I wonder if he's related:
Ens. George Gay, USN
Posted on 10/31/2007 5:53:04 AM PDT by RDTF
I wonder if he's related:
Ens. George Gay, USN
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
Ens. George Gay had balls of steel....
“Ensign GEORGE GAY was thrust into a very unusual niche in history when, during the Battle of Midway, his squadron of torpedo bombers attacked the Japanese fleet *without fighter cover*. Every one of their fifteen aircraft were destroyed and twenty-nine of their thirty men were lost. GEORGE GAY was the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8.”
It was reported that “He flew right along the flight deck of the carrier AKAGI so the Japanese gunners couldn’t shoot at him, then ditched his shot-up plane in the ocean nearby. He watched the Battle of Midway while bobbing around in the water.” He was later picked up and survived the remainder of the war.
Save for him, all of his unit was killed. And thier sacrafice allowed the dive bombers of Hornet and Enterprise to strike and defeat the Jap fleet. One of those “HIstory changed this day” moments.
I could not any additional data on the Lt John Gay and any possible relation between the families of Ens Gay and Lt Gay. The Fleet bio on Lt John Gay is blank.
Understatement of the year ... he was returned to duty, served both in combat and a tour as a flight instructor (nothing like a teacher who's been there and done that), and made a career of naval and then commercial aviation. I wasn't able to find anything about descendants.
I respect the need folks have for thier privacy....but it would be cool to see one of George’s grandsons serving in the active Navy....
You caught that too. In Jefferson’s time, they was an ‘organization’ called the Barbary Pirates.
Of course, it was Islamists, and they’d been extorting Europe for centuries. We sent our 11 ship Navy down, caught them napping, and destroyed the threat. Pretty embarassing for Europe, but it saved them a lot of ching.
Haha, yeah, the North Koreans will be REALLY nice to them all the way back to North Korea for trial. I’m sure that after a fair trial they’ll be hanged too. Or shot.
I am surprised we actually helped them though... why? If this were the 17th or 18th Century there would have been a tacit ignoring of “privateers”. The reason we helped is, we’re fighting these Islamofacists, and even North Korea, apparently isn’t immune to them. Perhaps NOW the rest of the world will start understanding.
Isn’t that picture from a museum in Missouri? I’ve seen that, but I can’t place the image.
The sacrafice of the torpedo squadrons from Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown is one of the great stories of World War II. Wonder what Nacy Pelosi would have said about it before the dive bombers caught all four Japanese carriers uncovered and changed the course of the war in 15 minutes?
The Barbary Pirates were a threat until 1830, when the French finally occupied Algiers. But it was Admiral Pellew of the Royal Navy who turned the scales against the pirates. His ships bombarded the cr*p out of the massive Algerian fortifications twice between 1815 and 1830, IIRC.
The only thing that kept the Barbary pirates going for so long was the fact that the Europeans were locked in a death struggle for and against Napoleon. After that ended, the Barbary threat was broken by the British, in defiance of a do-nothing political coalition of Prussia, Russia and Austria. Which may sound familiar to modern ears.
Q U A G M I R E ! ! ! ! ! !
"One of the best things about travelling is when you stumble upon something unexpected, off the beaten path, that leaves an indelible impression. That's how I felt during a side trip to St. Andrew's, a quaint Hungarian village with cobblestone footpaths, outdoor cafes, and stands selling everything from handicrafts to paprika. While exploring, I took a few turns off the central road and ended up in front of this:"
WWII is full of such actions:
Sgt Paige on a lonely ridge on Guadalcanal
The cooks and supply clerks at the Battle of Bastone
Today, we still have heroes, whose selfless sacrifices are worthy of note:
Sgt Paul Smith at BIAP
Lt. Michael P. Murphey on an empty hillside of Afghanistan
I wake up each morning and give thanks to God for the men and women, past and present, of the US Armed Forces who sacrificed so much for the freedom my family enjoys today.
My grandfather, dad and uncle with both myself and one son all have served and survived - our prayers go to those families whose dads, uncles, brothers, sons and husbands that have not.
WWII is full of such actions:
Sgt Paige on a lonely ridge on Guadalcanal
The cooks and supply clerks at the Battle of Bastone
Today, we still have heroes, whose selfless sacrifices are worthy of note:
Sgt Paul Smith at BIAP
Lt. Michael P. Murphey on an empty hillside of Afghanistan
I wake up each morning and give thanks to God for the men and women, past and present, of the US Armed Forces who sacrificed so much for the freedom my family enjoys today.
My grandfather, dad and uncle with both myself and one son all have served and survived - our prayers go to those families whose dads, uncles, brothers, sons and husbands that have not.
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