Received this example of correspondence between a couple of warriors from a friend the other day and thought it might bring a smile. Somehow, one supposes the chance of similar contemporary correspondence making the rounds 40+ years fr
om today would be doubtful…
(h/t to Southern Air Pirate for the topic suggestion) 29 April 1975. South Vietnam is ceasing to exist as a geopolitical entity – Saigon is falling. Under leaden skies, the assembled ships and aircraft of TF 76, headed by carriers Hancock and Midway begin executing Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of US personnel along with Vietnamese…
Through the years (!) I’ve been writing this blog, a number of first person POVs have crossed the (virtual) desk – either sent directly to me or serendipitously. As a historian by avocation I find I much prefer the first person narrative because all the after action reports and analyses, while no doubt offering…
As veterans of this epic action ever more rapidly dwindle and recede into history’s mists, we ask a question – does this date become a mere cipher on the calendar? We pose this question in part as we see September 11th being reduced to an optional head nod and thence continue business as necessary. The…
Battle of the Coral Sea, 7-8 May 1942 –The Events of 7 May 1942 The Battle of Coral Sea by Robert Taylor The first day of the carrier battle of Coral Sea, 7 May 1942, saw the Americans searching for carriers they knew were present and the Japanese looking for ones they feared might be…
Who was Daniel Weitzenfeld? If you have anything to do with Naval Aviation, you should be thankful for this: epecially in light of the way things used to be: From the Washington Post: Daniel Weitzenfeld, 90; Navy Innovator Tuesday, May 13, 2008; Page B08 Daniel Kehr Weitzenfeld, 90, a retired Navy rear admiral who was…
12 October 2000 . . . . . . When another chapter in the Long War against terror was written in the blood of the free: The toll: * Seventeen American Sailors dead: Hull Maintenance Technician Second Class Kenneth Eugene Clodfelter, 21, of Mechanicsville, Va. Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer Richard Costelow, 35, of Morrisville,…
