Thanks fugazi.
Posted on 11/03/2019 1:37:50 PM PST by fugazi
On the morning of 7 December 1941, nine Japanese torpedoes struck the battleship USS Oklahoma, anchored on Battleship Row during the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. The massive ship capsized in just 15 minutes, trapping hundreds of sailors and Marines inside.
Crews worked feverishly to rescue the survivors, which could be heard tapping the inside of the ship's hull for the next three days. Unsung heroes like civilian dock worker Julio DeCastro raced against the clock, cutting through sections of the hull to pull out dozens of men.
Two Oklahoma sailors earned the Medal of Honor: Seaman James Ward and Ensign Francis Flaherty both sacrificed their lives so their comrades could escape their battle stations. Chief John Austin posthumously earned the Navy Cross for assisting 15 of his fellow sailors out of a flooded compartment. Boatswain Adolph Bothne braved enemy fire and the hazardous waters, picking up boatload after boatload of survivors and ferrying them to Ford Island. Lt. (j.g.) Aloysius H. Schmitt assisted in evacuating a dozen trapped sailors through an opening, but when it was his turn to escape, he declined so that several other sailors that showed up as he about to be rescued appeared. Schmitt gave up his chance of survival so that others may live, becoming the first American chaplain to die in World War II.
Two members of the ship's Marine detachment showed exceptional courage, earning the Navy Cross: Sgt. Thomas Hailey -- wearing only his underclothes -- swam to USS Maryland where he assisted in rescue efforts before manning a 5-inch gun. He then (still in his skivvies) volunteered to serve as a gunner aboard a flying boat as the Americans attempted to locate the Japanese fleet. Pfc. Willard Darling spotted the ship's junior dental officer, Cmdr. Fred
(Excerpt) Read more at victoryinstitute.net ...
Pride is the word that comes to mind when reading the stories of these brave American fighters.May they all Rest In Peace!
All who are brave enough to go out and meet the enemy in battle deserve our honor and respect, but especially so are those who battle the enemy at sea.
Thanks fugazi.
I can think of one worse place. In a bomber over Europe in WWII. More losses that the Navy and USMC combined.
Yes, it’s terrifying because you’re completely out of control. Nothing you can do but ride along and hope you aren’t hit, because you can’t dive for cover or affect your odds of survival in any way. But somehow, being stuck in a metal compartment where you can be sealed off, burned alive by flame or steam, drowned, be eaten by sharks, adrift for days, exposed to the elements, trying to swim through oil and fuel that may be on fire, being sucked under with the ship, surrounded by dudes and thousands of miles from ladies... if one level of hell is worse than another, I would rather be in the air.
That is why when I joined, I went into tanks. Figured I always had a ride to the war. One could steer their way out of trouble...But of course there are the other inherent pitfalls.
The bravery of those young men caught unawares on a Sunday morning doing what they could to save their buddies.
But, you know...we can’t teach about WW2 cause it might affect the mental health of today’s snowflakes...
Remembrance of Pearl Harbor ping. More “unknown” sailors and soldiers identified.
One other worse place-a merchant ship carrying ammuntion to England or Russia. Except for the marines, merchant marines suffered the highest % casulties. Finally in 1988 those merchant mariners who served on ships during WWII were given veterans status.
Dad's introduction to the Japanese was as part of an AA crew at the base of the #3 turret on the Maryland off Okinawa. A kamikaze flew bare feet above his head and impacted on the top of said turret.
He got through WWII, a police action in China, Korea and Vietnam. Never got a Purple Heart.
James B Boring is a distant cousin. When we were doing family tree research in the 80’s, we talked to his brother, Fermin Boring and found out about him. Boring is my mother’s maiden name. God bless them all.
I don't know the stats, but I doubt your assertion. As horrific as our Army Air Corp losses, I would think the Naval battles of the Pacific and especially the island-hopping by the Marines was worse. Of course then there was Normandy and the push through Europe by the Army. I'd be interested to see the total casualties in each theater.
It’s easy to find the numbers. But it would be very interesting to personalize it a bit by adding some color: “what was the most dangerous assignment for an American in World War II?” I think the Army and Army Air Force had higher casualties, but that’s because of the sheer numbers of men that were sent into those services. Were you more likely, percentage-wise, to get killed or wounded in the Marine Corps, Merchant Marine, submarines?
You’ve got me thinking.
Percentage wise, you were unlikely to make it to your 25 missions. Of the 12,000+ B17s produced, over 7000 were lost to enemy fire.
I came across said police action in China while researching John Glenn. We lost a lot of Marines for a couple years after WWII ended.
And with nine or ten men per Fort, that adds up to a staggering number of lives. Not to mention that’s just one type of plane; there was a lot of other bombers over Europe and in the Pacific.
I always wondered why more crewmen didn't simply bail out once their aircraft was going down. The answer was, they couldn't get out.
When we were at Pearl Harbor for the 60th anniversary (my 50th) in 2001 the ceremony was small enough (and no politicians) to participate in the orchid ceremony. My sailor was George Calvin Ford Fireman Second Class.
Catching fire before bailing would concern me a lot more than being trapped and most likely dying instantly upon impact. That, or being captured by the Germans, then thinking you’re about to be liberated by your Soviet allies, only to disappear to who-knows-where, spending the rest of your life betrayed and forgotten. But that’s just me.
Don't know, but I would think much more Army casualties than Army Air Force as the grunts moved across Europe. Then you have Marines in some of the bloodiest and fierce fighting in the Pacific. I'm just guessing. Sure there are some WWII historians who would know. Bottom line: All the services lost good men in horrendous ways because of the totalitarian Axis.
What has always pissed me off is that we not only gave their nations back to them, but helped rebuild. We should own all 3 nations. Think about that.
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