Posted on 10/22/2006 2:41:18 PM PDT by EveningStar
On February 19 1945 Thomas McPhatter found himself on a landing craft heading toward the beach on Iwo Jima...
Sadly, Sgt McPhatter's experience is not mirrored in Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood's big-budget, Oscar-tipped film of the battle for the Japanese island that opened on Friday in the US. While the film's battle scenes show scores of young soldiers in combat, none of them are African-American. Yet almost 900 African-American troops took part in the battle of Iwo Jima, including Sgt McPhatter...
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Those facing the 15th in Italy rarely had the newest and best equipment, or were minor axis airforces (Like Romania or Croatia, for example.)These air forces, while rather enthusiastic in fighting the Red Army, saw the western allies differently, and it was rather daunting for even the Luftwaffe to approach the "combat boxes" of the B-17s/24s from the 12 O'Clock high position (head on, in a slight dive, so as to shoot up the cockpit and nose). Closing speeds were well, high, and it took nerves of steel to attempt this, and the other German allied AFs did simply didn't have the equipment or training to attempt this.
Also, everything that I have read about to the Tuskegee says they had no respect for the Germans and their allies. But, I think if they had faced the likes of JG 26 or 54, they might have had a rude shock. Just ask guys from 4th or 56th Fighter Group. They lost bombers..but they gave better than they got. I think if the Tuskegee had been on the Channel front, they would have had to learn fast, or die.
I gotta admit that there were tensions. I was an 11E40 and 11B40 Red Devil with 1/77 Armor and 1/61 Inf of the 1st Bde 5th mech at Camp Carrol. I know the AO's around FSB A4 and C2 real well. We had pretty good leadership and I think that kept much of the racial jive to a relative minimum. Nothing like the mess in the Americal.
My uncle was on Iwo once the runway was secure to help bring in the airplanes. I said something like "well that was lucky" and he said only the runway was secure, they were still shooting at him and th3e airplanes from off in the jungle.
About three percent of the total.
The Treasury actually lent out all it's silver to The Manhattan Project.
That's a rather sweeping statement, do you have a source for it?
Well... three percent of the first wave. Most of the support troops came ashore in later waves. When Eastwood does the film on ammo-haulers in the second world war, I'm sure he'll use a politically correct cast.
The military forces were segregated, even blood and plasma products were segregated according to race in WW2. The historical facts about black people's second class status would easily explain why there aren't any in this movie. I visited just about every major WW2 museum in Normandy and hardly saw ANY. This author didn't do his research. Sounds to me like this author doesn't have a clue and is just being contrarian and trying to start a fight, stir up racists,etc.
At Iwo Jima, the 8th Marine Ammunition Company and the 33d, 34th, and 36th Marine Depot Companies served as part of the shore party of the V Amphibious Corps. Elements of the ammunition company and the 36th Depot Company landed on D-Day, 19 February 1945, and within three days all the units were ashore, braving Japanese fire as they struggled in the volcanic sand to unload and stockpile ammunition and other supplies, and move the car go inland. Eleven black enlisted Marines and one of the white officers were wounded, two of the enlisted men fatally.
Concern over this sort of thing from the ruling elite betrays a nervousness about the cohesion of modern mutlticultural America.
I think you're exactly right, Cyborg. Most people here are aware that desegregation of the military did not begin until after WWII.
Where were all the white people in Barbershop?
Probably hiding so that didn't have to be in that dumb excuse for a comedy!
Hispanics dominate Jr. ROTC in most high schools in my district.Blacks are a distant second with a few Asians and almost no white kids.
Of course,there are almost NO white kids IN my district!
Hey there, I spent quite a bit of time at C-2,we
were at the top of the hill with all the antennas.
I was there 70-71,spent most of my time at Khe Sahn
on that hill overlooking the air-strip.It was always
a hoot rideing from QT to KS,we`d always take fire
at that infamous Rockpile.Once down in the ditch and
realizing there was a tanker filled with JP 4 50` away.
The guy manning the quad 50 scared to return fire.
It was always better out in the field IMO,back in base
was where tensions were high.
One night about 100` from me a Maj.was shot when he
tried to arrest coupla bros smokeing weed.
We were in the mess hall one day at noon,the bros were
loud,and a bunch of mercenarys came in to eat.That was
the only time I saw mercs while I was there,they told
them loudly to shut up,they wanted to eat in peace and
it got quiet as a Methodist church.They were a tough
looking bunch long hair,weapons all over themselves.
Not long after this 2 bros fragged themselves trying
to boobytrap a hooch door.
It was better out in the field
I'd dug it up because I was AF and he was Marine, and he was telling me that the Marines lost more men at IWO than the AAF lost over Europe....I found the data and it looked like at the height of the Air War over Europe, the AAF was losing more flight crews per month than all of IWO deaths.
But with dad, it was personal with that particular unit. He also didn't like Mark Clark much . . . because he drowned some of his buddies in the Rapido river . . .
My dad can hold a grudge like nobody I've ever seen. When he got back from the war, Muse's, a local men's store, refused to sell him a suit because wool was still rationed and they were "saving their suits for their regular customers." "Then I," said dad, "will NEVER be a regular customer!" He kept his word, he never darkened their door - my sister bought him a tie from Muse's, he didn't return it, he had MOM return it. Muse's went out of business some time in the late 80s, and dad rejoiced, he outlasted 'em.
the magnets needed so much copper for windings that the Army had to borrow almost 15,000 tons of silver bullion from the United States Treasury to fabricate into strips and wind on to coils as a substitute for copper. Treasury silver was also used to manufacture the busbars that ran around the top of the racetracks.
deiniely right. Jake
I care for a lot of war veterans as a nuse aide and many do hold grudges. I suppose it's a part of the toughness of being sent to war at a young age. I always give them extra special attention because I sometimes wonder if the disease process is spurred on by memories, trauma,etc. FWIW, many of the vets are also sweethears and know how to treat a lady hehehe.
I think it gives them the opportunity to cherish old memories . . . dad's as nice as they come, but he does have a limit beyond which he can't be pushed.
It's all part of an agenda. Anyone who knows history would understand this film. Now a person can be bitter about it OR OR OR they can say thank you. I can't say enough about my experiences in caring for war veterans. They gave the very best years of their lives and didn't complain!
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