Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7

Subject: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: Mbo
Date: 07 Dec 99 - 10:47 AM

Well today is the anniversary of The Day of Infamy--Peal Harbor Day. As the commemoration of this terrible day came up again, I began to reflect on the men who served in WWII but never came back home. My 3-year study of the Pacific theatre of WWII reminded me of one such man. Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron from South Dakota was the commander of Torpedo Squadron 8 on the U.S.S.Hornet at the battle of Midway. He received orders to take his squadron of ancient torpedo bombers up to find the Japanese fleet. The torpedo bombers they were flying had no defensives whatsoever, not to mention that the torpedos were awful to deploy, taking precision timing. He never questioned the order (like in Charge of The Light Brigade)and while in route to seek the enemy, his fighter escort was destroyed. With no defenses, Torpedo 8 was slaughtered by the enemy. Not one scored a hit, and all but one man survived. As I have seen from the 'net, Waldron is only remembered as a statistic who's mission failed. To show that he was a man, I decided to post the letter he wrote to his wife just before his last mission --"The Apotheosis of the Torpedo Bomber":

"Dearest Adelaide,

There is not a bit of news I can tell you except that I am well. I have yours and the children's pictures here with me all the time...

I believe that we will be in battle very soon--I wish we were there today. But as we are up to the very eve of serious business, I wish to record to you that I am feeling fine. My own morale is excellent and from my continued observance of the squadron--their morale is excellent also. You may rest assured that I will go in with the expectation of coming back in good shape. If I don not come back--well, you and the little girls can know that this squadron struck for the highest objective in nabal warfare--"To Sink the Enemy."

...I love you and the children very dearly and I long to be with you. But I could not be happy ashore at this time. My place is here with the fight...I know you wish me luck and I believe I will have it.

You know, Adelaide, in this business of torpedo attack, I acknowledge we must have a break. I believe that I have the experience and enough Sioux in me to recognize the break when it comes--and it will come.

...God bless you dear. You are a wonderful wife and mother. Kiss and love the little girls for me and be of good cheer.

Love to all from Daddy and Johnny."

John Waldron and the Torpedo 8 were destroyed later that day.

My sister wanted me to include this excerp from "Those Others" a poem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, about a war's dead:

"And yours are there, and so are mine,

Rank upon rank and line on line,

With smiling lips and eyes that shine,

And bearing proud and high.

Past they go with their measured tread,

These are the victors, these—the dead

Ah, sink the knee and bare the head

As the hallowed host goes by!"

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: catspaw49
Date: 07 Dec 99 - 11:09 AM

I believe that Ensign Gay was a member of Torpedo 8 and when he was shot down, was able to get out of his plane before it sank and hid under his liferaft to avoid being strafed by the Zeros flying fighter cap. He was afforded a ringside seat to the sinking of the Japanese carriers and was later picked up and returned to duty.

I also think of the thousands of Japanese who were killed that day and throughout the war. Some very touching letters are also archived with their thoughts too.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 07 Dec 99 - 11:19 AM

Mbo, when I read this, I think about how love kept those soldiers alive. To know they were connected & loved by someone gave the soldiers meaning & determination to survive.
I've always admired the work of Florence Knightingale (sp?). She gave the wounded soldiers the best healing medicine of all........love & kindess.

Bonnie

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: Allan C.
Date: 07 Dec 99 - 12:22 PM

My parents who had just been married in August of that year, were sitting in bed in their apartment in Honolulu and reading the Sunday funnies when they first heard the bombing. Their first thoughts were that it was just the artillery unit doing their usual morning practice shoots. But this was Sunday and the noise didn't stop. The radio was on and only thirteen minutes an announcer declared that the island was under attack.

By then Dad had already jumped into his U.S. Navy uniform. He kissed Mom and headed for his ship. That was the last Mom knew of his whereabouts for the next two weeks.

Somehow Dad made it to his ship, the U.S.S. Detroit. And even more miraculously, the ship escaped the harbor without sustaining serious damage. The U.S.S. Rawleigh, anchored within a few hundred feet at Ford Island and the nearby U.S.S Utah were both torpedoed and came close to capsizing. After an extended radio silence, the Detroit was finally able to locate and re-unite with its flagship.

The John Wayne movie, "In Harm's Way" chronicles with some degree of accuracy, the movement of what remained of that fleet over the next few days.

Meanwhile, Mom dragged her pillows and blankets to the only unwindowed room in the apartment, the shower stall. She virtually lived in that stall for the next eleven days. Everyone on the island lived in fear of a second attack.

A girlfriend and next-door-neighbor of hers, asked her husband, who flew a mail plane for the navy, to try to find out if Dad was still alive. By way of a wing-dipping signal as he flew over the apartments, he let Mom know that Dad had made it.

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: Mbo
Date: 07 Dec 99 - 01:59 PM

Sorry, my message should read "All but one were killed."

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: bob schwarer
Date: 07 Dec 99 - 03:36 PM

Torpedo 8 kept the Japanese so occupied that the dive bombers got in undetected and sank 3 carriers. Got a fourth later.

Bob S.

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 07 Dec 99 - 06:02 PM

Mbo, I hope you realize I was just talking about what impact 'being loved' has on men at war.

Did you get a hang-over after all that celebrating of your birthday?
Bonnie

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: GeorgeH
Date: 08 Dec 99 - 12:39 PM

Mbo, why is the attack on Pearl Harbour more a day of infamy than, say, Hiroshima Day, Nagasaki Day, the day the US lanched bomb attacks on Libya, the day they started the Gulf War against Iraq . . . etc.

It seems to me you suffer from a highly selective morality. If we must perpetually re-visit the past (and, in the correct context I believe it is right to do so) can we not do so in a spirit of remembrance of ALL the victims of institutionalised violence, and while looking to how we can work to reduce such violence in the future.

G.

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 7
From: Little Neophyte
Date: 08 Dec 99 - 02:01 PM

Hi George
I figure, by remembering the suffering and loss caused by a particular time of war and listening to the stories of those individuals who experienced it, I build my understand of what people go through during a war. This helps me be aware of my deep concerned about the sufferng of all victims in all kinds of war violence.

Little Neo