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SCUBAPRO Sunday – How Elvis saved the U.S.S. Arizona

Sunday, December 6th, 2020

I ran this last year, but I wanted to do it again as I think it is great story.

The Japanese attacked on Pearl Harbor killed 2,403 military and civilians personal. A further 1,178 people were injured in the attack. 19 ships were sunk or damaged, and 188 aircraft destroyed. The efforts of the greatest generation raised all but three (The Arizona, The Utah, and The Oklahoma).

The wreck of the Arizona immediately became a memorial. Passing ships rendered honors to the Arizona and her crew throughout WW2 and still due to this day. Proposals for a permanent memorial started as early as 1943, but not until 1949 did an organized effort began to take shape with the creation of the Pacific War Memorial Commission (PWMC). As the PWMC considered ideas to formally recognize the role of Hawaii during the war, which would include a memorial to the Arizona, Admiral Arthur Radford had a flagstaff placed on the wreck in 1950. He ordered that the colors be raised at the site every day. This modest memorial was later expanded to include a wooden platform and a commemorative plaque.

In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower signed Public Law 85-344 that allowed the PWMC to raise money on the Navy’s behalf for the construction of a memorial to the Arizona. A fundraising goal of $500,000 was set and the initial response from the public was promising. An episode of the popular T.V. series This is Your Life dedicated to Medal of Honor recipient Rear Admiral Samuel Fuqua. (Then Lieutenant Commander Fuqua serving as the U.S.S. Arizona ship’s Damage Control Officer and first lieutenant, and was on board her during Japan’s December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. Though knocked unconscious by a bomb that hit the ship’s stern early in the attack, he subsequently directed firefighting and rescue efforts. After the ship’s forward magazines exploded, he was her senior surviving officer and was responsible for saving her remaining crewmen.)

That initial call for donations raised over $95,000. However, the project quickly stalled as donations dried up. By the start of 1960, only $155,000 had been raised.

“Colonel” Tom Parker read about the struggling campaign in a newspaper and spotted an opportunity. As Elvis Presley’s manager, he was eager to get a bit of positive publicity for his client who had been out of circulation for a couple of years after being drafted into the U.S. Army. Parker surmised that a benefit concert for the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial would raise much-needed awareness of the fundraising campaign while also demonstrating that Elvis still had drawing power. Elvis was not only pleased to be able to perform for an audience. He was a patriot who genuinely believed in the cause and wanted to help.

The PWMC accepted Elvis’s generous offer and began making arrangements with the Navy to use the 4,000 seats Bloch Arena at Pearl Harbor as the venue for the concert. It was the same arena that had hosted the “Battle of Music” the evening before the attack in 1941. The “Battle of Music” was a spirited competition to determine the best ship band in the Pacific Fleet. Although they had been eliminated from contention, the band from Arizona was present and played dance music for the attendees. They would never perform again. The entire band was killed in the explosion on the ship the next morning.

With the venue secured and the show scheduled for March 25, 1961, Parker set ticket prices ranging from $3 to $100 and announced that everyone would have to buy a ticket to see the show. Rank usually has its privileges. Still, Parker seemed to take pleasure in rebuffing admirals and generals who approached him about complimentary tickets. When he said he everyone had pay, he meant everyone had to pay — even the performers. Elvis bought a $100 ticket for himself then bought dozens more to give to staff and patients at a military hospital.

After a brief introduction by Rear Admiral Robert Campbell of the 14th Naval District, Elvis took the stage as hundreds of teenagers screeched in excitement. The King looked resplendent in his signature gold lame jacket with silver sequin lapels. He let out a brief yell of his own in response to the ecstatic audience before launching into his hit “Heartbreak Hotel.” All accounts state that Elvis was in peak form, giving an enthusiastic and energetic performance that included favorites “All Shook Up,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” and “It’s Now or Never.” He finished the show with a rollicking version of “Hound Dog,” during which he slid across the stage on his knees. The 15-song set, and 45 minutes of stage time were among the longest of his career. The concert would also be his last for 8 years.

The benefit was a resounding success. Ticket sales accounted for $47,000 with additional donations ($5,000 coming from Elvis), pushing the total take to over $60,000. Funding for the memorial was still well short of its target. Still, the electricity of Elvis had generated the jumpstart the campaign needed. In 1961, Hawaii Senator Daniel Inouye got legislation passed to secure another $150,000 in federal funds. Money began to flow from other sources. The combination of public funds and private donations (including $40,000 from Revelle raised through sale of model kits of the Arizona) reached the goal of $500,000 by September 1961 – just 5 months after the concert. The end of the year completed construction on the memorial.

The U.S.S. Arizona Memorial was officially dedicated on May 30, 1962. Elvis certainly took pride in his role in building a permanent memorial to the crew of the Arizona. He made several visits to the site on subsequent trips to Hawaii. The memorial has reached its own iconic status and welcomes 1.5 million visitors a year.

Elvis did not forget the Arizona, and the Navy did not forget Elvis. When Elvis passed away in 1977, the Navy showed its gratitude by placing a wreath for him at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.

Much of today’s upkeep comes from the fundraising of the American Veteran (AMVETS), a veteran’s service organization that helped to secure around $250,000 in total for the memorial during the 1950s. The organization is responsible for the upkeep of the white marble wall inscribed with the names of the men who perished aboard the U.S.S. Arizona. In 1983, and again in 2014, AMVETS raised funds needed to replace the deteriorating Wall of Remembrance.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, History, Maritime, Navy | 2 Comments »

Menton Day

Saturday, December 5th, 2020

05 Dec 1944 is a somewhat sad day in SOF history. Known as Menton Day, December 5th marks the last formation of the 1st Special Service Force.

The 1st Special Service Force (also called The Devil’s Brigade, The Black Devils, The Black Devils’ Brigade, and Freddie’s Freighters), was a combined American-Canadian commando unit in World War II.

Organized and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana in 1942, the Forcemen fought in the Aleutian Islands, Italy, and southern France before being disbanded on this day in December 1944.

One of the Force’s most harrowing missions was the attack on Monte La Difensa in Italy during December, 1943, which required the men to climb the mountain and surprise the German defenders.

This painting by Peter Dennis comes from tge Osprey book, “RAID 48: Storming Monte La Difensa,” written by Bret Werner.

Despite being from two different countries, the members of the Force became a United team. The story goes that the FSSF soldiers assembled at 1400 hours for a somber farewell. The order announcing the Canadian’s departure was read, followed by remarks from the commander, Col. Edwin A. Walker, the roll of the fallen, prayers, and a playing of taps. After the FSSF colors were sheathed, the order was given: “All Canadians fall out!” The 620 Canadian soldiers paraded, and received a salute from the Americans.

A Canadian sergeant from the 2nd Regiment remarked years later, that “It was the saddest day of my life, I think…Canadians were falling out that I thought were Americans and Americans were standing still who I thought were Canadians…There was no nationality in that bloody unit.”

Thanks to Mud at SFA Chapter LX for some of the narrative.

Posted in History, SOF | 9 Comments »

Navy Sunday – The Navy First Jack

Sunday, November 29th, 2020

I wanted to write about the U.S. Navy’s first Jack and the history of “Don’t tread on me” in the U.S. Navy, to give people the history of it and to show where it came from and that it had nothing to do with anything other than to tell the King of England we don’t work for you no more. The Navy Jack is not to be confused with the Gadsden flag (yellow flag with a collided up snake, see below). Which possibly started as the flag of South Caroline and later the first Commodores of the U.S. Navy fleet.

The rattlesnake (specifically, the Timber Rattlesnake) is especially significant and symbolic to the American Revolution. The rattle has thirteen layers, signifying the original Thirteen Colonies. Additionally, the snake does not strike until provoked, a quality echoed by the phrase “Don’t tread on me.”

The United States Navy originally started as the Continental Navy, established during the American Revolution by the Continental Congress by a resolution of 13 October 1775. There is a widespread belief that the Continental Navy ships flew a jack consisting of alternating red and white stripes, having the image of a rattlesnake stretched out across it, with the motto “Don’t Tread on Me.” That is actually hard to prove as “fact.” But there was a letter in 1778 that John Adams and Benjamin Franklin wrote to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sicily, thanking him for allowing entry of U.S. ships into Sicilian ports. The letter describes the U.S. flag according to the 1777 Flag Resolution but also tells a banner of “South Carolina, a rattlesnake, in the middle of the thirteen stripes.

It is well documented that the rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me” were used together on several flags during the War of Independence or The American war’ / ‘the war with America ‘as the British call it. The only question in doubt is whether the Continental Navy used a red and white striped flag with a rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me” as its Jack. The evidence is inconclusive, but there are a lot of reasons to think it was. There is reason to believe that the Continental Navy Jack was simply a red and white striped flag with no other adornment.

The rattlesnake emerged as a symbol of the colonies of North America about the time of the Seven Years War or the French and Indiana war( the Seven-year war was a global conflict that involved every great European power from 1756-1763 ) when the motto “Join or Die.” first appeared in Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754, like a political cartoon reflecting on the Albany Congress. It was intended to get the Americans to join against the French during this time.

By the time of the War of Independence, the rattlesnake, frequently used in conjunction with the motto “Don’t Tread on Me,” was a common symbol for the United States, its independent spirit, and its resistance to tyranny. Two American military units of the Revolution are known to have used the rattlesnake and the “Don’t Tread on Me” motto: Proctor’s Independent Battalion of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and Sullivan’s Life Guard during the Rhode Island campaign of 1777. The rattlesnake and the motto also appeared on military accouterments, such as drums, and state paper currency, during the Revolution.

The rattlesnake’s image and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me” certainly had associations with the Continental Navy.

On 27 February 1777, a group of Continental Navy officers proposed that the full-dress uniform of Continental Navy captains include a gold epaulet on the right shoulder with “the figure of a Rattle Snake Embroidered on the Strap . . . with the Motto don’t tread on me.”

In early 1776 Commodore Esek Hopkins, the first and only commander in chief of the Continental Navy fleet used a personal standard (flag) designed by Christopher Gadsden of South Carolina. This flag consisted of a yellow field with a coiled snake and the motto “Don’t Tread on Me.” There is no doubt about the authenticity of Hopkins’s standard, usually referred to as “the Gadsden flag.”

The only written description of the Continental Navy jack contemporary with the American Revolution appears in Commodore Hopkins’s “Signals for the American Fleet,” January 1776, described as “the striped jack.” No document says that the Jack had a rattlesnake or motto on it. Elsewhere, Hopkins mentions using a “striped flag” as a signal. Since American merchant ships often displayed a simple red and white striped flag, there is a good chance that the striped Jack to which Hopkins refers was the same striped flag used by American merchant ships.

An 18th-century portrait of Esek Hopkins shows him where several warships are displayed. One flies a white flag, with a tree, and the mottos “Liberty Tree,” and “An appeal to God.”(posable Massachusetts first flag, and as the U.S. Navy was started in Mass) Another warship flies a striped flag with a rattlesnake and the motto “Don’t Tread Upon Me.”

The flags in these prints are not at the bow, where a jack would go, but at the stern, the proper place for the national ensign. Again, the pine tree flag was the flag that Mass wanted as the Nation ensign and used by all ships from Mass, and again the Navy was born in Mass, so it goes to say that might have that flag on there. Also, let’s be clear that New England and South Caroline basally started the war. So it also goes to say they would be on our ships. The historical evidence makes it impossible to say whether the Continental Navy used the striped rattlesnake flag as its Jack.

Simultaneously, the evidence suggests strong connections between the symbol of the rattlesnake with the motto “Don’t Tread on Me” and the United States’ earliest naval traditions. Fast forward to 9/11/ 2002. The Navy authorized all active merchant and coast guard ships to fly the First Navy Jack on their bow in port. They did this on the first anniversary of 9/11. Before then, the longest servicing ship was the only ship that was allowed to use it to show they were the oldest commissioned ship still in service (not counting the USS Constitution). All U.S. Navy personal adopted it in the Persian Gulf to wear on their shoulder fighting in the War on Terroir. It is still allowed to be worn on the Navy Working Uniform. The Navy has since gone back to the tradition of only the oldest ship using the “don’t tread on me” flag. Now the USS Blue Ridge. I hate to think this is happening because people think it means something that it doesn’t. So, it is clear that the flag has a long history with the Navy and the U.S.

I wanted to write this because it is now apparently a racist symbol. I am tired of things being highjacked by groups, and, let say, someone who has served 26 years in the Navy can’t wear it, or people think they are a racist. I am not pollical (I say as I write this). If you are a racist, white, black, green, blue, whatever color you are, go out and make a shirt that says “I am a racist” stop taking things from our history that have nothing to do with race and saying that it does. Stop taking history and twisting it into something for yourself. Man, up if you want to be a racist, come up with your own symbol. Don’t make it complicated. Make hats, shirts, and stickers that just say you are a racist. That way, it won’t confuse you or your buddies, and everyone will know where you stand. But don’t use something that has meant so much to this great country’s history and claim it implies something that it never has.

Posted in Guest Post, History, Morale, Navy | 15 Comments »

Son Tay Raiders Commemorate 50th Anniversary of Operation, Release New Book, Film Documentary

Saturday, November 21st, 2020

Today is the 50th anniversary of Operation Ivory Coast, the famous joint service raid deep into North Vietnam to rescue American POWs held by the communists in a camp near Son Tay.

Principally, the assaulters were members of Army Special Forces recruited for a secret mission from units in Fort Bragg and the Aircrews who were responsible for getting them there were Air Force.

The Raiders flew to the target from an Intermediate Staging Base in Thailand on HH-3s and were refueled by HC-130s. An MC-130 served as pathfinder, leading the mission. There was also armed overwatch via AC-130 gunship and A-1E Skyraider. A myriad of other aircraft provided support from afar for the assault element, including command and control, intelligence overwatch and suppression of enemy air defense.

The Navy also played a vital, although unwitting role by flying MIG Combat Air Patrols and conducting deception operations to keep the North’s air defense system busy. Thanks to their efforts, the North Vietnamese didn’t get one aircraft off the ground that night. Ironically, none of the Navy crews knew what they were doing until was all over.

But to get the ball rolling, the task force was assembled at Eglin Air Force in Florida where it trained for the mission in isolation and secrecy. So careful were planners that rehearsals were conducted only when Soviet satellites weren’t overhead so as not to alert the communist bloc of an impending operation. They even went so far as to disassemble the target camp in between rehearsals. Planners also had access to ‘Barbara’, the code name for a scale model of the compound.

Elements and aircraft were assigned code names. All of this secrecy led to the infamous commemorative patch created by the Air Force crews featuring a mushroom with the letters KITD FOHS for Kept In The Dark, Fed Only Horse Shit.

The actual raid was called Operation Kingpin and was initiated when an HH-3, call sign Banana-1, purposefully killed the engine and autorotated into the POW camp, Raiders running out of the stricken aircraft once it came to rest. In all, the ground force consisted of three teams: an assault group, a support group, and a command and security group.

Although the task force succeeded in breaching the compound, it turned out to be a dry hole, the POWs having been moved days earlier. The ground force having spent 28 minutes in the ground.

Despite this tactical loss, the operations proved a strategic victory. The North Vietnamese moved American POWs together and improved their conditions which greatly raised morale.

As you can see, Operation Ivory Coast was a major operation, serving as the template for multiple deep enemy ration raids for decades.

Unfortunately, United Special Special Operations Command had to cancel their event due to COVID-19 restrictions so the Silent Warrior Foundation stepped in and out a great weekend together. It is an amazing event and Silent Warrior Foundation even worked with a Hollywood prop house to recreate the clothing and equipment each man wore on the raid.

Seen above are Neal Westbrook, Colonel USAF, Ret. Son Tay Raider (Lime 2), Terry Buckler, Sergeant, USA Son Tay Raider (Red Wine), Vladimir “Jake” Jakovenko, Sergeant Major, USA Ret. Son Tay Raider (Green Leaf) John Gargus, Colonel, USAF, Ret. Son Tay Raider (Cherry 2) Tyrone Adderly, Sergeant Major, USA Ret. Son Tay Raider (Red Wine)

There’s not enough room on SSD to tell the whole tale and numerous books have been written about the operation like “The Son Tay Raid” by air planner and pilot Col. John Gargus.

However, a new book has just been released, “Who Will Go” by Terry Buckler. It is the first time the tale has been told by a Raider with actual boots on the ground. He was assisted in his effort by CI-author Cliff Westbrook. Author Terry Buckler was there as the RTO for the Redwine element. Even better, he was the “baby” of the group and had not served in combat in SE Asia prior to the assault.

For those of you interested, you can get a copy of “Who Will Go” signed by the Raiders on hand for the event by visiting silentwarriorfoundation.com/collections/gear-accessories/products/signed-book-who-will-go.

During the event, a documentary is also being produced. “Operation Kingpin” can use your support to finish their work.

Posted in Air Force, Army, History, SOF | 29 Comments »

Happy Birthday Marines!

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

The story goes that by 1918, the US Marines were fully employed putting foot to Central Power ass, but when the Germans saw how hard the Devil Dogs partied on their birthday, they promptly surrendered the next morning. That’s right, the service that was founded in a Tavern is why we celebrate Armistice Day on 11 November.

Thanks for keeping the world safe Marines!

Posted in History, Morale, USMC | Comments Off on Happy Birthday Marines!

SCUBAPRO Sunday – Veterans Suicide / Remembrance Day

Sunday, November 8th, 2020

“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.”
— President George Washington

So, I had a post all set and ready to go. I was about to share it with Eric so he could post. I wrote about Remembrance Day; (I have it at the end of this). I like to write about history as it pertains to the military, mainly the Navy. But something is going on that should not be ignored. It is only really talked about but when it happens to someone you know. But I think because of the stigma attached to it, no one will continue to talk about it. Many veterans out there are suffering from a lot of different things, physical and mental. Depending on what report you read, up to 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Some reports say higher and some lower, but they are not that far apart. Regardless of the daily number, Veterans have the highest suicide rate among any other group. It is not just the vets from the War on Terror, either. This number represents all the wars and conflicts from which we still have survivors. And it’s not only a U.S. problem, as many of our allies are dealing with the same issues. If you know someone or you might be having problems, PLEASE talk to someone, anyone. The Veterans Crisis Line is 1-800-273-8255 and press 1.

I have lost some very close friends to suicide, and I never want it to happen to anyone ever again. Please look out for the signs and symptoms; sometimes they are easy to see, while other times you have no clue and it will happen to someone close to you. But if you are thinking of hurting yourself, please talk to someone. If you believe the world is better with you not in it, it is not. The people you leave behind will always have to deal with what happened and still have to think they could have done more. I know I do, but I also know I did all I could have done to help. But there will always be that .01% that thinks I could have done more to help my brother. People, especially military people, are good at hiding things and it’s not always easy to see. Please keep an eye on your brother and sister. I look at the military as a family.

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/suicide/symptoms-causes

Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day or Poppy Day, was started by the U.S. and the U.K. to remember the fallen and honor the end of World War One, which occurred at 11 am on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Traditions used to observe Remembrance Day include wearing poppies, and a two-minute silence at 11 am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. It wasn’t long after WWI ended that the day the armistice was signed was adopted as a suitable time and date for countries involved in the war to mark their soldiers’ sacrifice, with official remembrance services taking place in the U.K. and USA in 1919. After World War II, both countries started to use that day to pay respect to the fallen from all wars. Despite the shared history, Remembrance Day has evolved in different ways. Depending on where you are in the world, it can be known as Armistice Day, Veterans’ Day, Remembrance Day, Poppy Day and may not even be celebrated on November 11th. In 1938 it was made a legal holiday in the U.S., and, in 1945, it was changed to honor all military veterans. Please take a moment on November 11th to remember those who serve and have served in the name of our country and who continue to bravely give their time for the freedoms we hold so dear.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, History, Veterans | Comments Off on SCUBAPRO Sunday – Veterans Suicide / Remembrance Day

SCUBAPRO Sunday – Kokoda Track Campaign WW2

Sunday, November 1st, 2020

The 3rd of November is Kokoda day or Kokoda Track day in Australia. The Kokoda Track Campaign was mainly fought between the Australians, and the Japanese, with the Americans helping at first with supplies and then with troops. The Australian troops had to save Port Moresby from being captured by the Japanese because Papua New Guinea would have been a great staging point for Australia’s invasion.

The Australian forces fought exceptionally well in the harsh and unforgiving jungle of the Kokoda Track. More than 600 Allies were killed, and about 75% of the allied troops got sick, with diseases like malaria, dengue fever, and dysentery. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between July and November 1942 in what was then Australian Papua New Guinea. The Australian Army halted the furthermost southward advance by Japanese forces in Papua New Guinea and then pushed the enemy back across the mountains. Kokoda was one the most significant battles fought by Australians in the Second World War, first because it was fought so close to home, second because it was kind of Australia’s birth as a prominent player on the world stage. The Kokoda campaign saved Australia from possible invasion from the Japanese. Port Moresby held a tactical position, and preventing the Japanese from reaching it was vital. The battle was fought over five months, and the odds were stacked heavily in favor of the Japanese. They outnumbered the Aussies 5-1, had much better equipment, and a lot more of it, and at the time, they were considered by many the best jungle fighters in the world. The astounding feats performed by the diggers soldiers to hold off the Japanese and turn them back lead to the growth of Australia as a nation.

The Kokoda Track started as many small trails used as mail routes and to supply settlements around Kokoda. The military modified it. It became the main route that linked Ower’s Corner, 40 kilometers north-east of Port Moresby, and the small village of Wairopi, on the northern side of the Owen Stanley mountain range. But it was a lot more than 40 kilometers within walking distance because you had to take the jungle into account. The soldiers were challenged by steep, treacherous inclines, deep valleys, dense jungle, a debilitating climate, and drenching rain that frequently turned the ground into that jungle mud that sticks to everything just by looking at it.

The Australians fought against all odds and without the help of Great Britain. It was fought mainly by Militia (reserve) troops or “chocolate soldiers” as the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) called them because they were poorly trained, and it was said, “they would melt in the heat of battle.” At the start of the war, Australia sent its best troops, the AIF, to the middle east to help the brits. So, Australia stood up a Militia Battalions to serve in Australia, to help protect the homeland.

The 39th was only to be used on mainland Australia, but the government used a loophole saying that Papua New Guinea was a territory. Hence, they sent the 39th Militia there to help protect the island. This was one of the hardest fought battles in WW2 by anyone. I have attached a couple of links so you can read about this. As many military units are getting back into the jungle, this is full of instrumental lessons learned and is an excellent piece of history that should not be forgotten by any side. So, this week stop for a minute or raise a beer to the diggers and all the people that have made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom everywhere and have gone before us.

Long Live the Brotherhood.