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Norman 'Dusty' Kleiss, Battle of Midway hero, dies at 100
CNN ^ | 04/25/2016 | Richard Roth

Posted on 05/14/2016 11:05:28 AM PDT by DFG

I knew the day might come. The news still hurt.

The daughter of an amazing war hero called the other night to say her father was dying. An overnight email a day later told me that Norman "Dusty" Kleiss, 100 years old, hero of the Battle of Midway, had died Friday. He was the last surviving dive-bomber from the sea battle that turned the tide of World War II. In discussing Dusty with his daughter, we agreed it was as if the pilot was determined to reach the age of 100 before his health faded. Several weeks ago, there was a big weekend party in San Antonio, where he lived. Family, friends and even some, uh, belly dancers attended.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 19420603; battleofmidway; dauntless; g42; johnparshall; kleiss; midway; obituaries; obituary; worldwareleven; ww2; wwii
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To: null and void

Wow. I didn’t know that. Sacrifice after courage and bravery.

RIP, Dusty...and all of those who fought so bravely to defend this nation.


41 posted on 05/14/2016 1:11:11 PM PDT by Jane Long (Go Trump, go! Make America Safe Again :)
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To: kiryandil

I saw a program on “The History Channel” about the Battle off Samar and Taffy 3. It ranked right up there with the Spartans at Thermopylae. as far as I could tell.

They didn’t just fight bravely, they fought extremely well.


42 posted on 05/14/2016 1:14:30 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: Jane Long

Yeah. Humbling, ain’t it?


43 posted on 05/14/2016 1:16:27 PM PDT by null and void ("when authority began inspiring contempt, it had stopped being authority" ~ H. Beam Piper)
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To: DFG

Thank you for my freedom Mr. Kleiss. What this man and his fellow Navy aviators did in the space of ten minutes is about the most amazing feat of aviation skill, daring and sheer guts and is the reason we aren’t speaking Japanese.


44 posted on 05/14/2016 1:18:57 PM PDT by jmacusa ("Dats all I can stands 'cuz I can't stands no more!''-- Popeye The Sailorman.)
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To: VanDeKoik

My Father is 93 and served in the Navy in the South Pacific during WWII.

He as a Signalman who Served on a Mine Sweeper, a Navy Tug that pulled disabled Landing Craft off the Beaches and then a Destroyer. He even rode out that deadly Typhoon on a Landing Barge that was converted to a Machine Shop.

Just like Hillary Clinton, my Father wanted to join the Marines but the Recruiter decided to put him in the Navy because they had to reach their Quota.

My Father couldn’t Swim a stroke. He learned the hard way in Navy Boot Camp.

His Older Brother was a Seabee. Built Landing Strips on the Islands we captured from the Japanese. I always look to see If I can recognize him while watching those WWII Documentaries on the Military Channel.

If we had the current crop of Morons running the Country back then, we would all be speaking either German or Japanese today.


45 posted on 05/14/2016 1:22:21 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (Hillary Clinton has killed four more People than Three Mile Island.)
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To: Kickass Conservative

My dad would have been 100 this year. He was on the minesweeper YMS 383 (the “Merganser” IIRC). It was lost during the typhoon off Okinawa in the fall of 1945.


46 posted on 05/14/2016 1:38:47 PM PDT by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts It is happening again.)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

Watch the movie every year on the anniversary. My 6 kids, ages, 12-27, their spouses and, soon our grandchildren when they’re older, all know of the heroism and valor of those who fought in this battle. It’s hard to imagine what we’d be if we didn’t guess right and Carey the day.


47 posted on 05/14/2016 1:48:56 PM PDT by ripnbang ("An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man a subject)
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To: ripnbang

*carry


48 posted on 05/14/2016 1:49:30 PM PDT by ripnbang ("An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man a subject)
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To: yarddog

The chew toy bit a few toes off the attack dog.


49 posted on 05/14/2016 1:56:41 PM PDT by kiryandil (To the GOPee: "Giving the Democrats the Supreme Court means you ARE the Democrats.")
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To: SES1066
IIRC, The only operational Buffalo were RAF in Burma & they were steamrolled.
Only actually operational Peashooters in December '41 were with the brand new Philippine Army AF, they bagged some of the first Japanese kills of the war, doing pretty good firing two .30 cal MG from wire braced, fixed gear, open cockpit antiques.
50 posted on 05/14/2016 2:01:18 PM PDT by norton
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To: norton

The Marine pilots on Midway flew Brewster Buffalos. They were lost to a man attacking the incoming Japanese attackers over the Island.


51 posted on 05/14/2016 2:27:41 PM PDT by Forty-Niner (The barely bare, berry Bear formily known as Ursus Arctos Horrilibis (or U.A. Californicus))
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To: Forty-Niner

In his book, Saburo Sakai mentions that the best pilot he ever faced was early in the war. He was a Dutchman flying a buffalo.

Everytime Sakai would have him in his sights the buffalo pilot would pull some maneuver and escape. He finally did get him but said it was simply because he was flying a far better plane.


52 posted on 05/14/2016 2:36:40 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
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To: norton
IIRC, The only operational Buffalo were RAF in Burma & they were steamrolled. Only actually operational Peashooters in December '41 were with the brand new Philippine Army AF ...

Nope, there were actually Buffalos at Midway on the island itself, June 1942! USMC VMF-221 had 20 Brewster F2A-3 Buffalos and 7 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcats. Major Floyd Parks (Navy Cross) led the 1st defense against the IJN air attack losing his own life as well as most of the Buffalos.

The last F2A-3s were returned to the US for trainers by August of 1942. The upgraded F4F-4 Wildcat was already superior and then came the F6F Hellcats and F4U Corsairs which put both to the history books.

53 posted on 05/14/2016 2:38:30 PM PDT by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: rottndog

To that list I would offer Ernie Pyle’s “Brave Men”


54 posted on 05/14/2016 3:10:39 PM PDT by Bull Snipe
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets
It is a shame that most people alive today in America have never even heard of the Battle of Midway, the most decisive naval battle in history.

It is arguable but stacked up against Salamis (480 BC Persians vs Greeks) or Lepanto (1571 Ottomans vs Catholic Europe), I don't think so. Remember that IJN Admiral Yamamoto, himself, said that Japan would have 6 months of free rein in the Pacific but then the power of the USA would start to hit back. If Japan had won at Midway, we had Hawaii at peril and the supply route to ANZAC in grave danger. Yet, even then, the US & Allied Submarines were starting to be felt and Japan's power was stretched very thin. US Technology in aircraft alone was becoming equal in 1942 and became superior in 1943 and forward.

55 posted on 05/14/2016 3:30:25 PM PDT by SES1066 (Quality, Speed or Economical - Any 2 of 3 except in government - 1 at best but never #3!)
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To: yarddog

Speedy 3s carried the day.


56 posted on 05/14/2016 3:38:50 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: SES1066

How would U.S. submarines have threatened Japan if Hawaii was in Japanese hands? I had some reservations about describing Midway as the most decisive naval battle in history. My justification is the dramatic reversal in the relative position of the two adversaries pre- and post. There may have been more *important* naval battles, but they represent the ineluctable outcome of an imbalance in power. The Battle of Midway *created* the imbalance.


57 posted on 05/14/2016 4:17:34 PM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (The Democratic Party strongly supports full Civil Rights for Necro-Americans!)
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To: chajin

Tag


58 posted on 05/14/2016 5:09:43 PM PDT by Jarhead9297
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To: Bull Snipe

“Brave Men” is one of the best books I have ever read.


59 posted on 05/14/2016 6:40:25 PM PDT by gigster (Cogito, Ergo, Ronaldus Magnus headsConservatus)
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To: blueunicorn6

crypto and Midway

http://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/navy-cryptology-and-the-battle-of-midway-our-finest-hour/


60 posted on 05/14/2016 8:24:42 PM PDT by rolling_stone (1984)
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