[SAMWolf]

BB-63 USS MISSOURI
1945

CLASS - IOWA
As Built:
Displacement 45,000 Tons, Dimensions, 887' 3" (oa) x 108' 2" x 37' 9" (Max)
Armament 9 x 16"/50 20 x 5"/38AA, 80 x 40mm 49 x 20mm, 3 AC
Armor, 12 1/8" Belt, 17" Turrets, 1 1/2" +6" +5/8" Decks, 17 1/4" Conning Tower.
Machinery, 212,000 SHP; G.E. Geared Turbines, 4 screws
Speed, 33 Knots, Crew 1921.

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Operational and Building Data
Laid down by New York Naval Ship Yard, January 6, 1941.
Launched January 29, 1944.
Commissioned June 11, 1944.
Decommissioned February 26, 1955.
Recommissioned May 10, 1986.
Decommissioned March 31, 1992.
Stricken for disposal January 12, 1995.
Donated for preservation May 4, 1998.
Fate: Preserved as a museum at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, June 1998.

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Excerpts from the handwritten journal of Harold "Buster" Campbell, a baker aboard the USS Missouri, who also photographed an air attack on April 11, 1945, in the Battle of Okinawa. The excerpts were transcribed by Campbell's son.

April 11, 1945:

"Well this day will live forever in my memory as the most exciting incident I've ever experienced."

"(Missouri photographer) Pat (Ferrigno) & I were in the Photo Lab. 1404 the 'Air Alert' was sounded and we both ran up to the bridge and broke out our cameras."

"While we were shooting this one (kamikaze) another came sneaking up off our stern. I got him in the sight of my K-20 and started shooting shots. He kept coming through the greatest ack ack I've ever seen. ... He then came direct at the ship and hit us on the starboard quarter on the main deck, burst into flames. I was shaking but felt relieved after he hit. I took a beautiful shot of him as he hit and several as he came burning all along the starboard side till he ended ..."

"All in all I got 18 shots. Poor Pat was in back of me and couldn't get a thing. ... It only lasted 15 minutes but it sure was something to see."

April 12, 1945:

"They gave the (Japanese) pilot a military funeral this morning. The marines lined up & shot a six gun salute then the bugler blew taps."

May 17, 1945:

"Was talking to Pat today. He said the 'ex' (executive officer) told him the picture of the plane hitting the ship was said to be the greatest picture so far of any action on a ship to be taken in this war. And to think I took it. It has been in several papers hope Balto. (Baltimore) gets it. Of course no one knows I took the picture except some of my friends as I told Pat to take the credit. I don't care much."

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

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Tribute to a Generation - The memorial will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29, 2004.

Thanks to CholeraJoe for providing this link.

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Iraq Homecoming Tips

~ Thanks to our Veterans still serving, at home and abroad. ~ Freepmail to Ragtime Cowgirl | 2/09/04 | FRiend in the USAF

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PDN members and fans. We hope you will consider this simple act of patriotism worth passing on or taking up as a project in your own back yard. In summary:

Who They Are: Operation: Stitches Of Love was started by the Mothers of two United States Marines stationed in Iraq.

What They Are Doing: We are gathering 12.5"x12.5" quilt squares from across the country and assembling the largest quilt ever produced. When completed we will take the quilt from state to state and gather even more squares.

Why They Are Doing This: We are building this quilt to rally support for the Coalition Forces in Iraq and to show the service members that they are not forgotten. We want the world to know Nothing will ever break the stitches that bind us together as a country.

Ideas to start a local project:

Obtain enough Red, White and Blue material (cloth) for a 12.5 x 12.5 quilt square.
If you have someone in your family that sews, make it a weekend project and invite neighbors to join you.

Consider this tribute as a project for your civic group, scouts, church or townhall group.

Locate an elementary school with an after school program in your neighborhood or locate an after school program in your neighborhood not attached to a school and ask if you could volunteer one or two afternoons and create some squares with the kids.

Invite some VFW posts to share your project in honor of their post.

Send us webmaster@patriotwatch.com for digital photos of in progress and finished project for various websites, OIFII.com and the media.

PDN is making this appeal in support of Operation: Stitches Of Love
Media Contact: Deborah Johns (916) 716-2749
Volunteers & Alternate Media: PDN (916) 448-1636

Your friends at PDN

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The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

[snippy_about_it]

The collection included his father's handwritten journal, a letter opener made from the kamikaze debris and more than 200 pictures. Dan Campbell scanned some of the photos and sent them to Weidenbach on a CD.

This is great. I hope some of this gets published. I'll bet there are a lot of pictures and stories still put away in boxes we haven't heard yet about WWII.

[Professional Engineer]

My favorite Iowa Class picture.

[PhilDragoo]

Image URL

General Douglas MacArthur signs as Supreme Allied Commander during formal surrender ceremonies on the USS MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay. Behind General MacArthur are Lieutenant General Jonathan Wainwright and Lieutenant General A. E. Percival.

Image URL

Japanese surrender signatories arrive aboard the USS MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay to participate in surrender ceremonies.

Above photos from USS Missouri (BB-63)Picture Gallery

Image URL

The Kamikaze pilot was uninsured, and three shops were not available to provide bids, hence the dent remains.

Japanese kamikaze attack on the Petrof Bay

Sharks

Jets

Just in: John Kerry (Who starred in How I Won The Vietnam War for the Viet Cong) bragged to a group of Jewish voters that when he visited Israel in 1991 he was taken for a flight in a jet trainer by an Israeli Air Force colonel who handed Kerry the controls when the craft was "five feet off the ground" then allowed Kerry to "do a figure eight and a loop" so the Senator could view Israel upside down.

Kerry doing aerobatics? The same guy who falls off his snowboard, falls off his bicycle?

Is he taking enough medication or too much?