Posted on 12/07/2006 5:50:44 PM PST by SquirrelKing
I forgot that. Yep, Japanese detainees and US Army segregation. It'll come up in each part of the series.
My father was flying missions to the war's end. He lost an engine coming back from Japan and had to make an emergency landing at Iwo Jima. By the time he flew back the next day Japan had announced their surrender.
Best War Documentary, ever. For the tactics aspect of the war, "Battlefield" is by far the best.
Pearl Harbor Day.
God Bless our Veterans of World War 2, and all who serve in harm's way.
LOL.
Indeed. It's my birthday as well. :-)
Ken Burns is just the worst - I have no idea how anybody could take that guy seriously. :-)
Me neither, lol.
True. And I wonder if he has any idea what World War II was about. I expect this flic to be a batch of scenes about "common people" with little or no content that shows the overall threat, purpose, scope, or strategy of the war.
http://www.history.com/minisites/lostevidence/
On right now.
I've seen all of those shows.
His World Trade Center (aka America deserved 9/11) documentary makes him a left-wing piece of trash.
8th episode of 'NEW YORK.'
Can't find it on there.
Are you thinking about Ken's brother Ric?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York:_A_Documentary_Film
However, he's an admitted far-left liberal.
A Tribute to my Father and Hero who died in 2004.
When Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, my Dad [Clarence] was eager to join the military as soon as he was old enough to do so. Clarence joined the Navy when he turned 18 in 1944 and served on the battleship USS Mississippi (BB 41) with 2,000 other men. With her twelve 14 inch guns Mississippi supported the Marine landings on the Island of Peleliu. She then assisted in the liberations of the Philippines, shelling the east coast of Leyte supporting the landings of General Macarthur’s troops.
On the night of October 24th the Army on Leyte passed the word that a powerful Japanese naval task force was approaching from the south, and with The U.S. main battle fleet and the carriers away in the opposite direction chasing a decoy, the soldiers knew the Japanese were about to spring a trap. They would be doomed if the Japanese ships opened up on them. They waited in the dark in stunned silence and quite desperation. But lying in wait for the Japanese were six of America’s oldest battleships including the Mississippi that waited at the mouth of the Surigao Strait. This line of old battleships accompanied by 7th Fleet destroyers and cruisers, opened fire with an enormous coordinated salvo at the approaching line of Japanese warships, immediately sinking the first of the two Japanese battleships they would sink that night, along with three destroyers and a heavy cruiser. Naval historians would later call this “The greatest Naval Battle in History”, but for the Army ashore who could see the ships burning in the night sky, they had no words to explain what they saw, for they knew their worst nightmare was stopped dead in it’s tracks by Admiral Oldendorf’s old battleships. The men ashore have eternal gratitude to those Sailors and to the 1,100 of them that died out there that night.
The Mississippi supported the landing forces in the Philippines until February, despite receiving heavy damage near her waterline from a kamikaze during the bombardment of Lingayen Gulf Luzon.
One of the more memorable moments for Dad came while supporting landing forces on Okinawa. Dad would often tell the story of how the Japanese stalled our offensive from their position in Shuri Castle, which the enemy claimed was indestructible, and our Marines were beginning to have doubts it could be taken. Clarence said. "We opened up with our 14 inch guns and with 56 direct hits destroyed the castle.” The Marines were finally able to capture the castle but only after the Navy laid waste of it.
Clarence recalls the ship remained off Okinawa for two months never shutting down it’s engines so they would always be ready for a fight and for the constant threat from the kamikazes. Even after being hit by a kamikaze once again, this time on her starboard 5 inch gun mounts, which caused heavy damage and many casualties the Mississippi refused to leave. The soldiers ashore were grateful that Ole Miss stayed on post even with her heavy damage. Her steadfast presence saved many lives on Okinawa.
After the announced surrender of Japan, the USS Mississippi anchored in Tokyo Bay while Clarence and his shipmates witnessed the signing of the surrender documents aboard the USS Missouri on September 2nd 1945.
The ship was sold for scrap in 1956, but the men to which she was so good haven’t forgotten her. It is recalled by us his children that the first word he taught us to spell was M-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i., and there is no doubt why.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.