Aircraft

[Leo Tanner]

A book to read is "Flyboys".  Beleive James Kasey wrote it.  It has nothing ta do with the WWI movie of the same name.  It's about what happened to WWII fliers in the hands of the japanese.  Based on tribunal documents and interviews.  I loaned it out and never got it back, but it's a very intense read, it'll send shivers down your spine when you see what all went on.   

[Ozark Tracker]

I used to go fishin with RJ,  he always seemed just fine, but  we never brought up anything military related

[Texas Lawdog]

They beheaded several of the American pilots that were being held as prisoners before the war was over.

[Leo Tanner]

They did a lot worse than that Tex. 

[Ozark Tracker]

when I was in the 7th grade we had an English teacher, Mrs. Whorton,  she had a son that was killed in WW 2 a bomber he was on got shot down.

Mrs. Whorton told us (the Class)  that the day he got shot down she had a dream and saw the numbers on the plane and saw it going down.  when she woke up next morning she had gone completely white headed.  now I know this sounds like a good story, but I knew at least a dozen people that knew her all her life and remembered the incident including my Mom and they said it was the truth about her turning white headed over night,  and the numbers she saw, she wrote down and come to find out, it was the number of the plane he had been on and it had got shot down, just when she saw it.

she told us about it 2 or 3 times during the year.  it was really strange to think about.

[Delmonico]

My Grandpa Carman was a WWI Vet, served in Siberia in that little know part of the war.  The allied Army over there was commanded by a Japanese General (They were Allies in WWI)  On Dec 8 1941 Dad said Grandpa got up extra early did the chores and went down to the county seat to enlist, he was near 50.  They wouldn't take him because of his age and he was also needed as a farmer they said.

I've since been doing some research, there were a lot of nasty things the Japanese did in Russia during that time.  I can tell you though if I'd bought a Japanese car he'd disowned me.  I remember on time were were sitting on his porch after he moved to town, someone stopped at the neighbors and parked in the street.  Grandpa asked me what kind of car it was, "Toyota."  He then said lets go inside, I knew I smelled something that stunk.

[Ozark Tracker]

Leo, when Tex and I and a lot of the guys here were growing up in the 50's, there was no lack of hate for the Japs and the Germans, it had only been a few years since it had ended and most folks were very vocal about their feelings, since most familys lost at the very least one family member in the war.

[Texas Lawdog]

Del, I can unserstand that myself. My Dad was enroute to the Pacific on a Transport when the Japanese surrendered. I've always had strong feelings about  12-7-41. They became a lot stronger after I visited Pearl Harbor the first time. Moose had a cousin in the Marines that went down on the Arizona. I've been to Hawaii 5 or 6 times on extraditions, but only once on vacation. We found his name on the wall of the Memorial over the hull.  I was a History major in college and studied Military history in ROTC in college.

[Leo Tanner]

Here's the book.  It's James Bradley, not Kasey.

http://www.pacificwrecks.com/reviews/flyboys.html

My father gave it to me.  Some of them were canibals.  Moslty high ranking officers but in some instances low level grunts too.  When our officials found out, they didn't want to make it public because so many people here had lost loved ones over there.  They were being sensative which is understandable.  50 years later they opened the files and the author was allowed to get his hands on them and proceeded to go on a nationwide tour interviewing both Americans and japaneese that were there.    

[Texas Lawdog]

Leo, I'm gonna pass. It brings out strong feelings in me sorta like when I watch "The Alamo". I got my own opinions there too.

[Ozark Tracker]

I can remember going down to the local army surplus when we were about in the 4th or 5th grade and alll of us boys buying army helmets, actually they were helmet liners, but for a quarter you could have an almost helmet to play army with,  I can remember my grandmother not liking it at all that I had bought a helmet, so much so, I was told never to let her see me wearing it and several of my friends were told the same.

[Tensleep]

My dad was in the Pacific, he has strong feelings about the Japs still today.


As far as The Alamo goes  

[Texas Lawdog]

The Battle flag from the Alamo remains in a Museum in Mexico City. It needs to be returned to the Alamo where it belongs.

[Leo Tanner]

Pardon my words but "damn straight".

[Leo Tanner]

Your comments are understood Tex.  The book is not fer everyone.  I felt the same way when the last neighbor kid came out shirtless with a swastika carved on his chest.  I showed him my uncles dog tags that I carry in my pocket and it didn't mean a damn thing ta him.  He is still a friend of CJ's but not allowed in my house under any circumstances.  I turned him away on a holliday and didn't feel any remorse for his lonliness.  Kinda harsh, but some things...

[Delmonico]

Well since this is an airplane thread, might as well put this here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=7273710&page=1

Good thing they didn't have me in comand, I'd ordered it shot down in open country.

[Leo Tanner]

Silly Canadian.  Lucky he didn't get splashed.

[Leo Tanner]

He's prolly up fer a cup a yer turkish cawfee right about now Del.

[Forty Rod]

There were two brothers in our town who survived Bataan.  One was my 9th grade Science teacher, the other was one of my high school's football coaches.

It was never spoken of.

[Texas Lawdog]

That Turkish cawffee is stout this early in the morning. I think I'll stick to cowboy cawfee for right now.