Thank You
Went to visit the Arizona a couple years ago. Was truly upset at the lack of respect and etiquette of some people viewing. Thought the experience would be more reverent. The pre movie was quiet as it should be. But the tour of the ship is so rushed(trying to get as many people a chance to view I suppose) that it honestly was hard to be proper and spend time of reflection. God bless those who served and lost their lives on that horrendous day. RIP
Sgt. Daniel Pisani USAF 1973---1977
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Thanks to all of the Greatest Generation. My Dad went in Omaha Beach on D-Day and served under Patton. He never talked about the landing or any of the horrors of the war, only the funny things that happened later. They were driving a fuel truck and were being strafed by a German plane while sitting on 2000 gallons of fuel on the road. They bet a dollar which one would go the highest if the fuel went off.
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Aquatic Species Removal Engineer.
May God be with you. Keep CALM and STAY ANCHORED with your faith.
Great Post Ship. Here in Ohio was listening to a talk radio show. One caller was a male student teacher who was in training in an eighth grade history class. Teacher asked the class the meaning of December 7th to Americans. In a class of thirty plus students not one raised their hand.
Stunned by their lack of knowledge the trainee went to another history teacher. He asked her if World War II was being covered in any of the school's history classes. The teacher said she was unable to supply him with an answer. Later he was called into supervisors office and was informed he had a letter of reprimand being filed on him by said teacher. Which in essence would destroy this young man's teaching career. He had created a hostile work atmosphere for female teacher. Radio show host advised him to hire legal counsel asap.
Parents and Grandparents please investigate just what is being taught in your local schools. As a veteran I found this very discouraging but all of America should be very concerned.
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Ship, I would LOVE to hear some stories from your fathers old archives. Many people do not know what the Tuskegee Airman are or their significance!
I was thinking back on my military service and oftentimes I wondered WHY I did it. None of my family members served. They couldn't. Dad was blind in one eye. My grandfather was a pilot but was discharged due to a heart condition. Looking back I realized that it was all the prior military service members that drew me to serve. As a young boy I was always fascinated with the stories they would tell.
Once in particular: I was about 8 or so years old and I would ride my bike down to a friends house. Their family owned a saw mill. His grandfather started the whole thing after he left the service during WWII. I spent many lunch times sitting with him in his house next to the mill. When he passed on (I was probably 11 or 12) I knew more about his life and military history than his own grandson or granddaughters did. Although I no longer remember the stories, I remember sitting with him and talking. I was interested in things that he was interested in. Motors, tools, heavy equipment. He taught me a ton of stuff. I guess he did it with me because his grandson (my friend) was not interested in learning any of it. Maybe that is why I am who I am today.
That is only one example but it was one of the few I can remember. Another came on the Marine Corps birthday when I was able to share a piece of cake with a gentleman that was on Gaudel Canal. The first island in the south pacific island hopping campaign. He discribed in great detail the entire thing. Going over the side of the ship, being wounded, being hoisted on the ship. This was where the Marine Corps cut its teeth in amphibious warfare.
I wish more youth would seek out the history of it all. Unfortunately, you ask many high school students about world war two and the ONLY thing they are taught is about Nazi Germany. They rarely understand the significance of Pearl Harbor, the fact that it pushed us in to the war with Germany as well as the war against Japan. We were fighting on two fronts when no one else would do it.
We lost nearly 5000 men on Sugar loaf hill alone during the battle of Okinawa. Although we had the ability to take a closer island, bypass a ton of others (including Saipan), which would essentially cut off all the islands from supplies, Nimitz chose to take the fight to them on ever front. He wanted to win. He owed it to the men who lost their lives at Pearl Harbor!
I have OCD "Obsessive Crappie Disorder"RiceRocket LIKED above postshipahoy41 thanked you for this post
I am reading "Killing the Rising Sun" by Bill O'Riely. It is a history of the building and dropping of the atomic bomb. It is a very good read if you are interested in history.
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Sometimes I wonder if a mandatory draft should be in order like in many other countries. Also wonder how many would serve if we got into a war with N. Korea - one in which WWII tactics would be out of date against the new technology and against a regime that would have no qualms ignoring the Geneva Convention. We learned the hard way in Vietnam and Iraq against far less equipped forces. Just glad my unit's orders to go to Vietnam were canceled at the last minute in 1974 so near to my discharge only 6 mos. away.Went to visit the Arizona a couple years ago. Was truly upset at the lack of respect and etiquette of some people viewing. Thought the experience would be more reverent.
War is horrific and something every president should avoid at all costs, though Roosevelt had anticipated our entry into war long before Dec. 7. Sad that so many Russian lives were sacrificed prior to our build-up on the eastern front - something many still want to ignore so many decades later. Without Russia who knows how many more years the US would have been in that war.
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The Greatest Generation. Thanks for sharing and thanks for your service.