Reading of the sinking of the Russian missle cruiser “Moskva” set me thinking about warships and fires at sea. When I was a young sailor stationed in San Francisco, I once took the Geary Avenue bus out to Land’s End, where I went to see the bridge structure of the cruiser “San Francisco,” which is there in Land’s End Park. I went there because I knew the story. Back then, the bridge was largely forgotten, just sitting there, a large metal structure, with no fence around it. It looked like swiss cheese as I stood there and looked at it from the outside. I climbed up inside and stood on the deck of the navigating bridge and looked around. I thought about what had happened there, and wondered how I would have reacted had I been there.
You have hit on the key to victory - the belief of the fighting soldier/sailor/airman in his comrades, his unit. This is what forms the special bond among combat troops that no one else can ever really know or experience. One of my favorite stories about this is about William Manchester, chronicler of JFK's assassination. In combat on Okinawa, he was wounded and sent to a hospital in the rear. After a couple of days, he felt better and asked to be returned to his unit. The docs refused, so he and a buddy went AWOL from the hospital with their weapons and uniforms and hitched a ride back to their units - on Bloody Ridge near Shuri Castle, some of the worst fighting on the island. He told a reporter later that he didn't go back to fight for the US or FDR or freedom, but for the other 9 men in his squad - they needed him and he had to be there for them. The knowledge that they were there to back up all their buddies was the glue that made them the greatest fighting force of the war, perhaps of any time in our history.....
What an excellent account, TC. I have such an appreciation for your knowledge of history. Those men did what they had to do. They made sacrifices that saved others and their ship. Thank you for sharing the story of their courage. They are pictures of true patriots, not the sniveling snots we see parade before cameras today.
It's the story of a young man preparing to be a sailor from his training, serving, writing about the military to becoming a historian, Tom shared what happened when the U.S. flagship, 'San Francisco, was hit multiple times by a Japanese battleship on November 12, 1942, We feel the heat, the flames and the bodies immersed in water. 'San Francisco' survived and the Russian warship Moskva,, recently hit by a Ukrainian missile strike sunk. THE TALE OF TWO NAVIES compared the Russian Navy with the American Navy. What kind 'Genius' commands the Russian military?
You made me laugh TC when you got to the paragraph about the Moskva, I wasn’t planning on laughing since I was immersed in your story and was feeling every bit of it, then the image of the Russians abandoning ship appeared, the thought of it still makes me smile. Thanks for that 👍🇺🇦
Riveting. I had no idea of these battles other than their names from articles and books. I've forwarded your writing to my son who was a Navy doc for a number of years. Thank you for describing what cannot be described.
And of course, to understand what true devotion in combat may require, one must read one of the finest books ever written about US naval warfare, "The Last Stand of the Tin-can Sailors" by the late great James Hornfischer, the story of Taffy 3 during the Battle of Samar in the Leyte Gulf campaign. Make a helluva movie.....
You have hit on the key to victory - the belief of the fighting soldier/sailor/airman in his comrades, his unit. This is what forms the special bond among combat troops that no one else can ever really know or experience. One of my favorite stories about this is about William Manchester, chronicler of JFK's assassination. In combat on Okinawa, he was wounded and sent to a hospital in the rear. After a couple of days, he felt better and asked to be returned to his unit. The docs refused, so he and a buddy went AWOL from the hospital with their weapons and uniforms and hitched a ride back to their units - on Bloody Ridge near Shuri Castle, some of the worst fighting on the island. He told a reporter later that he didn't go back to fight for the US or FDR or freedom, but for the other 9 men in his squad - they needed him and he had to be there for them. The knowledge that they were there to back up all their buddies was the glue that made them the greatest fighting force of the war, perhaps of any time in our history.....
In the greatest generation “Uncommon Valor Was A Common Virtue”. Semper Fi!
Thank you. You are at your best when you do this kind of writing!
It is that wonderful mix of personal, history, reflection and connection with the moment! I "see" what you write-- sign of a good story teller!
What an excellent account, TC. I have such an appreciation for your knowledge of history. Those men did what they had to do. They made sacrifices that saved others and their ship. Thank you for sharing the story of their courage. They are pictures of true patriots, not the sniveling snots we see parade before cameras today.
It's the story of a young man preparing to be a sailor from his training, serving, writing about the military to becoming a historian, Tom shared what happened when the U.S. flagship, 'San Francisco, was hit multiple times by a Japanese battleship on November 12, 1942, We feel the heat, the flames and the bodies immersed in water. 'San Francisco' survived and the Russian warship Moskva,, recently hit by a Ukrainian missile strike sunk. THE TALE OF TWO NAVIES compared the Russian Navy with the American Navy. What kind 'Genius' commands the Russian military?
You made me laugh TC when you got to the paragraph about the Moskva, I wasn’t planning on laughing since I was immersed in your story and was feeling every bit of it, then the image of the Russians abandoning ship appeared, the thought of it still makes me smile. Thanks for that 👍🇺🇦
What a story. Thank you!
Riveting. I had no idea of these battles other than their names from articles and books. I've forwarded your writing to my son who was a Navy doc for a number of years. Thank you for describing what cannot be described.
Bravo, TC!
And of course, to understand what true devotion in combat may require, one must read one of the finest books ever written about US naval warfare, "The Last Stand of the Tin-can Sailors" by the late great James Hornfischer, the story of Taffy 3 during the Battle of Samar in the Leyte Gulf campaign. Make a helluva movie.....