The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the Great Los Angeles Air Raid (2/25/1942) - Dec. 8th, 2004

Word War II Magazine | September 2003 | Donald J. Young

[stand watie]

GM, Sam!

free dixie NOW,sw

[stand watie]

GM, snippy!

free dixie HUGS,duckie/sw

[Professional Engineer]

Hiya Sam

[Iris7]

This is a good story.

In my own war experience the hot setup proved to be keeping your head while those around you are loosing theirs. That group-think stuff turns into group insanity right quick. Into panic. Can't count the times I have seen this happen.

"Keeping your head" is real easy to say and real hard to do.

Sometimes people saw that you are still thinking and responded intelligently. Invariably those not loosing their heads, in my experience, were young fellows on their first enlistments.

[alfa6]

Well the "Weekend Home Improvement Project" is offically over.

It only took 85 weekends, give or take to wrap it up, man are we beat, but it's finished and we can rest up till the spring gets here.

The "Weekend Home Improvement Project" consosted of adding a two story addition that was 20' x 24' to the rear of the house. This added about 950 sq ft to the house. Upstairs has a den/bedroom, a full size bath and a laundry area. Downstairs will be a workshop area. Along with the addition we completely resided the entire house and put on a new roof to boot.

A big lift of the alfa6 lid goes to my kids and my two son-in-laws for without their help I would be looking at weekend #165 or so. And of course Mrs alfa6 for putting up with me for the last year. (psst it was her idea)

Here are two "before" pics.

And here are two of the "after" pics.

Glad it is over no more building houses. (at least for a few months)

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Iris7]

Little Sara is very ill. So tiny. Lord, preserve her.

[Valin]

That REALLY got to me. 3 1/2 year olds should not have to have spinal taps.
I read things like this and I instastly turn into a ball of mush.

[Professional Engineer]

Famous Last Words...
Pull the pin and count to what?

BROTHER MAYNARD:
Armaments, chapter two, verses nine to twenty-one.
SECOND BROTHER:
And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, 'O Lord, bless this Thy hand grenade that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy.' And the Lord did grin, and the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and large chu--
MAYNARD:
Skip a bit, Brother.
SECOND BROTHER:
And the Lord spake, saying, 'First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then, shalt thou count to three. No more. No less. Three shalt be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, nor either count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then, lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.'
MAYNARD:
Amen.

[Professional Engineer]

Well the "Weekend Home Improvement Project" is offically over.

Outstanding! I like the antenna flagpole in the front.

Msdrby's been hinting at a similar addition to our house. Ya' ready to rumble?

[Professional Engineer]

Hi miss Feather

[Professional Engineer]

Howdy ma'am

[alfa6]

Re: Brother Maynard

I have a video somewhere that one of my youngest daughters friends made using the audio of that routine with video clips from Stargate SG-1.

Now I am not a SG-1 fan at all but even I found it pretty funny.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Soaring Feather]

hi PE!!

[Soaring Feather]

Hi alfa!

[colorado tanker]

General Joseph W. Stilwell: This isn't the state of California, it's a state of insanity. - 1941 (the movie)

My father-in-law was in the Coast Artillery during the Korean War and did a damn fine job. The North Koreans never did take New York City.

[aomagrat]

[aomagrat]

Today's classic warship, USS Dunlap (DD-384)

Gridley class destroyer

Displacement. 1,490
Lenght. 341'2"
Beam. 36'5"
Draft. 17'2"
Speed. 36k.
Complement. 158
Armament. 5 5", 4 .50cal mg, 12 21" tt.

USS Dunlap (DD-384) was launched 18 April 1936 by United Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp., New York N.Y., sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. Dunlap, widow of Brigadier General Dunlap; and commissioned 12 June 1937, Commander A. E. Schrader in command.

Dunlap operated along the east coast on training duty, and in June 1938 served as escort at Philadelphia for SS Kungsholm, carrying the Crown Prince of Sweden. On 1 September she got underway for the west coast; except for a cruise to the Caribbean and east coast for a fleet problem and overhaul in the first 6 months of 1939, Dunlap served along the west coast until 2 April 1940 when she sailed for Pearl Harbor, her new home port.

On 7 December 1941 Dunlap was at sea bound for Pearl Harbor with TF 8 after ferrying planes to Wake Island. She entered Pearl Harbor next day and patrolled in the Hawaiian area until 11 January 1942 when she sortied with TF 8 for air strikes on the Marshals, returning 5 February. After taking part in the raid on Wake Island of 24 February, she continued to patrol in the Hawaiian area until 22 March, then escorted convoys between various ports on the west coast until returning to Pearl Harbor 22 October 1942.

Dunlap arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia, 6 December 1942 and operated from that base on training and patrol duty, and as escort for convoys to the Fiji, Tonga, and New Hebrides Islands until arriving at Guadalcanal 30 July 1943 for duty in the Solomons. On the night of 6-7 August she was sent with five other destroyers to intercept a Japanese force carrying reinforcements to Kolombangara. In the resulting Battle of Vella Gulf, a brilliant night torpedo action, the ably handled task group sank three Japanese destroyers and drove the fourth back to its base at Buin. They suffered no damage themselves.

After overhaul at San Diego, Dunlap sailed 23 November 1943 for patrol duty out of Adak until 16 December when she left for Pearl Harbor, arriving 6 days later. She joined the 6th Fleet to screen carriers in strikes of the Marshall Islands operations from 19 January to 4 March 1944, then touched at Espiritu Santo briefly before sailing for Fremantle, Australia, to rendezvous with the British Eastern Fleet. After training here and at Trincomalee, Ceylon, she took part in the strikes on the Soerabaja area of Java on 17 May, and next day sailed for Pearl Harbor, arriving 10 June.

Dunlap returned to San Francisco 7 July 1944 to join the screen for Baltimore (CA-68) carrying President F. D. Roosevelt for conferences and inspections with top Pacific commanders of Pearl Harbor and Alaskan bases. Detached from this task group at Seattle 12 August, Dunlap returned to Pearl Harbor. She sailed 1 September, bombarded Wake Island 3 September, and arrived at Saipan 12 September for duty with the Marianas Patrol and Escort Group.

Dunlap took part in the bombardment of Marcus Island on 9 October. On 16 October 1944 she rendezvoused with the 3d Fleet units for strikes on Luzon, then supported the Iandings At Leyte. When the Japanese forces made a three-pronged attack on the Philippines, she was underway for Ulithi but reversed course to screen TG 38.1 in its attacks of 25 and 26 October on the enemy fleeing after the decisive Battle for Leyte Gulf. Dunlap arrived at Ulithi 29 October for patrol duty and took part in the daring bombardments on Iwo Jima in November and December 1944 and January 1945. She returned to Iwo Jima 19 March to support its occupation, and until the end of the war patrolled to intercept Japanese ships attempting to evacuate the Bonins. On 19 June she sank an enemy craft attempting to evacuate Chichi Jima, picking up 52 survivors. Japanese officers came on board 31 August to discuss surrender terms for the Bonin Islands, and returned 3 September to sign the surrender.

Dunlap sailed for Iwo Jima 19 September 1945 touched at San Pedro Calif., and arrived at Houston Tex., for Navy Day. she arrived at Norfolk 7 November where she was decommissioned 14 December 1945 and was sold for scrap 31 December 1947.

Dunlap received six battle stars for World War II service.

[alfa6]

Almost Night Shift greetings back to bentfeather.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[The Mayor]

Nice job!

I have been in the building trades for 26 years.
I am in the middle of a 20 sq siding job now.
I will be building a 20 X 30 garage in January
and an addition in February I think..
I'm only 48 but my body feels 80

I know the amount of work you had to put into this project,
you should be proud of yourself.

[alfa6]

Thanks for the kind words, it has been a lot of work. Some of it was fun and some wasn't.

I know what you mean about feeling 10 years older. For the last 6 years are so all I have done in my spare time is work on houses.

Are you siding with Hardie board? I used it on my house and the only thing I would have done differnt would be to by the $60 dollar saw blade. I proably spent that in regular cheap blades.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}