Frank Browne
Final Approach
Just came back to work today after taking last week off. I can't really say it was a vacation however, but more about that later. A week ago Friday, June 2nd, I had the distinct honor and priviledge of receiving an invitation to attend the Battle of Midway Commemorative Dinner at the Hyatt Regency here in Jacksonville. There were, in addition to a congress person (Katherine Harris) and a Senator (don't remember who) as well as the Secratary of the Navy, twenty-one Battle of Midway veterens on hand for the ceremony with one seated at our table. This man was a young Marine who was stationed on Sand Island, Midway during the conflict. A man of few words but possessed of an intense, steely-eyed glaze that made me feel as if he were looking right through me with every eye contact. A man who seemed as if he had seen enough in his life to be able to cull the wheat from the chaff with nothing but a glance. The kind of man that you simply could not tell a lie to out of fear that he could, and would, call you on it immediately.
The main speaker of the evening was a very young machinist mate on the USS Yorktown at the time of the battle. He told a rather sobering story of his part in the battle. During the attack by Val dive bombers on the Yorktown, he was manning one of the anti-aircraft machine guns that ringed the flight deck, when a Val seemed to be diving right at him. While hosing out AA fire at the VAl, he could actually see the bomb separate and watched as it arched straight at him. The bomb passed just a few feet from him, severed a guard rail and detonated in the water right below his position. An amazing story that had the entire room of about 500 totally captivated. He even described the wheel pants on the Val! I will remind you the the Yorktown was lost during that battle, but not as the direct result of the air action. She was sunk by a Japanese submarine, along with the destroyer Hammann, while receiving assistance from the Hammann.
During the evening I had the honor of talking with several of the Midway veterens, including one who was a rear seat gunner on an SBD Dauntless. You know the ones...they sank four Japanese fleet carriers in one day (with three going down in about 15 minutes). There was also a spendid collection of WWII memorabilia on display that included 2 jeeps, several small arms, and lots of general GI issue equipment and supplies of the period.
But for me, the single most sobering part of the evening was the number of Purple Hearts that adorned the chests of the active as well as the retired military people there. It seemed as though everywhere I looked, I saw a Purple Heart. It was quite humbling. I can tell you without reservation, that when I left at the end of the evening, I left with a profoundly heightened sense of awareness of, and gratitude for, the sacrifices made on my behalf. It was also a profound reminder of what exactly makes this country great. It's not mere words on a piece of paper, or our openness, or our freedoms, or our wealth and technology. It's the blood spilled in defense of those things that make this nation the greatest in the world. So to those who have worn the uniform of America's Armed Forces I simply say thank you. And to those that have given their all to this Great Country, I say God bless and God's peace.
Now on to the bitter part. As I said at the beginning I didn't really take a vacation. I needed the week off in order to divide up the remains of a 27 year marrage. Photo albums, loose pictures of kids and grandkids, furniture, household stuff, bric-a-bracs, and nickie nacs and all the crap that two people collect over the course of their lives. Had to map out a budget based on a substantial reduction in household income, and try to figure out what kind of future I have, if any. All in all, it was a somewhat sad week for me. I didn't even get a chance to go fishing like I wanted so badly to do. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. They say time heals all wounds. I hope that's true.
The question for me right now is how long it will take.
The main speaker of the evening was a very young machinist mate on the USS Yorktown at the time of the battle. He told a rather sobering story of his part in the battle. During the attack by Val dive bombers on the Yorktown, he was manning one of the anti-aircraft machine guns that ringed the flight deck, when a Val seemed to be diving right at him. While hosing out AA fire at the VAl, he could actually see the bomb separate and watched as it arched straight at him. The bomb passed just a few feet from him, severed a guard rail and detonated in the water right below his position. An amazing story that had the entire room of about 500 totally captivated. He even described the wheel pants on the Val! I will remind you the the Yorktown was lost during that battle, but not as the direct result of the air action. She was sunk by a Japanese submarine, along with the destroyer Hammann, while receiving assistance from the Hammann.
During the evening I had the honor of talking with several of the Midway veterens, including one who was a rear seat gunner on an SBD Dauntless. You know the ones...they sank four Japanese fleet carriers in one day (with three going down in about 15 minutes). There was also a spendid collection of WWII memorabilia on display that included 2 jeeps, several small arms, and lots of general GI issue equipment and supplies of the period.
But for me, the single most sobering part of the evening was the number of Purple Hearts that adorned the chests of the active as well as the retired military people there. It seemed as though everywhere I looked, I saw a Purple Heart. It was quite humbling. I can tell you without reservation, that when I left at the end of the evening, I left with a profoundly heightened sense of awareness of, and gratitude for, the sacrifices made on my behalf. It was also a profound reminder of what exactly makes this country great. It's not mere words on a piece of paper, or our openness, or our freedoms, or our wealth and technology. It's the blood spilled in defense of those things that make this nation the greatest in the world. So to those who have worn the uniform of America's Armed Forces I simply say thank you. And to those that have given their all to this Great Country, I say God bless and God's peace.
Now on to the bitter part. As I said at the beginning I didn't really take a vacation. I needed the week off in order to divide up the remains of a 27 year marrage. Photo albums, loose pictures of kids and grandkids, furniture, household stuff, bric-a-bracs, and nickie nacs and all the crap that two people collect over the course of their lives. Had to map out a budget based on a substantial reduction in household income, and try to figure out what kind of future I have, if any. All in all, it was a somewhat sad week for me. I didn't even get a chance to go fishing like I wanted so badly to do. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. They say time heals all wounds. I hope that's true.
The question for me right now is how long it will take.
