Posted on 09/06/2008 1:14:45 AM PDT by atomic conspiracy
SIERRA VISTA — Fon B. Huffman, the last survivor from the international Panay Incident of 1937, died Thursday, his family announced.
Huffman, born in 1913, celebrated his 95th birthday on Aug. 19. He died peacefully in his sleep at noon in Hacienda Rehabilitation and Care Center. His daughter, Nancy Ferguson, was by his side. Advertisement
Fon Huffman is pictured on Dec. 26, 2007, at his daughter Nancy’s home in Sierra Vista where he lived out his last days. File photo/Mark Levy•Herald/Review The Iowa farm boy who joined the Navy at age 16 was a 24-year-old sailor aboard the USS Panay when it was attacked near Nanking, China, on Dec. 12, 1937, by Imperial Japanese warplanes. In those days, the American gunboat, part of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, patrolled the lawless Yangtze River inland to protect American interests, such as the embassy, under a treaty with the Chinese.
Huffman received a 1-inch shrapnel wound in his right shoulder in that attack but did not immediately report his injury and would not receive his Purple Heart Medal until 1993. Also during the attack, he gave his life jacket to a U.S. newsman from Universal, who had captured newsreel of the attack.
Huffman also was the last survivor of the Yangtze River Patrol, which comprised other U.S. Navy vessels besides the Panay.
He was one of the last remaining survivors of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, which was hardly prepared to stand in the way of the Japanese navy as it conquered territories in the Pacific Ocean early in World War II.
“Most of the those guys went away when MacArthur left the Philippines,” said Huffman’s son-in-law, Steve Ferguson.
During World War II, Huffman was a “tin can man” — that’s what they called the sailors aboard thin-hulled destroyers — serving in the Atlantic Ocean and later in the Pacific. He was in Bermuda on Dec. 7, 1941.
In the late 1940s, Huffman participated in U.S. nuclear tests in the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. He retired in 1949 with the rating of chief boiler man.
The Herald/Review interviewed Huffman for a story published Dec. 30.
Ferguson said Huffman will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery next to his wife of 61 years, Lillian.
Upon learning of the passing of Fon Huffman, many sailors will be wishing this traditional Navy sentiment to him: Fair winds and following seas, Fon.
The Panay's executive officer, then-Lieutenant Arthur F. "Tex" Anders, was the father of Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders. Lt. Anders took command of the Panay after Captain James Hughes was wounded and received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions that day. Tex Anders passed away in 2000 at the age of 96.
From my readings about the Panay, the story was this:
Chenault (Flyiing Tigers commander) managed to secure a relatively entact Zero fighter. He had it loaded on the Panay so that it could be transported to the sea for transfer to an ocean vessel. Chenault wanted the Zero to get to the US so it could be examined. At this time, most US aviation experts were unaware of the Zero’s amazing flying characteristics.
Japanese spies found out about the Zero being on the Panay. Obviously the Japanese military did not want their fighter being examiined by US experts and so decided to sink the Panay.
ping
I don't know what you've been reading,but this can't be true because the Panay was sunk in 1937.
The Mitsubishi Zero first flew in 1939 and didn't enter service until 1940 with the Japanese Navy.
IIRC, Sen. Borah (isolationist Republican) angrily demanded to know why we had a gunboat in China when he heard of the attack. Politicians like Borah were the reason we entered WWII so woefully unprepared.
Problem is that PANAY was sunk in Dec 1937, Zero was not
adopted until 1940, which is why called Zero - year was
2600 on Japanese caledar
Correct, that why the Zero is called the Zero, it's Type 00 for Japanese year 2600 = 1940
Usually, Google will turn up a book reference for this. This is hugh and series, because it's a major case for the costs of NOT going to war!
I'm unable to find anything at all. Anyone have a reference?
Public thanks and bump to Freeper LS and his book “A Patriot’s History of the United States,” where I first learned of this incident. Yeah, I know, and I call myself a history buff...
In all seriousness, there were a lot of brave men in the 1930’s Navy, and many dangers that have never been well publicized. The services were all-volunteer back then, right? I don’t *think* the draft was instituted until 1940 or so.
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