On September 1, 1942, the first Seabee unit to serve in a combat area, the Sixth Naval Construction Battalion (SeaBees), arrives on Guadalcanal.

I will not tell the story as there is a movie (with John Wayne, one of the seven he dies in), and I am posting a link at the bottom of an excellent article about them. I am going to say that Navy Seabees are some of the hardest working people you will ever find. I would rather have 1 Seabee than ten other people. They have built almost all the camps I have lived in since the first gulf war in Saudi Araba in 91 thru Iraq in the 2000s, and they never stop working on them to making them better. They build, they fight; you can ask them for something, and they will find it, they may be borrowing it, or they will make it. Indeed, some of the unsung heroes of the military.

Happy Birthday!

www.seabeesmuseum.com/seabee-history

archive.org/details/FightingSeabees44

Happy Independent Day. This is indeed one of my favorite holidays. For all my British brothers out there, I have attached a video for you. There is also a bonus one at the end.

For his actions and the way he led his man during the Revolutionary War, John Paul Jones is considered the father of the U.S. Navy.

John Paul was born in Kirkcudbright, Scotland on July 6, 1747. He joined the British merchant marine at the age of 12 and went to sea for the first time as a cabin boy.

In 1766, he was appointed the first mate on a slaver brigantine, but he quickly abandoned the trade due to dissatisfaction. In 1769, he was appointed master. In Tobago, West Indies, he killed the leader of his mutinous crew in self-defense in 1773. He then went to Virginia to avoid justice and was labeled a fugitive by the British. By adding the surname Jones, he was able to hide his true identity.

Now going by John Paul Jones, he moved to Philadelphia and joined the Continental Navy when the American Revolution broke out in 1775. On the first American flagship, the Alfred, he was commissioned a lieutenant. In 1776, Jones was promoted to captain and assigned command of the sloop Providence. On his first time at sea as a captain, he went north to Nova Scotia, wrecked British fisheries, and seized sixteen British prize ships.

In 1777 and 1778, he commanded the Ranger, and he had two definite objectives in mind for this deployment. He wanted to carry out hit-and-run operations against opposing coastal fleets first. Aside from the apparent harm to local shipping, it would cause civilian terror along the English, Scottish, and Irish coastlines, forcing British war planners to redirect some of their marine resources from protecting American ports to defending their own.  Second, he sought to kidnap a high-ranking British official and keep him for ransom until imprisoned Americans were released from British prisons or were released from impressment. For his actions, he was given command of five French and American ships. Jones led his squadron off the Scottish coast to capture seven merchantmen. His most famous battle was on September 23, 1779 against the 44-gun Royal Navy ship, Serapis, and one of the bloodiest naval battles in history. That day, even though his ship was burning and sinking, Jones refused to surrender to the British, saying “I have not yet begun to battle”. Serapis surrendered after more than three hours, and Jones assumed charge.

Even being a sailor, he was very well-dressed, wielded a sword, and behaved in a manner of studied decorum, unlike most merchant seafarers. He spoke with a faint Celtic dialect and had a Scottish brogue. He was a severe military master who was obsessive about his honor and obligations, yet surprisingly pleasant. He was a prolific poet and letter writer, knew some French, and was involved in numerous romances while never marrying. No one, above all, questioned his audacity. His maritime operations against the mother country earned him a reputation as a pirate in Britain.

Jones was named rear admiral in the Russian Navy by Russian Empress Catherine the Great in 1788. He participated in the Liman campaign in the Black Sea. Then, in 1789, he quit the Russian service and relocated to Paris. He was then appointed as the United States Consul in Algiers, but he died before his commission arrived. His body was buried in Paris, but after a long search, his perfectly preserved body was recovered and sent to the United States in 1905. Jones’ remains were reinterred in an elegant mausoleum at the Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1913, thanks to President Theodore Roosevelt’s intervention.

The Battle of Midway was fought from 4-6 June 1942. It was a decisive victory for the United States over the Japanese.  

Richard Eugene Fleming was born on November 11, 1917. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on 15 December 1939 and applied for flight training so he could join the fight to protect the United States. He was accepted as a cadet by the Federal Government on 25 January 1940 and went through training at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Fleming then joined the services on December 7, 1940 and proceeded to his first duty station at Naval Air Station San Diego. He was assigned to VMF-214, a Marine dive-bombing squadron known as the “Black Sheep Squadron”.

In early December 1941, he and seventeen of his squadron were flying their Vindicators headed out to sea to meet up with the USS Lexington. The team continued to Midway Island and arrived two days before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

There, Fleming would engage in the Battle of Midway. On May 25, 1942, he was promoted to First Lieutenant and days later, on June 5th, under harrowing circumstances, he was promoted to Captain. His heroism was evident in the 2 days he fought in that battle.

On June 4, 1942, the aviators on Midway were informed they had to gather their aircraft and warm up. With their squadron commander, Lofton Henderson, in command, they rumbled off to intercept waves of Japanese fighters. They then launched into the sky and searched for the fleet that was presumed to be lurking nearby.  During the initial Japanese attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier, Fleming took command of the unit when the Squadron Commander Henderson got lost and separated from the others. He then dove to the extreme low altitude of 400 feet, exposing himself to enemy fire in order to score a hit on a Japanese carrier. After failing to drop a warhead on the aircraft carrier, Akagi, his aircraft was damaged but he still managed to bring his plane in for a safe landing at base, as it limped back with 171 holes.  His commanding officer, Henderson, was killed.

The next day, he was promoted to squadron commander and Captain Fleming returned to battle. After sleeping only four hours, he returned to the conflict and led his second division to direct his squadron in a coordinated glide-bombing, dive-bombing, and strafing assault of a Japanese battleship. Heavy anti-aircraft gunfire continued to strike Captain Fleming’s plane and, although riddled with 179 hits by the hail of fire that burst upon him from Japanese fighter guns and antiaircraft batteries, he was not seriously wounded and only suffered two minor injuries.  The heavy antiaircraft strafing caused Fleming’s plane to catch fire and, despite the flames and the threat to his and his gunner’s life, he kept the plane on course. Undeterred by a fatal attempt to glide, he pressed home his attack to an altitude of five hundred feet, and, in a screaming dive at the Japanese cruiser, Mikuma, released his bomb to score an almost direct hit on the stern of his target. Unable to pull out of his dive, Fleming’s plane struck the cruiser and plunged into the sea, his plane a cinder of fire.  He and his aircrat were last seen crashed to the sea in flames.

Captain Richard Fleming was the only man to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor during his magnificent stand in the crucial Battle of Midway.  His unwavering dedication and persistence were consistent with the highest principles of the U.S. military.

The Marine died with his gunner, Private First Class George Albert Toms. There is some circumstantial evidence that it might be possible that Fleming deliberately crashed his plane into the battleship with the Mikuma sinking the next day.

For “extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty”, Captain Fleming was awarded the nation’s highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor. Private First Class Toms, too, was awarded for his actions with a Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt presented the Medal of Honor. Fleming’s award, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt states:

“The President of the United States orders the MEDAL OF HONOR to be awarded to Captain Richard E. Fleming, United States Marine Corps Reserve, for extraordinary heroism and conspicuous courage above and beyond the call of duty as Flight Officer, Marine Scouting Bombing Squadron 241, in action against enemy Japanese forces at Midway Island from June 4 through June 5, 1942. When his squadron commander was shot down during the initial spontaneous uprising.”

Private First-Class George Albert Toms’ award reads as follows:

“The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Private First-Class George A. Toms United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as a radioman-gunner in Marine Scout Bombing Squadron TWO HUNDRED FORTY-ONE (VMSB-241), during action against enemy Japanese forces in the Battle of Midway, 4 and 5 June 1942. With courageous efficiency and utter disregard for his own personal safety. Private Toms manned a radio and free machine gun in the rear seat of his plane during a search and attack mission against the enemy on the night of 4 June, and again during an assault upon a Japanese battleship on 5 June. Under conditions attendant upon the Battle of Midway, there can be no doubt that he gallantly gave up his life in the service of his country. His conscientious devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

Although Captain Richard Fleming has disappeared, there is still much debate as to what happened to him. The USS Fleming, commissioned on September 18, 1943, was named in his honor and his name is listed on the “Tablets of the Missing” at Honolulu Memorial.

Richard Fleming is recognized annually at his high school, Saint Thomas Academy, during the Cadet Colonel Promotion ceremony when he is remembered by the presentation of the “Fleming Saber” to the Cadet Colonel. Since 2008, the military academy has added another award and, in 2014, Governor Dayton proclaimed a day in honor of the Medal of Honor. The proclamation honors three recipients: Richard Fleming, John Espy, and Ted Liggett. He is also mourned in his hometown. In honor of Richard E. Fleming, the former South St. Paul Airport was renamed the Richard E. Fleming Field. Though interred in Arlington National Cemetery, a memorial marker has been placed in Fort Snelling National Cemetery for Captain Fleming.

Lastly, if you decide to watch a movie about the battle of Midway, go for the 1976 version. The producers used a lot of real footage from the battle that was shot by director John Ford during the actual battle. Ford also directed “They were Expendable” and “Mister Roberts”. Although you can tell it is old footage, it does help tell the story. It also has some of the best actors of all time, Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, and Tom Selleck.