Posted on 11/01/2009 7:28:35 AM PST by rellimpank
How gratifying to hear from so many veterans in response to my Oct. 25 column on Mitchell Paige and Guadalcanal.
I heard from Clayton Fisher, 87, of Henderson, who served under Chesty Puller in the 1st of the 7th Marines, receiving his first purple heart at Guadalcanal (the night before the action I described in my column) and his second at Palau.
I heard from Gordon Williams, now 92, who served on the destroyer Porter (DD356) in the Battle of Santa Cruz, which was being fought over the same two days -- Oct. 25 and 26, 1942 -- as the Battle for Henderson Field that I described in my Oct. 25 column.
I also received some gratifying letters from Mrs. Aurea Jann of Meadview, Ariz., and from Nathan Chaikin of Las Vegas, a friend of Barney Ross, who manned that thin khaki line with Paige on Oct. 25. Maybe they won't mind if I share some excerpts next week.
I even heard from my dad, a somewhat junior member of this fraternity at a spry 86, who reminded me that Oct. 25 was also the anniversary of a slightly later naval action, at Leyte Gulf in 1944, where his own little escort destroyer, the Raymond, was one of a very small force of tin cans sent in by Rear Adm. Clifton Sprague to attack the Japanese battlewagons and heavy cruisers emerging from the San Bernardino Strait, head-on.
(Excerpt) Read more at lvrj.com ...
--http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370432/posts
I still agree that the WW2 generations is truly one of the greatest if not THE greatest. I would love to see a book of interviews with them about what they think of today’s generation. I’m sure they would be very disappointed. I only hope that it doesn’t make them think what they did was all for nothing.
Keep in mind that war is the art without which all other arts could no exist. You sit and read this in English because someone fought for you in the paste
He’s outstanding, as usual!
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