VJ Day in Hawaii

Hey Everyone!  This is not a political blog per se.  However, it is a piece of Americana and love of country that I think you should all watch.  It is a video of VJ Day in Hawaii that has appeared on the internet.  There is a song being song by Jimmy Durante on the piece.  This little 16 mm film shows the celebrations on VJ Day and gives a good look of what Honolulu was like in 1945.

I hope you all enjoy it and I also hope I'm not infringing on anyone's copyright by posting the URL here.

http://vimeo.com/5645171

Thanks!

Pearl Harbor Remembered by Craig Covello

Monday was December 7.

Not too long ago that date was fairly significant in the media. But this year, I was troubled by the lack of remembrance from our leaders in Washington. President Obama was conspicuously silent regarding any acknowledgment, let alone thanks, for the sacrifices my parent's generation made to keep our nation free. I did some searches on Google News, thinking that perhaps our president may have actually traveled to Honolulu or at least made a speech on the White House lawn which might not have been significant enough for the Los Angeles Times, CNN or CNBC to cover. It appears that he did not. The truth is that our federal leaders are consumed with much more important issues such as cap and trade, socialized healthcare and the impending destruction of our planet by CO2 emissions. Funny how manufactured emergencies take precedent over remembrance of those who fought real threats to our freedom, if not our very existence, back on December 7, 1941. On that day, the Japanese successfully launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. It resulted in the destruction of 188 US airplanes, four battleships, three cruisers, three destroyers and caused the death of more than 2200 sailors and Marines. The noise of the bombs, explosions, artillery fire and screams that day must have been deafening, but perhaps not quite as deafening as the silence yesterday.

So I picked up the phone and called my dad just to thank him for his service to our country in World War II.

He was surprised, but I explained that since our president wasn't going to thank him, then that job should probably fall to me.

It was a great conversation. He shared with me some details regarding his army years that I had not known, including the fact that he was only 18 years old when he joined the service. That is the same age as my youngest son is now who is studying jazz at the University of North Texas. My dad, however, at age 18 had completed basic training at Fort Ord and now was on a ship headed for the invasion of Japan. Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific these brave kids, who were headed for harms way, looked up and saw several of our planes flying overhead with an important radio message. There had been victory for the United States in Japan, which is now commemorated as VJ Day. So the invasion didn't happen, which is lucky for me since I might not have "happened" if my father hadn't survived. Instead, he was reassigned to the island of Iwo Jima with orders to build a radar installation atop Mt. Suribachi. Coincidently, Mt. Suribachi was also the location where a famous picture was taken on February 23, 1945 by Joe Rosenthal. It depicted five United States Marines and a U.S. Navy corpsmen raising the flag of the United States during the battle of Iwo Jima. Pretty hallowed ground. Ground my dad walked upon.

As he spoke of his experiences in service to our country, my father must have said at least twice "that was a long, long time ago", inferring somehow that the significance of his service days had diminished in light of more recent events. I disagree. It may have been a long, long time ago, but that doesn't lessen the contribution our World War II veterans have made to this country. A contribution that should be remembered every single year, regardless of whoever is in the White House.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gFKP_AHRWNKnf1u6yd1MTw0c2K-wD9CE3KA80

 

Copyright 2009 by Craig Covello.  Used with Permission.  All Rights Reserved.

Supporting Our Troops

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the GI Film Festival at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. The Festival took place in one day and showed films that portray American enlisted men and women in a favorable light as opposed to the usual Hollywood fare. This festival was an offshoot of the main GI Film Festival which takes place in May every year in Washington D.C. The main event lasts seven days and includes showings of approximately 50 films. This was a one day shortened version in which the crème of the crop were exhibited. You can find out more details about the festival at: http://www.gifilmfestival.com/. I also recommend that if you are so inclined, you make a donation to this worthy cause.

Among the screened films was a documentary entitled “About Face,” which was directed by Steve Karras. To me, the film is a masterpiece. It depicts a group of Jewish Refugees from both Germany and Austria that joined the American and British Armed Forces in WWII to fight against their native lands. The film was both moving and educational. In fact, I must state I was not even aware there was so many of these refugees. Apparently, they numbered approximately 10,000. And, because of their knowledge of the native languages of the enemy, many of them were placed in positions that put them directly into contact with the same Germans who were persecuting their family and relatives.

The film explored the motivations of these soldiers and the feelings that many of them have regarding Nazism and the war to this day. You must remember that although these people were Jews, they were also Germans. Their native language was German. They were schooled in Germany prior to the Nazi takeover. All of their friends were Germans and some of those friends were even fighting in the war against the Allies. One of the refugees interviewed stated that he came across a childhood friend of his towards the end of the war and that it was an emotional experience for them both.

Another of the refugees was shown going back to his hometown for the first time since leaving before the war. He was walking the streets of his childhood and searching for some of his boyhood friends. Again, the question came up regarding what he would have done in the event he was confronted with killing one of them. Remember, these were all Jews who were fighting the same Nazis who had decreed that Jews were inferior and must be annihilated.

When asked while standing on one of the beaches at Normandy, what should be done to stop another holocaust and war with the scope of WWII, one of the documentary’s subjects stated, “Never allow another fanatic to gain control of a powerful country.” To no surprise, this garnered the most applause from the obvious partisan crowd.

Another film that I found extremely moving was a documentary entitled “Bedford: The Town They Left Behind.” This film traces the effects of D-Day on a small town in Virginia that had the largest per capita casualties on D-Day of anyplace in the United States. It also deals with the current effects of the citizenry as a result of the National Guard troops being called up in 2004 to fight in the “War on Terror.” Obviously, the D-Day losses are still considered and in the minds of the residents. A common question being asked by the residents today is, “Could this possibly happen again?”

This film was almost as emotional as “About Face.” It is hard to believe that this town was so affected by the losses sustained on D-Day. It was just their turn of bad luck that the National Guard branch based in Bedford was on the front lines storming Normandy on June 6, 1944. The town truly paid its price for Democracy. And, to their credit, the town people have learned to be proud of their boys and not regret the sacrifices which made.

There were many other films shown at the festival that were moving and made me proud of the Armed Forces and of being an American. Among them were “Spitfire 944” a short about an American pilot seeing a crash landing in which he survived during WWII 50 years after the war for the first time on film; “Witt’s Daughter” which fictionally explored the effects on a family of a soldier’s absence during the Korean conflict; and, “A Touch of Home” which is a documentary about the Vietnam War’s Red Cross Girls and their memories of the experience.

At the conclusion of the screenings, Gary Sinise hosted a reception honoring the filmmakers, the festival and the Armed Forces in general. Mr. Sinise appeared with his usual humbleness and towered praises upon the people that risk their lives for democracy and for the United States of America. This is a man that has devoted a major portion of his free time to supporting the military and asks for nothing in exchange. He is a true patriot and a true gentleman.

On the whole, the experience was a great one. It was both pleasant and unusual to be with a group of filmmakers and film aficionados that were of a like conservative mind and proud to be Americans. The usual gatherings of film people are full of condemnation of the country and its form of government. I hope that you all find a way to see these truly patriotic films. In closing, I salute the troops. I salute Gary Sinise for his untiring work for them and his love for America. And, I salute the founders and supporters of the festival. Thank you.

© 2009 by Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be granted freely upon request.