Forgotten Horrors of Omaha

Today is the anniversary of Operation Overlord, the great crusade to liberate Europe from the jack-boot tyranny of Nazi Germany. Soldiers of Britain, Canada, and the United States would storm ashore on five beaches in Normandy France. Omaha Beach, an American only beach, would become the definition of Hell for many. Below is an excert from S.L.A. Marshall's riveting account of landing on that beach that was published in 1960.

Lieutenant Edward Tidrick in Boat No. 2 cries out: "My God, we're coming in at the right spot, but look at it! No shingle, no wall, no shell holes, no cover. Nothing!"

His men are at the sides of the boat, straining for a view of the target. They stare but say nothing. At exactly 6:36 A.M. ramps are dropped along the boat line and the men jump off in water anywhere from waist deep to higher than a man's head. This is the signal awaited by the Germans atop the bluff. Already pounded by mortars, the floundering line is instantly swept by crossing machine-gun fires from both ends of the beach.

Able Company has planned to wade ashore in three files from each boat, center file going first, then flank files peeling off to right and left. The first men out try to do it but are ripped apart before they can make five yards. Even the lightly wounded die by drowning, doomed by the waterlogging of their overloaded packs. From Boat No. 1, all hands jump off in water over their heads. Most of them are carried down. Ten or so survivors get around the boat and clutch at its sides in an attempt to stay afloat. The same thing happens to the section in Boat No. 4. Half of its people are lost to the fire or tide before anyone gets ashore. All order has vanished from Able Company before it has fired a shot.

This harrowing and riveting incident happened 67 years ago. Like Verdun, lets ensure the bravery along with the horror of that day is never forgotten or sugar-coated into benign politcal-correctness.

The Few by Alex Kershaw

I picked up last night at Barnes&Noble in the bargain area a hardcover book called The Few - The American "Knights of the Air" Who Risked Everything to Fight in the Battle of Britain. It is written by Alex Kershaw who has written two previous books on World War II and Americans in combat.

The Few is naturally a reference to Sir Winston Churchill's famous speech about the Battle of Britain where he said, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." In this case the few are seven Americans who risked their citizenship and imprisonment to answer the call of arms, the call for adventure, and stand with their British brothers to oppose the tyranny of Hitler. Men like Billy Fiske, King of Speed and US Olympic gold medalist, or Art Donahue who felt called to oppose the evil sweeping across Europe. Of these seven, only one would survive World War II and die peacefully back in America in 2002. The others would remain forever young in our memories and never grow old.

The German onslaught resumed the next day, Sunday, August 11, 1940. "I didn't get to go to Mass," recalled Donahue. "There were some other blood sacrifices being made, to the ambitions of a hate-crazed, power-maddened little man who wanted to take the place of God."

While the book centers on these men, it also takes in the broader scope of the Battle of Britain and England's desperate straits. Winston Churchill struggling with attempting to get America involved. Rallying his cabinet and the people to the bitter struggle that is in their future.

We see the German side with the likes Werner Molders of JG51, a devout Catholic who spoke openly about the repression of his faith by the Nazis, who still flew under the Swastika. During the Battle of France, Molders is shot down and captured by the French. One of the cruel ironies of the sudden collapse of France would be the return of 400 German POWs to fight again under the Nazi banner instead of being sent to England. Which meant Molders returned to the air, fought through the Battle of Britain and Operation Barbarossa, and then die in a plane crash on Nov 22, 1941 going to the funeral for Ernst Udet.

On the American side in England, it is truly a mixed bag. We have already seen the seven who flew for England during the Battle of Britain. There were also Americans civilians living in England who formed their own unit of the British Home Guard. And then we have the American ambassador to England, Joseph Kennedy Sr. Kennedy was an ardent isolationist who constantly wrote back to Roosevelt that England was in danger of falling. One such cable after the fall of France read "It seems to me that if we had to protect our lives, we would do better fighting in our own back yard."

I have found this work to be very good and informative, which means I will probably pick up Kershaw's other books. Get this book for your own library.

Midway to Victory

SBD-2 Dauntless that saw action at the Battle of Midway, June 1942. Recoverd from crash site in Lake Michigan and restored. Now on display at the musuem at Pensacola NAS. Photo take 28 May 2010. Click for really big version.

June 6th, 1944 tends to be etched in people's mind because Operation Overlord meant the liberation of Europe. But just think if another victory had not occurred exactly two years prior in the Pacific. Would Yammamoto Isoruku still be rampaging in the Pacific forcing FDR and his commanders to cancel the Europe First strategy in order to deal with a deadly dangerous Japanese foe? But due to incredible courage, sacrifice, and a large pinch of luck, we will never know if that could have happened.

By the setting sun of June 6th, 1942 the empire of Japan was set upon a downward trajectory. There would be long hard months and years of battle and heartache ahead for America and its allies, but to quote General Marshall in Washington, "the closest squeak and greatest victory" had been won. Or as Admiral Spruance remarked many years later, it was "brilliance shot with luck" this hair-breath victory. For the Japanese their pride ruled them before they even sailed for Midway, for one of their leading airmen thought if the US Navy caught them by surprise like what happened to Shokaku and Zuikaku just a month earlier for the attacking US fliers it the First Air Fleet would be like "touching an armoured sleeve."

A not-complete bibliography of the Battle of Midway:
Incredible Victory by Walter Lord
Miracle at Midway by Gordon W. Prange
The Ragged Rugged Warriors by Martin Caidin
The Big E by James Stafford
Rendevous at Midway by Pat Frank and Joseph Harrington
A Ship to Remember, Saga of the USS Hornet
The Flying Guns by C.E. Dickinson
Midway: The Battle that Doomed Japan by Mitsuo Fuchia and Masatake Okumiya

The raid that started Japanese planning for Midway - April 18th, 1942.
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo by Ted Lawson.
The Doolittle Raid by Carroll V. Glines
Four Came Home by Carroll V. Glines

Memorial Day

Taken 29 May 2010 at the Pensacola NAS museum. Part of the display sponsored by the Crusader Association.

Just a week prior Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan were there to mark Armstrong's induction to their wall of honor. Many forget that Neil was a young naval aviator who flew combat missions during the Korean War before he became an astronaut and walked on the Moon.

This weekend lets remember all the sacrifices past generations have endured. And let us remember the sacrifices the current generation are bearing to ensure the rest of us enjoy a long peaceful weekend. As the picture states "Sheath me not without honor. Draw me not without reason."

To What Purpose?

Marine Lance Cpl Joshua Bernard, KIA Helmand province Afghanistan. 14 Aug, 2009.

The Associated Press is a pack of slobbering jackals who will do anything to shock and disgust people.

When a grieving father asks that photos of his son's last moments on this Earth not be published by your organization, what should you do?

When the Secretary of Defense pleads with you personally not to publish these photos for the emotional harm they will do to a suffering family, what should you do?

If you are the Associated Press, you wait until the brave man is buried and then publish the photos.

On second thought, I apologize to the jackals for insulting them. The Associated Press is scum that should be scraped from the boots of a Marine who died in Helmand province, Afghanistan.

The Dead As Props

Okay I will be frank and blunt about this. I am totally every-freakin cheesed off by this ill-conceived and cowardly decision by Secretary of Defense Gates. For all his warts and bad calls, I wish Rumsfeld was back.

What am I talking about? Gates has allowed, at the discretion of the families involved, access to the KIAs returning to Dover from Iraq and Afghanistan. Discretion of the families my horse's posterior, this was a dodge to escape blame for this fiasco waiting to happen.

News flash Mr. Secretary. When they come off the plane at Dover, they have to be taken to mortuary affairs and processed. Go watch Taking Chance or read the story to learn what the people at Dover AFB do for each of our heroes. There is NO family involvement at Dover. As one of the guys at BlackFive said, Dover is the last chance for the big military family to say goodbye. to make sure everything is perfect and in order to lessen the burden on the families. 'Dover is ours,' he said.

Secretary Gates, this decision will come back to haunt you and you will have deserved it. You caved so someone else could fulfill a campaign promise. Pitiful.

7 December 1941

Quoted from 7 December 1941 - The Air Force Story as printed in 1991 by the Pacific Air Forces Office of History Hickam AFB, Hawaii. 1991. Pg 133.

To You Our Fallen

The barracks now are silent

Where once your laughter rang,

The steel guitar is broken

Where around your bunks we sang.

As the stars give way to morning

In Oahu's cloud-swept sky,

Old Glory's proudly waving there

Seeped in heroes' crimson dye.

Can you hear us there in heaven

As the dawn patrol takes flight?

On silvery wings your memory soars

In holy freedom's fight.

The kona wind blows softly now,

The palm trees whisper low,

But all America will remember

When came this dastard's blow.

Let the Nipponese remember this,

As they cringe beneath the sky,

At Hickam's flaming vengenece

For you, the first to die!

Sgt W. Joe Brimm - Hickam Field

Veterans' Day

American Military Cemetery, Luxembourg

Flag Day

Never Forget

Marine Receives Navy Cross

Camp Pendelton, CA. 4 June 2007.

Corporal Jason S. Clairday was awarded posthumeously yesterday the second highest decoration an American servicemember can receive, the Navy Cross, for his actions while leading his squad during a firefight in Fallujah on 12 Dec 2004.

The battle between insurgents and Clairday's unit erupted while the Marines were doing a security sweep. Shortly after his squad came under fire, Clairday jumped onto the roof of the house to rescue a wounded Marine. He opened fire on the insurgents and pounded them with grenades as he tried to save the Marine. Clairday then led an assault into the house, according to the citation. He retreated from the doorway after being shot in both legs. Moments later, he re-entered the home and took the lead position, throwing grenades and unloading rounds from his rifle.
“He single-handedly attacked the insurgents and received mortal wounds,” the citation states. The note goes on to say that thanks to Clairday's efforts, the Marines had enough time to call in reinforcements and defeat the enemy.

Corporal Clairday is survived by his wife Sarah, mother Cindy McCullough, and Brenda Ingram whom Clairday thought of as a second mother. I will end this post with what Brenda posted in the comments.

Yes, Semper Fi does say it all. I am the Brenda Ingram mentioned in the article. I am proud of Jason and it does not suprise me about his actions of that day. What does suprise me is how some people think I should feel about this war and the Marine Corps. I have only the highest respect and love for our Marine Corps. Jason did what he needed to do that day for himself and his brothers. He will always be our (his family and Marine Corps brothers ) hero. Support our troops---without them we could not speak English this freely.

Semper Fi indeed.

Sgt Jonathan Cadavero

On February 27th, 2007 Sgt Cadavero was killed when the HUMVEE he was riding in struck an IED in Baghdad.

Cadavero was a member of 1st Platoon, A Company, 2nd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division. Their task and their specially modified Buffalo vehicles was to go out and find IEDs before the convoys would roll. The statistics until 27 February had all been in favor of the troopers from the 10th Mountain. Of the 172 IEDs encountered, 62 had detonated without seriously injuring any soldiers.

Now Cadavero's family struggles to make arrangements for the son who always wanted to be a soldier. "He just absolutely loved America and what it stood for," recalled his sister, Kristia Cavere. Sgt Cavadero also leaves behind a widow, Pfc Michelle Cavadero who is now with her family in Mississippi. They had just married in November when Jonathan came home from Iraq on leave.

I will end this post with another thing he said to his sister, "Kris," he told his sister, "I want to fight so that your kids don't have to." Lets make sure Kris's children never have to fight, lets finish this now.

Update: Funeral arrangements for Sgt Cadavero have been finalized.

Goshen — A memorial service for Jonathan Cadavero, a 24-year-old Orange County soldier killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, will be held Friday at the First Presbyterian Church in Goshen, his family announced yesterday.
The service begins at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a military burial at the Orange County Veterans Cemetery in Goshen. The church is at 33 Park Place and the cemetery is at 111 Craigville Road.

11 March 2007, Jonathan Cadavero laid to rest.

Yesterday, a community that stretches far beyond his hometown of Tuxedo — a community of not only neighbors, but classmates, teammates and soldiers — came to pay last respects. ... "I have fought the good fight," the pastor read. "I have finished the course. I have kept the faith."