On the road
Saturday, September 28, 2013
Profiles Fall 2013 Spring 2014 HFDFW
Clayton enlisted into the U.S. Marine Corps at the age of 17
because he liked what the Corps stood for! He reported for duty on March 20,
1944.
During Clayton’s career with the 2nd Marine Division, 8th
Marine Regiment, he took part in the invasions of the islands of Tinian, Saipan
and Okinawa. Tinian was the airbase that the B-29’s “Enola Gay” and “Bocks Car”
flew from in the dropping of the atomic bombs over Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Saipan was particularly brutal since the Japanese threw everything
they had in the attempt to stop the assaulting Marines on the beaches
themselves. Later on, Clayton participated in the battle for the island of Okinawa,
again as a machine gunner, the first island in the chain of Japanese home
islands.
After the surrender of the Japanese to the Allied nations in
September 1945, Clayton landed on the shores of mainland Japan as part of the
occupations forces.
Clayton was discharged from the Marine Corps on July 27,
1946 with the rank of Corporal.
Profiles Fall 2013 Spring 2014 HFDFW
Robert enlisted into the U.S. Army Air Corps (later Air
Forces) on December 12, 1942 at the age of 18.
After extensive pilot training in the U.S. where many
student pilots were killed or injured, Robert graduated and was sent to the
European Theatre of operations.
Robert was assigned to the famous 8th AAF (the
Mighty 8th.) Specifically he was part of the 27th
Squadron, 20th Fighter Group.
Robert flew the P-51 Mustang, arguably the best fighter of
WWII. He flew a total of 30 missions including escorting bombers over central Europe.
Mustangs were also used extensively in ground attacks against troop trains,
airfields, munitions factories and other targets of opportunity especially
after the German Luftwaffe was effectively eliminated as masters of the skies
over France, Germany and the Low countries.
Robert was awarded the Air Medal with 3 clusters. He was
discharged as a 1st lieutenant on March 17, 1946.
Profiles Fall 2013 Spring 2014 HFDFW
Wallace enlisted into the United States Naval Reserve on
March 11, 1945 at the age of 17.
He was assigned to the newly launched U.S.S. Telamon (ARB-8)
which was only one of twelve “Aristaeus Class” battle damage repair ships built
during WWII. Wallace and the Telamon were then sent to the Pacific Theater and
were part of the U.S. Navy’s Asiatic-Pacific 7th Fleet.
Wallace’s job on the Telamon was that of mailman. The
mailman was an important and popular position since he was the link between the
sailors on the ship and home!
Some of Wallace’s most memorable memories were surviving storms
and much feared Typhoon’s that plagued the fleet during the spring and summer
of 1945. In the Spring of 1946 the Telamon participated in “Operation
Crossroads.” This was the navy’s role in testing nuclear weapons at Bikini
Atoll in the South Pacific.
Wallace says that he is very proud of his service with the Navy
and that he was able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill. He graduated from
Baylor University in 1952.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Profiles Fall 2013 Spring 2014 HFDFW
Angelo was drafted into the Army and was inducted on January
12, 1945. He was 18 years old.
At this late stage of
the war, Germany was months away from being defeated, but Japan still held on
to their home islands. It was thought by many experts that the war with Japan
could go on into 1947-48.
So it was in this realm that Angelo plus many other of his
age were still being drafted and trained in 1945. Angelo volunteered for the
paratroopers and was trained to jump out of airplanes. One of his most memorable
experiences was flying in an airplane that was in such bad condition, that he
thought it might fall out of the sky before he had the chance to make his jump!
Angelo was part of the famed 82nd Airborne
Division and was stationed his whole career in the continental U.S. He had the
rank of Tech. 5th Grade and was assigned to the Headquarters
Company. He computed, processed and typed pay vouchers.
Angelo was typical of many serviceman at this stage of the
war. He had been trained to fight the enemy but the enemy had been defeated.
There was still work to do however, and everyone did their part.
On August 3, 1946 Angelo was discharged. He had received the
American Theater Campaign medal, the WWII Victory medal and the Good Conduct
medal.
Profiles Fall 2013 Spring 2014 HFDFW
James enlisted into the U.S.Marine corps on June 19, 1943 at
the age of 17.
After basic training James was sent to the Pacific Theatre
and was trained in aviation ordinance.
James was stationed on the island of Okinawa where soldiers
and Marines fought the Japanese for control of this strategic island, the first
Japanese home island to be taken in the final push towards Japan and ending the
war.
James most memorable experience was watching the deadly
Japanese kamikaze’s dropping out of the skies and hitting Allied ships around
the island.
On March 10, 1946 James was discharged with the rank of
corporal.
Profiles Fall 2013 Spring 2014 HFDFW
Kelly enlisted into the U.S.Navy in part because he liked
the uniforms he has said! He was issued his first uniform shortly after being
inducted on October 13, 1942.
After basic training Kelly was assigned to the U.S.S .Chicago.
During the battle for the island of Guadalcanal, the Chicago was hit by several
Japanese torpedoes and subsequently sunk. Kelly was luckily rescued at sea by
the WWI era destroyer, U.S.S. Sands.
Kelly was taken to the island of New Caledonia where for a
time where he was a translator in English to French for his superiors.
Later in the war, Kelly was transferred to the U.S.S. San Francisco.
He then participated in action off the Aleutian Islands, Gilberts, Marshall’s,
Saipan, Truk and Wake islands.
Kelly and the San Francisco were off the island of Iwo Jima
when the Marines raised the American flag during the battle to take the island
from the fanatical Japanese.
Kelly was discharged from the navy on December 8, 1945 with
the rank of Seaman 1st Class and had received seven battle stars and
a presidential unit citation.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
October 2014 Dallas Police Shield magazine
Like the year 1988, probably the worst in DPD history as far
as deaths of DPD officers, 1971 and 1972 may be arguably runners up in the worst
years in the history of the Dallas Police Department.
On May 3, 1972 the
Dallas Morning News had an article pointing out the DPD’s rank and files bitterness
and frustration over the recent and seemingly endless slayings and assaults on
DPD officers. Officer Carl J. Cooke was the third rookie shot to death in the
line of duty since the fall of 1971.
This writer remembers sitting in my 1965 Mustang at the
intersection of Bruton and Buckner about this time. I was a stupid 10th
grader at W.W.Samuell H.S. but I was apparently somewhat aware of the killings.
A Dallas squad car pulled up next to me and a buddy. I commented that the new standup
shotgun rack (that didn’t last very long with DPD) in the squad car was a
result of these killings and that the DPD wanted potential bad guys to know
that officers had such a weapon readily available. Maybe I was right.
The deaths of Cooke (“a monument to the 1-man squad,”
according to one officer), and Officers Allen Camp and Johnnie Hartwell had
raised questions about the departments policies on training and the use of
firearms.
There was angry talk among the nervous and frustrated ranks that
indicated police may be prepared to shoot first and ask questions later. Some
said that the 1-man squad car was the reason for the violence, others said that
it was the accelerated training that DPD officers were subjected to. The DMN
wrote that At one time rookies were assigned a trainer for six months after
completing the academy. Then the rookie might work with a veteran officer for
three years or more. Now, the article said, the rookie worked only three months
with a trainer, then put out on the streets, often in 1-man squads.
Some officers were critical of the department which in June,
1970 handed down a departmental “policy statement” that police would stop
shooting “suspected” criminals. This was a result of a DPD detective assigned
to the Metro Squad. He had shot a known police character who reached under the
seat of his truck and grabbed a wrench after being confronted by police. The
officer thought it was a gun and shot the guy. The grand jury investigated
along with the DPD and suspended the officer for 30 days and removed him as a
detective in the Metro Squad.
After Cooke’s death, the DPD issued a statement that “the
department never tried to restrict any officer in firing when they were in fear
of their lives.”
One anonymous but described as a veteran officer told the
DMN that “I would rather be sitting in front of that grand jury telling those
12 ‘tried and true’ people how and why I killed a burglar than to have the
burglar there telling them how he killed me.”
The next day May 4, 1972 the DMN reported that
DPD Chief Frank Dyson, who had three weeks earlier said he would seek
legislation in Austin to curb an outbreak of violence against police officers,
went one step further by creating a task force to spot any training and
operational weaknesses that also might be a factor.
Dyson said that while the study is in progress, directives
were being issued to commanders clarifying departmental use on firearms. “It is
not a shoot first and ask questions later policy,” said Dyson, “but rather a
clarification of the policy that men are not are not to subject themselves to
unnecessary risk.”
Dyson also said that he was passing the word to district commanders
that police answering burglar-in-the- building and robbery calls are “to hit
the ground carrying a shotgun.” He also stated that the task force would be
staffed exclusively by police officers assigned to “stress duty,” who would be in
the best position to identify problems. A patrolman would be assigned to head
up the group.
On May 7, 1972 it was reported that police shot and wounded
a burglar at the Amco Cycle Shop, 5347 Forest Lane about 3:35 am after the
burglar alarm went off. Officer J.L. Elliot and R.A. Husson answered the call
and Husson spotted the suspect running through a fenced storage area and yelled
for him to stop. When he started climbing the fence Elliot fired a shotgun
blast, hitting the suspect in the hand and face. The suspect however was not seriously
injured and later went to Parkland Hospital. Police found keys to six
motorcycles on the lot in the suspect’s pockets. It’s not known whether the 19
year old Irving resident continued a life of crime after this incident, but I
would think possibly not.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Profiles Fall 2013-Spring 2014 HFDFW
Johnnie enlisted in the U.S.Army and reported for duty on February
9, 1942 at the age of 25. This was somewhat old for a person to enlist at the
age of 25 at this time in WWII. Johnnie probably could have waited a couple of
years until the military started drafting men in their late twenties. This goes
to show the patriotism that was present during the war that even a person at
the age of 25 would volunteer to do his part early in the war.
Johnnie was sent overseas to the European Theater and was
trained as a mechanic, truck driver and cook. These were important jobs in the
Army since it took many support personnel to keep the war machine running.
Johnnie was present during operations in Normandy, Northern
France, the Ardennes, Rhineland and Central Europe.
Johnnie was awarded the EAME Campaign Medal with 5 Bronze
Stars and the Good Conduct Medal. He was discharged from the Army on October 9,
1945 with the rank of T-5.
Profiles Fall 2013-Spring 2014 HFDFW
Joe says that he was drafted into the Navy and reported for
duty on June 20, 1944 at the age of 18. It’s a little known fact that in WWII a
person who was drafted into the military did not necessarily go into the army,
which of course most did.
After basic training Joe was assigned to the newly commissioned
Attack Transport U.S.S. Rockingham.
The ship experienced the horror that was Okinawa in the
Spring of 1945. The Japanese threw everything they had in the form of Kamikaze’s
at the American fleet off that strategic island. The Rockingham helped several
ships off loading and rescuing sailors that had been hit by this new form of
warfare after they had been hit and sunk or damaged.
Joe says that his most memorable and terrible experienced during
the war was that the Rockingham was under fire for 9 days and nights from the
Japanese.
The Rockingham continued to transport troops back and forth
across the Pacific including “Operation Magic Carpet” which was the transporting
troops back home from far off campaigns at the end of the war.
Joe was discharged from the Navy on March 24, 1946 with the
rank of Seaman First Class.
Profiles Fall 2013-Spring 2014 HFDFW
Charles enlisted in the U.S.Navy in September, 1943 at the
age of 18. After basic training Charles was sent to gunnery school where he was
trained as an anti-aircraft gunner.
Charles was transferred
to the South Pacific on the newly commissioned Essex-class aircraft carrier
U.S.S. Shangri-La. This carrier was a radical departure in the naming
department! When news reporters asked president Roosevelt in 1942 where did the
B-25 Mitchell bombers take off from during the famous “30 Seconds over Tokyo”
raid, the president simply grinned and said ”Shangri-La!”
The carrier was the flagship of Admiral John McCain, the
father of current Senator John McCain. The ship participated in many actions towards
the end of the war in the Pacific. These include but aren’t limited to support
10th Army troops and Marines with air strikes on the island of Okinawa.
Later the Shangri-La launched aircraft which bombed the Japanese mainland during
July, 1945. Charles remembers firing at Japanese suicide planes including one
which just skimmed the deck of his ship before crashing into the sea on the
opposite side of the carrier.
The Shangri-La was
present in Tokyo Bay when the Japanese surrendered in September, 1945.
Charles was discharged in 1946.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Profiles Fall 2013-Spring 2014 HFDFW
Tom enlisted in the Merchant Marine on May 9, 1944 at the
age of 20.
Tom was assigned to the ship “Lookout Mountain,” named after
the famous mountain in Tennessee known for the “Battle above the Clouds” in the
Civil War.
As a trained radio
operator Tom was aboard ship as she sailed the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Tom’s most memorable moment was when he was given the task
to announce Germany’s surrender to the crew over the ships loud speaker system.
He was discharged with the rank of Radio Officer/Operator on
August 15, 1945. His awards and citations include the Merchant Marine emblem,
the WWII Victory medal; Pacific War Zone and the Honorable Service Button. He
also has a presidential Testimonial letter in his possession.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Profiles Spring 2014 HFDFW
Charles joined the Navy on January 27, 1945 at the age of
18.
After basic training he was assigned to the SEABEE’s which
was of course the famous naval construction unit that built airfields, ports
and basically anything else that was required to fight a war.
Charles was part of Naval Construction Battalion 1058 at
Point Barrow, Alaska and had two months of active sea duty.
He was discharged from the Navy on December 27, 1945 with
the rank of Seaman Second Class, SV-6.
Profiles Spring 2014 HFDFW
James enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in June of 1943 at
the age of 17.
After basic training James was sent to the Western Pacific
and was part of the landings in the Philippines Islands. He was assigned to
U.S. Coast Guard Det. M Unit 194.
James was a Loran Navigation Operator and had the rank of
RDM 3rd /Class.
James was discharged from the Coast Guard on April 14, 1946.
Profiles Spring 2014 HFDFW
Thomas enlisted in the U.S.Navy on July 1, 1943 at the age
of 19.
After basic training Thomas was assigned to the U.S.S. Guest
DD-472 which was a destroyer in the Pacific theater of operations.
His job while on the Guest was that of Torpedo Officer and
Assistant Gunnery Officer.
Thomas’ most memorable experiences was that of chasing the
Japanese fleet in the Philippine Sea during the battle of the Mariana’s.
Another notable experience was when the Guest took part in
the rescue of the crew from the U.S.S. Perry. Other memories was seeing the
flag at Iwo Jima and experiencing the horror of Japanese kamikazes during the
battle of Okinawa.
Thomas was discharged on June 16, 1946 with the rank of Lt.
(JG.)
However Thomas stayed in the Naval Reserve until 1964 and
was a member of JAG Corps.
His awards include the American Theater Medal, Navy
Occupation and Philippine Liberation Medals. Also awarded was the Philippine
Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge, Navy Reserve Medal and the Asiatic
Pacific Medal with Five Battle Stars.
Profiles Spring 2014 HFDFW
Rollie enlisted into the U.S.Navy on June 8, 1942 at the age
of 17. After basic training he attended radioman school and that began his
career with the Navy during WWII.
Rollie was assigned to LST-309 which was newly commissioned.
The Landing Ship Tank vessel was soon sailing to Europe. Rollie and LST-309
participated in the invasions of the island of Sicily, Salerno Italy and later
the invasion of Normandy on June6, 1944.
After the D-Day landings, LST-309 sailed to the Pacific.
When the Japanese surrendered in September of 1945, LST-309 was in the
Philippine Islands awaiting the invasion of Japan that luckily never came.
Rollie was discharged on January 9, 1946 with many campaign
ribbons and 3 battle stars for the 3 invasions that he participated in.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)