tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post3822515421424854885..comments2024-03-28T18:36:50.250-07:00Comments on Chant du Départ: Seventy-Five Years AgoOldAFSargehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-21929237619369591322016-12-11T16:43:22.314-08:002016-12-11T16:43:22.314-08:00I guess you'd call that playing to win.
I'...I guess you'd call that playing to win.<br /><br />I'm sure Roosevelt knew about it, probably remained aloof for reasons of plausible deniability. I can't say for certain though.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-4166890742180319942016-12-11T14:37:23.550-08:002016-12-11T14:37:23.550-08:00Another thing: Germany's unrestricted U-boat c...Another thing: Germany's unrestricted U-boat campaign had been the reason we entered WWI. After the war unrestricted sub warfare was technically illegal under the terms of 1930's London Naval Treaty, which we had signed. Our sub crews could have been tried for piracy and executed (of course, considering Japan's treatment of POWs that wasn't much of a difference). <br /><br />Adm. Stark's order to enter into this type of warfare amounted to a naval officer unilaterally changing U.S. national policy, unless Roosevelt had approved it. So far as I know, he hadn't.Bruce Brewshttps://www.facebook.com/bruce.brews.5noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-68256208033812708742016-12-10T10:02:07.550-08:002016-12-10T10:02:07.550-08:00Good points Bruce.
The submarine force strangled ...Good points Bruce.<br /><br />The submarine force strangled Japan.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-9739976475847814232016-12-10T08:56:11.785-08:002016-12-10T08:56:11.785-08:00Another event that day: the Chief of Naval Operati...Another event that day: the Chief of Naval Operations authorized unrestricted submarine warfare against Japan.<br /><br />This was an unplanned role for our subs. U.S. doctrine saw subs as scouts for the fleet, plus a way to attrit any enemy fleet before it met ours in a huge, climactic mid-ocean naval battle. But with most of our battleships out of action and our carriers short both on experience and escort protection, subs were only offensive force available.<br /><br />American subs sank more than 2000 freighters, tankers, and liners, plus 600 Japanese Navy ships. They sank eight aircraft carriers of various sizes, including Shinano, a converted Yamato-class battleship hull. In many ways, this was the only Pacific campaign that mattered. By the time our ground and surface naval forces were ready to attack Japan, the Japanese merchant fleet had been ripped to shreds by American subs. Ships taking to sea were more likely to be sunk than reach their destinations. There were food shortages. By the end of 1944 the economy was collapsing due to lack of fuel and raw materials.<br /><br />Early in the war, our subs were plagued by problems, from torpedoes that failed more often than not (a problem that took almost two years to correct), skippers who wouldn't fight (a problem the Navy never solved during the war), and a lack of command vision as to how to conduct the war. Nevertheless, those skippers who WOULD fight got enough torpedoes to explode to impact the war, eventually executing the only successful submarine anti-shipping campaign in history.Bruce Brewshttps://www.facebook.com/bruce.brews.5noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-13589479959058228992016-12-07T17:51:23.208-08:002016-12-07T17:51:23.208-08:00Well, as The Missus Herself hales from Korea, and ...Well, as <em>The Missus Herself</em> hales from Korea, and they write their names the same way, I'd be remiss to do it any other way.<br /><br />I was an airman (at heart I still am), but I won't ever forget those who died there in the cause of freedom.<br /><br />Amen to your thoughts. Amen.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-39657596219787777262016-12-07T17:19:37.202-08:002016-12-07T17:19:37.202-08:00Excellent post, Sarge. I was a sailor. You can saf...Excellent post, Sarge. I was a sailor. You can safely bet we remember.<br />I'd like to thank you for properly rendering the Japanese names (i.e., patronymic first). It's a small thing, to us Americans at least, but I wonder how long it would take to get on our nerves if we constantly read of Admirals Halsey William and Nimitz Chester.<br />I was unaware the Mighty Mo was where she is, but then, I was a 2nd and 6th Fleet sailor. Her berth is fitting, I think: even in her retirement, she keeps watch over the grave of a sister. A half-sister, anyway (different class, still a BB).<br />God bless the survivors, and His peace to the dead.<br />--Tennessee BuddAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-10652265962253179012016-12-07T15:46:59.513-08:002016-12-07T15:46:59.513-08:00My kids learned their history from some good teach...My kids learned their history from some good teachers in DoD schools. Any errors conveyed to them, I corrected.<br /><br />Santayana was right.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-18751796933447473102016-12-07T14:23:09.352-08:002016-12-07T14:23:09.352-08:00Excellent Pic with the U.S.S Missouri in front of ...Excellent Pic with the U.S.S Missouri in front of the U.S.S Arizona with her shipmates on eternal watch. It is on my bocket list to go to Pearl Harbor and check out the memorial and spend some time there exploring the sights and sounds. YOu are correct, they don't teach history like they used to, they might "offend" somebody. The funny thing is that if you forget your history, you will repeat it. The youngsters are not taught like we were. My son knows because I tell him and I have a large selection of books for him to peruse. MrGarabaldihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05768774166065615995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-79454668032929812292016-12-07T12:47:00.015-08:002016-12-07T12:47:00.015-08:00We are supposed to forgive, no requirement to forg...We are supposed to forgive, no requirement to forget though. And I won't, not ever.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-16927134400922405832016-12-07T12:24:23.311-08:002016-12-07T12:24:23.311-08:00Indeed.Indeed.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-56075087956761272662016-12-07T12:08:01.055-08:002016-12-07T12:08:01.055-08:00And she faces the USS ARIZONA's resting place,...And she faces the USS ARIZONA's resting place, always on guard.Old NFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16404197287935017147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-58924297246575449052016-12-07T11:44:50.017-08:002016-12-07T11:44:50.017-08:00I remember going to the Arizona Memorial when I wa...I remember going to the Arizona Memorial when I was 8, in 1971. Middle of the summer, Honolulu was hot, but when we got to the Memorial it was cold and so windy. I tried to read every name, every word on the stark walls. I swear I remember voices whispering in my ears. So beautiful, so horrible, so haunted.<br /><br />I have never forgotten that visit. I still dream of it sometimes. And I never forget this day. And I miss my dad (he hugged me made me feel safe and answered every question I had that day.)<br /><br />But the lesson that day wasn't one of hate. It was of remembrance, commitment and forgiveness. One may forgive, one may never forget. Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-88096168673591271942016-12-07T10:23:20.506-08:002016-12-07T10:23:20.506-08:00Being at Pearl on that day would send shivers down...Being at Pearl on that day would send shivers down my spine. Methinks I would spend a lot of time looking to the sky, or watching the oil bubbling up from Arizona.<br /><br />Red dirt and whites? I can see that being a problem.<br /><br />(I think when Blogger gets hungry it eats comments. Just a theory.)OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-29888365024102929242016-12-07T10:07:57.092-08:002016-12-07T10:07:57.092-08:00Okay, Blogger!
What are you doing to me?
I left a ...Okay, Blogger!<br />What are you doing to me?<br />I left a comment here hours ago.<br /><br />I was at PH on December 7, 1962 (a Friday).<br />That was spooky, knowing the history.<br />It wasn't a Sunday and the memorial was still just a dream.<br />The Navy tour of the site back then was always booked.<br />Any Sunday was kinda eerie.<br /><br />The termites on the hill were something else.<br />The red dirt did wonders for whites.(not necessarily your) Uncle Skiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02705753220273516841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-56085162542328751402016-12-07T09:17:25.696-08:002016-12-07T09:17:25.696-08:00I have trouble understanding how people can forget...I have trouble understanding how people can forget the history of the nation they live in. Then I realize, it's not taught like it was in the "old days."<br /><br />Sad that.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-40683809797751419722016-12-07T09:16:18.174-08:002016-12-07T09:16:18.174-08:00Not surprising, contrary to wartime propaganda, mo...Not surprising, contrary to wartime propaganda, most Japanese are not monsters. And they like kids as much as the next fellow.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-67686723637820388252016-12-07T09:11:41.547-08:002016-12-07T09:11:41.547-08:00I've had the privilege of visiting Pearl three...I've had the privilege of visiting Pearl three times, and will go back again next May. First visit, I got to shake hands with two survivors. I also worked several years for a fellow who watched the attack, as a boy, from his living room. <br /><br />Those two survivors (one from Ft. Shafter, one from the Arizona) thanked me for remembering them. It made me cry, and still does.Rev. Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04588179227576383679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-86788703607549155752016-12-07T08:28:33.615-08:002016-12-07T08:28:33.615-08:00I worked with a man who was a four year old depend...I worked with a man who was a four year old dependent. He remembers being in his yard and seeing a Japanese plane pass over. Said someone from the plane waved to him. Well Seasoned Foolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16670165728759453075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-13799662997448943922016-12-07T08:23:24.990-08:002016-12-07T08:23:24.990-08:00Thanks Cap'n.
My bad as to the Springfield. I...Thanks Cap'n.<br /><br />My bad as to the Springfield. I was looking for a free image and didn't dig deeper oncew I found one. I beg to be forgiven on the grounds of poetic license. (And cheapness, er, I mean frugalness.)OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-51059084651773371032016-12-07T08:00:12.606-08:002016-12-07T08:00:12.606-08:00Great post. I commanded a ship homeported in Pearl...Great post. I commanded a ship homeported in Pearl (though we spent most of the time in the "Western Pacific") ;-). We certainly rendered honors when passing Arizona, and were usually berthed at "Hotel" (fuel) piers directly across from her. One tiny niggle: You picture a US Rifle ("Springfield")model 1903A3 as what the troops were shooting a Pearl Harbor. That rifle did not come along until later--the troops were shooting 1903A or A1 rifles--and maybe US Rifle model 1917 ("Enfield").Captain Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17297301009511642108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-20549025395099743122016-12-07T07:04:40.629-08:002016-12-07T07:04:40.629-08:00Oh yeah, and what Paul said regarding the view.Oh yeah, and what Paul said regarding the view.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-1334138533948985582016-12-07T07:03:23.557-08:002016-12-07T07:03:23.557-08:00I've always thought it poetic that Arizona and...I've always thought it poetic that Arizona and Missouri share that space.OldAFSargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15935839956936191547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-70901774018015833182016-12-07T06:41:07.361-08:002016-12-07T06:41:07.361-08:00Yes it was. While seated at my desk, if I leaned ...Yes it was. While seated at my desk, if I leaned forward and looked left, I could see Diamond Head. Looking Right, I could see Barber's Point. Only the Admiral had a better view. Course, I had to be careful where I put my feet as the "deck" was termite ridden and one could fall through. juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-64514713634432069212016-12-07T06:19:51.325-08:002016-12-07T06:19:51.325-08:00That must have been an awesome view.
PaulThat must have been an awesome view.<br /><br />PaulAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684531976778247960.post-64914594698075678082016-12-07T06:01:22.342-08:002016-12-07T06:01:22.342-08:00I also like it because you can see my old office i...I also like it because you can see my old office in it. Draw a line from the right base of the top center 16" to the left side of the top right muzzle and extend the line to the hills. That large White Blob was where my office was.juvathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09096708575138552532noreply@blogger.com