Tom Brokaw said it was the "greatest generation." That WWII brought out the best in many of those who served is unquestionable. Consider the Princeton honors graduate, drafted at age 32, who initially failed the weight requirement for the Army Air Force. He weighed in at 143 lbs - falling five pounds short of the weight requirement for his height of 6' 4". He remained undeterred. Over the protestations of his boss - he was a valuable employee - he convinced an enlistment officer to "forget to weigh me" on his next test after winning an appeal for another chance. He accepted his salary of $21 per month with out complaint, though it fell significantly short of his civilian salary of $12,000 per month. Despite being a Princeton grad, he entered service as a private, but his flying experience soon landed him in training as a flight cadet. That cadet was Jimmy Stewart. His story is compelling - but no more so than the stories of so many others.

Brokaw said, "They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love, and the lessons of the workaday world, they were fighting..."
I grew up, with my contemporaries, unaware of the sacrifices and the great personal price so many of our parents paid. I watched my generation with youthful arrogance declare, "if it feels good, do it." We only wanted a life of freedom while having no real conception of what real freedom is or the cost paid by those in our home or next door or down the street to secure the freedom we enjoy.

War is Hell

Possession of secret information burdens the holder. Consider the burden of prosecuting war. Decrying war from a distance (done often by those who were not directly affected or many years after the fact) avoids the complexity and true moral dilemma faced by those actually forced to decide. For example, the firebombing of Dresden - a horrific event late in World War Two - garners criticism even from participants. When one is confronted with photos or first-hand accounts of the flesh-eating firestorm created by Allied bombing, criticism comes easily.

Moral complexity emerges when a peaceful people are attacked or are forced to decide to defend others who are attacked by a nation or people with evil intent (evil can be gauged). Should there be a response to evil? Should the strong protect the weak? Did the U.S., for example, along with the Allies, have an obligation to put a stop to Hitler who was bent on genocide and the domination of Europe?
If yes, how much force was required to stop a nation bent on destroying others and materially and economically aligned to do so? Can a little force, a little war stop a juggernaut like the Nazis?

Hermann Goering executed a plan to destroy London by air and bombed indiscriminately with the goal of creating chaos to pave the way for an invasion force. The Germans used incendiary bombs in the destruction of Coventry and other cities. They attempted waging a terror war through the use of the V-1 and V-2 rockets.

Moreover, the German people supported and embraced Hitler and the Nazi party. They were not innocently caught up but were the very means (election) by which Hitler came to power and they did nothing to stop him when he began to act (speaking generally of the multitude, not of the few who tried and failed). No German cry for help or deliverance was heard.

I am nearly finished my journey through Donald Miller's Masters of the Air. He removes any glamor associated with flying a B-17 or B-24 on missions over the European Theater of Operations. He captures the horror, the hardship, the hellish nature of war. He draws the reader into the moral questions of the bombing of civilians - either purposely or by virtue of proximity to military targets. The technology of the time did not include means for precision bombing. Bombs were often off-target because of weather, smoke, and anti-aircraft fire. Those in charge of strategic decisions and those working out those decisions tactically faced the awful weight of the moral questions of warfare: What is right? What is necessary? What is immoral? Where is the line? How does one wage limited warfare with blurry lines between military and civilian?
Another reason to read history and reflect on the wrestlings of those who've gone before us...

The Awful Weight

"Be careful what you ask for." Sage advice.

I often wonder, perhaps now more than ever, whether those who serve as president or prime minister, or other significant positions of leadership - even down to the tactical levels, really knew what they asked for when pursuing the position. Leadership means engaging real problems and making decisions - decisions which history may prove ill-advised or wrong.
Yesterday we explored the subject of intelligence - the "ultra" secret - the decoding of the German Enigma machine. Were you to be asked,
if you served as Prime Minister of England, "would you like to the ability to read the German correspondence during this war?", what would you answer? Certainly yes!
With that knowledge the weight of leadership would greatly increase on Mr. Churchill, who already bore an immense load. Why? Shouldn't this information make the job easier, not more difficult?
Consider one dilemma brought on by this new knowledge. Your intelligence branch intercepts messages from the German air forces indicating plans for bombing English cities. This in itself is not new information, as the Germans have been bombing for some time. What is new is information indicating attacks on a location previously untouched by German air assaults.
The dilemma: should you, as Prime Minister, take action in that previously untouched city to protect it and the people living there? If you do, you can probably save lives and precious property. If you do, you will also tip your hand as to the knowledge you possess.
Is it worth saving lives now but losing the means to save lives and make strategic decisions down the road? Or, is it worth (if words like "worth" can be used here) sacrificing lives and parts of a city now to keep the knowledge secret for lives and cities and battles in the future?
Thus, the awful weight of leadership.
F.W. Winterbotham wrote in The Ultra Secret, that such a decision faced Mr. Churchill about the city of Coventry on 14 November 1940. He was privy to a German message which accidentally, according to his book, broadcast the word "Coventry" in the clear. He said he passed the message to Churchill's personal secretary, warning of the pending attack several hours before its occurrence. The city was heavily bombed with minimal RAF resistance, destroying the famous cathedral pictured here along with hundreds killed.

It is not certain Churchill knew and could have done anything to spare Coventry. Others have disputed that Churchill had the information and made a decision to let Coventry be destroyed. This has been debated for many years.
The possession of a secret nonetheless makes demands upon the possessor to weigh and measure carefully each response, each public statement, even when one's actions are questioned. It is even more important now as television and the internet allow for dissection of every word spoken by a leader to see if what is said reveals the source of information informing a particular decision.

A Distinct Sound...

In previous posts, I reference codebreaking efforts of the U.S. Navy and the success achieved even before the outbreak of World War II. The fascinating story of the British codebreakers at billeted at Bletchley Park shows the fruit of tenacity and painstaking effort, not unlike looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. Add to that human effort, Providential intervention.

The secrets of the codebreaking success gained at Bletchley Park and, to a some degree, their methodology, were not revealed until about 30 years after the war. One can imagine the complexity of German engineering on anything mechanical - and it was a mechanical device used for encoding the messages sent by the elements of the German war machine. The British intelligence effort found a Polish man who actually worked on the construction of the machine, which would come to be known as Enigma. From memory he began to reconstruct the wooden box with its complex rotor system. But he could only provide insight from memory - this machine created permutations seemingly beyond the boundaries of normal human capacity to break them. The real thing was needed. So, with the help of this man and the Polish Secret Service, the Brits actually captured an entire machine and set to work on understanding how it worked.
My memory may not serve me here, but as I recall the machine would take a basic message like, "The 347th Bomber group is to fly the northern route to bomb targets of opportunity in London at 4:30 p.m. on December 29th. All crews must report for briefing at 1:oo p.m." This is not a real message - but basic details and specific details would be passed from commands to subordinates giving orders. That message would be broken into groups of letters something like this:

The34-7Bomb-ergro-upist- oflyt-henor-thern-route-tobom-btarg-etsof-oppor-tunit
yinLo-ndona-t430p-monDe-cembe-r29Al-lcrew-smust-repor-tforb-riefi-ngat1-oopmx

Kind of confusing already, eh? Numbers were probably spelled out and blank spaces were filled in by "x". The message would then be entered into the machine by keyboard. Each letter would be substituted by an equivalent in a scrambled alphabet. (Take the 26 English letters, put them in a hat and draw them out at random. Put them in a sequence. The first letter would be substituted for "A", etc.) The machine would be set mathematically to produce (if memory serves) seven permutations of the alphabet so the finished product would look nothing like the original. It required intense study - even with the machine to determine the mathematical sequencing of the machine. F.W. Winterbotham, in his book The Ultra Secret, said the following of the sequencing: "A typewriter fed the letters of the message into the machine, where they were so proliferated by the drums (rotors) that it was estimated a team of top mathematicians might take a month or more to work out all the permutations necessary to find the right answer for a single cypher setting; the setting of the drums in relation to each other was the key which the sender and receiver would no doubt keep very closely guarded."
The capture of the Enigma machine and breaking the key to it's working may be one of the great accomplishments of the war. We'll look at some interesting stories over the next day or two.

Sprouts Wings

I happened upon a History Channel piece on the economic collapse of 1929. It piqued my interest in light of current events. It featured the story of a particular luxury liner making its way across the Atlantic with wealthy passengers bound for the States.

This compelling quote captures the gist: "They left England as wealthy men and arrived in the United States penniless."

In the space of a very short time - one day, the fortunes of many changed. Of those mentioned, most never recovered and a photo showing wide, empty eyes, depicted a man who shot himself to death minutes after the picture was taken.

We are admonished to not be deceived by wealth:

Pr. 23.4 Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.

Only One Real Hero

I grew up in an era when baseball seemed larger than life. The Yankees fascinated me because the names and attainments were legendary. Of course as a Washington Senators fan, I enjoyed the similarities between the teams. While the Yankees put great players at every position, the Senators had players at every position.
I am thankful for the opportunity I had to see the great players of visiting teams when opportunity arose to see a game. My favorite baseball memories were twi-night double headers. Two games, one glorious evening.
Like most boys born after WWII with an interest in sports, Mickey Mantle's feats stood out. He was an incredible player who hit with incredible natural power. Consider just two (of many examples - this is from Wiki but Mantle himself describes these shots in various places): On May 22, 1963, against Kansas City's Bill Fischer, Mantle hit a ball that fellow players and fans claimed was still rising when it hit the 110-foot (34 m) high facade, then caromed back onto the playing field. It was later estimated by some that the ball could have traveled 620 feet (190 m) had it not been blocked by the ornate and distinctive facade. While physicists might question those estimates, on August 12, 1964, he hit one whose distance was undoubted: a center field drive that cleared the 22-foot (6.7 m) batter's eye screen, beyond the 461-foot (141 m) marker at the Stadium.

I saw him play once or twice, along with those famous Yankees - Roger Maris, Elston Howard, Bobby Richardson, Whitey Ford, etc. I also saw them through images in my mind formed from daydreams fed by Topps baseball cards and the AM radio broadcasts and the World Series games. They were hero images. Great players. Great guys. Guys who liked kids and were nice.

They were false images. Bobby Richarsdson, the World Series MVP second baseman for those teams, was perhaps the only stable force in that world of men who lived on the edge and with little restraint. He firmly held his Christian beliefs in a clubhouse where he earned the nickname "the milk drinker." I understand he considered preaching as an alternative to ballplaying if it had not worked out.
Mantle's story is widely known. Richardson sowed gospel seed even in the face of the unresponsiveness of his friend. Mantle's lifestyle and maybe his family history, took their toll and he wore down as he aged. He began to rethink his ways and his influence on kids. He saw Pat Summerall, a NY Giants football player, turn his life around.

Shortly before his death in the summer of 1995, Mickey Mantle telephoned Richardson at 5 o’clock one morning and asked him to visit him at his hospital room in Dallas.

Richardson boarded the first plane for Dallas that he could find and when he arrived at Mantle’s hospital room, a smiling Mantle said, "Bobby, I want to tell you I’ve trusted Jesus as my Savior."

Richardson had tried for years to get Mantle to listen to the Gospel message. He was delighted to hear the good news, but was not willing to throw caution to the wind. "Let be sure, Mickey," he said, as he pulled out his Bible and went over the Plan of Salvation.

"In the end, Mickey quoted John 3:16," Richardson remembered. "He had a real peace, and said he was ready to go."

Christmas Combat

The American army faced the desperate German army in the Belgian woods near Bastogne on Christmas 1944. A rapid change in events threw the American forces into confusion and out of the chaos emerged grim determination.
Hitler's last gamble involved throwing forced he'd held in reserve along with his remaining armored units into the thin Allied lines, where inexperienced, young troops had relieved the seasoned veterans. The ultimate goal was to get to Antwerp and disrupt the Allied supply lines. A key city, location of the intersection of seven roads, was Bastogne. The American 101st Airborne staged a defense against overwhelming odds - at least to lesser men.
The following exchange between the German commander and Brigadier General McAuliffe, inspired the men of the 101st, including those in the 506th Parachute Infantry regiment:
On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, the men received General McAuliffe's greetings. "What's merry about all this you ask?" was the opening line. "Just this: We have stopped cold everything thrown at us from the North, South, East, and West. We have identifications from four German Panzer Divisions, two German infantry divisions, and one German parachute division... The Germans surround us, their radios blare our doom. Their commander demanded our surrender in the following impudent arrogance." (There followed a four paragraph message, 'to the U.S.A. commander of the encircled town of Bastogne,' from the German commander,' demanding an 'honorable surrender to save the encircled U.S. troops from total annihilation,' dated 22 December. McAuliffe's message continued, "The German commander received the following reply: '22 December 1944. To the German commander: NUTS. The American commander.' "We are giving our country and our loved ones at home a worthy Christmas present and being privileged to take part in this gallant feat of arms are truly making for ourselves a Merry Christmas. A.C. McAulliffe, Commanding." (Band of Brothers; Stephen E. Ambrose; 2001; Simon and Shuster. p189)
My Dad served as an 18 yr old in the 87th Division, 347th Regiment somewhere in the Belgian woods, where a mortar shell nearly killed him. Do you know anyone who served there?
With a grateful heart for those who have served us and paid the price for our freedom and the freedom of many others, Merry Christmas!

Everybody's Been Shot

I am reminded again of my own propensity to see my troubles as unique. To wish the world would stop and all would gather round to hear my tales of woe. But, the reality is, everyone is already thinking about their own problems, their own unique set of circumstances, to give much time to mine. And the health care debate rages in the background as the government, or some in government, think it is the job of the government to solve my problems. However, I find the more they try to solve my problems, the worse things seem to get. But this is not meant to be a rant.

Peggy Noonan's masterful writing comes to mind. She served President Reagan as a speechwriter and now opines for the Wall Street Journal on a weekly basis. Let me commend her outstanding book, When Character Was King, the story of Ronald Reagan's life and the underpinnings of his presidency. You will be surprised at the remarkable man and the alacrity with which he served.

History teaches us life is hard and perseverance through hard things usually wins the day. There may be no grandstand, no accolades but those who endear themselves to us show the character of pressing on. Books are written about such people. Books about whiners don't take up much shelf space. I offer these words from Peggy's article from January 2002 - "Everybody's Been Shot: Americans are exquisitely sensitive...just not to each other.
"There's a small but telling scene in Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down" that contains some dialogue that reverberates, at least for me. In the spirit of Samuel Johnson, who said man needs more often to be reminded than instructed, I offer it to all, including myself, who might benefit from its message.
The movie, as you know, is about the Battle of the Bakara Market in Mogadishu, Somalia, in October 1993. In the scene, the actor Tom Sizemore, playing your basic tough-guy U.S. Army Ranger colonel, is in charge of a small convoy of humvees trying to make its way back to base under heavy gun and rocket fire. The colonel stops the convoy, takes in some wounded, tears a dead driver out of a driver's seat, and barks at a bleeding sergeant who's standing in shock nearby:

Colonel: Get into that truck and drive.
Sergeant: But I'm shot, Colonel.
Colonel: Everybody's shot, get in and drive.

"Everybody's shot." Those are great metaphoric words...What does that mean? It means something we used to know. It means everyone has it hard, everyone takes hits, everyone's been fragged, everyone gets tagged, life isn't easy for anyone.

She cited numerous examples of those who view their problems are unique, as though, well, everyone should stop what they are doing and feel sorry. But, duty calls. The call of duty demands tenacious perseverance. She recalls different times:

"When I was a child in the old America, people said things like, "It ain't easy." Then they'd shrug. Or, "Whatta ya want, life ain't easy!" I think people actually sighed more in those days, issued forth big long sighs that said: Life is hard. There was a sort of general knowledge that each day would not necessarily be a sleigh ride, and that everyone hits bumps along the way, and some of them are really hard, and everyone sooner or later hits them."

Peggy goes on to offer some sage advice for us all - President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Butler:

"But now, more so than in the past, something has grown in our country, grown perhaps because of good things like psychotherapy and bad things like group-identity politics. And that something is an increasing tender regard for one's own sensitivities and quirks and problems and woes--twinned with a growing insensitivity to everyone else's quirks and problems and woes.

This is not progress. If we became more aware of others instead of demanding that others be more aware of our needs, we would probably get a better fix on life, a better perspective, a better sense of everyone's context. We'd wind up more patient with others, more sympathetic. We could actually wind up sensitive to someone other than ourselves."

Persevere. Don't complain. See other's needs as greater than our own. Everybody's shot - let's keep going together.

A Fool Does Not Delight in Understanding

Major General Charles A. Willoughby served as MacArthur's (see previous posts) G-2, or intelligence chief, during the Korean war. As G-2, Willoughby gathered and reported intelligence assessments to his commanding officer. The point, naturally, is to give accurate, timely, unbiased information based on a fusion of as many intelligence sources as possible. The question is this: Was he good at his job or did he feed MacArthur the assessments he wanted to hear? It seems clear he was not a likable sort - his subordinates called him "Sir Charles" behind his back - at least, that's what is in print. One source paints him, however, with respect to the assessment of the Chinese army, fairly positively:
Kenneth J. Campbell reports on the Arlington National Cemetery Website the following about Major General Charles A. Willoughby: "In early November 1950, roughly forty Chinese soldiers had been captured during several weeks of combat. During interrogation, many of these troops correctly identified their units and gave reasonably accurate information on the large number of Chinese Communist soldiers who had already crossed the Yalu (River). On 2 November 1950 General Willoughby estimated that 16,500 Chinese soldiers were in North Korea, and about 516,000 regulars and 274,000 irregular troops were in Manchuria. The CIA was not concerned with the above information, rating these reports in the F-6 category, which meant that neither the content nor the source was taken very seriously by their analysts. On 5 November 1950 General Willoughby warned that the Chinese Communist forces had the capability of launching an attack at any time. On 10 November 1950 Willoughby's intelligence summary, a reversal of his 28 October report, predicted an "all out" Chinese attack on UN forces. On 15 November Willoughby reported: Information received from Chinese Nationalist military sources ... gives strong support to an assumption that the Chinese Communists intend to "throw the book" at United Nations forces in Korea.... It is fast becoming apparent that an excessive number of troops are entering Northeast China."
Let's say David Halberstam's Coldest Winter paints a different portrait. Consider these Index headings for Willoughby: Chinese presence discounted by; enemy underrated by; intelligence skewed by; OSS and CIA hated by...
Halberstam builds a strong case which contradicts Kenneth J. Campbell's description of Willoughby, offering reports from Army, Marine, and CIA intelligence officers and operations officers testifying to his arrogance and self-confidence - which belies good intelligence. Good intelligence comes from questioning, examining, doubting until the picture becomes clear. Of course - it rarely becomes perfectly clear.
"A great intelligence officer tries to take the unknown at least partially knowable; he tries to think like his enemy, and he listens carefully to those with whom he disagrees, simply because he knows that he has to challenge his own value system in order to understand the nature and impulse of the other side. In all ways, Charles Willoughby not only failed to fit this role, but was the very opposite of it. He was not harmless..." (The Coldest Winter; David Halberstam)

Commentary

I updated the settings to allow comments by all readers. Please feel free to add your thoughts. Thanks for reading!

Sports Are Fun

DeadGuysTalking is a sports fan and finds endless sources of humor in the many games and personalities. I offer for you a memorable article in S.I. by funny man and relief pitcher, Dan Quisenberry, "The Land of the Stupid Dances". During the nineteen eighties, Dan Quisenberry led the league in saves five different times (1980, 1982, 1983, 1984 & 1985). He won the Fireman of the Year ward on five separate occasions. A sampling of his beloved wit is below. Dan passed away in 1998, at age 45, from brain cancer.

"A manager uses a relief pitcher like a six shooter, he fires until it's empty then takes the gun and throws it at the villain." Source: The Baseball Card Engagement Book (1989)

"He (Ted Simmons) didn't sound like a baseball player. He said things like 'nevertheless' and 'if, in fact.'" Source: Sports Illustrated (August 10, 1981)

"I found a delivery in my flaw."

"It (his contract) has options through the year 2020 or until the last Rocky movie is made." Source: The Major League Baseball Newsletter (April 1990)

"I thought (while batting) they were in a zone, but they were playing man to man."

"I've seen the future and it's much like the present only longer."

"I want to thank (winning the 1982 Fireman Award) all the pitchers who couldn't go nine innings, and manager Dick Howser who wouldn't let them go."

"Natural grass is a wonderful thing for little bugs and sinkerball pitchers."

"Our fielders have to catch a lot of balls, or at least deflect them to someone who can." Source: Sports Illustrated (May 28, 1984)

"Reggie Jackson hit one (a home run) off me that's still burrowing its way to Los Angeles."

"Strikes (1981) are real life. It took up seven weeks of real time. That's a fifth of a pregnancy."

"They're (California Angels) like the American League All-Star team, and that's their problem, the American League All-Star team always loses."

"When I came over here (the National League), I always heard it was a stronger league, with amphetamines all over the clubhouse, but all I found was Michelob Dry." Source: The Sporting News (April 3, 1989)

Stupid on Intelligence

Much can be said on the topic of intelligence and the military. We looked at Douglas MacArthur the last few posts. One more on his failure and then one on the failure of his intelligence chief in the Korean conflict.

Briefly, we know little about Korea because we did not glorify it and the men who returned kept it largely to themselves. We know more about Viet Nam because it came to our living rooms every night in color and it engendered much debate. I think the men who fought there suffered greatly. Two veterans I know shared some of their experience. The black spots remain on one man's feet, a reminder of the frostbite he suffered because the men were ill-equipped. The other man ended our conversation due to the overwhelming weight of the memories of killing and seeing friends killed. Does not a commander have the moral obligation to serve his men wholeheartedly, carefully, and judiciously? Consider these brief examples.
MacArthur and staff projected Chinese forces gathering at a level of between a low of 16,500 and a high of 30,000 troops. These estimates flew in the face of reality and the incoming intelligenc reports of captured Chinese soldiers in Korea, reports from well-placed spies, and the evidence of the presence of a large force. He moved U.S. troops north into a trap as a result. In fact, there were 300,000 (30 divisions) Chinese troops poised to strike a blow. It was said, "MacArthur did not want the Chinese to enter the war in Korea. Anything MacArthur wanted (his intelligence chief) produced for him."
David Halberstam describes the result of the Chinese striking: "It had been one of the worst days in the history of the American army...the numbers were heart-breaking..." Thousands died because someone would not listen to what they did not want to hear.
Sometimes I don't listen to what I don't want to hear. What consequences do we bring on others and ourselves by not listening?

More on Image

We looked a bit at how images do not always equal reality. Putting up false fronts can be harmless. Consider the man with a bad comb-over or toupee. False front. Attempt to enhance one's image. Of course, a strong wind or a noogie from a friend can topple the false front and embarrass the folliclely-challenged man. But history offers examples of those who were not harmless.

David McCullough quotes President Harry Truman on Douglas MacArthur: "The president was trying to...fathom MacArthur, whom he had never met (at this point), but didn't like from what he had read and heard - "Mr. Prima Donna, Brass Hat, Five-Star MacArthur," Truman referred to him in the privacy of his diary. "Don't see how a country can produce such men as Robert E. Lee, John J. Pershing, Eisenhower, and Bradley and at the same time produce Custers, Pattons, and MacArthurs." (Truman; David McCullough; Simon and Shuster; 1992).
These comments preceded their actual meeting. His opinion did not improve. Consider these further remarks, prior to their exchange on Wake Island, where Truman had to fly to meet his general. "He had connected well with generals like Eisenhower and Bradley, but not MacArthur. What he mostly sensed about the commander was his grandiosity. Two days before the meeting, while on the way to Wake, he wrote a note to his cousin Nellie Noland, saying, 'Have to talk to God's right hand man tomorrow.'" (Coldest Winter; David Halberstam; Hyperion; 2007)

Consider further these entries under "MacArthur" in the index of Coldest Winter: "as addicted to fame;" "failure to salute President;" "following his own agenda;" "lack of friends:" "need for control;" "never to be wrong;" "paranoia of;" "self-absorbtion of;"... You get the idea. These things, while not good, may not prove harmful to others. But the principle is, pride goes before destruction. The entries continue.
Consider these and the awful implications for those under his command in Korea: "disrespect for Asian enemy;" intelligence reports ignored or manipulated by;" "putting men at risk."
Generals put men at risk. But there are unnecessary and foolish risks. Risks taken because of the deep rooted pride demonstrated by the entries in the index. Frightening stuff - what is in my index? LIGHTER NOTE: Your opinion - worst comb-over you've seen?

Images and Truth

Photoshop changed photography - though I confess only very limited experience with it. Photos can be improved by fixing flaws - much more capability than old dark room tricks. Of course we all know it can also be used to put your girly-man friend's head on top of a posing Arnold Swarzenegger for laughs. In fact, changing images routinely causes us to jump to wrong conclusions or wonder if we are. Is that Nessie's head popping out of the Scottish loch or is someone messing with us? Can that guy on YouTube really build a big ramp, turn on flowing water, slide down so fast he flew through the air a long way - to land in a tiny baby pool filled with water? I don't think so...but it sure looks like he did... Distinguishing truth from fiction is increasingly difficult.
I have a picture of my grandfather next to an unnamed admiral looking together at the plaque signifying the end of World War II which would later adorn the U.S.S. Missouri. I understand my grandfather designed it. It marks the location on the great battleship where the signing of the treaty between the Japanese and U.S. occurred on 2 September 1945.
In my mind, I see General Douglas MacArthur, pipe protruding from under his aviator sunglasses signing that treaty in Tokyo Bay. The General MacArthur, who had marched triumphantly back on to the shores of the Philippine islands, as he promised.
Were those images of a true hero or of someone who worked very hard to project an image of a hero? Most of us have probably seen the film crew assembled specifically to show him walk ashore. There was no enemy fire or danger. But it had the look of triumph.
Pride is not something which stays small. Unchecked, it grows and ultimately causes great harm to oneself. In the case of generals, it causes great harm and destruction to others. We'll look at some evidence from the Korean conflict over the next couple of days.

We'll Be Through In Three Days...Maybe Two

Leadership mistakes stand out in bold relief when lives are on the line. It is easy to criticize looking backwards. So we must endeavor to do so humbly. General McClellan's inactivity and uninformed view of himself demonstrates one leadership failure. Other men's actions or omissions, driven by self-glorification, demonstrate other failures - often at the cost of those serving under them.

Let's briefly consider Marine Major General William Rupertus. He led the campaign, noted by one of his own staff, as "the worst campaign in the history of warfare - far worse than Iwo Jima or the others." Wait - the worst campaign in the history of warfare? Quite a damning statement. What was the campaign and why was it so bad? A brief look.

The First Marines attacked the island of Peleliu in September 1944. After withstanding the characteristic naval and air bombardment by the U.S., the Japanese surfaced to fight with tenacious ferocity. Rupertus, described by David Halberstam, was "vainglorious, impetuous, contemptuous of the forces arrayed against him." He reportedly said of the forthcoming attack, "this is going to be a short one, a quickie. Rough but fast. We'll be through in three days. It might take only two." Notice he was interested in personal glory and did not take his enemy seriously. This doesn't bode well for those who follow such leaders. He overestimated himself and underestimated the enemy. Overestimating an enemy leads to inactivity and underestimating the enemy can lead to disastrous consequences.

As was their practice, the Japanese prepared underground networks of caves and reinforced their positions to withstand the initial bombardment. David Halberstam writes of the operation, "Instead (of three days) it took a full month of yard by yard, cave by cave fighting. It had taken, the Marines estimated later, almost sixteen hundred rounds of ammo, both heavy and light, to kill each of the ten thousand Japanese soldiers on the island." (The Coldest Winter; Hyperion; 2007; p. 430)

Perhaps Halberstam was too hard on Rupertus, I don't know but plan further reading. The leadership problems he highlights have consequences in any setting. Isn't it wise to consider the mistakes of those we study while being circumspect lest we fall into the same pit?

Silent Monks Do Handel

Grateful again for YouTube - passing along the brilliance of others: The Silent Monks do Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus," for fun...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCFCeJTEzNU

Those Britches Don't Fit

Winston Churchill reportedly said something very close to, "It is true. We are all worms. But, I prefer to think of myself as a glow worm."
It's easy to laugh and agree that, yes, he certainly did hold a high view of himself. Ha ha... But the malady of self-aggrandizement is too familiar. It runs deep in the race. We can learn much from those who've gone before us that pride does indeed go before a fall. Consider these comments about Civil War Union general George McClellan, who never seemed to quite be ready to do what generals are supposed to do - fight.

"McClellan's ego was enormous, greatly exceeding his talents. He had seen himself as nothing less than the savior of the country, If, he said, "the people call upon me to save the country - I must save it & cannot respect anything that is in the way." There were countless letters to him from ordinary citizens, he liked to claim, urging him to run for the presidency or to become the dictator of America. He greatly preferred the idea of dictator, and he was willing, he sometimes added, to make that sacrifice. He hungered to run against Lincoln, which he finally did, unsuccessfully, in 1864, gaining 21 electoral votes to Lincoln's 212. "A great egoist," Truman later said of McClellan. "A glorified Napoleon. He even had his picture taken with his hand in his overcoat, like Napoleon." (David Halberstam; The Coldest Winter, Hyperion, 2007; p. 603)
One wonders why McClellan, a general, would want to be like Napoleon who is best known for Waterloo. There are many Napoleons and McClellans. Many examples of pride preceding a fall. Yet, books continue to be written because the lessons remain to be learned, the malady is epidemic.

Might Have Been Coach A, Not Coach K...

Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Coach K, stands at the top of the coaching profession for his body of work at Duke University - three NCAA Championships, 10 Final Fours (third most in history), and 11 ACC Championships, and for leading the U.S.A. Men's basketball team to GOLD in the 2008 Olympics. Pretty heady stuff. I confess pain as I write this being a Terp and knowing far too many of those accomplishments came through the dispatching of the University of Maryland Men's varsity basketball team. By the way, the fan behavior toward Krzyzewski and his family and players when at Maryland is an embarrassment to the University, students, and alumni. But, I digress...  Coach K is synonomous with Duke basketball, leading the university to name the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium after him. (Which reminds me of the time when Duke seniors all signed the floor in his honor on senior night and Maryland beat them - a particularly sweet win. But, I digress.)
I believe it was in 1950 that Coach A was asked to come and serve as a "consultant" - a non-assistant assistant coach to then coach Gerry Gerard by athletic director Eddie ("Indoor Stadium") Cameron. Coach Gerard, stricken by cancer, was going to need a replacement but there was no timeline. Coach A was asked to unofficially assist and eventually replace Coach Gerard. It wasn't long before Coach A grew uncomfortable with waiting for the man to die. He did not stay.
Coach A - for Arthur - made decisions about his own future which left plenty of room on the stage for Coach K to eventually take the Duke program to great prominence. Had Arthur stayed, it might have played out differently, because his career choices led him to become the most famous and influential coach of all time. You see, Arthur never went by that name. He was best known as, "Red."
Red Auerbach won nine NBA championships - eight in a row. His energy, creativity, and tenacity paved the way for NBA success. Read more about this engaging man in Let Me Tell You a Story: A Lifetime in the Game; John Feinstein; Back Bay Books; 2004.  There are numerous other books by and about the Celtic championship years if you are so inclined.

The Cost of Freedom

So many gave their youth, even their lives, for the freedom we enjoy. Some gained prominence during their civilian lives due to athletic achievements. This is in no way to disparage or minimize other achievements made by the fallen who paid the ultimate price. One way the picture of lost youth easily emerges is by considering athletes who walked away from fields of competition to fields of fire for the sake of country. One of the liberated Bataan survivors, Motts Tonelli (left), was such an athlete. His story is documented in Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides and is told in a USA Today piece.
Leatherneck.com tells the tales of many athletes including this one:
     "Professional football players answered the call as well. Of the 638 NFL players who served in World War II, 355 were commissioned as officers, 66 were decorated, and 21 lost their lives. Among them was an offensive tackle for the New York Giants named Al Blozis. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Blozis played football and was a weight thrower on the track team at Georgetown University. He won the NCAA, IC4A, and AAU shotput championships indoors and outdoors three years in a row, from 1940-42, and was the IC4A discus champion all three years as well.  Along with golfer Ben Hogan and boxer Joe Louis, Blozis was selected by United Press International as one of three outstanding athletes of 1941.
      Graduating in 1942, he was drafted by the Giants in the third round and quickly became an anchor at tackle. Having been granted a dispensation to serve in the military because of his size, Blozis, the son of Lithuanian immigrants, entered the Army as a lieutenant.
      On his first patrol, less than two months after playing his last game on the gridiron, he was killed in the Vosges Mountains during an encounter related to the Battle of the Bulge. Lieutenant Alfred Blozis was 26 years old."
The inestimable toll of human loss for our freedom must never be forgotten or taken for granted. Their stories are worth reading - just as their lives were worth living. We must acknowledge thanks to the survivors and honor the sacrifices made.

A Star on a Larger Stage

     This time of year brings out the old favorites. What are yours? "Miracle on 34th Street?" "Charlie Brown?" Certainly, "A Wonderful Life" makes a majority of lists of must-see Christmas movies.
     I confess, Jimmy Stewart is a favorite in our home. His everyman characters capture our attention and endear. We would love to see a real Mr. Smith in Washington. But, I digress.

     Mr. Stewart was an everyman, starting with humble roots in his hometown of Indiana, PA. He, like most men of his generation, in spite of his notoriety, wanted to serve his country in WWII. And serve did. He enlisted shortly after winning an Oscar for his role as a reporter in The Philadelphia Story. He was so skinny he had to tell the enlistment officer to forget to weigh him during his physical.
     He won the Distinguished Flying Cross as commander of the 703rd Sqaudron of the 445th Bomb Group, flying the B-24 Liberator. Reportedly, at least one of his planes was called, Four Yanks and a Jerk. He flew 23 combat missions and, according to Donald L. Miller's Masters of the Air (Simon and Schuster; 2006) he did not lose a man to enemy fire or mental breakdown (a serious issue throughout the European air war). His men were pleasantly surprised to find his persona much like what they enjoyed on the screen. "Aww...now doggone it, fellas..."

For good info and pictures of WWII aircraft, check out this site: http://www.warbirdalley.com

New Post Coming

I have been caring for my wife who needed emergency surgery. Will be back to writing tomorrow! Thanks for checking in!

Providential Events

Today we remember Pearl Harbor. Consider how differently the war would have gone had the USS Saratoga (returning from Bremerton, WA), the USS Enterprise and the USS Lexington been, as the Japanese anticipated, in Pearl on 7 December.                                          
      On 28 November, Admiral Kimmel sent USS Enterprise under Rear Admiral William "Bull" Halsey to deliver Marine Corps fighter planes to Wake Island. On 4 December Enterprise delivered the aircraft and on December 7 the task force was on its way back to

Pearl Harbor. On 5 December, Admiral Kimmel sent the USS Lexington with a task force under Rear Admiral Newton to deliver 25 scout bombers to Midway Island.
     These carriers were preserved - they were our only carriers in the Pacific at the time. They fought, and fought well, on another day. In some ways, the destruction of our aging battleships forced production of newer and better ships. The U.S. would produce vessels and war materiel in unprecedented ways in the coming days. This would eventually be a significant contributing factor to victory.

Why I Love Sports

Saturday is sports day for the posts.

Why are sports so much fun? Being blessed with mediocre abilities (on a good day), it isn't so much about personally achieving great heights or doing the impossible for me. Though, I find those stories of others are often compelling, even emotionally moving. Often, it's just the mundane fascinates or amuses me (a simple mind). During Cal Ripken's heyday, Eddie Murray played first base for the Baltimore Orioles. He would carry the infield ball out at the top of every inning at Memorial Stadium to warm up the guys. Watching closely, I saw Murray would go through the same routine each time the O's took the field between innings as the pitcher warmed up with catcher Rick Dempsey. He would throw the ball for Ripken, stationed behind the bag at second, trying each time to hit the base with his left-handed lob. After warmups wound down and the infield ball was returned to the dugout across the field to the home dugout in a religious way. Murray threw the ball across the third-base line on one hop to someone standing in the right-hand corner of the O's dugout who, upon catching it, would pivot and lob it to someone in the left-hand corner. The ball, upon completing it's cicuit, returned to rest behind the bench in the same spot until Murray would retrieve it again to go out to first base and do it again.
Meaningless. But routine. Somehow, whether by specific design, or just an evolution of a ritual, the cycle predictably repeated itself. It's those little things which add humor and life to the mundane in the realm of sport - and fascinate me. Murray, a favorite of mine and probably all O's fans, was never particularly demonstrative. But, it seemed to me, when he would hit the bag on his toss to Ripken, there was a trace of smug satisfaction evidenced in his posture. A small victory won. Baseball and sport consist of small moments which provide the stuff of story-telling.
A favorite baseball book, October 1964, by David Halberstam (chronicling the seasons of the NY Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals), captures not only the little bits of life in the season of two great teams, but also some of the heights achieved by doing things well. One key player, not so much in his prowess (he made his mark being notoriously average: "Baseball hasn't forgotten me. I go to a lot of Old-Timers games and I haven't lost a thing. I sit in the bullpen and let people throw things at me. Just like old times."  ) but in the taking of the mundane to grand heights. Enjoy one of many anecdotes featuring the beloved Bob Uecker ("He missed the tag!"):

--------------------

"On the day of the first game (of the '64 World Series), Bob Uecker was shagging balls out in left field with some of the other scrubs. In order to mark the festivities, three Dixieland bands were stationed there, and at one point they took a break and put down their instruments. Uecker wandered over and picked up a tuba. For a moment he thought of trying to play it, because that might amuse the other players, but just then someone hit a slow, lazy fly out to left. Instinctively, because he was born to be a comic, Uecker circled under the ball with the waiting tuba. He tried for the catch in the mouth of the tuba, but missed. The next one he caught. Then he missed one. The players began to laugh and the crowd began to cheer. He missed two more flies and then caught one. Some of the balls dented the tuba, and the owner was not amused, sending the Cardinals and Uecker a bill for $250. His teammates, though, were delighted. It was the World Series against the mighty Yankees and the Cardinals were very relaxed."

Remebering Pearl Harbor

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Consider the following remarks recorded by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin on 7 December (I assume it this is from an evening edition):

Comment Reserved By Kita

Four armored policemen were dispatched at 10:30 this morning to guard the Japanese consulate, 1748 Nuuanu St.    Two uniformed guards patrolled outside the consulate grounds, on Nuuanu Ave. and Kuakini St., and two uninformed men were stationed on the grounds.


___________Nagao Kita, Japanese consul general here, said this morning that he thought the bombing of Honolulu was “maneuvers” by the U. S. forces here. When informed that there were casualties, he remained unconvinced that the bombing by Japanese planes had actually taken place.   
     “I was lazy this morning and didn’t get up until late,” he said, at the Japanese consulate where he was asked for a statement by The Star-Bulletin. “I heard a lot of gunfire but I thought the U. S. army and navy were on maneuvers,” he added. He said he would reserve comments “until I find out what this is all about,” and did not make any statement. Otojiro Okuda, vice consul who was with Mr. Kita and other consulate staff members at the Nuuanu St. consulate, expressed surprise and disbelief when told that “this bombing was serious.”
     “I heard quite a lot of noise this morning but I never imagined that this was a real bombing,” Mr.Okuda said.

Oh. 

I don't imagine those comments were well-received. 

History would later reveal the substance of messages to the Japanese consulates - which Americans code-breakers read. The full implications of the intercepted/decoded messages would not emerge until it was too late.


Recommended further study: At Dawn We Slept; Gordon Prange. Sadly, while a student at University of Maryland, Dr. Prange was a history professor. I never knew it because of the foolish choices I made at the time. Thankfully, his books remain with us.

Another Strange Event

Well, it would normally be very good to know a large contingent of enemy planes was closing quickly on the most  important Naval base in the Pacific. But factors mitigated against such knowledge. We did have a new RADAR station operating on the morning of 7 December. But....in 1941, RADAR technology was new and not yet understood for the powerful tool it is. Additionally, a flight of B-17's was due in from San Francisco that morning. So when the RADAR reflected the incoming planes, they were thought to be those B-17s. This combination of factors eliminated the U.S. advantage. The following timeline briefly shows the course of unfolding events.  

0702 - Privates Lockhard and Elliott of Opana Radar Station pick up what appears to be a flight of unidentified aircraft bearing in 132 miles north of Oahu. Discussion follows
0710 - Elliott phones the information in to Fort Shafter. The only person present at the Information Center is Lt. Tyler, having begun his on-the-job training Dec. 3. The conversation lasts ten minutes. 
0720 - Lt. Tyler feels certain that the unidentified planes are B-17s scheduled to arrive from the mainland and instructs Opana station to shut down. Privates Elliott and Lockhard, however, continue to plot the incoming flight.

The rest is, well, history.

Strange Events on the Infamous Day

We approach the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack of 1941. In preparing to talk with some students about WWII, the number of telling events which occurred on the fateful day is, in retrospect, remarkable. Naturally, retrospect is the clearest way to see things, is it not? So I present some facts over the next few days which may or may not be new to you.

     Torpedo nets protected Pearl Harbor as a matter of course and to gain access to the harbor, the nets had to be lowered. 

     The destroyer, U.S.S. Ward (DD-139), an old four-stacker, patrolled the waters outside the harbor during the 0600 hours of 7 December. They spied the U.S.S. Astoria slowly making it's way in to the harbor, through the now dropped torpedo nets. Amazingly, directly behind the Astoria, was the conning tower of a mini-submarine.
     The Ward went to general quarters and closed quickly. It's number three five-inch gun sent the first round fired by the U.S. in the war directly at the conning tower, but it sailed just high. The second shot     found it's mark, catching the craft at the joint of the conning tower and hull. The shot sunk the vessel (recovered years later).

     The Ward served for three more years to the day, 7 December 1944, when a kamikaze attack sunk her in the Leyte Gulf.

The U.S.S. Astoria (Nasty Asty) was sunk off Savo Island, supporting the Marine operations on Guadalcanal in July 1942.

Appease At Any Price?

England stood on the brink of disaster in 1938. Hitler's rise to power was unopposed in Germany, as was his aggressive rearmament of Germany, in blatant disregard of the Versailles treaty closing WWI, which limited German production of war materiel. Austria fell. Czechoslovakia lay in Hitler's sites. Neville Chamberlain went to Munich to negotiate with (As Churchill called him) "Herr Hitler." He returned, triumphant, with a piece of paper mutually signed, stating Germany and England would never go to war. A naive venture. Leadership calls for a willingness to stand for principle and to speak plainly about the issues. The stakes are high when principle is cast aside in the face of empty promises or in the face of throwing away all that is valuable and hard won. The following words from Mr. Churchill, given in the midst of those turbulent events, speak volumes, if we will listen.

  Winston Churchill addressed the House of Commons on 5 October 1938 with these sobering, prophetic words. The underlying principles are timeless though the names and dates change. He drew from the vast history of England to inform his remarks and appeal to the lessons of history:

     ...You have to consider the character of the Nazi movement and the rule which it implies. The Prime Minister (Chamberlain) desires to see cordial relations between this country and Germany. There is no difficulty at all in having cordial relations with the German people. Our hearts go out to them, Bu they have no power. You must have diplomatic and correct relations, but there can never be friendship between the British democracy and the Nazi Power, that Power which spurns Christian ethics, which cheers its onward course by a barbarous paganism, which vaunts the spirit of aggression and conquest, which derives its strength and perverted pleasure from persecution, and uses, as we have seen, with pitiless brutality the threat of murderous force. That Power cannot ever be the trusted friend of the British democracy. 
     What I find unendurable is the sense of our country falling into the power, into the orbit and influence of Nazi Germany, and of our existence becoming dependent upon their goodwill or pleasure. It is to prevent that that I have tried my best to urge the maintenance of every bulwark of defence - first the timely creation of an Air Force superior to anything within striking distance of our shores; secondly, the gathering together of a collective strength of many nations; and thirdly, the making of alliances and military conventions, all within the Covenant, in order to gather together forces at any rate to restrain the onward movement of this Power. It has all been in vain. Every position has been successfully undermined and abandoned on specious and plausible excuses. We do not want to be led upon the high road to becoming a satellite of the German Nazi system of European domination. In a very few months, we shall be confronted with demands with which we shall no doubt be invited to comply. These demands may affect the surrender of territory or the surrender of liberty, I forsee and foretell that the policy of submission will carry with it the restrictions upon the freedom of speech and debate in Parliment, on public platforms, and discussions in the press, for it will be said - indeed, I hear it said sometimes now - that we cannot allow the Nazi system of dictatorship to be criticised by ordinary, common English politicians, Then, with a Press under control, in part direct but more potently indirect, with every organ of public opinion doped and chloroformed into acquiescence we shall be conducted along further stages of our journey...(Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches; Winston S. Churchill)

What do you think stands to be lost as you consider the political and international landscape?

Sunday Thought: "Strike, Lord"

     Perhaps trial presses on you today. I read one of the daily readings from Octavius Winslow's Morning Thoughts  (June 13) in which he quoted Martin Luther's words of determination in the face of trial. Luther faced relentless vertigo, ringing ears, and the constant harassment of his soul's enemy.

     Thomas Brooks (see Smooth Stones from Ancient Brooks; Charles Spurgeon) also quoted Luther's remarks on trial: "It was good for me to be afflicted!" (Psalm 119:71) God afflicts you, O Christian, in love! Therefore Luther cries out, 'Strike, Lord, strike, Lord! and spare not!' I believe the quote continues,"now my sins are gone; strike as hard as thou wilt if transgression be covered."

    His grasp of justification and forgiveness ran deeper than the pain of trial. How do you fare? I find this is the battleground - this and the pride Brooks refers to below. Are we willing to let Him strike? Do we see His striking, with forgiveness, can do us no harm but only good? Change my heart, O, Lord.


      Some further thoughts from Thomas Brooks, The Mute Christian Under the Smarting Rod: 

     Oh! labor every day to be more humble and more low and little in your own eyes. 'Who am I,' says the humble soul—'but that God should cross me in this mercy, and take away that mercy, and pass a sentence of death upon every mercy? I am not worthy of the least mercy, I deserve not a crumb of mercy, I have forfeited every mercy.' 

     Only by pride comes contention. It is only pride that puts men upon contending with God and men.  A humble soul will lie quiet at the foot of God, it will be contented with bare necessities. A dinner of green herbs relishes well with the humble man's palate; whereas a stalled ox is but a coarse dish to a proud man's stomach. A humble heart thinks none less than himself, nor none worse than himself. A humble heart looks upon small mercies as great
mercies; and great afflictions as small afflictions; and small afflictions as no afflictions; and therefore sits mute and quiet under all. Do but keep humble, and you will keep silent before the Lord.
     Pride kicks, and flings, and frets; but a humble man has still his hand upon his mouth. Everything on this side of hell is mercy—much mercy, rich mercy to a humble soul; and therefore he remains mute under the smarting rod. 

Golf Builds Character(s)

     For some reason, golf seems good for a Saturday. Maybe Saturday will be for sports stuff. Golf is a favorite, though my experience is well described by Rick O'Reilly, gifted sports writer. I started when I was young (12) for no particular reason. I did not have access to play but the idea of hitting a stationary ball seemed easier than hitting a moving ball - which I could not do, though tried hard.  So, golf stuck. It stuck even when I really stunk - I was deceived. It stuck when other equally bad friends started. This provided much humor which made the frustration easier to take. Perseverance proved profitable though, I hasten to add, I can completely lose all ability in a one day period. Why? I have no idea. So, first, a good working explanation of the pain golf inflicts on those who play; then thoughts from a man who is much more than the wit represented here - read more about him in vintage Sports Illustrated articles and his own page. (No offense to Mr. Rodriguez - he is still with us)


     Golf is the cruelest game, because eventually it will drag you out in front of the whole school, take your lunch money and slap you around.  ~Rick Reilly, "Master Strokes," Sports Illustrated

 Chi Chi's Matador Dance

“I'm getting so old, I don't even buy green bananas anymore.” Chi Chi Rodriguez

“When Lee and Jack win, it is good for golf. When I win, it is better.” Chi Chi Rodriguez

 "Sure, I'm making a lot of money now, but years ago the IRS would send me get-well cards." Chi Chi

 "I've heard people say putting is 50 percent technique and 50 percent mental. I really believe it is 50 percent technique and 90 percent positive thinking. See, but that adds up to 140 percent, which is why nobody is 100 percent sure how to putt."  Chi Chi

I'm playing like Tarzan - but scoring like Jane. Chi Chi

Do you play?