel Sam Lombardo (Ret.) _____
“This is our Memorial Day/ In our land of the free/ It’s because of those who sacrificed/ Whose graves you’re here to see/ They fought on foreign lands/ And across the open sea/ And paid the ultimate price/ To keep you and I free/ So put all things aside/ And honor this important day/ Which we have dedicated/ As our Memorial Day.”
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NOT YOUR USUAL MILITARY HUMOR – PLEASE click on each to enlarge.
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Farewell Salutes –
Wayne L. Adams Sr. (102) – Dolton, IL; US Army, WWII
Carl D. Berry Jr. – Hinsdale, IL; US Army, WWII / US Air Force, Korea
Carl M. Bradley – Shelly, ID; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Fireman 2nd Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Wayne M. Evans – Hamilton, MT; US Army, WWII, PTO, Pvt., Battery G/59th Coast Artillery Reg., POW/KIA (Cabanatuan Camp, Luzon, P.I.)
Charlton H. Ferguson – Kosciusko, MS; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Musician 2nd Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
Nicholas H. Hamilton – Las Vegas, NE; US Air Force, pilot
Brenda McDaniel – Springfield, VA; US Army, Nurse Corps
Edward McDaniel Jr. – US Army, Colonel, Medical Corps (MD)
Joseph R. Mooradian – Union Grove, WI; US Merchant Marines, WWII / US Army, Korea
Burl Mullins – Dorton, KY; US Army, Korea, Cpl., Heavy Mortar Co/ 3/31/7th Infantry Division, KIA (Chosin Reservoir)
William D. Tucker – Bedford, IA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Fireman 1st Class, USS Oklahoma, KIA (Pearl Harbor)
John Warner – Alexandria, VA; US Navy / USMC, Korea / Secretary of the Navy / 30 y. US Senator
Armed Forces Day/Week
A 12 MINUTE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO OF THE LONGEST RUNNING ARMED FORCES DAY PARADE, FROM BREMERTON, WASHINGTON.
Armed Forces Week is celebrated in the week leading up to Armed Forces Day (the third Saturday in May). For American service members, Armed Forces Week is an occasion to remember past and present service for all branches of the service. The week also includes “Children of Fallen Patriots Day” 13 May.
Armed Forces Day was observed for the first time on May 20, 1950, the day was created on August 31, 1949 to honor Americans serving in the five U.S. military branches. Armed Forces Day/Week was created in the wake of the consolidation of military services under the United States Department of Defense.
Today, there are many Armed Forces Week events around the globe, but sources report the “longest continuously running Armed Forces Day Parade” for Americans is held in Bremerton, Washington. In 2018 Bremerton marked the 70th straight year of its Armed Forces Day Parade. Unfortunately, as expected, the festivities are postponed this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Armed Forces Week is another time for Americans to reflect on the sacrifices made by those in uniform, and local communities often pay tribute to their missing or fallen loved ones and friends. There may be ceremonies in your local area (especially if a military installation is nearby) to pay respects to those missing or killed in action.
Being as we cannot hold parades or visit military installations this year…
More ways to celebrate
- Wear red, white and blue
- Fly the American flag
- Thank a man or woman who serves or has served
- Talking with or writing to a military member
- Donate to veteran or military-based organizations
- Send care packages for those serving overseas
- Volunteer through the VA or a veterans service organization
What makes Armed Forces Day different from Veterans Day and Memorial Day?
Unlike Veterans Day, which honors those who served, and unlike Memorial Day, which honors those who died serving, Armed Forces Day is a day to honor all of the men and women currently serving as well as those who have served, both active and former military.
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Military Humor – 
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Quarantine Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Arthur W. Barstow – Hadley, MA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 5th Air Force
Hilton Carter – New Orleans, LA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, MSSgt., Tuskegee pilot-crew chief-gunner
Daniel Daube – Donora, PA; US Air Force, WWII, Korea & Vietnam, Lt. Colonel (Ret.)
Carl Groesbeck – Chicago, IL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, bombardier-navigator, POW
Hansford ‘Hank’ Hancock – Greenville, KY; US Army, WWII, ETO
Dorville Johnson – Jonesboro, AR; US Navy, WWII & Korea (Ret. 21 y.)
Paul Krogh Jr. – Old Saybrook, CT; US Navy, WWII, USS Slater
Walter Mallin – Manchester, NH; US Army, WWII, Pearl Harbor survivor
Joseph Phillips – Toronto, CAN; RC Air Force, WWII, ETO, radioman-navigator
Jerry Stiller – Brooklyn, NY; US Army, WWII / Beloved actor
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May > June for Smitty and the 11th Airborne
117th Engineer Battalion, Luzon
The 11th Airborne continued their patrols, mopping up details and training at Lipa, Luzon, P.I. General Swing had another jump school built that created 1,000 newly qualified paratroopers out of their latest replacements.
The new glider school concentrated on the “snatch pickup” method, whereby a CG-4A Glider on the ground with a towrope and a C-47 with a hook. As the plane goes overhead at an altitude of 15 feet, it snatches up the glider and brings it to 120 mph in a matter of a few seconds. (The noise from the plane, shock and whiplash must have been overwhelming.)
With May drawing to a close and the Japanese Army being pushed to the northeast, the 11th Airborne knew something was brewing, but then Smitty got a surprise.
Brisbane 1945
8 June 1945, Cpl. Everett Smith found himself and four others from the division on leave in Australia and Smitty was determined to have a good time! Those that went to Brisbane on the same orders for TDY were:
Lt. Col. Francis W. Regnier MC HQ 11th A/B Div.
Major George K. Oliver INF HQ 11th A/B Div.
T Sgt. Manuel C. DeBeon Jr. 187th Glider Infantry
Tec 4 Beverly A. Ferreira HQ 11th A/B Div.
The orders were signed by Major E.W. Wyman Jr., Adjutant General of Luzon
Townsville, Queensland, WWII
My father never told me very much about his R&R and probably for a good reason. (For one, my mother was always around listening.) He did say that when he first arrived in Australia, he wanted a haircut and a shave. While the barber was working on him, he remarked that the pores in Smitty’s nose appeared enlarged. My father answered, “You spend five months in the jungles of New Guinea and see what your nose looks like.” Dad said after that, his money was no good. Everyone in the barbershop made such a fuss over him that he never got a word in edgewise. They were so extremely grateful to anyone who served in New Guinea. Smitty did always tell me he wished he could make a trip back there; he thought Australia and her people were great, but sadly, he never did.
Perhaps this young lady, Joan, was the reason Smitty wouldn’t talk about his time on leave.
“Happy Landing, Joan”
In another part of the war….
The Sixth Australian Division attacked and occupied Wewak, New Guinea. This is relevant because it housed the headquarters of the Japanese Eighteenth Army. A major boon for the PTO (Pacific Theater of Operations).
23 May, at least 65 square miles of Tokyo had been incinerated by bombs and napalm. Later, the same action was taken over Yokohama, Osaka and Kobe. This left over 100 square miles of the principle Japanese cities devastated and one-third of the country’s construction destroyed. Japan’s factories were demolished.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Current News – U.S. Coast Guard – 228 years old this 4 August 2018
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Charles Burnett – Lexington, KY; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Duane Caitlin – Waverly, NY; US Coast Guard
Walter Geer – New Oxford, PA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division
Thomas Horn – Broad Channel, NY; US Navy, WWII
Alfred Johnson Jr. – Washington D.C.; US Coast Guard, WWII
Roy Meyer – Tucson, AZ; US Army Air Corps, WWII, 449th Bombardment Group, B-24 waist-gunner
Edward Patapanian – Boston, MA; US Coast Guard, WWII
Brady Spillane – Great Falls, MT; US Army, 82 Airborne Division
William Thomure – Columbus, OH; US Coast Guard, WWII
James Watt – Whangamata, NZ; RNZ Army # 811867, WWII, PTO, 22nd/9th Brigade
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Special Issue – MAY – Military Appreciation Month
May, marked officially as Military Appreciation Month, is a special month for both those in and out of the military.
Not only do we pause on Memorial Day to remember the sacrifice and service of those who gave all, but the month also holds several other military anniversaries and events, including Military Spouse Appreciation Day and Armed Forces day.
MILITARY APPRECIATION MONTH
MILITARY HEROES
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Walter Black – Marion, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, navigator
George Casseb – San Antonio, TX; US Army Air Corps, WWII, CBI / Korea, meteorologist, Captain
Charles Crittenden – Seattle, WA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, CBI
Francis Fleck – Louisville, KY; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 547th Fighter Squadron, Bronze Star
Richard Lowe – Northglenn, CO; US Army, WWII, CBI
Putnam McDowell – Pittsburgh, PA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, P-38 pilot, photo recon
Robert Mumford – York, PA; US Navy, WWII, PTO, PT 288, torpedoman
William Punnell – Flandreau, SD; US Navy, WWII, PTO, Lt., Hellcat pilot, USS Wasp, KIA (Palau)
Ora Sharninghouse – Findlay, OH; US Navy, WWII, Aviation Ordnance, Avenger pilot, USS Intrepid, KIA (Palau)
Robert Welch – Byron, MI; US Army Air Corps, 187th/11th Airborne Division
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Veterans Day – 2017 – Thank You
Click on images to enlarge.
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National Veterans Day Ceremony
The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held each year on November 11th at Arlington National Cemetery . The ceremony commences precisely at 11:00 a.m. with a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns and continues inside the Memorial Amphitheater with a parade of colors by veterans’ organizations and remarks from dignitaries. The ceremony is intended to honor and thank all who served in the United States Armed Forces.
National Veterans and Military Families Month – November 2017
For 98 years, Americans have remembered those who served our country in uniform on 11 November – first as Armistice Day, and then, since 1954 as Veterans Day. In this 99th year of commemoration, the Department of Veterans Affairs is broadening that tradition of observance and appreciation to include both Veterans and Military Families for the entire month of November.
Veterans and Family Month Calendar 2017
For more information on Veterans Month acitivtes in your area – check out the calendar below or visit your local VA facility.
- Veterans and Family Month Calendar 2017
- Veterans and Family Month Calendar 2017 — Online accessible version
Remembrance Day around the world!
Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919,[1] the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. (“At the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.)
Information here today is from the US Veteran’s Administration and Wikipedia.
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Military Humor – 
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Farewell Salutes –
Albert Cheese – Hampstead, NC; USMC, 1st Sgt. (Ret. 20 y.)
Stephen Cribben – Rawlins, WY; US Army, Afghanistan, Sgt., 10th Special Forces Group, KIA
Norman Dyke – Warwickshire, ENG; RAF, WWII
Adrien Einertson – Camas, WA; US Navy, WWII
Jack Gustafson – Athabasca, CAN; RC Army, WWII, ETO
Edward Keane – Warwick, RI; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
Louis Manci – Scranton, PA; US Army, Korea, 187th ‘Rakkasans’
Charles O’Neill Jr. – Cleveland, OH; USMC, WWII, PTO
John Trudden – Broad Channel, NY; US Air Force, Korea
Tony Victor – Huntsville, AL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, ETO, B-17 gunner/radioman
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Douglas Munro, Coast Guard Hero – Intermission Story (24)
Painting of Doug Munro providing support from his LCP, by Bernard D’Andrea
The United States Coast Guard was founded on a tradition of taking small boats into dangerous conditions to save lives. This skill made Coast Guard coxswains an indispensable part of the Pacific Theater and Smitty would whole-heartedly agree. Coast Guardsmen proved their worth time and time again as they expertly handled small landing craft in and out of almost any situation. No man better exemplifies this prowess than Douglas A. Munro.
Signalman 1st Class, Douglas Munro
Born in Vancouver in 1919, Douglas Munro attended Cle Elum High School in Washington state. He attended the Central Washington College of Education for a year before enlisting in the Coast Guard in 1939. He spent his first two years on board the Cutter Spencer, a 327-foot Treasury-class cutter which patrolled out of New York, and later Boston.
While on the Spencer, Munro advanced quickly, making Signalman 2nd Class by the end of 1941. After the Spencer, he transferred to the Hunter Ligget, a Coast Guard-crewed landing craft patrolling in the Pacific. In 1942 he was made a part of Transport Division 17, helping to coordinate, direct, and train other troops for amphibious assaults.
The United States’ first taste of this warfare was at Guadalcanal. After the initial Marine landings, a base was established at Lunga Point. Munro was assigned here along with other Coast Guard and Navy personnel to operate the small boats and assist with communications. This base served as a staging point for further troop movements, consisted of little more than a house, a signal tower and a number of small craft and supplies
Lunga Point, Guadalcanal
After the Marines had moved west of Lunga point, they encountered an entrenched Japanese position on the far side of the Manatikau river. It was clear that an attack across the river would be fruitless, and a plan was devised to bring men down the coast, to land west of the Japanese position, allowing it to be attacked from both sides. To achieve this goal Marine Lieutenant Colonel Lewis “Chesty” Puller placed men from the 7th Marine Division onto landing craft and began an assault on September 27th.
These landing craft were led by Douglas Munro, who took the men into a small bay just west of Point Cruz and delivered the entire 500 man force unopposed. Meanwhile, the destroyer USS Monssen laid down supporting fire and protected the Marines’ advance.
Meanwhile, Munro and his crews returned to Lunga point to refit and refuel, leaving a single LCP(L) (a 36-foot landing craft, lightly armed and made mostly of plywood) to provide evacuation for any immediate casualties.
Marines landing on the beach from their LCP’s.
But less than an hour after the initial landing the operation began to deteriorate. First, a flight of Japanese bombers attacked the Monssen, forcing her to leave the Marines without fire support. Then the Japanese launched an infantry attack on the Marines. The Japanese had stayed to the north of the Marine landing force, near a rocky cliff known as Point Cruz. Their attack to the southwest was designed to cut the Marines off from their escape route.
There the single LCP(L) still sat, manned by Navy Coxswain Samuel Roberts and Coast Guard Petty Officer Ray Evans. The men had gotten close into shore for a speedy evacuation. A sudden burst of Japanese machine gun fire damaged their controls. Roberts managed to jury rig the rudder but was fatally wounded in the process, Evans jammed the throttle forward, speeding back to Lunga Point.
The trapped Marines hadn’t brought their cumbersome radios with them, and couldn’t signal back to their support. In desperation, they spelled out “HELP” by laying out their undershirts on a hillside. Luckily this was noticed by a Navy dive bomber pilot who reported it back to the sailors at Lunga. Because of this, by the time Evans’ LCP(L) made it back Munro and his men were already aware that something wasn’t going right.
Marines on Guadalcanal
Thanks to Evans they now had the detailed information needed to make a plan of action. It was determined that a group of small boats and troop transports would have to return, under fire, to get the men out of the combat zone. Munro immediately volunteered to lead the operation and got ten boats readied and underway as soon as possible.
This small flotilla came into the bay under fire. USS Monssen, which had returned , gave support. Munro directed his landing craft to begin ferrying the men back to the Monssen, while he and the other LCP(L)s provided fire support.
USS Monssen
By this time the Japanese had taken up positions on all three sides of the bay, and were able to coordinate a devastating barrage of fire on the retreating men. Seeing this, Munro positioned his own craft between the enemy and the landing crafts to provide support by fire.
After the last men were coming off the beach, a landing craft became grounded. Munro ordered another craft to tow it free while he provided support, again putting his own boat in harm’s way to help save as many men as possible. While Munro’s boat was taking position to do this, a Japanese machine gun crew was setting up on the beach.
Petty Officer Evans, saw this and called out for him to get down, but Munro couldn’t hear him and he was fatally wounded. Evans pulled away, and along with the rest of landing craft, headed back to Lunga Point; with all of the Marines saved.
Marines crossing Matanikau River.
Thanks to Munro’s heroism, 500 Marines made it off the beach that day, and for this, Signalman 1st Class Douglas A. Munro was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor. The 500 men he saved went on to help capture the Matanikau River early in October, which meant the beginning of the end for Japanese forces on Guadalcanal.
The engraving on the back of Munro’s medal.
Munro’s body is interred in his hometown of Cle Elum, Washington, and his Medal of Honor is on display at United States Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, New Jersey, where it serves an everlasting example to new recruits about what it means to truly be a United States Coast Guardsmen.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Donald Bender – Machesney Park, IL; US Navy, WWII
Catherine Brown – San Diego, CA; US Coast Guard SPARS, WWII
Edward Delaney – Boston, MA; US Coast Guard, WWII, LST 170
Raymond Edinger – Liberty, NJ; US Coast Guard/Navy, WWII, Meteorology officer
James Evans Jr. – Seattle, WA; US Coast Guard, WWII, Korea
Daniel Fite – Fort Worth, TX; US Coast Guard, WWII
Arthur Janov – Los Angeles, CA; US Navy, WWII
Arthur Peeples – Springhill, MS; US Navy, WWII, PTO
Alexander Strachan – Christchurch, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 4210193, WWII, Sgt.
Robert Unzueta – Avalon, CA; US Army, 11th Airborne Division
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April 1944 (1)
Task Force-58, carrier crews cheers as enemy aircraft goes down.
1 April – US carrier aircraft groups under Adm. Spruance launched a series of massive strikes throughout the western Caroline Islands. Despite the US loss of 20 planes during these raids, the Japanese suffered 150 aircraft destroyed and over 100,000 tons of merchant shipping sunk.
CINCPAC reported that the 7th Air Force Liberators bombed Dublon in Truk Atoll. Mitchell bombers of the 7th, plus Corsair fighters of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing bombed Ponape, starting fires at the enemy base. All aircraft returned safely.
USS ‘Guarvina, April 1944, sank a trawler & cargo ships, “Tetsuyo Maru” & “Noshiro Maru”
4 April – a Navy Dept. communiqué, No. 516, reported US submarines suck 14 vessels in the Pacific and Far East: 2 medium tankers, 11 medical cargo vessels, and 1 small cargo vessel. The CINCPAC report stated a Liberator search plane of Fleet Air Wing-2 bombed a tanker near Moen Island.
16 April – in the SW Pacific area, the 5th Air Force would refer to this date as “Black Sunday.” While over 200 aircraft bombed Hollandia, serious weather moved in and blocked the bombers from returning to base. Over 30 were lost or crashed and 32 men perished. For a detailed account – click here.
19 April – in order to divert enemy attention from the US operations on the Huon Peninsula, New Guinea, the US Task Force-58, under Adm. Mitscher, bombarded enemy positions at Sarmi, Sewar, Wadke Island and Hollandia. At Aitape and Hollandia, the enemy was caught by surprise and about half of the men were non-combat troops. MacArthur said, “No withering fire met us at the beach. Instead, there was only disorder, rice still boiling in pots, weapons and personal equipment of every kind abandoned. No more than token resistance…”
Gen. Jo Iimura, Japanese Army
[In post-war interrogations, Jo Iimura, a Japanese defender in the region at the time, said, “The Allied invasion of Hollandia and Aitape was a complete surprise to us. After considering the past operational tactics of the enemy, we believed they would attempt to acquire an important position somewhere east of Aitape… Because we misjudged, we were neither able to reinforce nor send was supplies to the defending units.”]
22 April – by this date, the Marshall Islands were now under complete control of the US. This would enable the Allied forces in the central Pacific to swing north through the Mariana Islands.
29-30 April – the Japanese base at Truk was bombed by the aircraft from 12 carriers. They destroyed enemy ships, oil stores, ammunition dumps and 93 enemy aircraft.
Click on images to enlarge.
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U.S. Coast Guard Birthday – established: 4 August 1790
Last year’s post for the Coast Guard was a fun one to do – Take a look!!
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Coast Guard Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Carl ‘Bill’ Amos Jr. – Portland, OR; US Coast Guard, WWII
Jeremiah Bowen – Bergenfield, NJ; US Coast Guard, WWII, ETO, USS Leopold, Purple Heart
Land-Sea-Air Tribute
Gordon Cameron – Fort William, CAN; RC Army, WWII, ETO
Arthur Kitagawa – San Francisco, CA/Topaz Utah Internment Camp; WWII, ETO, 442nd RCT
Theodore Lusink – Netherlands/Australia; WWII escaped POW/2nd AIF, 7th Division/RAAF
Russell Miller III – Philadelphia, PA; US Coast Guard, WWII
Leicester Orange – Burnside, NZ; RNZ Army # 442065, WWII, PTO, Sgt.
Clifford Roberts – Miami, FL; US Coast Guard, WWII
Harmon Shoda – Loon Lake, IN; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, Sgt., Honor Guard at surrender
Ronald Wehner – Toledo, OH; US Navy, WWII, PTO, USS Sage/US Coast Guard, Korea, Vietnam, (Ret. 21 years)
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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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Pacific Paratrooper 