by El Zorro Viejo (aka; Jim)

For the past ten years or so, I've been posting this every Memorial Day. I forget if I posted this here or on Delphi the last couple of years, but...it doesn't matter. What matters is that I let "stuff" get in the way of doing this on the proper day. However, the actual anniversary of the Battle of Midway is...today! So, it is still fitting and proper to remember these heroes today as well as on Memorial Day. May we never forget and never lack for that kind of courage out of our culture. So, without further ado, I give you my annual Memorial Day post:

While we pause to honor those who have given their lives for their country, there is a group of men whose names should never be forgotten. On June 4, 1942, in a desperate hour of our history, a small contingent of U.S. Navy fliers changed the course of World War II and of history. The fliers from the carriers Yorktown, Enterprise and Hornet, northeast of the island of Midway, broke the back of Japanese naval aviation and effectively changed the Japanese strategy from one of attack to one of defense. Crucial to the American victory at Midway was the sacrifice made by the torpedo squadrons of all three American carriers. Their willingness to discard doctrine and to attack, without fighter support and in the face of virtually insurmountable odds, was in the highest traditions of honor and courage. By pressing their attack as they did, the Japanese air cover for their carriers was drawn down to the surface and was thus out of position, out of fuel and out of ammunition when the American dive bombers arrived on the scene. In the five minutes or so of the dive bomber attack, the Japanese lost three aircraft carriers and their cadre of seasoned pilots. Later in the day, the fourth, and last, Japanese aircraft carrier was sunk by navy dive-bombers. This sealed the victory and changed the course of the war in the Pacific.

As the record dims; as the surviving participants of that war become fewer and fewer, I believe it is fitting that we remember both the men from the U.S.S. Yorktown's Torpedo Squadron Three, the U.S.S. Enterprise's Torpedo Squadron Six and the U.S.S. Hornet's Torpedo Squadron Eight who gave their lives for their country and their no-less courageous comrades who survived this battle:

I commend these men to you to be remembered. I think that it is important that their devotion to duty, country and service and their courage should be kept alive in our minds and our hearts. Only if we keep this spirit alive in our sons and daughters will this country thrive and prosper.

I wish you all a safe and reflective Memorial Independence Day.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. ©El Zorro Viejo 2002-2005