The letters show the power of the human touch, and we will be here for you so long as we are able.
No matter whether you fly the skies or mop the floor or issue uniforms or serve the chow, every task you perform is an important one to keep The Force in motion.
Please know how greatly we appreciate and love and support you and your loved ones - and know we pray for you and our beloved nation of the free - the latter assured because of your actions.
Consider us your extended family, carrying you in our hearts ~ ~ ~
USMC - Koren Conflict
To Randy: I agree with you completely. The Canteen is like no other place anywhere! Bunny has structured it so well! It is warm, welcoming, friendly, and most importantly...it is so sincere! Snow Bunny sets the pace for each thread. It is so neat to wait for the next day's thread because I am so anxious to see the graphics and read the subject matter. Every day is fresh, new and amazing. Bunny love is contagious, isn't it? But best of all we have a place where we can express our thoughts and feelings about all of you who are serving, and all those who have served in the past. And if we can make life a little more interesting or fun for you, it is all very much better! My God bless you and keep you safe!
Hi Joey! Aren't the posts by LindaSOG the best??? There are so many great things to look forward to everyday at the Canteen. Nothing is ever the same, yet everything is the same! Doughty makes such neat graphics! Bunny choses such super subjects! Victoria posts such wonderful music and pictures! Souris the little mouse is so cleaver! I love seeing what she is going to come up with next! Spooky and Sassy and Kneezles are such fun! Meek tells us about the important news of the day. Everyone adds so much interest to the thread! So many more than what I have mentioned! And it all comes out of a dedication and sense of appreciation for what our troops are doing for us! Thank you and your cousin for your sacrifice on behalf of our Nation and our people! It is very much appreciated. May God bless you both and keep you safe! :)
Hi Scotty! I am so sorry about the loss of your dad. I can only imagine what that must be like, but it is so wonderful that your mom has been able to keep his memory alive for you. Vietnam was such a nasty war. The worst thing about it is how it managed to separate our Nation. It is such a comfort to finally know that our military is being appreciated by so many more people. Yes, we still have those who are not supportive, but they don't dare say so today because the public opinion favors you so much1 We are very proud of you and what you are doing. Thank you! And may God Bless you and keep you safe!
Wow, Jeff! Thank you! Of course you know you are very special to me not only because you are a part of our wonderful military, but also because you share the name of my son, Jeff! I am so glad to know that you enjoy when I get 666! LOL! Well, let me assure you that I go to any length to make sure it is 999! :) In my exuberance I keep forgetting that I shouldn't be flipping around with a skirt on! Thank you so much for your service, Jeff! Thank you for caring enough about our Country that you are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to be a part of our wonderful military. May God bless you and keep you safe! Thank you for all the kind things you said! :) You have warmed my heart and earned a special place in it! :))) Big Misty kisses to you, too!!!
Hi Ross! I am so glad you enjoy the Canteen! I am also so glad that Snow bunny posted the thread about Aviation Ordnance. It gave us all a better understanding of what you do for us! Thank you so much for your service, and May God bless you and keep you safe! :)
To Peter! Thank you for your wonderful thoughts about the Canteen. It makes all of the effort very much worthwhile. You are so very right about Snow Bunny! She is like the glue that holds everything together. Everyday that we all come here to show our respect for you, we look for Bunny. She is one of a kind and we all know how lucky we are to have her! Just as we know how lucky we are to have you and all of the others who are serving our Country in the military. Thank you for coming to the Canteen! May God bless you and keep you safe.
Hi Ed! Please extend a thank you to your parents who also support the efforts of Jim Robinson and the FR! I am so glad you have come to the Canteen and enjoy it. You are appreciated more than words can express. May God bless you and keep you safe. Thank you for your service! To Kevin: I am so sorry to read your email and learn about the loss of your baby sister. OMG...that is such a terrible thing for your parents and you to endure. Thank you so very much for your service. And Thank God you are able to visit with the Chaplain to help sort out the difficulty you must be experiencing because of your heavy loss. I am so very, very sorry! May God bless you and your family, and may He keep you safe.
To Chad! Thank you for all your wonderful comments about the Canteen. We all love it so much! And we all love you and the others who are serving our Nation with pride! Thank you for your service. May God bless you and keep you dafe. I so much look forward to the day that you can post with us and just come in and hang out! :)
Today's classic warship, USS Manchester (CL-83)
Cleveland class
Displacement: 10,000 t.
Length: 610’1”
Beam: 66’4”
Draft: 25’
Speed: 33 k.
Complement: 992
Armament: 12 6”; 12 5”; 28 40mm; 10 20mm
Commissioned on 29 October 1946
Sold for scrap on 31 October 1960
The USS MANCHESTER (CL-83) was laid down 25 September 1944 by the Fore River Shipyard, Bethlehem Steel Corp., Quincy, Mass.; launched 5 March 1946; sponsored by Mrs. Ernest J. Gladu, and commissioned 29 October 1946, Capt. Peter G. Hale in command.
MANCHESTER completed her shakedown cruise in the Caribbean and returned to Boston, her home port, 26 March 1947. There, she was equipped with an experimental plastic cover for her bridge to be tested on her first transatlantic crossing. On 18 April, she steamed for the Mediterranean to lend visible support to the Truman Doctrine of 12 March. Returning to the east coast for 2 weeks in June, she conducted a Naval Reserve training cruise out of Newport R.I. She resumed her Mediterranean cruise 25 June, returning to Boston 30 November. MANCHESTER completed two more deployments with the 6th Fleet (9 February to 26 June 1948, 3 January to 4 March 1949) before departing Philadelphia 18 March for assignment with the Pacific Fleet.
She arrived at Long Beach 3 April and departed 2 weeks later for the politically volatile Far East, entering the harbor at Tsingtao, China, 15 May. The cruiser steamed the waters of the Yellow, East China, and South China Seas until returning to Long Beach 28 November.
During this time, the Nationalist Chinese forces, having suffered extreme setbacks, had begun their withdrawal to the island of Taiwan, 16 July, and the People's Republic of China had been proclaimed at Peiping, 1 October 1949. The success of the Red Chinese bolstered other Asian Communist aspirations. On 25 June 1950, North Korean leaders ordered their troops to cross the 38th parallel into South Korea. The United Nations quickly declared North Korea the aggressor and called on members of that body to repel the invasion, 26 to 27 June.
At that time, MANCHESTER, docked at San Francisco, was undergoing overhaul. Work was speeded up and by 1 August the cruiser was on her way to the western Pacific. She arrived at Sasebo, Japan in early September and joined TF 77. As part of a carrier group, she commenced operations in the Yellow Sea, supporting United Nations Forces air efforts against the elongated Communist communications lines by coastal patrol, blockade and bombardment. On 15 September, MANCHESTER provided fire support for the masterfully executed landings at Inchon. After the establishment of major control of the Inchon-Seoul transport complex, she moved north to bombard North Korean troop concentrations on Tungsan Got, while planes from her strike force hit the railhead at Ongjin, 27 September. This action effectively slowed reinforcement of Communist forces in the south by disrupting their supply lines and keeping their troops occupied in defensive action.
MANCHESTER then steamed with her task group around the peninsula to support the invasion at Wonsan. Arriving 10 October, she commenced shore bombardment and patrol duties in support of the minesweeping operations in the area while planes from TF 77 conducted raids against North Korean vessels, road and rail centers, warehouses and supply depots as far north as Songjin. The U.N. Forces soon reached the Yalu River and, as the heavy fighting appeared to be over, MANCHESTER was reassigned, 29 October, to TF 72, then patrolling the Taiwan Straits. This patrol duty was ended shortly thereafter by the full scale intervention of Communist Chinese troops in Korea. On 3 December, the cruiser rejoined TF 77 and steamed to Hungnam to support the complete evacuation of that port and the demolition of its facilities. Completing this operation, the task force continued to defend U.N. units, effecting their safe withdrawal from untenable positions.
On 8 January 1951, MANCHESTER evacuated injured crew members from the Thai corvette PRASAE, which had grounded the previous day behind enemy lines near Kisamon Tan on the east coast. Naval gunfire kept enemy soldiers from swarming onto the ship until, the ship having been declared unsalvageable, the remainder of the crew was taken off by the cruiser's helicopter. Guns from accompanying destroyers were then turned on PRASAE.
For the next month and a half, MANCHESTER patrolled off the east coast of Korea. Firing at both shore and inland targets, she blasted communication and transportation centers, destroying and disrupting the enemy's equipment and troop concentrations. On 22 February, she steamed to Wonsan to add her guns to the siege and blockade of that port which had commenced 5 days earlier. She continued to conduct shore bombardment activities along the northeast coast, primarily at Wonsan and Songjin, for the remainder of her first Korean combat tour.
On 1 June, MANCHESTER departed Korean waters for Yokosuka enroute back to Long Beach, arriving in California 15 June. Spending less than 5 months at home, the cruiser was underway for the Far East again 5 November. She arrived back in the combat zone 8 December and took up duties as flagship of TF 95, the U.N. blockading and escort force.
By this time, the conflict had altered in character, from quick forceful action to perseverance in the systematic destruction of the enemy's personnel and equipment. To this purpose, TF 95 maintained a blockade along the entire Korean coast and bombarded the Communist's main supply routes, which, due to the mountainous terrain, lay on the narrow coastal plains. MANCHESTER patrolled along the Korean peninsula shelling military targets in areas such as Chinnamp’o, Chongjin, Tong'Cho-Ri as well as regularly returning to Hungnam, Songjin, and Wonsan to add to the destruction of those tightly held enemy positions. While her guns blasted, MANCHESTER's helicopters continued her reputation as a good friend of downed pilots, performing rescues at sea and behind enemy lines. Her medical officers also worked overtime aiding sick and wounded members of the U.N. Forces.
On 14 May 1952, MANCHESTER completed her second tour in Korea and departed the bombline on the east coast of Korea. She returned to Long Beach 29 May, departing 2 weeks later for voyage repairs and overhaul at San Francisco.
The new year, 1953, brought no change in the negative results of the cease-fire talks begun at Kaesong 10 July 1951 and later moved to Panmunjon. The conflict continued and MANCHESTER departed, 25 January, for her third deployment in Korean waters. On 4 March, she rejoined TF 77 on the bombline off the peninsula's east coast. On the 8th, she returned to Wonsan and again commenced shelling that enemy stronghold. She came back to this besieged city periodically during this tour, spending the remainder of the time on patrol along the bombline, providing fire support for the U.N. Forces at the eastern end of the frontline.
On 23 July, MANCHESTER departed Korea for Yokosuka. On the 27th, agreement was reached at Panmunjon and the truce which ended overt hostilities went into effect. On the 28th, MANCHESTER got underway for her homeport, having successfully completed three combat tours with no major battle damage.
During 1954 and 1955, the cruiser was twice deployed for 6-month periods with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific. On her last return voyage she participated in operation “Glory,” the return to Hawaii of 50 unidentified American dead from the Korean conflict. Departing Yokosuka 20 January 1956, she stopped at Pearl Harbor for ceremonies and continued on to Long Beach, arriving 5 February. At the end of the month, she sailed for San Francisco, where she entered the Reserve Fleet 27 February, and decommissioned 27 June 1956. Struck from the Navy list 1 April 1960, she was sold 31 October 1960 to the Nicolai Joffe Corp.
MANCHESTER received nine battle stars for Korean service.
A special howdy to Smitty USMC, go guys and gals, we love you!
To all you who wrote in this week (and all the others whom you represent): Since I am old enough to be Grandma to nearly all of you, I reserve the right to make sentimental statements, hug you in front of all your cool friends, and call you by your baby names. Thank you for doing what you are doing in ways that only make us all PROUD of you. We couldn't be PROUDER if you were our own sons and daughters.
We here in the Canteen know the sacrifices you make for the sake of Freedom, and I hope that as you read through these threads day by day, you will see how much we love you and how much we appreciate your faithfulness, your loyalty to your country and flag, and your dedication to your unit.
"You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord; who abide in his shadow for life; Say to the Lord, "MY REFUGE! MY ROCK, in Whom I trust!"
Love and prayers for each of you...(you can call me Gran!)
Today in Anchorage, Alaska:
Sunrise 5:06am
Sunset 11:04pm
Hi 66F
Lo 56F
Cloudy, with some rain
I didn't realize how attached I'd become to the Canteen until my DSL went out over the weekend. Hope you and all had a good weekend.