Perhaps, this would have been circa 93-94 IIRC when I was instructing at 129. I left NUW in 95 for 209 and didn't go back to the rock.
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Midway, Coral Sea, and remembering those who came before us ...
- Thread starter A4sForever
- Start date
Perhaps, this would have been circa 93-94 IIRC when I was instructing at 129. I left NUW in 95 for 209 and didn't go back to the rock.
It is ... it was ... check post(s) #24 & #29 or something similar on the thread.
One guy PM'ed me and said this pix "choked him up" .... actually, it does me too ....
I've launched -- scared -- but I always thought I'd 'make it back' ... if I didn't, I probably would have gone crazy ...
These guys launched KNOWING they were probably not gonna' make it .... and yet they went anyway ... one of my Uncles was in VT-3.
Hooo, boy ... it boggles the imagination ... and should humble one & all at the magnitude of their personal sacrifice.
Concur 100%. Not only is this the best book about Midway I've read, but to me it represents the "high water mark" in military history: An easy read, providing interesting insights, yet thoroughly (ruthlessly?) researched and extremely well-footnoted. I read it at the beach last year and couldn't put it down. The author makes tremendous use of primary source material - especially Japanese stuff - to really lay out the complete story. I wish there were more like it - I'd love to see comparably-researched efforts on other major battles.
I think it was in "Clash of Cultures" were the author had a good piece on the Battle of Midway, I want to say that the Skipper of VT-8 handed his boys a memo that basically said it was going to be a suicide mission.
What boggles my mind is that a lot of the aviators in the attack were a good deal younger than me now. At my 29, I'd have been an old man in a WWII squadron.
MasterBates
Well-Known Member
Yep. At 30 with 8 years commissioned service, I'd likely be a XO/CO back then. Scary.
I wonder why the current VTs who share a designation, if not an "official" heritage, don't "adopt" their "namesakes" and keep the tradition/stories alive. Would add some moto for the guys going through training, perhaps.
Is the lack of a modern-day VT-8 an homage to those that were lost at Midway?
Is the lack of a modern-day VT-8 an homage to those that were lost at Midway?
do they really share a designation? sure, they're VTs, but that's short for Training Squadron, not Torpedo Squadron. Didn't the VS's consider themselves to be heir apparent to the torprons, as seen in VS-29's patch:
True. I meant "share a designation" in that they are both "VT" squadrons.
Short excerpt from "A Dawn Like Thunder" ...
ENS George Gay on leadership:
"Before we left the ship, Lt. Cmdr. John C. Waldron (third from left, rear) told us that he thought the Japanese Task Forces would swing together when they found out that our Navy was there. We figured that they would either make a retirement in just far enough so that they could again retrieve their planes that went in on the attack. Waldon did not think that they would go into the Island of Midway as most of the squadron commanders and air group commanders figured. He told us when he left not to worry about our navigation but to follow him as he knew where he was going. And it turned out just exactly that way.
..... He went as straight to the Japanese Fleet as if he had a string tied to them."
"Before we left the ship, Lt. Cmdr. John C. Waldron (third from left, rear) told us that he thought the Japanese Task Forces would swing together when they found out that our Navy was there. We figured that they would either make a retirement in just far enough so that they could again retrieve their planes that went in on the attack. Waldon did not think that they would go into the Island of Midway as most of the squadron commanders and air group commanders figured. He told us when he left not to worry about our navigation but to follow him as he knew where he was going. And it turned out just exactly that way.
..... He went as straight to the Japanese Fleet as if he had a string tied to them."
Cron
Yankee Uniform Tango
Here are a few excellent color images from the TIME archives, taken during the battle.
Attachments
I love seeing all the old photos posted here. That time of our history has always fascinated me.
I remember stories my Dad told about being part of a B-29 crew living on south pacific islands between missions.
As part of VQ-3, we used to stop at Wake and Kwajalein frequently. I remember how unusual I thought it was seeing all the vending machines filled with beer. I loved spending a couple of days as Kwajalein, but after that it got pretty boring.
I remember stories my Dad told about being part of a B-29 crew living on south pacific islands between missions.
As part of VQ-3, we used to stop at Wake and Kwajalein frequently. I remember how unusual I thought it was seeing all the vending machines filled with beer. I loved spending a couple of days as Kwajalein, but after that it got pretty boring.