Sinking the Rising Sun - American Veterans CenterMohammed Musaed Al-Haroun. Mohammed was born in Washing-ton, DC, and originally from the Middle Eastern country of Kuwait. Growing

World War II

Chronicles

A Quarterly Publication of the World War II Veterans Committee ISSUE XXXIX, Summer 2007

Sinking the Rising Sun

PLUS

Baseball Goes to War

Okinawa:The Typhoon of Steel

Currahee!

World War II Chronicles - Summer, 2007 - 2

World War II Chronicles

A Quarterly Publication of the World War II Veterans Committee

WWW.WWIIVETS.COM ISSUE XXXIX, Summer 2007

Baseball Goes to War byJames C. RobertsAfter the attack on Pearl Harbor, the stars ofAmerica’s pastime knew there was only one teamthey wanted to play for: the United Statesmilitary.

Okinawa: The Typhoon of Steel withDonald Dencker, John Ensor, Leonard Lazarick,& Renwyn TriplettThe Japanese Empire makes its last stand in thefinal major battle of history’s greatest war.

Currahee! withDonald BurgettThe veteran of the 101st Airborne Division andlegendary author shares his story.An excerpt from the radio documentary seriesVeterans Chronicles.

Now Available From the World War II Veterans Committee

The story of the last surviving interrogator of the top Nazis prior to their trials at Nuremberg...

Pattern of CirclesAn Ambassador’s Story

Sixteen million Americans served their country during World War II, each with a story to tell. Among themost extraordinary is that of John Dolibois. A native of Luxembourg, he immigrated to America as a boy,only to find himself back in Europe during World War II as an interpreter for the U.S. Army. His expertisein strategic interrogation would meet its ultimate test in late spring of 1945 when he was given theassignment of gathering information directly from the surviving Nazi leadership—among them Goering,Doenitz, Ribbentrop, Streicher, Keitel, and Jodl.

For weeks, Dolibois spent his days talking to, and learning the minds of the leaders of history’s mostnotorious regime. Some pled ignorance of the Nazi atrocities, while others were proud of the evil they hadcommitted. Throughout, Dolibois had access to these war criminals like that of few other Americans.

John Dolibois would return to Luxembourg later in life—this time as U.S. Ambassador. His life epitomized the “American Dream,” andhis insights into the world of Hitler’s henchmen make for one of the great stories of World War II.

Pattern of Circles is available in paperback for $14.95 (plus $2 shipping) by calling 703-302-1012 or writing to:

World War II Veterans Committee / 1100 N. Glebe Rd. Suite 910 / Arlington, VA 22201

-In This Issue--In This Issue--In This Issue--In This Issue--In This Issue-Sinking the Rising Sun: Dog Fighting and DiveBombing in World War II byWilliam E. DavisThe man who helped deliver the final blow to thelast Japanese aircraft carrier to take part in theattack on Pearl Harbor remembers his experience.

Articles

Features

An Unstable Past byMohammed Al-HarounAs part of the World War II Veterans Committee’syouth program, our summer intern examines therole, and legacy, of World War II in Iraq.

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30World War II RoundtablesGet involved, locally, to preserve the history ofWorld War II.

On December 7, 1941, hundreds of Japa-nese fighters and bombers launched fromthe aircraft carriers Akagi, Kaga, Soryu,Hiryu, Shôkaku, and Zuikaku on theirfateful mission to attack the Americanbase at Pearl Harbor, plunging the U.S.into World War II. Three and a half yearslater, all but the Zuikaku had been sunk.In October of 1944, as the Japanese navysteamed toward Leyte in an attempt tothwart General MacArthur’s return, the Zuikaku—the last Japanese carrier to takepart in the attack on Pearl Harbor—presented itself as a ripe target for one Americanpilot, allowing him to personally avenge the treachery of December 7.

World War II Chronicles, Issue XXXIX, Summer 2007.

A quarterly publication of the World War II Veterans Committee, 1100 N. GlebeRd. Suite 910, Arlington, VA 22201. Telephone: 703-302-1012. Fax: 571-480-4141.

The World War II Veterans Committee is a division of the American VeteransCenter. World War II Chronicles is mailed to donors to the World War II VeteransCommittee who make a contribution of $50 or more per-year. Contributions helpto fund the Committee’s various speaker conferences, student programs, the Na-tional Memorial Day Parade, documentary and oral history projects, and this pub-lication. To make a contribution or subscribe, call 703-302-1012 or [email protected].

James C. Roberts - PresidentTim Holbert - Editor/Program DirectorJim Michels - Director of Development

Michael Paradiso - Publisher


As a supporter of the World War II Veterans Committee, you know ofour mission to preserve the history of the World War II generation. Partof that mission is carried out through this publication, which is dedi-cated to providing an outlet for the veterans of the war to share their ownexperiences, in their own words.

Equally important, however, is our mission to encourage today’s youngpeople to develop an understanding and appreciation for the bravery andsacrifices made by those who served in World War II—without which,we could not enjoy the freedoms we have today. Throughout the year,the Committee sponsors a number of programs designed to give stu-dents the opportunity to learn about, and from, those who served dur-ing World War II. Among these is our recently completed summer internprogram, during which we welcome several college students into ouroffices. Throughout their internship, the students research a topic relatedto our military’s history, interview veterans personally, then write an ar-ticle to be printed in this publication. We would like to take this opportu-nity to introduce to you our intern class for the summer of 2007:

Mohammed Musaed Al-Haroun. Mohammed was born in Washing-ton, DC, and originally from the Middle Eastern country of Kuwait.Growing up, Mohammed has lived in numerous countries, includingKuwait, France, and throughout the United States. Living in so manydifferent areas has influenced Mohammed’s outlook on different cul-tures. Mohammed is an avid reader, and plans on developing his writingstyle and pursuing a career in journalism. He currently lives in Ottawa,Canada, where he is a senior in Ashbury College. His article, “An UnstablePast,” on the role of World War II in shaping the Middle East (specifi-cally, Iraq), appears in this issue of World War II Chronicles.

Emily Tibbets. Emily is in her third year at Ashland University, doublemajoring in Political Science and Electronic Media Production with a mi-nor in Journalism. She is a recipient of Ashland’s Presidential Scholar-ship and is a participant in the honors program. Emily is also an AshbrookScholar in the Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, and hopes to return toWashington, DC after graduation to pursue a graduate degree in Mediaand Public Affairs or Political Science. Emily’s article on the role of mediain military history will appear in our next issue.

Ian McConnaughey. Originally from California, Ian is currently a seniorat Brigham Young University majoring in Political Science with a minor

in Portuguese. He took two years off from school to serve as a mission-ary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Maceio, Brazil,and has since returned home to start his own podcast show atwww.americansatire.org. Ian currently writes editorials for several onlinejournals and hopes to be a nationally syndicated radio host in the future.Both of Ian’s grandfathers served in the military and his article, “OneMan’s War,” will appear in a future issue.

Each of these interns came to work every day with a tremendously posi-tive attitude, honored to help do their part in telling the stories of ourveterans. And we were proud to have them with us.

The World War II Veterans Committee’s youth programming does notend with the summer internships. Each year, at our annual conferenceover Veterans Day weekend, hundreds of high school and college stu-dents are brought in to meet with some of America’s most distinguishedveterans. And at the National Memorial Day Parade (sponsored and co-ordinated by the World War II Veterans Committee and American Veter-ans Center), over 1,000 high school students and members of youthgroups as the Young Marines and National Guard Youth ChalleNGeparticipate in marching bands, by carrying banners, and by passing outwater to spectators. The Committee also sponsors two annual scholar-ships for students entering college and is currently developing a WorldWar II Curriculum for use in high schools across the country.

Finally, I would like to bring to your attention our annual student essaycontest. Each year, in conjunction with our fall conference, the Commit-tee sponsors an essay contest for high school students around the coun-try. These students are asked to research and write the story of a veteran,whether it be a famed hero like Audie Murphy, a distinguished generallike Dwight Eisenhower, or even their own grandfather. They can thensubmit the essay to us by October 15, and be eligible for cash prizes givento the most outstanding essays (more information is available at ourwebsite, www.wwiivets.com). Now, we already hope you share World WarII Chronicles with a young person after you are finished reading it, so theytoo can learn from the experiences of our World War II veterans. But ifyou do not do so already, encouraging a young person in your life to takepart in the essay contest is one more way you can help us in our othermission, to bring the legacy of the Greatest Generation to the latestgeneration.

WWII

Our Other MissionBy Tim Holbert

From the Editor

Speakers and Topics to Include

Tenth Annual Conference

Presented by the American Veterans CenterNovember 8-10, 2007

Washington, DC

D-Day: The Invasion of Normandy FeaturingDonald Burgett - Veteran of the 101st Airborne in World War II and author of severalbooks including Currahee!, the only book on World War II endorsed by Dwight D. EisenhowerWalter Ehlers - Recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in the Normandy campaignwith the 1st Infantry DivisionJohn Robert Slaughter - 29th Infantry Division veteran who was the driving forcebehind the National D-Day Memorial; author of Omaha Beach and Beyond

The Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne DivisionFeaturing Lynn “Buck” Compton, Bill Guarnere, Ed “Babe” Heffron, Don Malarkey

The Battle of Iwo JimaFeaturing Veterans of 3rd Platoon, E Company, 28th Marines - the men who fought in the bloodybattle for Mt. Suribachi

America’s Greatest Aviation HeroesFeaturing Veterans of The Tuskegee Airmen and the Black Sheep Squadron

The 442nd Regimental Combat TeamThe Japanese American unit which became the most decorated outfit for its size & length of service inU.S. Army history

Lt. General Harry W.O. Kinnard - Aide to General Anthony McAuliffe during thesiege of Bastogne and author of McAuliffe’s legendary Christmas address

The Pacific War: A War Without MercyFeaturing Donald Dencker, Leonard Lazarick, Marvin Margoshes, Renwyn Triplett

Bob Feller - Major League Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and veteran of the USSAlabama in World War II

Celia Sandys - Noted author and granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill

“Buck” Compton of the famed “Band of Brothers” recounts hisstory at the 2006 conference.

Celia Sandys speaks on Winston Churchill at theNinth Annual Conference.

From November 8-10, 2007, some of America’s most distinguished veterans will once again gather in Washing-ton, DC, for the American Veterans Center and World War II Veterans Committee’s Tenth Annual Conference.

Here, the heroes of World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan & Iraq will share their personal experi-ences in battle. Highlights include three days of speakers and panel sessions, wreath laying ceremonies at ournation’s war memorials, private receptions with decorated veterans, and a gala awards banquet honoring ourgreatest heroes. In all, the Tenth Annual Conference will prove to be a weekend none who attend will soon

forget.

To request a schedule and registration form, call 703-302-1012 ext. 220 or e-mail [email protected].

The Medal of Honor - Veterans who have received our nation’s highest military award

Register now!!!

We are currently accepting registrations for the 10th Annual Conference, to be held from November 8-10 at the Renaissance Washington Hotel inWashington, DC. To request a full conference agenda and registration form, write us at:World War II Veterans Committee / 1100 N. Glebe Rd. Suite 910 / Arlington, VA 22201

Call 703-302-1012 ext. 220 or e-mail [email protected]

Hotel reservations should be made directly with the Renaissance Washington Hotel / 999 9th St. NW / Washington, DC 20001. Telephone: 800-468-3571 or202-898-9000. Be sure to tell the reservation clerk that you are attending the American Veterans Center’s conference to obtain the rate of $209 per night

(single/double/triple/quad). Reservations can also be made online at www.renaissancehotels.com/wasrb. Enter group code wwtwwta.Please note that all speakers and events are tentative and subject to change

WithWe Were Soldiers: The Battle of Ia Drang FeaturingJoseph Galloway, Lt. Col. George Forrest, Col. John Herren, Col. Tony NadalAnd Medal of Honor recipients Bruce Crandall, Ed Freeman, and Walter J. Marm

Adrian Cronauer - Famed Vietnam War disk jockey and subject of the movieGood Morning, Vietnam

B.G. Burkett - Vietnam veteran and co-author of Stolen Valor: How the VietnamGeneration Was Robbed of its Heroes and its History

Dr. Mark Moyar - Author of Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War 1954-65

Brig. General R. Steve Ritchie- The only Air Force “ace” pilot of the Vietnam War

With panels on the Korean War, Operation Enduring Freedom,and Operation Iraqi Freedom

The greatest heroes of the latest generation...SSgt. David Bellavia - Recommended for the Medal of Honor for valor during the 2004 Battle ofFallujah, and author of House to House: An Epic Memoir of War

SSgt. Jeremiah Workman - Recipient of the Navy Cross for heroism in rescuing woundedcomrades while fighting off enemy insurgents during the Battle of Fallujah

Major Kim Campbell – Air Force pilot nicknamed “Killer Chick” who received the DistinguishedFlying Cross with Valor for actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom

A reception at the historic Army & Navy Club in honor ofAmerica’s greatest heroes:

The recipients of the Medal of Honor and our decorated service members fromOperation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom

A private reception with our young wounded warriors currently recoveringat Walter Reed Army Medical Center

Wreath laying ceremonies at the National World War II Memorial, theKorean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The annual gala awards banquet, saluting our military heroes fromWorld War II through today

Presentations of:The Audie Murphy Award for Outstanding Service in World War II

The Raymond G. Davis Award for Outstanding Service in the Korean WarThe Joe Ronnie Hooper Award for Outstanding Service in the Vietnam War

The Paul Ray Smith Award for Outstanding Service in Operation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom

Veterans of 3rd Platoon, Co. E, 28th Marines on IwoJima with Medal of Honor recipient George “Bud”Day, following the wreath laying ceremony at the

World War II Memorial on Veterans Day, 2006.

A new Band of Brothers - soldiers of the 101st AirborneDivision who have served in Iraq share their experience at

last year’s conference.

And Special Guests

SSgt. Timothy Nein - Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross for leading a counterattackagainst enemy insurgents outside of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad

1st Lt. Pete Hegseth - Platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division and recipient of theBronze Star; Executive Director of Vets for Freedom

Plus

Former Army SSgt. David Bellavia (center) with one ofthe high school classes attending the 2006 conference.

“Bud” Day, recipient of the 2006 JoeRonnie Hooper Award, with Marine SSgt.

Anthony Viggiani, recipient of the 2006 PaulRay Smith Award for service in Afghanistan.


Bill Davis was a senior in college, and ready to embark on a careeras an engineer with RCA when on December 7, 1941, the Japaneselaunched their surprise raid on Pearl Harbor. Putting his otherplans on hold, Davis immediately decided to join the Navy—readyto do his part in avenging the attack. Davis always had a passionfor flight, and would become a pilot in the Naval Air Corps, as-signed to the Pacific flying combat missions against the Japanese. Hissquadron would amass a remarkable record, shooting down 155enemy planes while only losing two of theirown in aerial combat. He would see actionat Guam, Palau, Iwo Jima and Haha Jima,and Formosa. But it was in October of1944, just days after General MacArthur’sreturn to the Philippines, that Davis wouldfind himself attacking his most satisfyingtarget yet—the Japanese aircraft carrierZuikaku, the last remaining Japanese car-rier to take part in the attack on Pearl Har-bor...

Once again we hit the airfields ofsouthern Luzon. There was no air op-position, but the antiaircraft fire washeavier than ever. The number ofplanes parked on the fields was small, but I managed tofind one and blow it up. Then, it was on to the docks, wheresampans were waiting. I caught one tied up to the dock andblew it up, taking the dock along with it.

We passed another field on our return, and Smiley led us ina dive on the aircraft on the field. I was flying behind andslightly to the right of him when he took a hit. His planeheaded for the ground as I held my breath. Smiley disap-peared under my wing, but I was surprised to see him still inthe air when he reappeared. Then it hit me: the part of hisplane forward of the cockpit was skewed twenty degrees toone side. He’d already hit the ground and bounced back up.I hoped he might make it, but it wasn’t to be. The planenosed over and crashed in a giant fireball. We were losingskippers at an alarming rate.

I lined up on another plane and started to fire as I caught aglimpse of Masoner’s plane taking a hit. I broke off my run

and pulled over next to him. He gave me a thumbs-up aswe rendezvoused and headed back to the fleet. As it turnedout, all was not well with Bill. He almost made it to theship but went into the ocean. He was quickly picked upand was back aboard before nightfall.

The next day was memorable. Weather was building to thewest, which was where we were going. Shortly after take-

off, we ran into a front that seemed toslope down to the sea. We couldn’t getunderneath it, so we had to climbthrough it. With the dive-bombers andtorpedo planes, we numbered forty air-craft. Flying formation in clouds is notrecommended for long life. You couldgo one of two ways: The first was tofly very tight formation so that youcould see your leader, but someonecompetent had to be on instruments,or the whole flight would go in. Theother choice was to spread out, butnow you couldn’t see another plane,and you had to fly instruments, andthere was always the chance of a mid-air collision. I elected to stay tight and

was flying blind a few feet from the next plane.

We continued to climb for what seemed an eternity andwere still in thick clouds. Suddenly, at fifteen thousand feet,we broke out—right in the middle of a flight of Japaneseplanes rendezvousing for an attack on our fleet. In somecases our planes were within two feet of a Japanese plane.I didn’t have to aim; I just pressed the trigger and shot downa twin-engine bomber only twenty-five feet away. We wereso close that if the plane had blown up, it would have takenme with him.

We were all so stunned that it took a few moments to real-ize the situation. There were airplanes everywhere. I flewpast a Zero and could see the Japanese pilot in the cockpit,but we were so close we couldn’t get a shot at each other. Islid in behind another bomber and fired a blast, and theplane started down, but I couldn’t follow it, as I was linedup on another plane and started to fire. This plane also

Sinking the Rising SunBy William E. Davis


started toward the ground, but again I couldn’t stay with it,as there were others immediately ahead of me. The resultwas that I shot down a number of planes, but I broke offbefore they blew up. Therefore, they only counted asprobables at the time but were later confirmed kills. I stayedwith the next two until they blew up and I was sure theywere on my gun-camera film.

Once again, the sky was filled with columns of smoke asone Jap plane after another bit the dust. Having cleared theair, we proceeded to Lingayen Gulf and bombed the ship-ping in the bay. Pulling out of my dive, I spotted anothertwin-engine bomber out over the sea.

Calling it out, I pulled in front andheaded for the enemy plane. Weflew for quite some distance untilsomeone in the group came on theradio. “Does anyone else see aplane out there?” he asked. Noone answered. By this time I couldsee the meatballs on the wings.This was also the first time I real-ized that I had considerably bet-ter than twenty-twenty vision.

“Stick with me another thirty sec-onds, and if you don’t see it bythen, we’ll give it up,” I replied.By this time, I could see the pilot. We continued a shorttime, and I made a run on the plane, splashing it.

We turned back toward land with my section leader flyingas my wingman. We crossed the beach, and I spotted an-other twin-engine bomber, no doubt left from the big fight,trying to sneak away at very low altitude. I called him out.

Masoner replied, “Go get him. I’ll cover you.”

I slipped down to find that the guy was flying about fivefeet above the ground down a dirt road that was tree linedand just wide enough for him to stay between the trees.There was no way to get a shot at him. In addition, theplane had the twin-20mm gun turret on the top. He wasroaring away at me, and I couldn’t get a shot.

I couldn’t let him get away, so I side slipped down behindhim and yawed the plane to try to get a burst into the wing

and engine, then eased back to knock out the gunner. Therun was successful, in that the return fire stopped, and Icould see gasoline streaming from the wing. One tracer inthat gasoline, and he was finished.

I slid down, being very careful not to hit a tree, and pulledthe trigger. Only one gun fired, and only three shots, whenit jammed. I pulled out, charged the gun, and slid in again.The same thing happened again, only one gun firing, andonly three rounds. I couldn’t light up that gasoline.

In total disgust, I called Bill. “I’ve only got one gun firing,and only three-bullet bursts. She’s all yours.”

Masoner slid down into firing po-sition, but nothing happened. Hepulled back up. “What’s wrong?”I asked.

“I’m completely out of ammuni-tion,” Bill replied. “Let’s get outof here.”

We hugged the ground as wefound our way across Luzon.There were a number of Japanesefighters above us, but none sawus. We held our breaths as weneared the ocean on the eastern

side of the island. Once again, we were in low clouds butbroke out into the clear every so often.

We climbed to five thousand feet, as we didn’t want to ap-proach the fleet at low altitude. They fired on anything thatcame in low. As we were nearing the fleet, a Japanese planeapproached us at the same altitude but going in the oppo-site direction. Since we were out of ammunition, we didnothing and flew past each other. Once we had our carrierin sight, we also discovered the carrier Princeton burningfiercely. The plane we passed had come out of the clouds,dropped one 500-kilo bomb on the carrier, and set it onfire.

The moment we landed, we checked out the informationon the Princeton. It was not good. They were refueling planeswhen the Jap plane appeared, which meant they had gaso-line pumped up to the flight deck. Once that fuel was seton fire, it was almost impossible to put out. A cruiser pulled

The men of Bill Davis’ squadron in Air Group 19 prior totheir first combat mission. Davis is seated second row, second

from right.


up next to the Princeton and took the crew off. Not longafter, it sank.

The fighter squadron had shot down sixty planes in oneday. However, the air group had destroyed sixty-one. Oneof our dive-bomber pilots had shot down a Zero. When webroke out of the clouds, he found himself directly behindthe Jap fighter and let go with his two forward-firing .50-caliber machine guns and downed him immediately. Wedidn’t know what to do with this turn of events, and aftermuch thought we decided to make a sitcom out of it. Howelse can you explain a bomber shooting down a fighter?

I enlisted the help of both BruceWilliams, who had been a journalismmajor in college, and the AssociatedPress correspondent who was aboard.In addition to his experience, he hada typewriter and knew how to type.The dive-bomber pilot who shotdown the Zero was named Parker,so we named the series Zeke Parker,Boy Hero, Zeke being the code namefor the Jap fighter. We worked up atheme song, “Let Me Get One OfThose Yellow Bellies, I’ll Beat HimRed, White, And Blue”.

As the story unfolded, the pilot he shot down parachuted,and we recovered him. His name was Ensign Noki Moto,and this was his solo flight. He spoke perfect English, ashe’d attended “UCRA.” We put the series on over the ship’sintercom to mixed reviews, but the number of episodes waslimited due to the war.

That evening, word went around that contact reports hadbeen received from several American submarines that unitsof the Japanese fleet were at sea. We were going on ex-tended searches the next day.

Battle of the Sibuyan Sea

The procedure for searching for the Japanese Fleet was quitesimple: We’d go out in two-plane sections made up of onedive-bomber and one fighter. The dive-bomber, being a two-man plane, was better equipped to do the navigation, and ithad a larger radio that could cover the distance we weregoing. The fighter was for protection.

I took off, only to be advised that the dive-bomber I was toescort had engine trouble, and I was to go on alone. I headednorth for 375 miles, which took me within 60 miles of thesouthernmost island of Japan. I expected to run into theentire Japanese air force, but as luck would have it, I sawnothing but blue sea. At the end of that leg I headed eastfor 75 miles, then south and hopefully back to the carrier.

Harry Bensen, a dive-bomber pilot, had the exact reversehappen to him. His fighter escort had engine trouble, andhe went on the search alone. However, he had unexpectedluck. He was to search the area two sectors west of me,and near the end of his first leg he spotted a Japanese fleet

coming down from the home islands.The fleet was protected with a swarmof Japanese fighters.

Fortunately, there was cloud cover,and Harry quickly pulled up into theclouds to make his contact report. Hedid this so that if he were shot, downour command would know therewere Jap ships coming down on them.

“Contact, contact, this is MohawkTwelve, Japanese fleet, approxi-mately twelve ships.” Harry gave the

distance and direction in code. He waited for anacknowledgement but didn’t receive one.

Circling in the cloud for a few minutes, Harry dove from adifferent direction and took a longer look at the ships, pull-ing back up before the fighters arrived. Harry got on theradio again.

“Amplifying report, confirm twelve ships including fourcarriers, two battleships, two cruisers and four destroyers.Course 180 degrees, estimated speed twenty knots. Ac-knowledge.”

Again, there was no acknowledgement from the Americanfleet. Harry sent one more message and finished it with thewords, “I am now going to attack.”

Breaking out of the clouds over the Japanese fleet, Harryopened his dive brakes as well as his bomb-bay doors andarmed the bomb. He headed straight for one of the carriers,with Zeros on his tail. Nearing the carrier, he released his

Davis in an F6F on the deck of the USS Lexington.


bomb, closed the dive brakes, and pushed the throttle againstthe stop to try to outrun the Zeros. They chased him forfifty miles, but gave up. His rear-seat man saw smoke risingfrom the carrier.

Returning from the longest flight I had ever made from thecarrier, I arrived at the rendezvous point, only to realize theworst fear of a naval pilot: the carrier wasn’t there. One ofthe search planes had spotted another Japanese fleet westof the Philippines, and our fleet had already turned west toclose with it. Fortunately, I didn’t have to search long, andlanded aboard. I caught a wire and let the plane roll back-wards so the crew could disconnect the hook from the wire.Once my plane was free, the signalman gave me the signfor full power. I opened the throttle and the engine quit; Iwas out of gas. Crewmen had to push my plane past thebarrier.

The moment Harry Bensen came aboard, the admiral sentword to report to the bridge immediately. Harry presentedhimself to the admiral, who addressed him:

“Lieutenant, I want to congratulate you on your action. It isabove and beyond the call of duty.”

“Thank you, sir,” Harry replied.

“You got off a very quick contact report,” the admiral con-tinued. “I imagine you were in some peril at the time.”

“There were Zeros hounding us, yes sir.”

“Then you sent an amplifying report, then a further report.”

“Yes sir.”

“You never indicated you received our acknowledgementof any of these reports.”

“That’s right, sir,” Harry answered.

The admiral continued. “You realize that if we hadn’t re-ceived your reports and you got shot down, we wouldn’tknow the Japanese were out there. Since you didn’t knowwe’d received your reports, your first duty was to get awayand get the information to us.” Harry just stood there, notknowing what to say. The admiral looked Harry in the eye.“You know we did receive your contact reports. If you tell

me you received our acknowledgements, I’m going to rec-ommend you for the Congressional Medal of Honor for at-tacking the Japanese fleet single-handedly. Did you receiveour acknowledgement?”

Harry didn’t hesitate. “No, sir.”

The admiral stood for quite a while before putting his handout and shaking Harry’s.

“I admire your guts, and I sure as hell admire your honesty.”The admiral awarded Harry the Silver Star anyway.

While Harry was going through his session with the admi-ral, the rest of us grabbed a quick bite as the crew preparedour planes for the Jap fleet that had been sighted west ofthe Philippines, heading for Leyte Gulf. Somewhere up theline, the brass made a terrible decision that both the dive-bombers and torpedo-bombers would be armed with gen-eral-purpose bombs. They felt the waters in the straits mightbe too shallow for torpedoes. We never heard a reason thedive-bombers weren’t armed with armor-piercing bombs.

Flying west, we found the Jap fleet headed through theSibuyan Sea. There were no aircraft carriers, but a numberof battleships and cruisers, as well as escorting destroyers.The moment we came into view, they started to turn andthrow up intense antiaircraft fire. We carried out a coordi-nated attack on battleships and cruisers, and both of ourbomber squadrons scored a number of hits, but since thebombs were general purpose, all they did was burn the paintoff the ships. A few of the cruisers sustained minor dam-age, but the fleet was still battleworthy.

Our photo planes took pictures of the hits, and as we wereleaving the scene of what came to be known as the Battleof the Sibuyan Sea, the Japanese fleet was still in a turn andheading west. Once the staff on our carrier had made anintelligence appraisal, they decided the Japanese were seri-ously damaged and were heading back to Hong Kong. Wetold Jack Wheeler, our intelligence officer, that this wasn’tthe case, but the staff didn’t take our comments seriously.That night, after dark, the Japanese fleet turned east againand headed for MacArthur’s landing beaches on Leyte.

Admiral Halsey, feeling there was no threat from that fleet,took the fast carriers and the six newest battleships andheaded north to attack the Japanese fleet that Harry had


spotted. Although Admiral Halsey wore wings on his uni-form, having gone through flight school at an advanced age,he was still a battleship admiral and wanted nothing morethan to close with the Jap fleet and slug it out, ship to ship.He had saved the gun barrels of the battleships for justsuch an action. He wanted them to be perfect. That nightas we slept, we could feel the pulse of the engines as thecarrier drove north at full speed against the relentless sea.Tomorrow would be a big day.

The Battle off Cape Engaño

At breakfast at three o’clock a.m. on October 25, 1944,you could feel the difference and the tension. There was nosmall talk. We’d been in a lot ofcombat by this time, but we knewthis would be different. We weregoing against a major unit of theJapanese fleet.

“Did you hear they revised thenumber of Jap ships?” Huttoasked.

“How many,” someone inquired.

“Four carriers, two battleships,two cruisers, and ten destroyers,”Hutto answered. “Know how many antiaircraft guns thatmeans?” No one answered. “More than four hundred,”Hutto threw out. Somehow the powdered eggs lost theirtaste.

The dull, red glow of the night-vision lights in the readyroom seemed even eerier than usual. Hugh Winters, the airgroup commander came in.

“Listen up, fellows, I’m going to be the target coordinator.I’ll be up above you and pick your target. Since you’re nowthe senior group out here, you’ll get first shot. Any ques-tions? Good luck.” He started to leave then hesitated for amoment. “One of the Jap carriers out there took part in theattack on Pearl Harbor. I’ll assign it to you if I can.”

We manned our planes in total darkness. I took a momen-tary glance at the 500-pound bomb hanging under my wingand hoped I wouldn’t have to dump it before we got to the

enemy fleet. On the order, I cranked up my engine andwaited to taxi to the catapult.

The catapult takeoff required the usual precarious balancebetween stalling and diving into the sea, but once againluck was with me. I searched in the darkness for theturtleback light on the plane ahead of me and started torendezvous. Once the entire air group was together, weclimbed slowly toward the north. We hung in the night sky,unaware of speed. The noise of my engine had long sincedisappeared. The entire scene was unreal. We were each inour own universe, that tiny cockpit. It’s the only world thatwas real.

I was strangely calm; in fact, I was totally relaxed. I hadnever felt real fear despite the dan-ger of the action I’d been in. Whywas that? I certainly wasn’t par-ticularly brave, and I certainlydidn’t want to die. Could pure ha-tred drive someone to do the un-imaginable? Did everyone in thesquadron feel the same way?There were many questions but noanswers.

Two hours of this, and suddenlythe sun spread its light and broughtme back to reality. The sea was

still dark and invisible, but in only a matter of moments itappeared. “Contact, ships’ wakes visible, thirty miles ahead,”came over the radio. The Japanese fleet was exactly whereit was supposed to be. I could make out the white wakes ofeighteen ships dead ahead.

Automatically, I took my guns off safe and fired a few roundsas everyone else did the same. I took the plane off auto-matic lean and increased the rpm of the engine as I ventedthe gas tanks and opened my Eustachian tubes. I was at22,000 feet, and I didn’t want trouble with my ears when Idove.

We continued toward the target, picking up speed as wewent. We were still twenty miles from the fleet when wesaw a tremendous explosion on one of the battleships. Someother groups must have been attacking, although I thoughtwe were to go first. Moments later an antiaircraft shell ex-ploded in the center of our formation, fortunately missing

The Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku - the last remainingcarrier to take part in the attack on Pearl Harbor.


everyone. The Japanese were firing antiaircraft shells fromtheir 16-inch guns and laid it right on target—not a wel-come greeting. We continued toward the enemy, still cir-cling the formation and watching for Zeros.

Our division happened to be on the side ofthe formation closest to the Japanese whenthe order came over the radio from Hugh toattack. Bill Masoner never hesitated; heturned toward the Jap fleet and nosed over.The problem was, we were so far away thatour dive was too flat. We were going to comein fast and low without much chance of get-ting a hit. The surest way was comingstraight down, but then you’d pick up toomuch speed. Our fighter planes didn’t havedive brakes like the dive-bombers to keepour speed within reason, but we were on ourway.

Diving from twenty-two thousand feet toeight thousand feet, we picked up speed andkept going in our flat approach. I’d come toofar, and now that I had a chance to do some-thing, I wasn’t going to let this go by de-fault. This was a chance to avenge PearlHarbor, and I wasn’t going to miss.I searched the sky and saw no Ze-ros near us. I pulled up. The otherthree continued in their dive.

I throttled back and let the planecoast up to thirteen thousand feet.It was relatively quiet, and I tooka few moments to survey the Japa-nese fleet. A feeling of calm cameover me as I slowed almost to stall-ing speed. I was directly over thecarrier that was our target. Thethree planes of my section droppedtheir bombs short and were alreadyout of there, and the rest of the air group was still approach-ing. I was going in alone, which would make me the onlytarget of all of those antiaircraft guns.

I allowed the plane to stall and let the nose drop. All I couldsee was the deck of that aircraft carrier. I cracked the throttleslightly so the engine wouldn’t stall, and let the plane fall.

The response was instantaneous, as all of the antiaircraftguns in the Japanese fleet opened up. They knew where Iwas going, and they didn’t have to lead me. They fired di-rectly up over the carrier.

In moments, at ten thousand feet there wasa black cloud of bursting shells from the 40-mm and 5-inch guns. It was so thick Icouldn’t see through it. I knew I’d be deadin the next thirty seconds, but I also knewthat if I had it to do over again, with all ofthe other alternatives I had, I’d be here now.

I flashed through the cloud, knowing it wasfilled with screaming metal from the explo-sions. I expected to feel the plane jolted anysecond, but I continued on. A second deadlycloud was forming at four thousand feetfrom the exploding 20mm shells. It was di-rectly over the carrier, I had no choice butto fly through it.

Once again my luck held as I screamed downon the carrier, which now completely filledmy gunsight. I rested my finger on the bomb-release button. I kept going. I wanted to

make absolutely sure I got a hit.When it seemed I was going to hitthe ship, I pushed the release andpulled out. I had not looked at myaltimeter or air speed. I was wayover the red line of the aircraft,and of course blacked out from theG forces on the pullout.

After a moment, I was consciousbut couldn’t see. I heard a slightchange in the pitch of the noiseand eased forward on the stick.Blood instantly returned to mybrain, and I could see again, and

what I saw scared me to death. I was so low I was clippingthe spray from the waves. I was also forty knots over themaximum speed for the plane. But the main thing was, Imade it—until I looked up ahead. I was flying right into theside of the Oyodo, a Japanese light cruiser. I pulled back onthe stick, and nothing happened. I couldn’t gain altitude.The elevator control must have been frozen due to the speed.

The Zuikaku showing Davis’ bombhit, the white spot located to the

right and center of the flight deck.

The crew of the doomed Zuikaku salute, as their flag islowered. The last carrier to take part in the Pearl Harbor

attack was now finished.


Putting both hands on the stick and bracing myself againstthe rudder pedals, I pulled with all of my strength. Thenose rose slightly, enough to clear the hull, but not enoughto clear the superstructure. I was going to hit the ship. Atthe last moment I tried the aileron. It responded, and inthat instant I rolled the plane on its right side and flew be-tween the cruiser’s second gun turret and the bridge.

I was perhaps three feet from the windows on the bridgeand could see the Japanese officers and enlisted men com-manding the ship. There was an admiral in dress whites,complete with sword. The other offic-ers and men were also in dress whites. Iwas going 530 miles an hour, and I onlygot a glimpse, but that image is im-pressed on my mind forever.

I quickly distanced myself from the shipand slowed to a reasonable speed. Imade no effort to take evasive action,as I knew no one was paying specialattention to me any longer. Somehow,my subconscious alerted me that Ishouldn’t be flying in a straight line, re-gardless. At the speed I was going, itwas painful to make a sharp turn, but Idid. Moments later, there was a gigan-tic explosion where I would have been.That cruiser had turned one of its 8-inch gun turrets andfired at me. If I hadn’t taken evasive action, they wouldhave hit me. I made another turn, with the same results.They were really determined. One more shot and I pulledup into a cloud, where I circled, then came down in anotherdirection.

We had barely rendezvoused when Hugh called on the ra-dio. “The carrier’s sinking, and they’re trying to take theadmiral’s staff off on a cruiser. Go down and strafe it.”

We didn’t need a second invitation. We peeled off and doveon the Oyodo, which had pulled up at the stern of the car-rier. Officers were jumping from the carrier to the forwarddeck of the cruiser. They were huddled together. We torethem to pieces. No one could have survived the fire fromour machine guns. I only hoped this was the same staff thatwas aboard when they attacked Pearl Harbor. When thatattack took place and I was a student in college, I never inmy wildest imagination thought that I would have the

chance to avenge that attack. I felt the greatest satisfactionI’d ever felt in my life.

Flying back to our carrier from the Battle off Cape Engaño,I thought of the way I’d struggled to take those cans ofpeas to school to feed the Japanese. What if some of theJapanese I fed were on that ship? I cursed the fact that mymother wasn’t the ordnance officer on the carrier. I wouldn’thave had a 500-pound bomb; it would have been at least1,000 pounds or maybe 2,000 pounds, even if I could barelyfly with it.

We had sunk the Zuikaku. Her sistership, the Shokaku, had been sunk in theBattle of the Coral Sea. They were thetwo largest operational carriers the Japa-nese ever had. The Zuikaku was the lastJapanese aircraft carrier afloat that hadtaken part in the raid on Pearl Harbor,and assisting in her sinking was beyondmy wildest expectations.

The Zuikaku had been commissionedon September 25, 1941, and was theflagship of the Imperial Japanese Navyas well as the flagship of AdmiralOzawa. She displaced thirty thousandtons and could carry eighty-four aircraft.

Her antiaircraft guns numbered sixteen 5-inch and ninety-six 20mm cannons.

We had a number of hits on the carrier: 500-pound bombsfrom the fighter planes, 2,000-pound bombs from our dive-bombers, and several torpedo hits from the torpedo squad-ron. We lost one torpedo plane and a crew of three. TheJapanese lost 843 officers and men when she went down.They and other countries were learning the consequencesof a sneak attack on the United States.

Bill Davis would be awarded the Navy Cross—second only to the Medal ofHonor—for his part in the sinking of the Zuikakuon October 25, 1944.

This article is adapted from William E. Davis’ book,Sinking the Rising Sun: Dog Fighting & DiveBombing in World War II, available from Ze-nith Press at bookstores around the country and atwww.zenithpress.com.

WWII

Bill Davis receives the Navy Cross on the deckof the USS Lexington for his role in sinking the

Zuikaku.

The national pastime played a key role in the Americanwar effort during World War II and it is a story that has notbeen fully told.

From the frozen tundra of Iceland to the jungles of theSouth Pacific; from the deserts of North Africa to the Nazistadium in Nuremberg, American soldiers, sailors, airmenand Marines playedbaseball whenever, andwherever, they could.

All told, over 500 majorleague and more than2,000 minor leaguebaseball players wentinto the armed forces.Among the first of thesewas Bob Feller, theformer right-handed starpitcher for theCleveland Indians. Fellerwas the sole support forhis family because hisfather, an Iowa farmer,was dying of cancer, andbecause of this he couldhave easily gotten adeferment. Instead, upon hearing of the Japanese attackon Pearl Harbor, he drove to Chicago and reported to aNavy recruiting office.

“We were losing the war,” Feller said. “We needed heroes.”

Feller subsequently served as a gun captain on board thebattleship Alabama and saw action in the Atlantic and thenin the Pacific theater, participating in numerous battles. Butbaseball was not left behind. Feller played baseball andsoftball in Scotland, Iceland and on numerous islands inthe Pacific.

Among the many other baseball stars serving were StanMusial, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Warren Spahn, YogiBerra, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzutto and Hank Greenberg.

Baseball on the Home Front

Given the loss of professional players to the services, therewas much speculationthat professionalbaseball would besuspended for theduration of the war.

However, in his famous“green light” letter, toMajor League BaseballC o m m i s s i o n e rKennesaw MountainLandis, PresidentRoosevelt expressed hispersonal hope thatbaseball would continueduring the war becauseof its impact on thecitizenry.

Baseball responded tothis request, maintaining a full schedule of games anddrawing on teenagers, over-the-hill veterans and “the lame,the halt and the blind” to fill out the major and minor leaguerosters.

Among the more unusual replacement players was PeteGray, an outfielder for the St. Louis Browns. Gray had losthis right arm in an accident, but nonetheless managed tobat one-handed, as well as field fly balls and grounders inthe outfield and then throw them into the infield by aremarkable method of flipping and rolling the ball.

Baseball Goes To WarThe National Pastime In World War II

By James C. Roberts

From the islands of the Pacific to the villages of Europe, American servicemenfound a way to continue to enjoy their national pastime, no matter where they

found themselves.


Although the quality of play may have suffered during thewar years, the fans turned out in droves to follow theirfavorite teams, with servicemen in uniform admitted free.

Baseball also got its fans to support the war effort financially,with the players taking part of their salaries in war bonds.The players and owners were also active in fundraisingdrives.

In one notable fundraising extravaganza Washington Postsports columnist-turned-impresario Shirley Povichpacked 30,000-seatGriffith Stadium for anexhibition game betweenthe Washington Senatorsand a team of Navy All-Stars featuring suchplayers as Bob Feller, PhilRizutto and JoeDiMaggio (Needless tosay, the All-Stars won).

Also helping to attract acrowd were singers KateSmith and Bing Crosbyand a guest appearance byBabe Ruth. The eventraised $2 million –enough to construct aNavy cruiser.

Another successful innovation of the war years wasprofessional women’s baseball - specifically the AllAmerican Girls Professional Baseball League formed byChicago chewing gum magnate William Wrigley. Workingon the assumption that professional baseball would besuspended at some point, Wrigley organized a women’sleague as a way of maintaining fan interest in the game.

Teams were organized in six Midwestern cities (eventuallygrowing to eight) and the women chosen were instructedto “look like ladies and play like men.”

All players were required to attend charm school classesand to wear short skirts and knee socks. The latter providedprecious little protection when sliding into base. Heavilychaperoned and forced to endure long bus trips from city

to city, the players nonetheless thrived on the rugged routineand they became a popular attraction for millions of peoplethroughout the region.

Even today the alumnae of the League (which folded in1954) are an active, though dwindling, group, maintainingan alumnae association with regular meetings andpublications. In the years following the popular movie ALeague of Their Own, the ladies enjoyed a second burst ofcelebrity status.

One of the most poignantexamples of baseball’sappeal could be seen inthe internment campsestablished in severalwestern states for theNisei or Japanese-Americans. More than100,000 were internedduring the war and inmost of the campsbaseball fields were builtand leagues were formed.

Baseball in theEuropeanTheater

By early 1942 Americanservicemen were

beginning to pour into Britain in preparation for the eventualinvasion of the Continent and the push towards Berlin. By1944 1.5 million Yanks were in Britain and they wereplaying baseball all over the kingdom.

The British people, deprived of professional sports for theduration of the war, flocked to watch these games whichwere reported on regularly by the press. Numerous eminentindividuals including Queen Mary, Mrs. Winston Churchilland assorted dukes, bishops and local officials attendedthese games and often threw out the first ball.

Numerous games were organized to raise funds for the wareffort, with an estimated $344,000 being raised by baseballin 1943 alone.

Japanese American children play a game of baseball while interned at theManzanar Relocation Center in California during World War II.


Following the Normandy invasion, baseball crossed thechannel and was soon being played all across Europe in thewake of the advancing U.S. troops.

Among those troopswas private WarrenSpahn who participatedin the battle of theHürtgen Forest and theBattle of the Bulge.

In both campaignsGerman soldiers worecaptured Americanuniforms to infiltrateU.S. lines and, accordingto Spahn, baseballterms and lore wereused extensively by theYanks as identificationtactics.

“If you saw anunidentified man approaching the lines,” Spahn said, “youmight yell out ‘Who plays second sack for the Bums?’”(Translation: Who plays second base for the Dodgers?). “Ifhe didn’t know the answer, he was a deadman.”

Bert Shepard, an Army Air Corps pilotwho was shot down by the Germans andimprisoned in a German POW campsaid, “Every time a new prisoner cameinto the camp he was besieged by guyswanting to know how their favorite teamwas doing back home.”

Shepard himself provided one of themost amazing baseball stories to comeout of the World War II. When he washit by German anti-aircraft fireduring a strafing run his leg wasshattered. After parachuting to theground he was rescued from anangry mob of German villagers bya German medic who amputated theleg and saved Shepard’s life.

Following the American liberation of the camp Shepardcame home and was fitted with a prosthesis. Shepard hadbeen a pitcher in the Washington Senators farm system and

he returned to theminor leagues and wassoon called up by theSenators. Amazingly,Shepard pitched agame on his artificialleg and won. Repeatedsurgeries, however,sidelined him as a majorleague player althoughhe did continue to pitchin the minor leagues.

As the youths advancedacross Europe,baseball went withthem and rudimentaryfields were hastily builtalong the way, fromthe low countries of

Holland and Belgium to the Bavarian Alps.

Among the millions of British subjects who were exposedto baseball was a young lad by the nameof Gary Bedingfield. The boy fell in lovewith this strange and wonderful Yankeeimport and has continued to be a fanever since. Bedingfield now maintains aninternet web site “Baseball in Wartime”– the only one exclusively devoted tobaseball in World War II.

Of the war’s aftermath Bedingfieldwrites:

“On May 7, 1945, the day after theGerman surrender, engineer units,

formerly engaged in building combatbridges and airfields,enthusiastically set abouttransforming the battlefields ofEurope into ball fields, whilehundreds of athletic officers set in

motion the administration and organizational requirements.Never before had there been an athletic program of such

Baseball great Ted Williams is sworn into the military on May 22, 1942. Williamswould go on to become a pilot in the Marine Corps. Despite missing five seasonsduring the prime of his career due to WWII and the Korean War, Williams never

complained about his service, considering it one of his greatest achievements.

Bert Shepard overcame the loss of his leg in WorldWar II to make it to the big leagues for a time

following the war.


magnitude. The amount of equipment required wascolossal, and shortly after VE Day, the War Department inWashington, DC, made available an inventory of sportinggoods that included 85,964ball gloves, 72,850 baseballsand 131,130 bats. By mid-summer 200,000 troops wereplaying in competitiveleagues, military duties werescheduled around games andcombat units temporarily putaside the emotional andphysical scars of recent battlesin their pursuit to be the bestteam in their region. While theCubs and Tigers battled for theWorld Series crown backhome, the GI’s World Series inEurope took place before50,000 servicemen in astadium in Nuremberg,Germany. Just six years earlier a similar sized crowd hadreached a deafening tone as they cheered a vast array ofNazi armament that paraded before them. On this day,former National Leaguepitcher Sam Nahem, withable assistance from NegroLeague hero Leon Day, ledthe OISE all-stars to athrilling five game victoryagainst the mighty 71stInfantry Division.”

Baseball in thePacific Theater

As in Europe, baseball wasplayed throughout thePacific during the war. Asthe Marines went ashore onisland after island across thepacific, the Seabeesfollowed, clearing land forbaseball fields in such exoticlocales as Tarawa, Guadalcanal, Saipan and Guam.(According to Bob Feller the best field was on the island ofUlithi.)

Army troops also played the game extensively in Australia,the Philippines, New Guinea and elsewhere, as did Navysailors. Every ship of any size had at least one team and

virtually every port visitresulted in games againstArmy or Marine teams orteams from other ships.

Perhaps the most famouscompetition was the PacificWorld Series held in Hawaiibetween teams of Army andNavy All-Stars. In most ofthem were star players fromthe major leagues. AdmiralChester Nimitz threw out thefirst ball.

The Marines had their own“Little World Series” inJanuary of 1945 between the

All-Stars of the Second Marine Division, based on Saipanand Third Marine Division All-Stars based on Guam.

The star pitcher for thatseries was James “Jimmy”Trimble, who was a graduateof St. Albans School inWashington D.C. and hadbeen signed by Clark Griffithof the Washington Senators.He is still rated the best highschool pitcher inWashington D.C. history andmany of his survivingcontemporaries think hecould have been the nextWalter Johnson or BobFeller.

Trimble volunteered for ahazardous scouting missionon Iwo Jima and was killedin hand-to-hand fighting

when the Japanese overran his position.

Gen. Graves Erskine had the baseball field on Guam named“Trimble Field” in his honor.

James Trimble, thought by many to be the next great baseball star,was killed during the battle for Iwo Jima on March 1, 1945.

Trimble Field, on the island of Guam, is dedicated in memory ofJimmy Trimble. A new Trimble Field, built near the original, wasopened in 2005 with the support of the World War II Veterans

Committee.


Before the war began baseball was, of course, segregatedon the home front and that practice persisted in the armedservices. In their segregated units the black soldiers, sailorsand airmen formed baseball teams and leagues just as theirwhite counterparts did.

The evils of segregation persisted also with even legendaryAfrican-American players suchas John “Buck” O’Neil notbeing exempted.

O’Neil played on ninechampionship teams during aneighteen-year career in theNegro Leagues (O’Neil laterserved as President of theNegro Leagues Museum inKansas City and was active inbaseball up until his passing in2006).

Despite qualifying for anexemption from militaryservice O’Neil insisted ondoing his part and he joinedthe Navy Seabees and was sentto the South Pacific. One ofthe Seabees’ more pleasantduties was using bulldozers tocarve baseball fields out ofislands from New Guinea tothe Aleutians.

Assigned to Subic Bay in thePhilippines towards the end ofthe war O’Neil recalled anincident there in which he and his fellow soldiers took aload of ammunition to a destroyer.

“We got there in an LST, and started sending ammunitionup. Then somebody started blowing taps. The little ensignon the deck got on and said, “Attention Niggers!” Whenhe said that I went up that ladder and said, “Do you knowwhat you’re saying? I am a Navy man! I just happen to beblack. I’m fighting for the same thing you are.”

The captain was called and the ensign berated. O’Neilcontinued, “The thing about it was when he sat back and

thought about it, he started to cry. I said, “Don’t cry, justdon’t do it anymore.”

Japanese Baseball

An interesting sidelight to the story of baseball in WorldWar II is Japanese baseball. Americans introduced baseball

to the Japanese in the late 19th

century and in the 50 yearsleading up to the war the gamegrew steadily in popularity. Inthe 1930s baseball or basa baruas the Japanese called it – wasplayed at the professional levelwith an eight-team league andtwo seasons.

Baseball historian GaryBedingfield notes on hisBaseball in Wartime website:

“During World War II, theJapanese professional leaguecontinued to play until August1944. Just as in the UnitedStates, the game served as amajor morale booster tocivilians and servicemen, anddespite being at war with thenation that introduced themto baseball, the Japanesepeople could not curb theirinsatiable appetite for thegame.

“Professional teams such asKyojin (Tokyo) and the Hanshin (Osaka) Tigers played 80-plus games a season between 1940 and 1943. However,the draw on manpower reduced teams to a 35-game seasonin 1944, playing one game every four days. By 1945 nearlyall professional players from Japan’s eight teams were inmilitary service and 69 of them were killed, includingnational superstars Eiji Sawamura and Shinichi Ishimaru.”

Not only were the Japanese passionate fans of their ownteams, they followed the American game closely as welland many American baseball stars such as Babe Ruth and

Future Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller left his job with theCleveland Indians on the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor to

enlist in the U.S. Navy. He would attend the Naval War College inNewport, R.I., and was made chief of a 24-man gun crew on theUSS Alabama, serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters.


Lou Gehrig toured Japan and received wildly enthusiasticreceptions.

Washington Senators catcher Moe Berg worked on the sideas an intelligence agent for the U.S. government and he tookadvantage of several pre-war tours of Japan to take homemovies of several Japanesecities. These films were laterused in the planning of JimmyDoolittle’s famous raid overJapan in 1942.

War’s End

Following the war the majorleaguers came back home (withthe exception of two –Washington Senators outfielderElmer Gedeon andPhiladelphia A’s catcher HarryO’Neil, both of whom werekilled in combat). Many of theplayers retired because theyhad become too old or, likeperennial All-Star Senatorsshort stop Cecil Travis,because of war injuries.

Most, however, returned to theballparks where they faced atough year of readjustment.Even those who went on togreat success had lost severalyears of prime playing time.

A Seattle computer specialist, Ralph Winnie, did an analysisof the data on the major leagues and published a projectionof what their stats would have been if they had not servedduring the war.

Bill Gilbert in his book, They Also Served, summed up thefindings:

“Winne discovered that (Ted) Williams would have becomethe all-time RBI champion if he hadn’t lost those three yearsduring World War II and two more in Korea. He also wouldhave hit 222 more home runs, giving him 743, second onlyto Hank Aaron’s 755. Instead, he hit 521 and ranks eighth.

DiMaggio, Mize, and Greenberg all would have hit morethan 500 home runs. As it was, none of them came close.DiMaggio had the most, 361, two more than Mize, and 30more than Greenberg.

For pitchers, Winnie’s formula shows Feller would have wonanother 107 games, giving him373 for his career instead of266, plus another 1,070strikeouts, five no-hittersinstead of three, and 19 one-hitters instead of 12.

Feller would have ended hiscareer with twenty-one fullseasons instead of seventeenyears and six weeks in 1945.Spahn would have had the thirdmost wins in history instead offifth.”

Gilbert adds:

“The players who lost that timeand those additional numbershave never expressed any senseof bitterness or resentment.Feller, Slaughter and Williamsare typical. Appearing on“Major League BaseballMagazine,” they spokeunselfishly about the time theylost during World War II.

Feller said “I’m very proud ofmy war record, just like my baseball record. I would neverhave been able to face anybody and talk about my baseballrecord if I hadn’t spent time in the service.”

James C. Roberts is president of the World War II Veterans Com-mittee and author of Hardball on the Hill: Baseball Storiesfrom Our Nation’s Capital.

WWII

The program from a baseball game played in Britain between theUnited States Army & Navy, 1944.



The Battle of Okinawa—nicknamed the “Typhoon of Steel”—was the last and largest amphibious assault in the Pacific duringWorld War II. On April 1, 1945, theU.S. Tenth Army, under the commandof Lt. General Simon Bolivar Buckner,Jr., commenced the invasion of Okinawa,preparing to take on over 100,000 well-entrenched Japanese defenders. ThoughOkinawa proved to be the final majorbattle of World War II, it was not ex-pected to be, as the island was intendedto be the staging ground for what wascodenamed “Operation Downfall”—theAllied invasion of Japan. Yet the Japa-nese on Okinawa fought as if this weretheir last stand, unleashing a wave ofkamikaze attacks on U.S. ships offshorewhile the defenders of the island hid incaves, only emerging to rain mortar andmachine-gun fire upon the advancingAmericans.

The carnage on Okinawa was stagger-ing. U.S. casualties numbered over72,000—over two and a half timesmore than on Iwo Jima. Among the deadwere famed war correspondent Ernie Pyleand General Buckner himself—the high-est-ranking American officer killed by enemy fire during World WarII. Japanese military casualties numbered over 90,000, with over100,000 civilians dead. The ferocity of the fighting, combined withthe massive number of casualties, led American military strategiststo seek an alternative means of ending the war, as the destructionon Okinawa would pale in comparison to any invasion of the Japa-nese home islands. While continued fire-bombing of Japanese citiesmight have forced an eventual surrender short of invasion, the de-ployment of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki con-vinced the Japanese to finally surrender, with what most historiansagree was fewer casualties than additional fire-bombing campaignsor a land invasion. Yet had Okinawa not been so bloody, an am-phibious invasion of Japan would have been a distinct possibility.

At the American Veterans Center’s 9th Annual Conference lastfall, four veterans of Okinawa—Donald Dencker, John “Bos”

Ensor, Leonard “Laz” Lazarick, andRenwyn Triplett—recounted their expe-riences in infantry combat against theJapanese. In this issue of World War IIChronicles, we share their remarks, asthey remember the bloodiest battle ofWorld War II.

Donald Dencker: The 96th Infan-try Division, of which we were apart when we landed on Leyte in1944 and later Okinawa, was a typi-cal Army triangular division consist-ing of three infantry regiments,three light supporting 105mm artil-lery battalions, one heavy 155mmartillery battalion, an engineer com-bat battalion, a medical battalion,and a recon troop. The table of or-ganization strength was 14,253men. We were never at thatstrength, however. We landed onOkinawa with about 13,000 men.

Okinawa is located on the RyukyuIslands chain, about 340 miles south of the Japanese homeisland of Kyushu. We landed on the China Sea side—thewest side—of Okinawa with four divisions: the 1st MarineDivision, the 6th Marine Division, the 7th Infantry Divi-sion, and the 96th Infantry Division. It was April 1st—AprilFool’s Day, and we were the fools, I guess.

Fighting the Japanese was completely unlike fighting theGermans. It was an entirely different war, a war withoutmercy. First of all, we lost exactly zero prisoners to theJapanese. While quite a few men were taken prisoner bythe Germans, none of ours were taken by the Japanese. Ifyou were in a hopeless situation, you either fought your

OkinawaThe Typhoon of Steel

The invasion plans for Okinawa. Upon landing, theMarines were to turn north, while the Army was to

turn south.


way out or you died. Nobody wore any insignia or rank ontheir uniforms in our outfit. If you wore any sign that youwere an officer, you were just signing your death warrant.Our medics and chaplains carried rifles, and they used them.It was truly a fight to the end, so those of us who are heretoday are very fortunate.

The Japanese army was thoroughly indoctrinated to fightto the end, and it was considered an honor to die for theemperor, Hirohito, rather than survive the war.

John Ensor: The civilians had been told by the Japanesemilitary that it was better to die than to come with us, be-cause we would rape the womenand kill the men, so there was atremendous number of suicidesamong the locals. I saw no evi-dence of this until the very lastday I was in the battle, which wasthe 14th of June, 1945. It was ina rural village called Ozato,which is on the lower part of theisland. The Japanese soldiers hadtaken off to the south but left ci-vilians behind. About 4:00 in themorning on the 14th, we heardsome moaning coming fromhouses on the other side of astone wall at which we were sta-tioned. At first we thought the Japanese were trickier thanwe thought; maybe they were waiting for us to stick ourheads over the wall. So we waited until dawn, and I put ahelmet on the end of my carbine and raised it a little abovethe top of the wall. I got no action, so I got up and lookedover the wall, and before me were a little child with a grand-mother and grandfather. The grandfather had committedhara-kiri on both of the women, as well as himself. Hedied about ten minutes later. I have had that in my mindfor over sixty years. It is sad that this had to come to thesecivilians.

Donald Dencker: That was quite typical, and unfortu-nately, over 100,000 Okinawans died. One incident I re-call was when I came across a family of about a dozenOkinawans. They were all dying after having taken strych-nine which was given to them by the retreating Japanesesoldiers.

Leonard Lazarick: History tells us that the Japanese hadamassed the largest concentration of artillery and heavyweapons in the whole Pacific War. They had two years toprepare for us and they proved their worth. They had closeto 200 heavy weapons. Now, in terms of the war in Eu-rope, that might sound like an insignificant number. Butremember this: on Okinawa the concentration of the Japa-nese defenses were on the southern one-quarter of the is-land. This translates into roughly 120 square miles of land.Imagine six by 20 miles, and all this weaponry in one con-centrated area—not only 150mm howitzers, but 100 anti-tank guns, and the giant spigot mortars which fired huge800-pound shells. They were so large, you could actually

see them in flight. They left a cra-ter about 15-feet deep and justabout 40-feet in diameter. Per-sonally, I never thought that itwas a good military weapon,though it would scare the day-lights out of you.

Having so much time to prepare,the Japanese had the entire south-ern end of Okinawa zeroed in.They had bracketed in exactlywhere their weapons could go,what their trajectory should be,what the elevation and angleshould be, so they could just

about put a shell in your hip pocket. They had the highground, and could see every movement we made. We wereno mystery to the Japanese soldiers; they knew exactlywhere we were.

Donald Dencker: They had a great many anti-tank bat-talions on Okinawa, and succeeded in knocking out 113Sherman tanks. A sizeable portion of the tanks we hadwere knocked out or disabled. There were also a lot ofmines. Renwyn Triplett was in the mine platoon, and wassupposed to lay mines but ended up removing them.

Renwyn Triplett: I was in charge of a 3-57mm anti-tankgun platoon and demolition. I alternated between the gunplatoon and the mine platoon whenever I was needed there.Our first mission on the island was to remove a mine fieldthat had stalled a convoy truck. Our squad went out thereand were surprised to find that it wasn’t the type of minethat we had anticipated. These were large, conical-shaped

Soldiers of the 96th Infantry Division use ladders to scalethe sea wall during the initial invasion of Okinawa.


mines that had two horns on each side and looked like ateakettle—we called them teakettle mines. In these horns,which were made of soft lead, was a vial of acid. When thehorns were crushed, the acid went down to make a con-nection to the fuse and blew the mine. We would get downon our stomachs and disarm the mines by unscrewing thehorns. I generally got my pliers out and eased it out reallyquick with about two turns. After we got them all removed,we’d take them all and put them in a pile, put two satchelcharges on them, blow the fuse and run like the dickens toget out of the way.

On one instance, we went off to clear another mine field.While on our way there, ourlieutenant, myself, and oursquad approached a road. Welooked to see if anything wasout of the ordinary, and thelieutenant crossed the road.About that time machine gunsstarted firing right across thecenter of the road, bursts ofthree or four shots at a time,then pause for a second ortwo, and start back up again.We timed it so that when itpaused, we would jump acrossthe road. Well, I was the lastone to get across, and when Istarted I had a full canteen of water. When I got to theother side, it was gone. I looked down and my web belt onwhich the canteen was fastened was cut, just like you wouldcut with a pair of scissors. That bullet hit pretty good totake that canteen out. It was my first close call.

Donald Dencker: Unfortunately, many of us had closecalls on Okinawa.

We landed against very light opposition and turned south,while the Marines went north. The Japanese were mainlyon the southern fifth of the island in prepared positions,deeply entrenched in caves and pillboxes. Typically theywould hide in caves on the reverse slopes of the ridges tobe sheltered from our artillery bombardment. But they keptquick access to their firing positions. The Japanese had abeautiful defensive plan and it really proved to be a war ofattrition. They fought to hold us from taking Okinawa for

as long as possible, so they could prepare for the defenseof the home islands.

Leonard Lazarick: It was customary for the Japanese tolob a few shells onto our lines every night, just to remindus that they were there. However, on the night of April 12,at about 9:00, they opened up with some very heavy shell-ing for what it seemed to me was hours. There were over2,000 shells that fell on the lines of the 96th Infantry Divi-sion during that night. The Japanese had planned an attackto pierce through our lines and get beyond our frontlinetroops and back to the service personnel and headquarterspeople to raise as much mischief and havoc as possible.

Their goal was what theycalled “Seven to One.” Theywanted to kill seven Ameri-cans for every one Japanesethat gave up his life. It was avery ambitious undertaking.There was a Japanese colonelnamed Yohara who was a ge-nius tactician and had de-signed most of the defensivepositions on the island. Hediscouraged the attack be-cause he felt that they couldinflict more casualties by forc-ing us to attack their en-trenched positions.

Their attack ultimately failed, thank goodness, because ifthey had gotten behind our lines, we would have beentrapped. I might point out that on Okinawa, the Army andMarines suffered 26,000 non-battle casualties. A lot of mencould not handle the bombardment—in those days wecalled it combat fatigue. We had men who had been throughthe Philippines and had fought well through the early partof Okinawa, but as the battle continued, just could nottake it anymore. One night, as we were under bombard-ment, the assistant squad leader in my hole yelled out, “Igotta get up and get out of here!” I had to jump on top ofhim and hold him down in the hole. I told him, “Mac, yougo out there and you’ll be cut to ribbons!” I stayed on himuntil the shelling stopped. He left the following morningand went back to the medical aid station and I never heardor saw from him again.

Men of Co. L, 382nd Infantry display captured Japanese weapons.


Donald Dencker: That happened to a few of my buddiesfrom Love Company—Company L—after the Japanesecounter-attack. It was a blessing to have the Japanese tryto attack us because that was the easiest way to kill them.We took a great number of casualties trying to dig themout of their reinforced pillboxes, tunnels, and caves.

On April 19, the Army made a big push in an attempt tobreak the Japanese defensive line. At the time, the 96th

Infantry Division was in the center, and we attacked thehighly defended Japanese lines at Tombstone Ridge andNishibaru Ridge. We broke the Japanese outer defenses,but with casualties so heavythat we were relieved fromcombat on the 22nd of Aprilbecause we were no longerin fighting shape. Laz tookpart in repelling the Japanesecounter-attack on NishibaruRidge.

Leonard Lazarick: AsDon likes to point out,though the Japanese had theirshare of artillery, the Ameri-can Army and Marine Corpswere no slouches them-selves. In preparation for thetaking of Tombstone Ridge,every piece of artillery onthat island was firing for at least half an hour, directly ontothe ridge to try to soften it up. To show you the tenacity ofthe enemy, after all that shelling, when we left our line ofdeparture and attacked Tombstone Ridge, out popped theJapanese soldiers, firing back on us. They were very, verytough, and well-entrenched. After two days of hard fight-ing, Tombstone Ridge came under American arms. Shortlyafter, we were to take Nishibaru Ridge, and our companywas ordered to make a flanking movement to go down intothe gorge between the ridges, then come up from the westside to attack. Two platoons from my company made itinto the town of Nishibaru, and once they were there theywere swept with heavy machine gun fire. My platoon wasstill supposedly in reserve, and we were hiding behind astone fence, with bullets ricocheting off the top of thefence. And while we were crouching and waiting for thisfiring to stop, along comes a captain from regiment, with abullet hole in his arm. He told us, “You’ve got to get up on

that ridge and start firing! The second platoon is trappeddown in that village.” So we did. We had a light machinegun from our weapons platoon, a BAR, and I had an M-1.But almost immediately after the machine gun opened up,the gunner was killed. Jim Peters, who was with me, pushedthe body aside, slid the BAR over to me, and continued tofire. Looking over to my left, I saw one of the strangestthings I have ever witnessed. Here was Sgt. Davis Dovel,from M Company, cradling a water-cooled machine gun, inhis arms, and firing it from the hip, raking it into a com-pany strength attack by the Japanese. They were so close,ladies and gentlemen, that I could see the whites of their

eyes. Don Dencker and hismortar groups kept raisingthe elevation of their mor-tars, higher and higher, untilthey were firing almoststraight up in the air. ThankGod the wind didn’t changebecause those shells wouldhave landed on our ownlines. They couldn’t havebeen more than 50 yards infront of us. In short, we wereable to repulse the attack.They tell me that 195 Japa-nese soldiers lost their livesthat morning. I don’t know. Inever went around to count.

Don Dencker: On the night of May 9, we were marchingback into the front line after some time off when wordcame down that Germany had surrendered—V-E Day. Itdidn’t mean a doggone thing to us. We were going backinto the front lines and many of us would be wounded andkilled. It was so meaningless—absolutely meaningless.

Our next assignment was to finally break the main Japa-nese defense line at Zebra Hill.

Leonard Lazarick: On May 9, we were ordered to re-lieve the 7th Infantry Division that had been on the linessince April 1. You could see the relief in the eyes of thesefellas when we came in. They left, and we took over theirpositions, and were ordered to attack on the 10th. We setout the next morning, and no sooner did we show ourselvesthat we were raked with heavy machine gun fire. One halfof my platoon was either killed or wounded within a minute

The 96th Infantry Divisions returns to the front lines of Okinawa onMay 9, 1945 - V-E Day. For the men going back into battle, the victory

in Europe meant little.


or two. My squad leader, Jim Peters, was severely wounded,catching a bullet through his leg. The medics were busytrying to care for the rest of the wounded so I ripped offPeters’ uniform to expose the bullet hole in his leg andtook his first-aid kit and ripped open the bandages andpoured the sulfamid powder into the wound. I told him,“Pete, you’ve got yourself a winner.” In our terms, thatmeant he was to win a ticket home, and this would be theend of the war for him. He said that was fine, and to gethim out of there.

When the litter bear-ers came, I was left incharge of the rem-nants of the squad.We tried again to takethe hill that afternoon,and for some reason,it was much easierthis time. The onlything I can attribute itto is the heroism of alieutenant namedSeymour Terry, who Ibelieve was from 1st

Battalion. That morn-ing he had single-handedly destroyedseveral Japanesecaves and pillboxesbefore being mortallywounded. He wouldbe awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions. He madeour job quite a bit easier.

That night, we made it to the reverse slope of Item Hill,facing Zebra Hill. The following day, we advanced on Ze-bra Hill. The Japanese pulled a nice trick, allowing us toget into an open space where they had a good fix on us inour exposed positions, they would open up on us in acrossfire with their automatic weapons. It was a death trap.Fortunately, I was able to get to the slit-trenches that theJapanese had dug in the area before. The fellows who wereout in the open were severely wounded and killed. We hadto retreat, and retake the same ground the next day, May12, which was my last day in combat. Again, the Japaneselet us get down into the open, in a nice, flat area. No soonerdid we expose ourselves that they opened up on us, and

again, I had been in the front of my squad. We turned toget out of there, and I was in a dead run when two Japa-nese soldiers took aim at me and started firing. I could hearthe bullets whining and snapping, before one of them shotme. That was the end of the war for me.

Donald Dencker: This was the biggest attack of thebattle, finally breaking the Japanese inner defenses. The6th Marine Division came in from the north to help the

Army out. We brokethe right flank of theJapanese defense lineand precipitated theirwithdrawal to thesouth. The Japanesemade their last standthere at the southernend of the island. Weswept in from thenorth, to the end ofthe island, and wereable to clean out theremaining defenders.We are darn proud ofthat. The PresidentialUnit Citation wasawarded to the 96th

Infantry Division forits extraordinaryheroism on Okinawafrom April 1 to June30, 1945. Only four

entire Army divisions were awarded the Presidential UnitCitation during the war, and the 96th was one.

There were over 1,600 graves of men from the 96th Infan-try Division on Okinawa. All of us who made it home arefortunate to be here today, and we will never forget thosewho were lost.

Donald Dencker, Leonard Lazarick, and Renwyn Triplett will bespeaking on the Pacific War at the American Veterans Center’s10th Annual Conference in Washington, DC, from November 8-10, 2007. Their stories were featured on the History Channel docu-mentary Shootout!: Okinawa: The Last Battle of World WarII, available from www.history.com.

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The 96th Infantry Division Okinawa Cemetery No. 1. Cemetery No. 2 was equally aslarge. The men’s remains were later re-interred at the National Cemetery of the Pacific,

known as the “Punchbowl,” in Hawaii.


Currahee!An Excerpt From Veterans Chronicles

Featuring Donald Burgett

The World War II Veterans Committee began with the productionof the award-winning radio documentary series, World War IIChronicles, commemorating the 50th anniversary of World WarII. This program, hosted by the late, great “Voice of World WarII,” Edward J. Herlihy, aired on over 500 stations nationwidebetween 1991 and 1995 on the Radio America network. In theyears since, the World War II Veterans Committee has produceddozens of radio documentaries and series, in an effort to bring thehistory of the Second World War tothe American public.

The Committee’s tradition of qualityradio programming continues withthe weekly series, VeteransChronicles, hosted by Gene Pell,former NBC PentagonCorrespondent and head of Voiceof America and Radio FreeEurope/Radio Liberty. WithVeterans Chronicles, listeners aretaken back in history, and told thestory of World War II by the menand women who fought, and won, thewar. The series is broadcast on the Radio America network andpast shows can be heard at www.wwiivets.com. In this issue, weprint an excerpt from a recent episode.

Donald Burgett was one of the first airborne troops to land inNormandy early in the morning of D-Day as a member of the101st “Screaming Eagle” Division. He would later parachute intoHolland, fighting for 72 days behind enemy lines. During the Battleof the Bulge he and the 101st successfully held out against nineGerman armored divisions in the siege of Bastogne. He subse-quently fought through the Ruhr Valley, the Black Forest, Bavaria,and Austria. He was one of only eleven men out of 200 in hiscompany to survive from Normandy to the end of the war.

The D-Day landings were originally scheduled for June 5th, but foulweather in the English Channel, low visibility, and heavy seas forcedEisenhower to postpone for 24 hours. The following morning—June 6th—Burgett was once again on a plane which would drop himbehind enemy lines.

I was in one of the lead flights, and we circled aroundEngland. I always liken it to a comet; we circled overEngland, adding planes to the tail, which got longer andlonger as we circled. All the planes couldn’t take off atone time, so we continually circled as more planes wouldcome up to rendezvous with us, and fall into the comet tailwhich grew longer and longer.

We were coming into Normandyfrom the backside; we wereheading back toward Englandwhen we jumped. That is whyyou read of cases when the stickdropped too late, they landed inthe English Channel and theydrowned. So we had a small win-dow in which you had to startjumping, otherwise you are go-ing to land deep in enemy terri-tory if you jumped to early oryou were going to land in thechannel if you jumped too late.As we came over Jersey and

Guernsey, we were ordered to stand and hook up. We re-moved the door from the plane and as we came over thecoast of France, we could see the fires on the ground. Therewere bombers that preceded us in, so they knocked outkey anti-aircraft positions. At the same time, it gave theGermans the impression that this was a bombing run—they didn’t expect that there were a lot of paratrooperscoming out of that plane.

We ran into a cloudbank, and only the lead plane of eachflight had a directional finder which was compatible to thepathfinders who had jumped in on their drop zones an hourbefore we were to drop. When we entered the cloudbank,many of the planes had to divert from each other, sincethey could not see. Without the guidance system, whichonly the lead plane had that we could not see, our flightfragmented. But it was not the pilot’s fault.


Burgett had landed 12 miles from his designated DZ, but it wasn’tlong before his first encounter. He wasn’t sure whether it was friendor foe.

I finally got out of my har-ness and loaded my rifle, andI saw somebody moving. I putthe cricket alongside my rifleand clicked it—they don’tsound like crickets, youknow, they just “click-clack.”The figure stopped, and thenno answer, no cricket, so hestarted moving toward meand I could see he was on hishands and knees. He got toabout 5 or 6 feet away, and Ihad the safety off my rifle, soI thought that if he made anykind of move, I could blow him away. I recognized him asa man named Hundley from my squad. So I said, “Howcome you didn’t answer me?” He told me, “I lost my cricketand my throat was so dry, I couldn’t talk!”

We had, you know, a challengeon the cricket, which was“click-click,” and the answerwas, “click-click, click-click.”So if you lost your cricket theway he did, your challengeword was “Flash,” and theother person was to answer“Thunder.” And the reasonthey picked “Thunder” is be-cause if a German overheardwhat you were doing and hetried that, he’d say “Toonder”and you would know to pull thetrigger.

Burgett and his comrade were soonjoined by two other members of the 101st Airborne and the fourparatroopers suddenly found themselves under heavy enemy fire.

So the Germans were opening up on us, there were a lot offireworks, mortar shells dropping, machine guns cross fir-ing, and we hid in a ditch. I said, “If we stay in this holethe Germans won’t have to work very hard to take us out.”

They could drop a 81mm mortar in the middle of the holeanytime they wanted to. So we left the hole and went theother way, and broke through a hedgerow onto a road, andthere was Lt. Muir, the jumpmaster of our stick, with about

17 men. Some were 82nd, andsome were 101st, most ofthem I didn’t know. Welooked around and saw achurch steeple, and knew allthe paratroopers in the areawould gravitate toward thesteeple because that was thecenter of the town.

Burgett and his buddies managedto reach the town where they dis-covered a large contingent of the101st had gathered. All of themwould soon be in major battles

with the Germans. And it wasn’t just the Germans. To their sur-prise, their fiercest opposition came from White Russian Cossackson horseback who had signed on as mercenaries with the Nazis.

They would come down overthe hedgerows, guiding theirmounts with a schmeiser in onehand and a saber in the other,so we shot a lot of them outof their saddles. They wouldcut you in half with that saberif they got a good swing atyou. We hit the GermanWehrmacht—the infantry—who drove us back a little bit,and after a counter-attack wedrove them back. Then the SScame in and they drove usback, so we counter-attackedagain, back and forth. We musthave been in some tough fight-ing, because I remember every

day of combat from Normandy all the way up to Hitler’sEagle’s Nest, but there are times in that particular battlethat I just can’t remember to this day. Something must havehappened that my mind took care of it.

December 16, 1944: The German army launches 26 divisions oftanks and infantry against Allied lines in France and Belgium. It

A map demonstrating the D-Day invasion plans. Note the approach ofthe 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions from the west, near the Channel

Islands.

U.S. Army Signal Corps photo of members of 2nd platoon, A Co.,506th PIR of the 101st Airborne loading on their plane on the

evening of June 5, 1944: D - 1. Included with the group is DonaldBurgett.


was a desperate gamble that came close to succeeding. One of thereasons it failed was the 101st Airborne Division, which arrived inthe town of Bastogne on December 19, and stubbornly held it,despite being surrounded by German divisions. They demanded sur-render. The 101st Airborne’s commander, Brig. General AnthonyMcAuliffe, sent back a one word answer: “NUTS!” DonaldBurgett was one of McAuliffe’s soldiers.

The Battle of the Bulge started on the 16th of Decemberand by the 17th, we were on the road. As we moved downthe road, sitting in open trucks, we saw a sign of what wasgoing on ahead of us. We knew it must have been big,because the engineers had gonethrough and cut knots on the big,stately trees that lined the road,and placed TNT on them. If theGermans got that far, they wouldstart blowing the trees across theroad.

We finally pulled to the outskirtsof Bastogne, though we did notknow where we were. We had oneorder: hold it. There will be nosurrender, and no withdrawal. Wewere told to stay there and fight‘til you’re dead.

General McAuliffe and his menfaced formidable odds. They wer e poorly equipped andarmed, physically and mentally wor n out, having foughtfor 72 days previously in Holland. Snow was waist deep,and temperatures wer e well below zero. Yet theyp e r s e v e r e d .

General McAuliffe had taken command of the 101st be-cause General Taylor had gone back to the States. Here wewere, not well equipped; we had no ammunition and veryfew weapons because we’d just gotten out of Holland, sowe had turned in our machine guns, rifles, mortars, andbazookas to be replaced. So when we went into Bastogne,as far as weapons were concerned, we were naked. One ofthe guys had a stick, another had a knife, another had apistol; and we’re going to go up against tanks. We wereexperienced, so maybe they had faith in us, or maybe theywere just putting a cork in the barrel—it wouldn’t hold theGermans but it would gain us some time.

Even though the Allies controlled the air, they could notcontrol the fog. Day after day it blanketed the entirebattlefield, preventing dropping of essentials, such as food,water, clothing, and above all, ammunition.

The 2nd Battalion went into reserve. We marched the fullway through Foy, about 3 ½ miles toward Noville. The 3rd

Battalion stopped there and formed a second line of de-fense. The 1st Battalion went on to Noville. About fourhours before we got there, some elements of the 10th Ar-mored arrived with about 15 Sherman tanks, somehalftracks, and armored infantry. So when we got there a

lieutenant from the 10th Armoredwent around to the tanks andbegged, borrowed, and stole am-munition and weapons for us,which he loaded into a jeep in themiddle of the road. As wemarched by on either side, hehanded me two bandoliers of am-munition that I just stuck in mypocket. He armed us with gre-nades, and got us some bazookarockets and so forth. He pickedup everything he could. That wasthe only time we received weap-ons, though our command kepttelling us that they had ammuni-tion and weapons coming, though

they never did. And so we went into Noville and the Ger-mans started shelling us pretty heavy; our colonel was killedoutright in the first barrage.

The fog started coming in. It didn’t drift in; it came straightdown, like a curtain on a stage. You would hear enginesrunning in the distance, the fog would lift, and there wouldbe 10-15 German tanks. Then it would come down againand go back up, and there would be no tanks. It was spooky. We attacked up a hill, and the tanks came over, and whenthe fog lifted I looked up and counted 32 German tanksbacked by infantry bearing down on us. I had a rifle with abayonet. We had to pull back into town and that’s whenthe real siege started. But in less than four hours of attack-ing these tanks, we went from having 140 to 160 men downto 58 left.

They fought their way through, but lost a lot of Shermanson their way. The Germans closed the line behind them,

Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division watch as badlyneeded supplies are dropped into the encircled town of

Bastogne.


so when the other tanks came up the next day and theyshot the Germans from the inside and the outside, theyopened up the line for good. We finally received supplies;overcoats, gloves, K-rations, ammunition, and even weap-ons. And then our commander ordered us into the attackwhere we fought, day and night, for a month.

By January 3, the German Divisions were in full retreat. Hitler’sgamble had failed. Moreover, he had lost over100,000 soldiers, with 30,000 dead. The troops wereirreplaceable, as were the thousands of tanks and othermateriel destroyed by the Allies. Americanlosses were also heavy. Some estimates putthem at 20,000 killed, with 40,000wounded and 20,000 taken as POWs. Butthe Americans could recover; the Naziscould not. The magnitude and significanceof the victory were etched on those whomade it possible.

General McAuliffe recognized it first.When he went into the war room that wasthere, he looked over the war map and hestruck his finger on Bastogne, and he said,“This is it, this is the key to the wholething.” He recognized it, and was a verygood general. He said this was where thewar was going to be fought, and therewould be no withdrawal and no surrender

That was the end of the war for Donald Burgett.He was one of only 11 men out of 200 in his company to survivefrom D-Day to the end of the war. Later, in civilian life, hebecame a widely respected author, whose book, Currahee! is theonly book from World War II endorsed by General Dwight D.Eisenhower. And how did Donald Burgett manage that?

When I finished it, I tried to sell it. Then I found out youhad to have an agent. An agent finally placed it withHoughton Mifflin. They didn’t believe it, that I was thefirst private or enlisted man who wrote a book about para-troopers in World War II. They said that nobody could gothrough all of this, and had never heard it before. So theywanted it authenticated and got hold of Martin Blumenson,who at the time was the head of the military archives inWashington, DC, and knew President Eisenhower.Blumenson took the manuscript to Eisenhower, who was

so impressed that after he read it, he phoned my publisherand said that it was the closest thing to the truth of any-thing he had ever read. He said that this was all he wasvolunteering, a statement for my book, which was morethan he had done for any other book on the war. So hemade a statement to endorse the book.

The kicker is that the publisher was so taken by this thatthey brought my wife and I to New York for a dinner withtheir top editors. After we had dinner, they brought a phoneto the table, and a voice came on which said, “Mr. Burgett?”

I responded, “Yes?” “This is GeneralEisenhower,” he replied. I said, “Yeah, andI’m the tooth fairy!” And he cracked up.He laughed so hard I knew he was rollingon the floor, and my editors did, too. Butthat was my introduction to GeneralEisenhower and he immediately sent a let-ter off to me from Gettysburg, which I stillhave in a safe deposit box. But he madethe statement that did appear on the bookand he did say that it was the best thingthat he’d ever read.

And what was it that drew the endorsement andattention of Burgett’s book to the commander inchief of the entire European Theater ofOperations?

I think it’s because most of the books werewritten by people who had been at this along time and from their point of view.

When I wrote it, I didn’t know how to write professionally.I was never schooled in that, but I could always tell a goodstory. After work I would stop and have a cold beer orsomething, and all the guys that I was working with whohad never been in combat would ask me to tell them sto-ries about the war. I finally settled on writing the storydown. And I told it from my foxhole, eye level.

Donald Burgett will be speaking on his experiences at the American Veter-ans Center’s 10th Annual Conference from November 8-10, 2007. He isthe author of such acclaimed books as Seven Roads to Hell, The Roadto Arnhem, Beyond the Rhine, and of course Currahee!: A Scream-ing Eagle at Normandy.

This episode of Veterans Chronicles, as well as many others, can beheard at www.wwiivets.com.

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A later edition of Donald Burgett’sclassic book, with introduction by

Stephen E. Ambrose.


In determining causes of the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and eventssince, often overlooked is the role Iraq played in World War II.Though Iraq is a country rarely mentioned in discussing the ef-fects the Second World War has had upon the world, it was, infact, greatly influenced by the events that transpired in the Anglo-Iraqi War of 1941. The anti-British sentiment that first devel-oped during World War I when theBritish, at war against the OttomanEmpire, invaded Iraq, flourished inthe hands of Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani,Iraq’s Prime Minster in 1940. A de-veloping country with a corruptleader can yield dangerous results,as was also the case in the PersianGulf War under the reign ofSaddam Hussein. Iraq has long beena land of constant turmoil and con-flict, dating from Mesopotamia’s fallto the Ottoman Turks to today’s cur-rent Iraq War. The events of theAnglo-Iraqi War help explain Iraq’sfuture refusals to accept diplomaticmeans of resolving disputes.

Iraq’s first encounter with the Brit-ish occurred in World War I inBritain’s war against the Ottoman Empire. The British invadedIraq with intensions of returning control of Iraq back to its people.In 1920, the British suppressed a revolt by nationalists impatientover the delay in gaining independence, but the Treaty of Sèvresestablished Iraq as a mandate of the League of Nations underBritish Administration. In 1921, Iraq was made a kingdom to beruled by Faisal I. The British mandate was terminated in 1932and Iraq became a member of the League of Nations. Iraqreluctantly agreed to several treaties, with terms that included theprovision of military bases, a British right of veto over legisla-tion, and a 25-year alliance with Britain. Anti-British sentimentgrew as many Iraqis felt these conditions did not grant them fullindependence and still considered the country under British rule.

The number of internal minority uprisings increased and do-mestic politics were unstable, with many parties competing forpower. The first oil concession had been granted in 1925. Nineyears later, Iraqi oil was first exported. From 1936 to 1941, thecountry experienced seven military coups.

Leading up to World War II, Nazi Germany attempted to takeadvantage of the now rampant anti-British sentiment through-out the country in luring Iraq to help the Axis cause. At this pointin time, March 1939, Germany had already invaded Czechoslo-vakia. When Italy occupied Albania, Britain and France createdan anti-aggression front, becoming allies with Poland, Romania,

Greece, and Turkey. Germany andItaly soon became military allies andGermany signed a non-aggressionpact with the USSR. Germany wasabout to invade Poland and beginthe Second World War. However,in 1939, Prime Minister Nuri as-Saidwas forced to cut off diplomaticrelations with Germany due to priortreaty obligations with Britain.

As Britain had bigger concerns withGermany and the Axis Powers, Iraqbecame less of a priority in the com-ing years. This, in part, explains theability for Iraq to launch its own waragainst the British. After Germanyinvaded Poland, Britain, along witha host of other nations, declared waron Germany. Poland fell quickly due

to the Germans’ implementation of blitzkrieg warfare while theBritish focused on blockading the Germans by sea. Germanforces soon overran Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Nether-lands, and Luxembourg. Shortly after the Allied disaster in theBattle of France, France signed an armistice with Germany andItaly. Soon enough, Britain endured an immense German air at-tack, meant as a prelude to the German invasion of Britain.Germany dropped bombs on London and other strategicbombing points for four months in what would later be calledthe Battle of Britain. Germany faced its first major defeat infailing to decimate Britain’s Royal Air Force. The Italians alsoattacked the British in North Africa.

However, Britain would soon receive help in gaining a new ally,the United States. Americans were reluctant to enter into a newwar in the aftermath of the Great Depression. The “isolationist”movement was quickly gaining popularity as laws were passed in1935 and 1937 that prohibited the sale of American weapons toany nation at war. As Britain soon found itself alone in its war

An Unstable PastAnglo-Iraqi Relations from World War II to Today

By Mohammed Al-Haroun

British soldiers look across the Tigris River at the Iraqi capital ofBaghdad during the Anglo-Iraqi War, 1941.


against the Axis Powers, Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to furtherhimself from the isolationists and took up measures to preparefor war. He persuaded Congress to approve the Lend-LeaseAct, which allowed the U.S. to supply Allied countries with warmaterial to help improve the security of the nation, and the firstpeacetime military draft, which required men between the agesof 21 and 35 to register. However, Americans were still hesitantto enter into a ‘foreign’ war.

This viewpoint changed after December 7th, 1941. “A day,”Roosevelt declared “that willlive in infamy.” The Japaneselaunched a surprise attack on aU.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor,Hawaii. The damage was co-lossal; there were over 2,400Americans killed, over 200planes destroyed, and eightbattleships sunk or greatly dam-aged. The isolationist move-ment ended abruptly and theUnited States was immediatelyat war with Japan followingRoosevelt’s request, and soonenough, with Germany andthe Axis powers.

Britain’s lonely battle against the Axis powers, before the U.S.entered the war, proved incredibly difficult. Thus, the Iraqi changein prime minister did not raise any red flags. In 1940, Rashid Alisucceeded Nuri as prime minister. Rashid, strongly anti-Britishand pro-Axis, was not as receptive to Britain’s requests. He at-tempted to implement restrictions on British troop movementsin Iraq and refused to cut communication with the Axis powers.The Emir Abd al Ilah and Nuri as-Said, who cooperated withBritain, openly opposed Rashid Ali’s approach and asked for hisresignation. In retaliation, Rashid Ali led a military coup that over-threw the regent Abd al Ilah and Nuri in 1941. The British re-sponded by reinforcing their troops at Basra. In May of thatsame year, Rashid Ali, with minimal German and Italian sup-port, opened hostilities. After 30 days he was completely de-feated and Abd al Ilah was reinstated. The British military occu-pation of Iraq ended in 1947.

In 1948, Iraq participated with four Arab nations in the Arab-Israeli war, unsuccessfully. All political parties in 1954 disbandedand a new parliament was elected. A national development planfor Iraq was undertaken, to which the United States extendedfinancial and military aid. In 1955, Iraq became a member of theBaghdad pact along with Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, and Britain.However, General Abd Al-Karim Kassem commanded a coup

and overtook Baghdad, proclaimed a republic, and announcedIslam as the national religion. Abd-Ilah, along with the entireroyal family, and Nuri As-Said were killed. The Arab union dis-banded and Iraq withdrew from the Baghdad pact in 1959. Re-lations with other Middle Eastern neighbors grew tense as Iraqclaimed sovereignty over Kuwait and Iranian land along the ShattAl-Arab. In 1962, Kurdish tribes revolted, demanding an au-tonomous Kurdistan. They continued to fight for over twentyyears.

In 1979, Saddam Hussein as-sumed the role of Iraqi presi-dent. The Iran-Iraq War brokeout on September 22, 1980,when Iraq commenced a landand air invasion of westernIran, claiming control over Ira-nian land along the Shatt Al-Arab. Iraq began with success,occupying Khorramshahr, aport city. Iran soon forced Iraqitroops out of occupied areas

of Iran, but Khomeini, theIranian regent, vowed tooverthrow Saddam’s admin-istration. Iran, in turn, beganto launch a series of attacks

on Iraq. The militarily weaker Iraq resorted to the use of chemi-cal weapons. Air and missile attacks were prevalent throughoutthe war, and soon each nation began to attack its enemy’s capitalcities. After eight years of mutual attacks, stalemates, and atroci-ties committed by both nations (including the use of poison gas),Iran accepted a cease-fire with the aid of the United Nations.

After the war with Iran, Iraq continued its arms buildup. Thisyielded international criticism, much of which came from theUnited States, which, though not inclined to support either re-gime, recognized the danger of a decisive Iranian victory in itswar with Iraq, and thus lent support to Iraq. Saddam also lookeddown towards its oil-rich neighbor to the south, Kuwait. Iraqi-Kuwaiti relations quickly worsened, with Iraq making claimsKuwait refused to recognize. Saddam viewed the boundary linebetween Iraq and Kuwait inaccurately decided upon by the Brit-ish. In July 1990, Saddam accused Kuwait of flooding the worldoil market with lower prices, hurting Iraq in its attempt to payoff its debt and boost its economy.

On August 2, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait with an army of 120,000troops. The U.N. placed economic sanctions on Iraq. However,the U.S., Britain, France, Saudi Arabia, and other countries amasseda large coalition force in case the economic pressure failed. Presi-

USAF aircraft of the 335th Fighter squadron on a mission over Kuwaitduring the Gulf War in 1991. Below are several of the hundreds of Kuwaiti

oil wells that the Iraqi military set on fire during their retreat from the emirate.


dent George H.W. Bush ordered Operation Desert Shield, adefensive mission to protect Saudi Arabia and its oil fields. WhenHussein refused to withdraw his troops by the deadline set bythe United Nations, Jan. 15, 1991, Operation Desert Storm wasput into effect.

The United States led a coalition force of 35 nations and beganair attacks on Iraq on January 16, 1991. In retaliation, Iraq launchedScud missiles against Israel and Saudi Arabia in an unsuccessfulattempt to expand the war. These missiles, built by the SovietUnion, were inaccurate compared to the modern technologicalweapons used by the coalition forces. Though the missiles gen-erated psychological fear, Israel did not enter the war. Six weekslater, the coalition forces began a successful ground invasion tofree Kuwait. Iraq was soon defeated, with a cease fire beingdeclared 100 hours into the Allied ground campaign, and itstroops were forced out of Kuwait, though Saddam stayed inpower. The most telling sign of the extent to which the coalitionforces succeeded is in the number of casualties on each side. Thecoalition forces lost less than 300 men, whilst estimated Iraqideaths are in the tens of thousands.

Iraq was devastated after the war. Factories, bridges, and roadswere ruined. Oil industry facilities, water purification, and sew-age treatment facilities were demolished. Trade sanctions, whichcontinued after the war, further damaged Iraq’s war-torneconomy. After Iraq was forced to accept the U.N.’s ceasefireagreement, its biological and chemical weapons were destroyed.

Anglo-Iraqi tension did not diminish after the war, with Husseincontinuously defying the terms of the Gulf War ceasefire. Fromthe Anglo-Iraqi and Gulf War, Iraq’s relations with the Westhave proven unstable. Attempts to use diplomatic means withIraq proved ineffective, as corrupt, power hungry leaders yearnedfor higher aspirations by resorting to any means necessary. Gov-ernment corruption continually stemmed from internal conflictand dispute within the nation. Today, Iraq is still a developingcountry undergoing major reconstruction. However, Iraq mustearn the privilege of becoming fully autonomous and prove itcan sustain a stable government and society while refraining fromaggression abroad.

WWII

Thank You For Your Support!

In 1987, retired Army Colonel Don Patton and Dr. HaroldDuetsch of the University of Minnesota came up with an ideato create a World War II History Roundtable in Minneapolis,where people with an interest in World War II history couldmeet to discuss the war, and listen to veterans and historians givetheir special insights on the Second World War. The plan was tohave Dr. Duetsch lecture, based on his WWII course taught atthe university, which was always oversubscribed, if speakers couldnot be located. This proved not to be a problem, as there werea great number of veterans with fantastic stories to share right intheir neighborhood, as well as authors and historians publishinga wide variety of new work.

Despite being denied support from the university for a meetingspace, due to the focus on military topics, the roundtable wasable to find a home at a local American Legion post, and quicklytook off, due to the public’s desire to learn about the war andthe tremendous number of veterans who had great stories toshare. From simple beginnings, the roundtable grew to includehundreds of members and nine to twelve programs per year,with such historians as Dennis Showalter, Flint Whitlock, andRick Atkinson participating in 2007. It now meets at the audito-

World War II RoundtablesPreserve History in Your Hometown

rium at historic Ft. Snelling, and includes a staff of 30 people—all volunteers.

The World War II History Roundtable is just one of many groupsaround the country, dedicated to preserving the history of thewar among the people in their hometowns. Groups such as theRoanoke Roundtable in Roanoke, Virginia, are also leading theway in preserving this history, locally. The World War II Veter-ans Committee applauds such efforts, and is proud to supportthem. If you are a part of a discussion group or roundtable onthe war, let us know—in the future we will pass the word along,so that readers interested in joining will know where to look.Also, we are glad to provide complimentary photos and backissues of World War II Chronicles which can help facilitate discus-sion. And while we hope our readers will join us for our up-coming annual conference, getting involved with roundtables anddiscussion groups on the local level is a way we can all do ourpart in preserving the history of World War II.

To learn more about the World War II History Roundtable in Minnesota,contact Col. Don Patton at [email protected] or 952-941-5700. Forthe Roanoke Roundtable, contact Roger Scott at [email protected] or 540-334-2722. WWII


“Bringing the legacy of the Greatest Generation to thelatest generation” has been the motto of the World WarII Veterans Committee since its inception a decade ago.Through its various programs, the Committee has soughtto provide an outlet for the veterans of history’s greatestand most tragic war to share their experiences with thepublic, and to preserve them for future generations. The continued support of thousands of individuals acrossAmerica has allowed the Committee to expands its efforts over the years, instituting a number of quality projects,including:

The National Memorial Day ParadeHeld each year along the National Mall in Washington, DC, andfeaturing nearly 200 elements and over 250,000 spectators. Sinceits creation in 2005, the parade has grown to be among the larg-est in the nation, and serves to remind Americans of all genera-tions of the sacrifices made by our uniformed men and women.

World War II ChroniclesOur quarterly publication, which provides the opportunity forveterans to share their stories, in their own words with an audi-ence of tens of thousands of people. Copies of Chronicles arealso donated to nearly 200 VA hospitals and vets centers aroundthe country, as a way to say “thank you” to our veterans, andthose who care for them. Documentaries and Radio Series

The Committee has a long history of producing quality radiodocumentaries in association with the Radio America network.Included is the award-winning World War II Chronicles on whichthis publication is based, D-Day: They Were There and PearlHarbor: 60 Years of Echoes. More recently, the Committee hassponsored two weekly radio series, Veterans Chronicles andProudly We Hail, both programs featuring interviews withAmerica’s great heroes.

Annual Veterans ConferenceEvery Veterans Day weekend America’s greatest veterans gatherto share their experiences with an audience of several hundredstudents, fellow veterans, and the public. The 2006 conferencewas televised live on C-Span, and viewed by thousands ofAmericans.

Youth Activities and Educational OutreachThe underlying theme of each of our programs is to build anappreciation of World War II history among young people. Stu-dents and youth groups are encouraged to participate in Com-mittee activities, and the Committee sponsors essay contests, ahigh school and college scholarship, and an internship pro-gram, all providing an opportunity for young people to learnabout - and from - the Greatest Generation.

Supporting Our TroopsIn addition to featuring the stories of those currently serving inour publications and radio programs, and including them in theNational Memorial Day Parade, the Committee is proud to spon-sor regular events for our wounded heroes currently undergo-ing rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Thank You For Your Support!

Two of our summer 2007 interns, MohammedAl-Haroun and Emily Tibbets. As part of theirinternship, students research topics on the warand interview veterans and historians beforewriting an article to be printed in Committee

publications.

High school students line up to shake hands withlegendary veterans and Medal of Honor

recipients George “Bud” Day and Hiroshi“Hershey” Miyamura at the 2006 conference.

Retired Major General John K. Singlaub signs acopy of his book, Hazardous Duty, for one of

our active duty service members at a dinner forour wounded warriors from Iraq and

Afghanistan sponsored by the AmericanVeterans Center.

World War II Veterans CommitteeA Division of the American Veterans Center1100 N. Glebe Rd. Suite 910Arlington, VA 22201

Coming Next Issue...

A New Look!

Look for your issue ofAmerican Valor Quarterly in fall, 2007!

For the past decade, World War II Chronicles has brought the first-hand accounts of America’s GreatestGeneration to the public in an effort to preserve their legacy. Beginning in the fall of 2007, we will expandour efforts, to include the stories from not just our World War II veterans, but those generations who haveserved with honor and valor since. The result will be a brand new magazine, American Valor Quarterly, witha full color cover and glossy paper—a first rate publication dedicated to sharing the stories of America’s

greatest heroes of all generations.

Still, as we move forward, each issue of American Valor Quarterly will still contain a World War II Chronicleschapter. Our dedication to sharing the experiences of World War II veterans will not change. Rather, wewill use this opportunity to bring the World War II generation together with those who served in Korea,

Vietnam, and of course our brave young heroes currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan whose stories ofvalor have been too often ignored. The veterans of the Second World War have long served as the modelfor what succeeding generations of uniformed men and women have striven to be, and we are proud, and

honored, to help tell the stories of the Greatest Generation through the latest generation.

Documents

Sinking the Rising Sun - American Veterans CenterMohammed Musaed Al-Haroun. Mohammed was born in Washing-ton, DC, and originally from the Middle Eastern country of Kuwait. Growing