Battle off Samar during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Posted on 04/27/2021 10:58:11 AM PDT by srmanuel
I was fortunate enough to spend some time at the local bar when I still lived in Saint Louis Park MN with Dudley Moylan.
I was a somewhat regular there and saw him sitting by himself and figured I’d just strike up a conversation since I’d seen him chat people up previously.
After talking for a bit I figured that he likely served in WWII and asked. He said he served in the Navy on the Samuel B. Roberts...I almost shit a brick and basically blurted out “jesus your ship got sunk out from under you in Leyte Gulf!” He was surprised when I made the connection. Told me a little bit about the day...still cannot fathom the ordeal.
Only time we ever talked about it. Never again in later drinks or meals at the bar.
If you’re ever in Saint Louis Park at a bar/restaurant called the Public House a picture in his honor is still hanging. Very humble and good man.
Where is, repeat, where is Task Force Thirty Four? The world wonders.
The consensus today seems to be that was padding inserted by the cryptographer to make it harder for the Japanese to decipher the message. At the time, however, Halsey took it as a sharply sarcastic rebuke. I'd say most of the men of Taffy 3 would have said a rebuke was well deserved.
Battle off Samar during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
These sailors on the Johnston were some of the Greatest of the Greatest. Unbelievable courage.
USS Johnston's starboard bow, with the anchor still in place and the hull number, 557, visible. Victor Vescovo/Caladan Oceanic
Thank you! It’s now on my Kindle, up next.
⬆︎⬆︎⬆︎THIS!⬆︎⬆︎⬆︎
If he could ketchup...
And my boating accident at 23 feet.
But the navy had the time to name a Heavy Oiler (appropriate) for the San Francisco fudge packer Harvey Milk.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Harvey_Milk_(T-AO-206)
Seems the navy had time to name one for Gabby Giffords as well.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Gabrielle_Giffords_(LCS-10)
But nothing for a true fighting man.
He does seem to alway behinze
Oh please, they would do it but only if they could put a transgender on board or fill it with other minorities.
There was a good show about this on the Military Channel.
All your posts are reasons why Hollywood can no longer make sublime movie classics that inspire courage, have soul and promote good character.
There were black sailors on USN ships in WW2 but they were cooks and clerks and such. There were Hispanics in the US military all through the history of the USA from the Revolutionary War onward. There were even a few Chinese back then. So having Blacks and Hispanics and etc in the Pacific Theater was a normal occurrence.
Chinese and Japanese and Filipino Americans served in the Army and Navy. Japanese Americans were segregated and sent to Europe. They weren’t sent to Europe because anyone was afraid of them deserting, but more to keep them from being tortured horribly if caught by Imperial Japanese forces, IIRC.
Filipinos had both segregated units and were in general service in WW2 and beyond. So though whites were the clear majority in the Navy there were plenty of Hispanics, Filipinos and Chinese in the military.
Of course the bigot anti-military pervs of Hollywood don’t know any of this.
“The fact that there is no U.S. Navy ship named for Commander Evans is a damn disgrace.”
I absolutely second that.
I remember reading about this battle in a naval history class at USNA, and have read more since then. You can't find a better example of courage and seizing of the initiative than in that battle. And damn, given all the woke B.S., why not throw some honor the way of a true hero like Evans who happens to have been Native American?
If you look at that picture you can see that the USS Johnston’s anchor is stowed. She is still underway at flank speed. Her courageous Captain Ernest Evans on the stern station turning her into the enemy.
RIP Skipper and crew. You set the bar high.
Serious chills looking at that bow number and remembering how that ship got there.
Here too. My grandfather was a young sailor aboard a different tin can at Leyte Gulf. His fate could have easily been the Johnston’s sailors.
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