Current CommentaryVETERANS: REFLECTIONS
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| Communication is a two-way action: transmitting and receiving. First rule: if the veteran does not desire to “transmit,{ we must respect this. I am concerned that, by not expressing a sincere interest to “receive” we may miss, by default, the opportunity to communicate. It is likely that many veterans would now be willing to tell their story; whether as a function of: the reality of their mortality; the feeling of a need to tell what actually happened (versus the way they see the war and related events on TV and in the movies); or, an age-related lessened reluctance to talk of personal experiences. The most obvious individual opportunity is an open one-on-one conversation between those who honestly want to learn from those who served. Two examples of missed opportunities: a memorial service of an Army Retiree prompted the comment of a neighbor – “I had no idea that he had such a distinguished career”; and, a youngest Granddaughter’s question – “Were you in any wars?”. The first is irreparable (Lesson learned: Do not wait for a graveside comment to remind you of missed opportunities). I will fix the second. In addition to becoming “reblued” through Dick and Jody’s Air Force assignments, Ruth and I have been blessed to experience vicariously a Naval career by following the 14 moves around the world of our son-in-law and daughter. The young Lt. J. G. I mentioned earlier is now a retired Navy Commander whose career was primarily in the Public Affairs field; hence, finding opportunities to talk with him and Kathy about myriad details associated with Navy life was never difficult. On the other hand, it took almost three decades to find one excellent opportunity with his dad, a retired CWO4 and veteran of 22 years of service during World War II, Korea, and into the early 60’s. For the first time, we sat and swapped sea stories, and did a little hanger flying, on the weekend of the marriage of El and Kathy’s daughter---a granddaughter to both of us. I was tremendously intrigued by Ozzie’s recollections of combat in World War II, particularly the inspiring exploits of him and his shipmates aboard the Light Cruiser USS SAVANNAH (CL-42) during Operation Avalanche. This was the first Allied invasion of Europe; at Salerno, Italy, on September 8, 1943. Rather than trust my memory of his recollections, permit me to excerpt pertinent facts from a website featuring the USS SAVANNAH: www.concentric.net/~drake725/ (incidentally, this too is illustrative of a far better source of historical facts than that presented by screenwriters). Key points we discussed include: “This invasion was part of Prime Minister Winston Churchill's idea to strike at the "soft underbelly” of the Third Reich by cutting the Nazi's southern lines of communication, thereby freeing up Allied shipping lanes and establishing the Allies' first European southern front.? “At 0944 (on September 11, 1943). . . came a tremendous explosion followed by several secondary explosions which rocked the cruiser. She was hit! Once the #3 magazine exploded, the blast continued to travel towards the bow. Almost all personnel forward of the Boiler room that were below the Main deck were killed.” “When the Savannah got underway at 1757, one sixth of her length was flooded. Her forward control mechanism was wrecked, and the steering gyroscopes were still not operative, but she got up to about 10 - 12 knots. . . .” “The Savannah sailed into Grand Harbor, Valletta, Malta on 12 September . . . .” “It was not until the Savannah was in dry dock that the crew was able to see and comprehend the extent of the damage. The bombing of the Savannah was so momentous that it cost the lives of 204 sailors, 5 Chief Petty Officers, and 9 Officers.” “What had hit the Savannah at 0944 that morning was the first successful use of the Fritz-X guided missile on a US armed warship . . . (If one visits the US Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, a Fritz-X missile can be found on the museum floor in the Annex Building. It should be noted that several days after the Gulf of Salerno invasion, Allied forces uncovered close to 1900 crated Fritz-X missiles at the German airfield in Foggia, Italy).” This brief review of the USS SAVANNAH resulted from a discussion with a World War II veteran. It illustrates a second opportunity to learn history from the “primary sources” among us; an opportunity which could result only from a commitment by the Minot Daily News to adopt a five-year program on behalf of its interested readers. Purpose: To encourage them to identify veterans and/or surviving family members to share their World War II experiences in a manner which would be a source of pride for them, and of interest to their friends, relatives, and neighbors. 60th Anniversary dates of key World War II battles/events could provide milestone opportunities to feature veterans who participated. In addition, other 60th Anniversary events/dates, as would likely result from the contacts with and story lines of veterans and family members, could be added. How many ‘Ozzies’ are in the readership area of the Minot Daily News whose 60th Anniversary story could be told on their equivalent of September 11, 2003. End of Page 3 Home - Contact Us - Cold War Hist. - 91st SRS Hist. - Stardust 40 Mission Story |
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