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In the early months of 1945, I joined the USS Wichita, a heavy cruiser, via a Jacob's ladder. I was the ship's newest and greenest ensign. The ship was engaged in beginning the battle for Okinawa. Our duty was to cruise slowly offshore and lob 8-inch and 5-inch shells into Japanese positions on shore to support the Army and Marine landings. In cadet school, I had been trained in communications. Naturally, I was assigned to the gunnery division and placed in command of four batteries of 40 mm. guns located on our fantail. There were also several 20 mm. guns...

The Koryo-Mongol Allied Invasion of Japan - The Myth of Kamikaze Lee Wha Rang Allied armies of Koryo and Kublai Khan invaded Japan in 1274 and 1281. Both invasions failed at the hand of Mother Nature. The sword wielding samurais of Japan were no match for the invaders, who were armed with gun-powder canons and superior fighting tactics. The invaders succeeded in landing on Kyushu after occupying Tsushima and other nearby islands. But gathering storms forced the invaders to pack up and leave.

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in Your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. ...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. Welcome to "Warrior Wednesday" Where the Freeper Foxhole introduces a different...

 

Lord, Keep our Troops forever in your care Give them victory over the enemy... Grant them a safe and swift return... Bless those who mourn the lost. . FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer for all those serving their country at this time. God Bless America...................................................................................... ........................................... U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues Where Duty, Honor and Countryare acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated. Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members...

<p>SYDNEY, Australia — A man shouting threats used a sharpened wooden instrument to try to force his way into the cockpit of a domestic Qantas (search) flight Thursday, stabbing two flight attendants in his attempt, the government said.</p> <p>The plane had departed the southeastern city of Melbourne (search) for the southern island of Tasmania when he tried to storm the cockpit, Transport Minister John Anderson told reporters in a hastily arranged press briefing.</p>

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

<p>SHREVEPORT (AP) — It took almost 60 years, but William Hunter has finally received a Purple Heart for his service in World War II. Chunks of shrapnel dug into Hunter’s arms during a kamikaze attack on his Navy ship, the USS Suwannee, on Oct. 25, 1944.</p>

Lest we Forget...December 7, 1941A day that will live in infamy...   USS West Virginia in fire in Pearl Harbor Shortly before 8 AM on December 7, 1941, the Japanese Navy, employing the largest naval attack force ever assembled, launched an unprovoked, sneak attack on the US Pacific Fleet, that lay at rest at Pearl Harbor and on surrounding military bases.  Within short order, 5 of the 8 battleships docked on "Battleship Row" were either sunk or sinking and the rest were severely damaged.  Several other smaller ships and most of Hawaii's combat aircraft were damaged or destroyed, as well. ...

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. -- Shortly before a 24-year-old university student named Hayashi Tadao piloted his airplane on a one-way trajectory toward the Pacific on the final day of the Second World War, he wrote a poem to explain why he had chosen to become one of history's first airborne suicide bombers. It ended: Why should we hesitate to give our lives to Stupid Japan. Indecisive Japan. You, although quite foolish. Us, who belong to this nation, Must rise for your protection. Although he, along with about 3,500 other top students, had volunteered to join the tokkotai corps -- better known...

Archeologists find a wreck of the kamikaze Vancouver Sun Saturday, September 07, 2002 Two ancient invasions on Japan were thwarted by mysterious storms that wiped out Mongol fleets. This 1896 painting depicts samurai battling Mongols during the first invasion, which was in 1274. In what marine archeologists are calling one of the greatest finds of all time, the remains of a ship that sank in one of history's largest sea battles has been located off the southern coast of Japan. Since last fall, Japanese archeologists have quietly worked beneath the waters off Takashima Island to retrieve the remains of a...

The introduction of Japanese kamikaze pilots was one of the most dramatic developments of the second world war. But what motivated these young men to fly their fatal missions? There are some clues in the manual they carried in their cockpits for inspiration, and which is now published in English for the first time. Here are some extracts.

At around 12:50 eastern, Roger Hedgecock announced on Rush's show that his "sources" have told him that China is training Iraqi pilots to fly in to Israel's nuclear facility in the Negev desert.