THE ROUNDTABLE FORUM
Official newsletter of the Battle of Midway Roundtable
"To promote awareness and understanding of the great battle and to
honor the men who fought and won it."
1 May 2005....................Issue No.
2005-17....................Our 8th Year
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AROUND THE TABLE ...............................................
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MEMBERS'
TOPICS IN THIS ISSUE
1.
Waldron as CHAG?
2.
BOM Media Comments
3.
San Diego Area Air Show
4.
BOM Vets Wanted for Washington, DC Forum
5.
New Senior Member of the Roundtable
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"Waldron as CHAG?" (see issue 5-16)
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25 April
2005
From: Robert
Cressman robert.cressman@navy.mil
As to Waldron's being slated to be CHAG [commander of
the Hornet air group, instead of Stanhope Ring], there's nothing in
his statement of service dated September 1942 to indicate that was
contemplated. If that exists, it may be in some CINCPAC-related
messages. Other than Bill Price's e-mail message, I'd never heard of
Waldron's fleeting up to CHAG as being in the wind, although that was
possible. Both Ring and Waldron received their respective jobs (CHAG and
CO, VT-8) in the summer of 1941.
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Robert Cressman heads the Ships History Branch at the Naval Historical
Center in Washington, and was the lead author on A Glorious Page In Our
History.
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"BOM Media Comments" (see issue 5-16)
Ed. note: thanks to all who have responded to my request for pro
& con reviews of the various selections on our "Midway Library"
web page. Here's one from Mac Showers that I thought was particularly
insightful and important.
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25
April 2005
From:
Mac Showers macrain@att.net
(BOM vet, Combat Intelligence Unit, Pearl Harbor)
The impersonation of CDR Joseph J. Rochefort in the 1976 Midway movie
could not have been more completely opposite his true character. The
mustachioed, cigar-smoking, loud-mouth, red-neck type portrayed by Hal Holbrook
was totally out of character. Joe Rochefort was clean-shaven,
occasionally smoked a pipe at his desk, was quiet-mannered and soft-spoken--a
gentleman in all respects.
He also was NOT an eccentric as indicated in many instances. In the
basement where we worked, it was cold and damp due to overly effective,
non-dehumidifying air conditioning, and everyone who spent hours on end in that
environment had to add clothing for comfort. Rochefort wore a burgundy
corduroy smoking jacket and lined bedroom slippers only when on duty in HYPO
spaces. He was always in proper uniform when he left the space.
Thanks for the opportunity to comment on this.
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"San Diego Area Air Show" (see issue 5-15)
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30
April 2005
From: Roy
Gee rgee@san.rr.com
(BOM vet, SBD pilot, VB-8, USS Hornet)
I
want you to know that Air Group One does it right when they put on a
program to focus on BOM veterans and the aircraft that were flown in that
battle. Of course, all other WWII veterans and aircraft are
recognized, but in this case they take a back seat. Yesterday myself and
Mr. Kenneth Weaver, who was an AMM1c on the USS Enterprise, were
the honored BOM veterans. We sat on the stage with other VIPs and were
recognized in the opening ceremony. We both had VIP treatment throughout
the day.
The BOM aircraft had been flown in and were in magnificent flying
shape. The types were: SBD Dauntless, F4F Wildcat, TBM Avenger
(General Motors production of TBF), B-17 Flying Fortress, Zero Japanese
fighter. They had been placed on a viewing line that afforded
viewers a close inspection.
I was interviewed in front of a large audience while sitting on
stage. I was asked to comment on my memories of the BOM, why the Hornet
scout/ bombers failed to find the IJN in the morning, how the four
Japanese carriers were sunk, what happened to the torpedo squadrons, and to
compare our aircraft capabilities with the those of the Japanese.
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Roy tells me that on the following day (Saturday), Roundtable member and
PBY pilot Gale Burkey was one of the honored BOM veteran guests. Gale
provided a different view of the battle for the audience, from the perspective
of one who flew from the atoll itself.
Roy took several photos of the aircraft on display. Here are two of
them, of the SBD and the Zero (and that's a real Zero, by the way, not a
replica). Roy said it gave him a bit of a chill to see that thing land
and taxi up close to him. URLs for the photos:
http://www.midway42.org/temp/airshow-sbd.jpg
http://www.midway42.org/temp/airshow-zero.jpg
Also, here's a writeup on the event from the San
Diego newspaper. And don't cringe when they talk about an F6F Hellcat
being one of the BOM planes on hand--it was really an F4F.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050501/news_1m1wings.html
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27 April
2005
From: Lt.
Col. Robert Shaw, USMC-Ret rshaw@armynavyclub.org
Dear
Mr. Russell:
Thank you for your offer to assist us. As a summary, I am the
Secretary of The Army and Navy Club (ANC) of Washington, DC and a member of our
Special Events Committee that organizes, among other things, forums of general
interest to our members.
During
2005, the ANC had or is planning forums to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the end of WWII. We’ve had very successful forums on the
Battle of the Bulge and Iwo Jima and are exploring one for the Battle of
Midway.
The
forums like this that have been best received by our members are those in which
survivors of the battles appear and speak about their personal
experiences. For example, in the Battle of the Bulge forum we had six
survivors (including the fellow who proposed the “Nuts!” reply used by General
McAuliffe – a former ANC President).
Frankly,
I am having trouble finding [BOM veterans] who could participate in the
forum. I have contacted General Earl E. Anderson, USMC (Ret.), who was in
the Marine Detachment aboard the Yorktown and he is enthusiastic about
participating. His memory is sharp and I am sure he would be an
outstanding participant.
Right
now, the program we are thinking about is:
15 minutes: An authority on the battle (such as you)
to act as a moderator to set the scene leading up to the battle; the battle
itself; and its significance to the outcome of the war in the Pacific.
20 – 25 minutes: About four [BOM veterans],
like General Anderson, talk for about 5-7 minutes about their personal
experiences during the battle.
5 minutes: The moderator summarizes the
presentation
10 – 15 minutes: Question and answer period.
All
of the above is negotiable and subject to change. The forums usually last
about one hour. We have been making videos of these forums for posterity
and the benefit of future researchers. The videos are stored in our
Library.
Our
forums usually are held on Thursday evenings starting at 6:30 with a 15 minute
“meet and greet” and wine/soda/cheese/crackers. Afterwards, we would
provide dinner for the speakers and a guest for each. At this time, it
looks like the forum would be given on August 18 or 25 but this is very
tentative.
Could
you give me contact information for any Battle of Midway [veterans] who live in
proximity to Washington, DC and who may be representative and willing to
participate as speakers at this forum?
Thank
you in advance for any assistance given in this matter.
Robert
W. Shaw
Lieutenant
Colonel, USMC (Ret.)
Secretary
The
Army and Navy Club
Phone:
202.628.8400 Ext. 367
Fax:
202.785.2481
E-mail:
rshaw@armynavyclub.org
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The above event is tentatively scheduled for
Thursday, 18 or 25 August 2005. If you would like to attend or would like
more info, contact Lt. Col. Shaw as shown above. You might also pass this
info to other BOM vets you may know who might be interested in this
forum. Among our members so far, I'm aware that RADM Mac Showers has
agreed to participate, and Robert Cressman will also be there.
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"New Senior Member of the Roundtable" (see issue 5-16)
To all: one of the unavoidable realities in an association
focused on men in their eighties and nineties is that every once in a while one
of them suddenly departs on his final sortie. I think
we all accept that fact, however reluctantly.
But even with that prior understanding, I was
unprepared for the e-mail message I received last Monday from the son of our
newest and most senior member, CAPT H. Hart Kait. With deep regret,
I have to announce that Captain Kait passed away on Sunday, 24 April, only
three days after joining the Roundtable with a certain enthusiasm. His
one and only e-mail message to us appears below, and from it you could guess
that he might outlive most of us. Despite his advanced years, his sudden
passing was wholly unexpected and thus all the more saddening.
I'm sure that Captain Kait will be remembered for a great many wonderful
things that marked his long and productive life. But on the Roundtable
we'll especially remember the gunnery officer on the destroyer USS
Monaghan who gave up his stateroom for a wounded enlisted radioman
from VT-3, ARM3/c Lloyd Childers.
Here is his message to the Roundtable. Fair winds and following seas,
sir....
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21 April 2005
From: CAPT
H. Hart Kait, USN-Ret
Hello RW:
Am pleased to have your invitation to join up. I will keep searching my
films and files for Midway and particularly for the Yorktown.
Last night I spent 4 hours going through thousand films taken after PH but did
not find any relevant to M or Y but I have patience and will open more boxes
and albums.
Let's keep in touch. Must get ready to teach my fencing class at the YMCA
for kids and grownups--now in 41st year.
Best wishes, Hart Kait
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................................................. NOW
HEAR THIS! ..................................................
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NEWS
& INFO IN THIS ISSUE
--Victory
In the Pacific on PBS Monday, 2 May
--Anniversary
Observance Aboard USS Midway, San Diego
--Movie
Review: A Wing and a Prayer
--First
Anniversary for the Forum
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VICTORY IN THE PACIFIC ON PBS MONDAY, 2 MAY
Check your local listings for "The American Experience: Victory in
the Pacific" scheduled for Monday night, 2 May, at 9:00 PM. It is
said to cover approximately the last year of the war from the capture of the
Marianas to Hirohito's surrender broadcast. (Thanks to Tim Maurice for the
notification.)
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ANNIVERSARY OBSERVANCE ABOARD USS MIDWAY, SAN DIEGO
At this late date, details remain obscure as to what's planned for the 63rd BOM
anniversary commemoration aboard the USS Midway (CV-41) in San
Diego. There is an event scheduled on the evening of Friday, 3 June from
6:00 to 9:00 PM, but that's all I've been able to learn so far, except for the
fact that the Association of Naval Aviation, which is having a four-day
convention that week, will be on board at that time.
If any of our members can provide better information on what is apparently the
only major BOM observance in southern California, please pass the word.
We should know to what extent the proceedings are open to the public, what is expected
of attendees, and what sort of agenda is planned. COMNAVAIRPAC was very
active last year in enlisting participation by BOM vets--if anything like that
is happening this year, the news hasn't yet arrived here.
The BOMRT is a very enthusiastic supporter of BOM commemoration events, so we'd
very much like to be on the notification list for any command or group planning
such activities.
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MOVIE REVIEW: A WING AND A PRAYER
A
Wing and a Prayer (1944,
starring Don Ameche and Dana Andrews) has not previously appeared in our
"Midway Library" listing because it's rarely been mentioned by our
members and I hadn't previously seen it. But it's been showing up in some
of your feedback to my recent request for comments on our "Library"
selections, so I invested in a copy from Amazon and watched it for the first
time last week.
This is a very interesting BOM-related film that I can highly recommend to all,
although not for the reasons you might expect. If you're looking for
accuracy in detail, it's actually worse than Midway (1976)--wrong
planes, wrong attack scenes, wrong squadrons, and wrong, unidentified,
or curiously missing ships (both U.S. and Japanese). Worse,
there are more fictional characters than in Midway. But what you
have to remember is that in 1944 the specifics of the BOM were still largely
unknown to the general public (including movie producers), plus wartime
security restrictions prevented revealing much of the detail we now take for
granted, especially the names of the personalities. Consequently, when we
see Avengers and Helldivers from an Essex-class CV blowing away only three
Japanese carriers (Akagi is a no-show in the movie), and
absolutely no mention of reading the Japanese naval code, perhaps we can
understand.
But its production during the war itself is actually what makes this
a great BOM film. You get the authentic feel of the times by watching
rather good actors portray characters and events that, to them,
are contemporary. There is no misrepresentation of wartime social
or moral values that inevitably creeps in to movies produced in other
eras, like Midway and Pearl Harbor. You are watching scenes and hearing dialogue
that is as close to the real thing as you're likely to ever experience.
This is a movie about the Battle of Midway that has most of the details
quite wrong, yet you definitely don't feel disappointed when it ends.
I have now added this film to the Midway Library page on our web site.
Used copies of the commercial VHS tape seem to be readily available for less
than $10 (I paid about $6.50 for mine with shipping). A DVD version is
also available.
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FIRST ANNIVERSARY FOR THE FORUM
We have now been operating the Roundtable in its current mode for one
year. Most of you will recall that shortly after dropping the daily
e-mail format, we did a comprehensive survey in order judge how well our
members were being served. The Roundtable Forum has evolved in
accordance to responses to that survey--a weekly electronic newsletter in a simple
e-mail form, augmented by a wealth of images and documents on our web site.
One of the recommendations from last year's survey is that we repeat it each
year, on the anniversary of the first issue of the Forum, to ensure
that the Roundtable continues to operate in a manner that its members
desire. So, here's your invitation to let me know (a) how we're doing in
general, (b) what we should be doing better, and (c) what new feature or
subject matter should be added to our efforts. All ideas and suggestions
are welcome.
If you've saved past issues of the Forum or if you have our 2nd
Edition Archive CD, check issue 2004-19 for last year's survey--it might help
you formulate some new recommendations.
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For a glossary of abbreviations, acronyms, and terms
used in The Roundtable Forum, click the following URL or go to our home page
and click "The Roundtable Glossary" link.
http://www.midway42.org/glossary.htm
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Members or anyone receiving this newsletter are
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send all comments or inquiries to: bomrt@military.com
Webmasters: we'll appreciate a link on related
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Other contact info:
The Battle of Midway Roundtable
Ronald W. Russell, editor
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(fax available upon request)
