Never Say Never

Last Friday evening/night I traveled from St. Louis home to Hutchinson. The evening was beautiful, and the ride relaxing and inspiring as we chugged along the Missouri River on a tranquil spring evening.  A year ago, I swore, even with a complimentary ticket,  I would never again ride Amtrak after a horrendous trip --- 9 hours just from St. Louis to KC. (That is a long story).  Due to a variety of circumstances, I did take Amtrak, and I had a totally different experience. The train is definitely more leisurely and comfortable way to travel compared to flying or driving myself.

However, the horn of the train sounding through each town and crossing made me think of movies about the Jews being transported  to concentration camps during WW II. 70 years ago WWII was in its final days. The Nazis in Italy and Austria had already surrendered a couple of days ago. At the same time, there was a constant push to annihilate as many Jews as possible.  On May 3, the RAF sunk the German liner Cap Arcona and freighters Thielbek andAthen, all loaded with concentration camp prisoners about to be murdered (7500 killed, 2400 survive). The numbers are shocking especially since the people were killed by the allies. However, in much of the information I have read, camp prisoners related that they prayed the bombers flying over would drop their loads on the camps, especially on the smokestacks.  They knew many would die, but many more would be saved.

On the Eastern front---but the Western US,  the only civilians killed on US soil lost their lives 70 years ago yesterday.  The following article is from http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/May-June-08/On-this-Day--Japanese-WWII--Balloon-Bomb--Kills-Six-in-Oregon.html

On This Day: Japanese WWII Balloon Bomb Kills 6 in Oregon

On May 5, 1945, a woman and five children in Gearhart Mountain, Ore., were killed after discovering an explosive balloon launched by the Japanese military.

Japanese Balloon Bombs Dropped on U.S.

The Rev. Archie Mitchell was on an outing with his pregnant wife, Elsie, and five local youngsters when they found the odd-looking balloon. As Elsie and the children examined the balloon, it exploded, killing all six of them.

“I had heard of Japanese balloons so I shouted a warning not to touch it,” said Rev. Mitchell to the Seattle Times in June 1945. “But just then there was a big explosion. I ran up there—and they were all dead.”

In a little-known 1944 Fu-Go campaign, Japan released between 9,000 and 10,000 bomb-laden balloons that floated across the Pacific and were intended to explode in America, causing forest fires and panic.

Each balloon was armed with a 15-kilogram antipersonnel bomb and four 4.5-kilogram incendiaries, as well as a flash bomb to destroy evidence of the devices, writes Hugh A. Halliday in Legion Magazine.

Japan said it was retaliation for the 1942 U.S. “Doolittle raid,” in which American pilots bombed key targets in Tokyo, under cover of darkness, from aircraft carriers in the Pacific.

As the balloons landed, the U.S. government tried to hide the information from the American public, hoping the Japanese would abandon the campaign as ineffective. The press largely cooperated with the government’s secrecy efforts.

This Japanese balloon bomb was 

 photographed in New York on July 2, 1945

Uncle Willie and the Merchant Marines

Uncle Willie and Aunt Anna have also found a way to sneak into the book I am writing. Amazing how my muse or the spirits of so many people seem to be telling me what needs to be in the story. Last evening I finally visited with my cousin, Duane, about his dad’s military service during WWII, and I was surprised with what I learned, not only about Willie, but about a branch of the military that I had never heard much about. I always thought that he had served in the Navy, but talking with Duane, I learned that Willie was a Mariner, serving in the Merchant Marines.

What is the Merchant Marine? 
The Merchant Marine is the fleet of ships which carries imports and exports during peacetime and becomes a naval auxiliary during wartime to deliver troops and war materiel. According to the Merchant Marine Act of 1936: "It is necessary for the national defense... that the United States shall have a merchant marine of the best equipped and most suitable types of vessels sufficient to carry the greater portion of its commerce and serve as a naval or military auxiliary in time of war or national emergency..." During World War II the fleet was in effect nationalized, that is, the U.S. Government controlled the cargo and the destinations, contracted with private companies to operate the ships, put guns and Navy personnel (Armed Guard) on board. The Government trained the men to operate the ships and assist in manning the guns through the U.S. Maritime Service.

What do you call people who are in the Merchant Marine? 
Mariners. Seamen. Seafarers. Sailors. Never marines! Mariners is the preferred designation, just like the Seattle professional baseball team. The term Merchant Marines is incorrect, but sometimes used by some old time mariners.           http://www.usmm.org/faq.html

This branch also has a military academy located in Kings Point, N.Y. such as the Army’s academy at West Point and the Navy’s at Annapolis and so on. 

When I first heard “Merchant Marine,” I mistakenly thought the men in this branch would probably be in little danger during the War, but talking to Duane, and researching more myself, I realized how wrong I was.

One fact about Willie for this entry:  Willie served as a gunnery officer on an oil tanker for almost 3 years from ’43- ’46. During that time, he crossed the Panama Canal 38 times on fuel runs from Cuba.

.Because one of my sons-in-law is from Panama, I have been fortunate enough to visit Panama and the Canal several times. This country and area are absolutely beautiful and the Canal is AMAZING. However, because of the humidity---Thank God for air conditioning!!!  Of course, there was no such wonderful invention during WW II. Life on a tanker had to be horribly hot. In addition, the aviation fuel was destined for some of the most treacherous places in the South Pacific.  Ports of call were the names of some of the most vicious battles of the war: Guadalcanal, Saipan, Formosa, and all the way to Australia. Because of the explosive nature of the fuel the tanker carried, it was never part of a convoy---always a lone duck on the huge ocean occupied by innumerable Japanese ships and planes pervading the air---an unbelievably  perilous situation. 

In the next few blogs, I will share more about the experiences of my uncle Willie during WW II.