Author: vfw2933_dtfnad

Happy New Year, 2021!

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Doesn’t 2021 sound good? You were probably thinking that we would never finish 2020. But we did! Back in mid-1945, we were also thinking that 1945 would never end. We had been at war since December 1941. So how did we start WWII? In 1939, we had an Army of about 174,000. This was 19th in size compared to the world’s armies at the time. We were even smaller than Portugal’s Army.

From 1941-1945, we grew our military to about 16-17 million men and women. The U.S. military was made up of about 6,000,000 volunteers and about 11,000,000 draftees. Average duration of service was about 33 months. 73% of those service members served overseas with an average of about 16 months abroad.

We had about 91 Divisions that were formed with an average of about 15,000 soldiers each. Those divisions were Infantry, Armored, Mechanized, Cavalry, and Airborne. We also had 6 Marine Infantry Divisions.

At the peak of WWII our Navy was operating about 6,800 ships of all types. Unbelievable, but we had 28 Carriers, 23 Battleships, 71 Escort Carriers, 72 Cruisers, 232 Submarines, and 377 Destroyers, including the one that our former VFW Commander Shorty Barnett was on, the DD-851 / USS Rupertus. USS Rupertus’ keel was laid down on 2 May 1945. We also had thousands of other supply and amphibious ships of various types. Today we are just trying to reach a Navy of 355 ships total!

Now let’s talk about the U.S. Army Air Corps. At the start of the war, the Air Corps had about 3300 aircraft of various types and the Navy had about 3000 aircraft. Ready for an airpower eye opener? Here are the aircraft production figures from just six aircraft factories on the West Coast:

1. North American-California 9949 P-51 Mustangs, 3208 B-25 bombers, and 2163 AT-6 trainers
2. Lockheed-California 9423 P-38 Lighting Fighters, 2189 Hudson patrol bombers
3. Consolidated Vultee-California 11,537 BT-13 trainers and BT-15 basic trainers
4. Consolidated Vultee-California 6725 B-24 Liberator Hvy bombers, 2833 Navy patrol bombers
5. Douglas-California 4285 C-47 cargo planes, 3000 B-17 Flying Fortress Hvy bombers
6. Boeing-Washington 6942 B-17 Flying Fortress Hvy bombers, 398 other aircraft

The total production from just these six factories was 67,928 aircraft!

The German and the Japanese militaries were not only beaten by our fighting forces, but it was overwhelmed by the industrial strength of the United States. And thus ends another “war story” as we start the year 2021. I hope that all of our VFW members and families had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

 

What makes December so special?

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Can you believe it? We have finally arrived to the month of December and 2020 is almost over. Most of us thought that it would never end, but the year is drawing to a close.

So what do we have to say about this month? Why not start off at the end. Everyone knows about the celebration that takes place on 25 December. Most Americans celebrate this day as the traditional day that Christ was born. In the early days in Europe the church held a special service to celebrate the Nativity, or the events that surrounded the birth. There were also many pre-Christmas winter festivals that were held that had lights, candles, evergreen trees, and other symbols that represented everlasting life. There was also a Roman festival that coincided with the winter solstice, which fell on 25 December in the Roman calendar. Scandinavia had a Yule Festival that went for twelve days and led up to late December. These customs from long ago all helped form what we now call Christmas.

We wish all our veterans and their families a very Merry Christmas. We hope that you have been a good boy or girl and that you get lots of presents and goodies this year. We also wish all of our older veterans, that are in nursing homes, VA facilities, and home care facilities, the very best and we thank them for their service to our country.

December is a busy month for veterans. First and foremost is one of those days that we can NEVER FORGET. 7 December 1941 is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day…a date that will live in infamy. On this day, the Japanese Navy attacked US Forces in Hawaii. Here is a summary of the losses: 20 ships destroyed or crippled, more than 300 airplanes lost, drydocks and airfields destroyed, 2,403 American soldiers, sailors, Marines, and civilians were killed, and over 1,000 were wounded. What saved us, in the long run, was that our carriers were all out to sea or were in other locations. I’m sure you all know how the story ends!

This attack got us into WWII and that devastating war, over the next four years, resulted in over 16 million service members serving in the military. Estimated U.S. deaths during WWII were about 407,000 military and 12,000 civilians. The total cost of this war, as a result of the Pearl Harbor attack, is difficult to measure. We came out of this war as the premier world military power and we also had atomic weapons. Never Forget.

On Sunday, 13 December the National Guard celebrates its 384th Birthday. They trace their founding all the way back to 1636. In a move that would create the first militia in North America, the Massachusetts General Court in Salem, issued an order on 13 December 1636 that required ALL able-bodied men between the ages of 16-60 to create a standing army for protection. With that order, what we now know as the National Guard, was created. An Army of citizen soldiers who could be called upon to fight when needed. 384 years later the soldiers and airmen of the Army and Air Force National Guard stand ready to serve. A very Happy Birthday to them all.

On Sunday, 20 December we celebrate the 1st Birthday of our newest service. The U.S. Space Force, once a branch of the U.S. Air Force’s Space Command, was established as an independent branch on 20 December 2019. It has two functions: to provide freedom of operations for the United States in, to, and from space, and to provide prompt and sustained space operations. Air Force personnel began transferring to the Space Force in FY 2020 and Army and Navy personnel will transfer in FY 2021. There are currently 16,000 personnel in the Space Force and there are also billets for up to 10,000 civilian personnel.

 

Our VFW Post 2933 is now in possession of several Space Force flags thanks to the generosity of our member John Mihaly and his wife Dana. We wish our newest military force a very Happy 1st Birthday.

 

PS: Another news worthy item is that we got word of a GROUND BREAKING for Patriots Hall on 7 December 2020. We will see. We hope that this news holds true. We will give an update in January 2021.

What makes November so special?

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Can you feel the cool air in the mornings? Do you think about deer and turkey hunting? You should. Do you think about the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony getting ready for a meal of thanks? Thanks for what? For Blessings. For just making it through the year and still being alive and having family and friends surrounding you. Think of the hardships that they went through and what they had to face each day. Makes our troubles and worries seem slight does it not?

Thanks Giving Day. Thursday, 26 November 2020. May each of our members and their families find peace and prosperity on that day. May each of our VFW members be surrounded by those who love and care for them. Remember those fellow warriors that are now gone from our ranks and Give Thanks that they lived and served with us.

Do you know what else that we need to be thankful for? We need to be thankful for our U S Marines. Tuesday, 10 November marks the 245th birthday of the U S Marine Corps. Founded in 1775 in all its glory at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, PA. This old tavern is regarded as the traditional site of the first recruiting drive for Marines during the Revolutionary War. (Our very own Larry Chapman was actually sitting there at the bar enjoying a cold one and may have been one of the first recruits. This is not actually documented and he does not remember, so we will just leave the story at that). Led by Commandant Samuel Nicholas, the 2100 Marines served with honor and distinction and helped us become a nation.

From these humble beginnings the U S Marine Corps now has 21 bases in the US and other locations and has over 180,000 Marines and 38,000 Reserve Marines ready to defend our nation. They have fought with honor in every conflict in our nation’s history. They are a lot like Army guys, but with much prettier dress uniforms. Some of them even fly jets and helicopters.

The first men were called the Continental Marines and they were officially established as a landing force of the U S Navy. In 1798, the Congress made them a separate service. In 1812, Marine detachments on Navy ships took part in some of the famous frigate duels that marked that war. In 1867, a French composer put together the music that would become the basis for the Marine Corps Hymn. It is considered to be the oldest official song of the U S Armed Services. In 1918, a lady by the name of Opha May Johnson became the first female Marine in history. And more recently in September 2020, another female Marine, SGT Dorothy Schmidt Cole, turned 107 years old. She is the oldest living U S Marine in the world. She served from July 1943 to December 1945 as a clerk typist. Oorah for her. By the way, did you know that Marines started saying “Oorah” in 1953!!

Our very first VFW Post 2933 Commander was Marine COL (Ret.) Prentice A. (P A) Lindsay, Marine Aviator and Vietnam Vet and our current Commander is Marine SGT Jerry L. Martin, Vietnam Vet. Thank God for all our U S Marines both past and present. They are a fighting force that is the envy of the world. They are represented by the official emblem and insignia called the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, or the EGA for short. Its root and design came from the Continental Marines. The current emblem was adopted in 1955. A very Happy Birthday wish to all our Marines.

And this brings us to the Grand Finale for November. Armistice/Veterans Day 2020. If you are old you know what this is. If you are one of the younger veterans then you may not know what it is. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month an eerie silence fell over the battlefields of Europe in 1918. A temporary halt was called and the guns went silent and the fighting stopped in the Great War as it was called at the time. Although the Treaty of Versailles, signed on June 28, 1919, actually ended the war officially, the American public still viewed 11 November as the day the war ended. The following year President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed 11 November as Armistice Day. It was the day that was the end of all wars. And it was called Armistice Day all the way until 1954.

What actually happened was that we had, in the years between 1919 and 1954, two more big wars, WWII and the Korean War. After lobbying efforts by veteran’s organizations, the Congress passed a law and it was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. The law changed the name from Armistice to Veterans Day, a day to honor American veterans of all wars. Over the years the date was changed to reflect a day that would give government employees a three day weekend. It was moved to the fourth Monday in October. Many states disapproved of this and continued to observe the 11th of November. President Gerald Ford, in 1975, signed legislation making 11 November the official date of Veterans Day.

We wish all of our Veterans a very Happy Veterans Day and we thank you for your service.

PS: By the way it is your RIGHT to vote. Be sure to cast your vote, either early or on Tuesday, 3 November.

What is going on this month of October?

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Well to start off, the flags were at half-staff on Sunday, 4 October. Most of us don’t really know why, but you are going to find out (and you just may remember). This is National Firefighter Memorial Day. It is a day to honor those brave men and women who have lost their lives while trying to save others. 57 died in 2019. So far this year we have lost 67 brave firefighters. Just recently it was announced that the 200th firefighter from 9-11 just passed away. These heroes have suffered for 19 years with various illnesses. God Bless these brave souls.

To take action after 9-11, there is another event that we should remember. 9 October 2001. This was the start of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan. We went in to punish the people responsible for the 9-11 tragedy that killed 2977 Americans, 125 of those at the Pentagon. We are still in Afghanistan today, but we have finally started to make a withdrawal. Since 2001 in Afghanistan and 2003 in Iraq, there have been almost 2.5 million active service members and Reserve or Guard members who have served in those two areas.

Anchors Aweigh. The fight song of the Naval Academy and the march song of the U S Navy was composed in 1906. It actually is a term that is Weigh Anchors, or lift them in preparation of “getting under way.” The song was first played at the 1906 Army-Navy football game. Hard to believe… but the Navy actually won the game 10-0 in front of 30,000 fans. First win over Army since 1900, so the song must have done some good!! Why are we talking about the Navy? Because on Tuesday, 13 October the U S Navy celebrates 245 glorious years of service to our country. The Navy was formed in 1775 by the Continental Congress. They asked for “one swift sailing vessel with 10 guns and 80 men” who would cruise for three months. (Note: our own Shorty Barnett was one of this original crew after being shanghaied from the cedar breaks of Travis County). After the war, this naval force was disbanded and then re-established again as the Department of the Navy in 1798. The current Navy has about 345,500 active sailors, 59,000 Naval Reserves, and almost 200,000 civilian employees. They will have approximately 301 ships by the end of 2020. The goal is to have a force of not less than 355 ships to include 12 Aircraft Carriers, 66 attack subs, and 12 ballistic missile subs. This is a long way from one sailing craft and 80 sailors in 1775!

We are very proud of our U S Navy and all of our sailors past and present. They have a huge and very important mission, not the least of which is to gives the Marines a ride into battle. A very Happy Birthday to them!

On Sunday, 18 October we “Recognize the Women Who Have Served in Military Service.” Currently about 9% of our service members are women veterans. By the year 2045 it is estimated that this figure will double to about 18%. In 2016, we had about 1.9 million women veterans. This will increase to 2.2 million by 2045. We need to remember and thank all of our women warriors for all that they do and will continue to do for our country. Thank you very much.

 

September 18, 2020

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In this first edition of Colonel’s Corner, I want to highlight an important anniversary in September. September 18, 2020 is the 73rd Birthday of the U.S. Air Force!

The US Air Force’s start was rooted in the creation of the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps on 1 August 1907. It consisted of one officer and two enlisted men. The initial aircraft were kite balloons. The first airplane was obtained from the Wright Brothers in September 1908 for $25,000. More aircraft and more people were added during a period of innovation and experimentation up until the start of WWI.

WWI provided our new aviators an opportunity to test the limits of their flying skills in combat. Our entry into WWI is where they transitioned from an arm of the Signal Corps into a fully functional air arm with their own logistics, engineering, research, and maintenance. It was referred to and became known as the Air Service.

The period between the WWI and WWII was a period of improved aircraft design and much learning and innovation. The Air Service was re-designated as the U S Army Air Corps in 1926 and grew to 15 groups and three wings by 1938. As the world moved toward armed conflict in the late 1930’s our President planned to increase the number of aircraft to 20,000. This new and enlarged service carried the load into and through the end of WWII with the dropping of the bombs to end the war in 1945. As we grew into a global superpower the role of the Air Corps changed greatly. They were known as the Army Air Force in 1941 and became a separate branch named the United States Air Force in 1947.

Keep ’em flying!!!

— Gary