For the WWII Nerds - Best admirals voted by panel of peers in 1942

[Upgrayedd 5812]

12 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

Last week I began a masters program through Arizona State University. It will give me a masters degree in World War II history. I am thankful that I can do this remotely and that the degree is the only one of its kind offered by a university in the US. 
 

It is done in conjunction with the National World War II museum in New Orleans and there are lectures on there from people that run that museum, which is pretty awesome. The faculty that run this program at Arizona State is from across the World War II spectrum and the knowledge I will gain with this degree will serve me well in my travels in the South Pacific countries I will be living in at various points in the future. 
 

I am going to transfer my current job to Honolulu starting in January. I am doing this because I want access to the South Pacific nations and also because I want to work at a museum in Hawaii to help further the knowledge I can learn on this journey. I wish there were more schools with a curriculum based on this war, but this fits the bill for my interests and what I will spend the rest of my life doing. Just gotta remember how to do that Fork’em Devils hand sign! 

Go Devils

[Shoxthemonkey 1981]

10 hours ago, BillyGoatHill said:

I've told this story on Shag/Surly before but when I was a freshman in college, my history professor had us read (our choice) 3 books and do a paper on each for midterms. My grandmother's 3 brothers all served in the Pacific ( 2 Marines and a Navy SeaBee) so I chose to read some books about the Pacific campaigns, one was on Tarawa. Upon getting the reports back, besides the grade on each was a small note on the Tarawa paper. "Good report. By the way, I was there" was in red ink. 

After, I found out that my professor lived in my neighborhood. I was able to have some conversations with him (my Dad also as he served 20 yrs in the Navy) and found out that he rarely talked about his experiences there or other battles, but he did with us. One thing that he said (and has stuck most with me) is that him, his division of Marines, and thousands of other soldiers and sailors were cruising to Japan to be part of the initial invasion when they heard about the bombs and the Japanese surrender.

He distinctly said that he was never so happy. With all that he had previously been through, his time was most likely up and he wasn't going to make it out of Japan without being seriously wounded or most likely killed.  He said those 2 bombs saved his life. 

 

My Dad was an 18 yr old Hospital Corpsman onboard the USS Wisconsin for the last 6 months of the war. He didn't talk about his service much but he did say that he was scheduled to be part of the first invasion wave. I don't know if he really knew that or if it was conjecture on his part but he always said that those bombs likely saved his life.

[InkaUtexas 25940]

8 hours ago, MissingInAction said:

Come and See.

It's torture.

Dude, WTF. That was the worst thing I have ever seen and I watched Serbian movies. But it did have everything expected from WW2  Russia.

1- Crappy proletariat music.

2- Shitty terrain with people living in hovels.

3- Sort of hot weird chick.

5- Soldier who just wants to get drunk.

Wait, so it is modern russia? I am confused.

DO NOT WATCH THAT MOVIE. The film maker should be ashamed. So should whatever film festival showed it. I need some Dirty Dozen just to reset my senses.

[Armybrat 40845]

10 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

Well, nothing "Hollywood" was dumber than that piece of fucking dogshit "Dunkirk", where the spitfire pilot glided past all his peeps to land on the beach in the lap of the Germans.  What a shit movie that was.  

Never saw that one.

[MissingInAction 25076]

49 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Dude, WTF. That was the worst thing I have ever seen and I watched Serbian movies. But it did have everything expected from WW2  Russia.

1- Crappy proletariat music.

2- Shitty terrain with people living in hovels.

3- Sort of hot weird chick.

5- Soldier who just wants to get drunk.

Wait, so it is modern russia? I am confused.

DO NOT WATCH THAT MOVIE. The film maker should be ashamed. So should whatever film festival showed it. I need some Dirty Dozen just to reset my senses.

It may be the best vision of human suffering put to film.

The little Nazi collaborator may have been the most disturbing part of the film.

[UpperWestside 6164]

4 hours ago, Shoxthemonkey said:

My Dad was an 18 yr old Hospital Corpsman onboard the USS Wisconsin for the last 6 months of the war. He didn't talk about his service much but he did say that he was scheduled to be part of the first invasion wave. I don't know if he really knew that or if it was conjecture on his part but he always said that those bombs likely saved his life.

I think there was an inevitable sense that those serving in the Pacific War knew that they would not be going home before an invasion took place of the home islands. The amount of casualties that would have resulted from an attack on the Tokyo Plain alone would have been staggering. Those bombs saved tens of thousands of American lives. Japan was ready to sacrifice their entire country and its people rather than surrender. My own grandfather was called into service with the navy (Was late in the war and he never got deployed) and I have often thought that had the war continued he would’ve been sent to be part of that invasion force. That could’ve been it for him before he even left his teenage years. 

Edited September 4 by UpperWestside

[tx 3 putt 76958]

navy corpsmen and doctors saved my grandfather’s life in the pacific. 

a japanese machine gun nest almost cut him half. a corpsman jumped on him asap and started working on him. quickly taken to a field hospital on the beach, then a ship. many surgeries and 8 months hospital / rehab in australia. he lived a long and happy life 

Edited September 4 by tx 3 putt

[BabaYaga 15298]

On 9/4/2024 at 8:47 AM, UpperWestside said:

I think there was an inevitable sense that those serving in the Pacific War knew that they would not be going home before an invasion took place of the home islands. The amount of casualties that would have resulted from an attack on the Tokyo Plain alone would have been staggering. Those bombs saved tens of thousands of American lives. Japan was ready to sacrifice their entire country and its people rather than surrender. My own grandfather was called into service with the navy (Was late in the war and he never got deployed) and I have often thought that had the war continued he would’ve been sent to be part of that invasion force. That could’ve been it for him before he even left his teenage years. 

Some estimates where close to a million.  

[High Plains Drifter 11049]

On 11/8/2023 at 9:00 AM, RPM said:

My Dad was the coxswain of a Higgins Boat at Iwo Jima. He also knew how to get around 30% more horsepower out of a 6-71 Detroit.

 

Same same for my grandfather. Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima (silver star), Okinawa. 

At Iwo Jima his boat was sunk (killing or drowning almost everyone onboard), he swam to shore, towing a Marine with him, hitched a ride back to the troopship, hosed the blood out of another higgin's boat whose coxswain was killed in the previous run, and was right back at it. 

[UpperWestside 6164]

9 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Some estimates where close to a million.  

I probably am on the lower end of expected casualties with my quoted estimate. Yes I do think that it could have hit seven digits in American casualties alone. While the civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki obviously suffered mightily from those two bombs being dropped, it did bring the war to a far shorter end. The casualties in both civilian and military lives for Japan would’ve been in the millions had Hirohito not made that tape.

[RPM 26321]

5 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

Same same for my grandfather. Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima (silver star), Okinawa. 

At Iwo Jima his boat was sunk (killing or drowning almost everyone onboard), he swam to shore, towing a Marine with him, hitched a ride back to the troopship, hosed the blood out of another higgin's boat whose coxswain was killed in the previous run, and was right back at it. 

What service was he in (Navy / USCG) and did he attend any of the Iwo Jima Survivors gatherings in Wichita Falls? Good chance they may have met.

Edited September 5 by RPM

[UpperWestside 6164]

4 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

 

Same same for my grandfather. Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima (silver star), Okinawa. 

At Iwo Jima his boat was sunk (killing or drowning almost everyone onboard), he swam to shore, towing a Marine with him, hitched a ride back to the troopship, hosed the blood out of another higgin's boat whose coxswain was killed in the previous run, and was right back at it. 

The dedication to duty of that generation is unmatched in our history. Story after story after story of young men doing all that they could, often to their last full measure, to help their brothers-in-arms. Your grandfather must have been quite the man. 
 

[safe sex 11727]

Come and See is essential war cinema. 

[UpperWestside 6164]

21 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

navy corpsmen and doctors saved my grandfather’s life in the pacific. 

a japanese machine gun nest almost cut him half. a corpsman jumped on him asap and started working on him. quickly taken to a field hospital on the beach, then a ship. many surgeries and 8 months hospital / rehab in australia. he lived a long and happy life 

Those corpsman were some of the unsung heroes of so many of the Pacific War battles. The Japanese were trained to target them and would regularly leave wounded American soldiers in the open just to draw in and kill the corpsman and fellow soldiers that would rush to their aid. Just horrific stuff. Glad your grandfather made it home and that you are here to be able to share stories about him.

[RPM 26321]

14 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

The dedication to duty of that generation is unmatched in our history. Story after story after story of young men doing all that they could, often to their last full measure, to help their brothers-in-arms. Your grandfather must have been quite the man. 
 

I feel my Dad's story is unique, but then everyone's was. My Dad did take an unique path. Joined after Pearl Harbor (lied about his age), went to boot camp in Nawlins, then went to Dog Training school in Tennessee. I don't have it, but there's a picture of a huge St. Bernard loving on Dad. After training they were assigned to Shore Patrol, but he was quickly transferred to a USCG Sub Chaser in the Atlantic. They had a few engagements and claimed 1 sunk. 

He was promoted and transferred to the Pacific Theater. He became Coxswain of an LCVP (Higgins Boat) assigned to a Coastie LST when they hit Iwo Jima. He made continuous runs with troops and supplies. until the battle was over.

If you are familiar with King of the Hill, they modelled Hank's Dad after mine. Except for the shins thing, it's a perfect copy.

Edited September 5 by RPM

[High Plains Drifter 11049]

15 minutes ago, RPM said:

What service was he in (Navy / USCG) and did he attend any of the Iwo Jima Survivors gatherings in Wichita Falls? Good chance they may have met.

 

He was navy. I don't know if he attended any Iwo Jima survivor gatherings, but he did go to his troop ship reunions (USS Millet iirc) every time they had one, pretty much up until he died. His troop ship was in Tokyo Bay at the signing of the Japanese surrender. 

 

[UpperWestside 6164]

4 hours ago, RPM said:

I feel my Dad's story is unique, but then everyone's was. My Dad did take an unique path. Joined after Pearl Harbor (lied about his age), went to boot camp in Nawlins, then went to Dog Training school in Tennessee. I don't have it, but there's a picture of a huge St. Bernard loving on Dad. After training they were assigned to Shore Patrol, but he was quickly transferred to a USCG Sub Chaser in the Atlantic. They had a few engagements and claimed 1 sunk. 

He was promoted and transferred to the Pacific Theater. He became Coxswain of an LCVP (Higgins Boat) assigned to a Coastie LST when they hit Iwo Jima. He made continuous runs with troops and supplies. until the battle was over.

If you are familiar with King of the Hill, they modelled Hank's Dad after mine. Except for the shins thing, it's a perfect copy.

These stories are all unique and deserving of being told to wider audiences. Your father’s war experience was harrowing yet he survived to share it with others. We have lost almost all of the veterans from this war and the only way their service record and stories will stay alive is to be retold by children and grandchildren as well as hopefully having been written down. Your father’s experience of potentially having sunk one U-boat may have come from the women in a book I just finished today called Code Girls. Their ability to break the U-boat’s special Enigma code machine was incredible. In doing so they may have and likely did contribute to your father’s safety while out on patrol in the Atlantic waters.
 

Everything we have as a country right is a direct result of this war. All the postwar innovations across the spectrum of America were paid for in the blood of fallen soldiers across thousands of miles of ocean, Europe, Africa and Asia. As a country we just cannot forget what was fought for during that war. We absolutely have to remind others that we are here now because of those people that served on foreign soil.

I had a teacher one time who was a friend of Mike Judge so I absolutely am familiar with Hank. 

Edited September 6 by UpperWestside