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sweetlittlegingy · 2 years

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Haven't Felt Like This My Dear, Since Can't Remember When

☸︎ Next Chapter | Goin' Steady Universe

☸︎ Top Gun 1940s Au

☸︎ Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Nurse!Reader

☸︎ Word Count: 4K

☸︎ Warnings: Cute!Jake, Flirty!Jake, Pure Fluff, Risky Flying

☸︎ A/n: I kind of love them.... I hope you do too. Day 4 Also, yes I know there are Pearl Harbor movie references and some quotes.

☸︎ Libray

Friday, October 20th, 1939

Joint Base, Charleston, South Carolina

Weather in the Carolinas was always hot and humid, though that Friday temperatures seem to be rising. The boys had been going at it for the better half of the day, the afternoon sun high in the sky wearing on each of the Terrors. Jake and Brad had both gone up for another flight practice round. By this point in the day, the pair was flying for the fun of it, more than out of the actual need to train. The rest of the Terrors, spun out, lay on the side of the tarmac, and gazed up towards the skies waiting for Jake and Brad to reappear.

…

“What do you say we play some chicken?”

“Jake, I’m not doing it this time. It was too damn close last time, and I don’t feel like getting my ass chewed by the Major again.”

Slight humming can be heard through the headset, Jake silently nodding along to Bradley. They were about to round the flight tower, and if they didn’t plan it right, a fatal crash was sure to ensue.

“Now don’t be a baby, I’ll tell you wh– .”

“I’m not doin’ it, Jake.”

“Well, I’m playing. So, you can turn, or you can hit me. What’ll it be?”

“God damn it, Jake. Why do you do this to me?” The pause in the speakers, crackling over the airwaves with anticipation. “Which way you goin’?”

“Well, I guess I’ll go right. No, uh, left. I’ll go left.”

“Okay we’re going left. Right?”

“Ri–uh, right, Right?”

“Wait right like we’re going right, or right like we’re going left?”

The distance between the two planes shrinks significantly, as each pilot catches sight of their wingman around the tower.

“Well damn it Brad I don’t know, now you got me all mixed up.”

“You’re the one that wanted to play. Make up your mind!”

The tension clearly building, as the onlooking Terrors hear the rumble of the two plane engines. The group of pilots’ eyes bounced from one plane to the other. Waiting in anticipation, to see if a head-on collision was bound to happen.

“Alright, we’re going right. Righty-tighty Brad, righty-tighty.”

Both planes round the tower, noses aimed at each other. Though with the last second, both pilots rip their individual yolks to the right. Planes turning on their side, bellies almost grazing, and just missing each other. The cheers of all the Terrors echo throughout the airstrip and hangars, though it comes to an immediate stop as Major Dolittle makes an appearance.

“What hell do they think they’re doing?”

The group of Terrors stands at attention in silence, though it’s Bob that breaks the awkward moment.

“Yes, sir, an entirely inappropriate use of military aircraft, sir.”

The Terrors all stand at attention, holding off on their laughter. As Major Doolittle silently glares at Bob, his slicked-back hair no longer up to standard. The force of the p-40s having blown it off.

“Get my hat, Floyd.”

Which nod and a sharp ‘Sir.’ Bob hurries to locate the Major’s missing hat. The rest of the Terrors stood by waiting for further commands. Placing the hat back into the Major’s palm, as he lets out a final demand.

“When those hedge-hoppers land, you send them to my damn office.”

The group of Terrors remains at attention, and in unison repeat a sharp ‘Yes Sir.’

…

Both pilots stand at attention, as Major Doolittle paces back and forth in front of them. His harsh yelling echoes through the office, and down into the side corridors of the building. This wasn’t the first time the pair had been yelled at, constantly testing just how far they could go in the sky. Jake and Brad quickly glance at each other, as the major paces behind his desk. Both of their gazes settled on straightforward, looking out the window, not meeting the Major’s direct gaze.

“What kind of stunt was that? Do you think that that $45,000 aircraft is there for your amusement?”

The statement is clearly directed at Jake, as Doolittle rounds his desk to stand face-to-face with the pilot.

“That’s not your aircraft, that belongs to the taxpayers of America. What were you even trying to do?”

Jake subtly shifts on his feet, straightening his back and meeting the Major’s gaze briefly.

“I was honing my edge, sir.”

A sharp laugh falls from the Major’s chest, eye’s falling from Jake to Brad, silently shaking his head at the pair.

“That’s not training Seresin. That’s a stunt.”

The tone of his voice is sharp, a clear indication that they had royally screwed up.

“One that’s reckless and irresponsible. Haven’t you boys learned anything in the past two years?”

The Major slowly circles the pair, clicking his teeth as he tries to figure out what to do with them.

The not so sublet a deep breath falls from Jake’s lips, clearly frustrated with the fact that they were getting in trouble. His eyes remain off the Major, looking in every direction that he is not. Before long his eyes settle on the slew of trophies, littering the Major’s shelves. Trophies for flight stunts, alike those that the pair had just flown.

“Major, how can you preach that, when you're famous for those exact stunts.”

“Don’t you get cute with me, son.”

“No, sir, I mean no disrespect. And it would be reckless and irresponsible if we were just doing it to be a showoff.”

Jake's voice only wavers slightly, as he catches sight of Brad out of the corner of his eye. A silent ‘watch what you say,’ from the wingman to Jake.

“But, sir, I was trying to inspire the men. Like you’ve inspired me, throughout your prominent career.” Jake's back stiffens as if a metal rod had been cast through him. “The French have a word for it, sir, when the men get together and honor their leaders. They call it an homage, sir.”

A soft shake of the head can be seen, as Brad's eyes widen and fully comprehend the crap that Jake spews out to the Major. The quiet mutter falls from his lips “Really?”

The Major glances between the two pilots, unaware if he should laugh or yell.

“A what?”

“An homage, sir.” Jake says it a second time with even more uncalled-for confidence.

“That’s bullshit, Seresin.” The Major’s tone harsh and nowhere near easy going. He rounds the two pilots once more, before landing at the side of Jake and clicks his teeth in though. “But it’s very good bullshit.”

The comment makes Jake smile subtly, glancing over his shoulder to Brad as Major Doolittle round his desk once again to sit.

“Thank you, sir.”

Both pilots finally relax slightly, as the Major lets out a faint laugh with the cock of his head. He settles back in his chair, hands folded in his lap, as he silently watches the pilots. A sharp click of his tongue echoes through the small room.

“You too, are two of the best pilots that the United States Navy has ever produced. But that doesn’t mean, that you can go around doing jack all. Expectations need to be met, and managed.”

Both pilots’ gazes now settled on the Major, instead of the back window. Each of them gave him a firm nod. Though a soft smile followed by a shake of the head is all they get in return before he casts them out of the office.

“The pair of you, get hell out of my office. I’m tired of looking at you half-witted dingbats.”

Both pilots stand at attention, releasing a firm ‘Sir.’ Making their exit to the locker room, to dress down for the day.

…

Jake half-heartly listens as Brad, chews him out for landin’ them in the Major’s office yet again. His mind had been elsewhere after finishing up for the day. No, Jake wasn’t listening to a word Bradley said. The only thoughts coursing through his mind were of you and the date he been waitin’ on for a week.

Slipping into the green dress uniform, Jake checks his features over in the mirror. Hand ranking back through his hair, to make sure it was perfectly styled. The action catches Brad's gaze, and the pilot slowly turns and leans against his own locker.

“What’s got you all duded up?”

Jake gives his wingmen a sideways glance, before grabbing the uniform jacket and hat, slipping both of them on.

“I got that date tonight.”

Once perched against his locker, a laugh falls from Brad's lips as he grasps at Jake’s shoulder.

“She’s actually lettin’ you take her out?”

Scoffing quietly, Jake heads out the locker room door. Brad was on his heels, digging for more information. Speed walking to catch up with Jack’s long, direct strides.

“I’m just saying, she’s a pretty nurse and you’re…. well, you’re an asshole.”

Brad continues to poke at Jake, trying to get a rise from him. Though Jake barely acknowledges him, jumping in the naval grade jeep that was taking him to the train station, where he was meeting you.

“Are you even listening to me?”

The tone of Brad’s voice sounds slightly hurt, and Jake can’t stop the laugh that leaves his chest.

“Nope.”

Fixing the sunglasses that rest on the tip of his nose, Jack settles into the passenger seat of the jeep. Glancing back to Brad, who waits at the side of the jeep. His expression matches the one of a child, who’d just been told they had to stay home.

“Where are you even taken her?’

“Carnivals in town.” The cheeky smile spreads across his lips, as Jake glance to his side at Brad.

The jeep starts up and is driving off before the wingman can say anything else. Though as Jake glances back, he can see Brad's lips moving, as he kicks at the ground. A sharp laugh falls from him; righting his form, Jake settles back in his seat more than excited to see you.

…

You fiddle slightly with the lace fabric of your dress, the golden material falling around your hips. The matching bolero wraps around your shoulders, the look completed by the sunhat resting atop your head. You’d had an early shift this morning, and the whole time your mind continually wandered to the handsome pilot you had met just last week.

You had been stunned by how forward he was in asking you out. You were used to overly zealous men in uniform, given that you were a second lieutenant, in a naval nursing unit. But something about Jake was different, he had given you butterflies from the moment he said hello.

You and the girls were in the process of moving around bases. Last week you had ended up in Joint Base, running through the nursing station there as they were short on hands.

Jake had shown up to the infirmity with his wingman, who somehow had gotten a bloody nose. Jake saw you and was at your side, like a bee to honey. Asking you questions and outright flirting with you, as you gauzed up his friend’s nose.

By the time you finished, Jake had learned your name, whether you were rationed (you were not), and had swindled you into agreeing to him calling on you. Which landed you here, all dolled up, patiently waiting on his train to arrive. You hadn't planned to be early, but your anxiety kicked in and had you leaving your quarters just after three. You and Jake have been planning to meet around 4:30, but you caught the early train and got in at 4:10. The 20 minutes in between had increasingly worsened your anxiety.

“Well, if you aren’t the prettiest dame, I’ve ever seen.”

The voice slightly jars you, though as you turn, you’re met with the sweet smile of Lieutenant Jake Seresin. The red blush that settles on your cheeks is prominent, and you silently wish that the pilot didn’t have such a strong effect on you.

“Lieutenant,” The greeting is lost upon you, as your eyes scale the formal uniform he sports. A cheeky grin sits on his lips when your eyes finally reach his face again.

“I am to please, doll. Am I up to par, with your well-honed standards?”

A gentle laugh escapes you, as a soft smile creases your lips. Glee and mischief glimmer through both your, and Jake’s eyes.

“You’ll do.”

With a slight turn on his heel, Jake faces toward the outside of the train station, arm out and waiting for you to wrap your gloved hand around it. Your hand settles in the crook of his elbow naturally, and it’s almost as if the two of you had been going together forever.

“Where are we goin’?”

Jake looks to you with a quick glance and gives you a smirk. You notice that the look is almost permanently etched on his face, and you decide then that the look is enterally Jake. That if anyone else ever looked at you again, with that smirk and sly eyes, it would never be right.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you, now would it honey?”

From anyone else’s mouth, the name might have sounded deeming. Though when Jake said it, all you could hear was playful banter and alike teasing.

…

World Carnival, Charleston County, South Carolina

The rows of lights and sounds of gleeful laughter, gave it away before you could even see the Ferris wheel. Just the peak of it peeking out against the Charleston skyline, and the sight of the rotating ride has excitement bubbling in the pit of your stomach. Jake laughs slightly as the hand tucked in the crook of his elbow gives a slight tug in excitement. Your eyes move from the carnival rides and back to him, the once sweet smile, a full-blown grin that rests upon your face.

“You excited?” the teasing tone in his voice, causes you to laugh.

“What do you think?!” You're practically bouncing on the balls of your feet as you say it, silently waiting for Jake to give you the go-ahead.

Your step size slightly quickens and anticipation as you reach the carnival. Your eyes grow wide as you take in its grand size, and Jake can't take his eyes off of you. enthralled with the look in your eyes and how happy you seem. He's quick to pay for both of your tickets, ushering you through the entrance gate with a hand resting on your back.

“Where to first, honey?”

It seems like an easy question, should be an easy question, but with so many attractions in front of you, you can't help but to be unsure which one to pick first. Your eyes bounce from the bottle toss to the Ferris wheel, and then to the merry-go-round, slightly overwhelmed with the number of options.

“Long as we go on the Ferris wheel last, when it's all lit up, I’m fine with starting wherever.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

…

You’d made it through a round of fun fair games, Jake helping you throughout. The two of you now settle in front of the baseball toss, the clown faces daunting on the pins that needed knocked over. You played every game except for this one, the stuffed bear you'd seen when you first came in, still sits at the top right corner of the game tent.

Jake's hand had since then moved to settle around your waist, a comforting gesture as the sky grew darker, and the carnival lights grew brighter.

“Which one do you want, doll?”

Jake had been sweet on you all night, never looking at any other girls. You’d had Jake’s full attention; whether it was calling you darling pet names, the fact that he was always touching you in some way, or the way that he was undeniably kind and sweet to you.

Jacob Grant Seresin was enamored with you.

“I was kinda hoping for the little teddy. If that’s okay?”

Jake's line of sight follows the direction in which your finger is pointing, spotting the brown bear, before looking back at you.

“Not a problem, honey.”

The statement is followed by a sly smirk and a quick wink, that has you blushing and grinning like a ditzy doll. Jake's arm falls from around your waist, reaching out to give the man controlling the booth two tickets, before being handed three baseballs. Your hands rest in front of you as you watch in wonder, and slight appreciation, of the man before you.

You weren’t usually one to fall victim to the male physic, but something about Jake made you feel all sorts of things, that your momma would have classified as sin had she known. You miss the first ball being thrown, too lost in thought of how handsome Jake looked. The final two you catch though, each of them landing perfectly on their designated target.

Jake had made the game look like it was made for a child, knocking over the five different clown-faced pins, with only three throws. How he’d done it was beyond you, though you wouldn’t have minded watching the action again.

“The brown one, right honey?”

You catch the sight of both the worker and Jake looking back at you, a small smirk rests upon Jake's lips, while the worker looked less than thrilled with his current job. You’re nodding in answer before the words can form, finally muttering a quiet ‘yes please.’

…

The crowd of the night is slowly dying down and as the night grows later you can’t help but not want the date to end. Your sun hat rests in Jake's left hand, he’d instead on carrying it for you, while his right hand is once again wrapped around you. Tucking you in close to his side, the placement pleasing the both of you.

You pick away at the bright pink cotton candy that Jake had bought you earlier, walking step for step with him to the ferries wheel. You pop a piece of the sugary delight into your mouth, before looking up at Jake and seeing his own mouth open while looking down at you.

Without a second thought, you pluck up a piece of the treat and gently place it in his awaiting mouth. Bringing your own fingers back to your lips, and suck off the sugary remnants. Either of your eyes leave the other until Jake's eyes dip down to your lips as you lick the sugar from them.

He glances back at you, shakes his head, then squeezes your hip gently, pulling you in closer to his side.

“Oh sugar, your trouble.”

The words heat your cheeks, and you glance away from Jake quickly, eyes focusing on the awaiting Ferris Wheel. Though you don’t miss the delicate kiss that Jake places to the crown of your head.

…

The click of the bar across your and Jake's lap signals the worker to start the Ferris Wheel, the sound of the machines starting, is followed by a harsh jolt that knocks you back against the seat. Though it has your seat rising in the air, the lights from the ride light up the night sky. Your hand clasps onto Jakes as you look out over the Charleston skyline, you couldn’t be more pleased with how your night went.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, it is.”

The softness of his tone in reply to your comment has your eyes glimpsing in Jake’s direction. Expecting him to be looking at the night sky as well, though you find his gaze directly on you. A soft smile resting on his lips as he looks at you like he was taking in every square inch of you.

Realization of his comment has you blushing once again, though this time you hide yourself again Jakes shoulder. Partially tucked in his neck, your mind registers your position only after you did it. You stiffen slightly, worried that you might have gotten too close, that you were taking too many liberties in thinking that Jake liked you. Though he doesn’t, instead the arm you’re leaning against moves easily and wraps around you. Pulling you in, to lean farther into Jake's chest.

The two of you sit, wrapped in each other’s arms, as the seat sways slightly with the breeze. Enjoying the comfort that you’ve both found in each other’s hold.

…

“I know it’s late, but if it’s okay, there’s one last place I wanna take you to, honey.”

The carnival had closed entirely just after the two of you had gotten off the Ferris Wheel. The lights shut down around you, as the pair of you walked out of the entrance hand in hand. You in no way were ready for the night to end, and by the look in his eyes, you were sure Jake was going to take you somewhere special.

“Lead the way, Lieutenant.” The pitch in your voice is light and airy.

Jake only laughs at you, a smirk making its way back onto his face, as he guides you along the path that follows the bay.

“You keep calling me Lieutenant, honey, and I’m gonna have to start addressing you the same way.”

You glance up from the dark water that had captured your attention, briefly look into Jake's eyes, and give him a cheeky smile of your own.

“Maybe we’ll make it into our own little game.”

The both of you laughing, though for different reasons. You thought the idea was cute and simple, a little tease between the two of you. Though Jake couldn’t stop his mind from wandering off into the fact that he would more than love to play any game with you, so long as it was for the rest of his life.

The silence of the night is disturbed, by the soft melody of a band playing in the background. You round the corner of the walk, feet coming to a halt as you gaze upon a pier. Lit up by a single lamp post and the stars of the midnight sky, a group of musicians is stationed in the middle of the dock as sweet tunes and melodies drift from their instruments. You glance up at Jake in clear wonder and fascination.

“I ran into them a couple months ago. I came out here to clear my mind and found them instead.”

The soft melody pulls you in, as you and Jake drift closer. Your eyes never leave the group of musicians, as they each play their instruments so gracefully. The pair of you drifted out to the dock, no longer caring that it was the middle of the night or that you most definitely had work in the morning.

No, all that mattered was being in this moment.

Here and now.

“May I have this dance, my dear?” The formality in his tone makes you giggle slightly, as Jake reaches out a hand and bows in dramatic fashion.

“Most certainly, kind sir.” The posh accent you put on makes Jake laugh as well, as he grasps onto your hand and then brings you close to his chest.

One of your hands is settled in his own, as the other clasps onto Jake's shoulder. Jake's own hand rests delicately at your waist, as he leads the both of you in a midnight dance among the stars. the music drifting and encasing around the two of you, as you rest your head upon his chest. The tune a welcomed one, as the familiar lyrics fall from your lips.

So, kiss me once, then kiss me twice Then kiss me once again It's been a long, long time

The final lyrics slip from your mouth, your eyes never leaving the other. Not even the flash in the background could separate your fixated gazes from one another.

“Honey, you’re too special for me to go kissing on the first date.”

Instead, Jake placed a delicate kiss upon your cheek, before continuing to sway with you as the band started up a new song.

#jake seresin #jake seresin x you #jake hangman seresin x you #jake seresin fluff #jake seresin x reader #ch: jake seresin #jake hangman seresin #top gun fluff #top gun: maverick #devotion movie #hangman top gun #jake seresin imagine

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rachel-rebellio · 5 years

Text

Somethin' Stupid

word count: 3k

summary: a romantic fluff 40s bucky fic based on the song Somethin' Stupid by Frank Sinatra! I know that song didn't come out till the 6ps, but it's okay because it never actually plays in the fic and everything else is completely accurate to the 30s/40s

I was always the plain girl; never really turned heads when I walked in the room or had potential dates knocking my door down. I was okay with that though and spent my days playing piano, singing, and reading. Every Friday afternoon I went to Mimi’s Diner down the street and that’s where everything changed. That’s where I saw him. Those steel blue eyes, dark hair, sharp jawline, and slight cleft chin made me weak in the knees. I always tried to look my best when I went to Mimi’s as he was also there every Friday. The only issue was that he always had a different girl on his arm and I was too shy to ever introduce myself. He never even noticed me, but why would he? My nose is a little big and my eyes always make me look sad. Regardless, I always wore one of my nicer dresses and my favorite lipstick.

This Friday afternoon happened to be the second Friday in January, 1942 which meant winter was in full swing and a light snow began to settle outside. As I headed out the door, I grabbed my book and my jacket. I was wearing my favorite long-sleeved navy blue dress with back trim and buttons. I had recently gotten my hair done and my favorite red lipstick made my lips shine. I walked in the diner and saw it was unusually empty but I suppose it had been since the attack on Pearl Harbor. The girl behind the counter greeted me and asked if I’d be having the usual milkshake and small French fry; I nodded and reached into my purse to pull out my coin purse. When I went to pull out my change, I accidentally dropped my book.

“Oh, here, let me get that for you.” said the deep, smooth voice from behind me. I turned around and there he was. He bent over to pick up my book, a copy of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and inspected it before handing it back to me. He smiled and I swear my heart skipped a couple beats. “Thank you.” I said, blushing.

“I’m James by the way, but you can call me Bucky.”

“Bucky?”

“Yeah, short for Buchanan, my middle name. It’s sort of a nickname.”

“Oh, well, it’s very nice to meet you, Bucky.” I said, trying to stay calm. He looked at me for a moment before I realized he was waiting for my name. “Oh, sorry. I’m so rude. My name is Rachel.” I said through a small, nervous laughter.

“It’s okay.” He said laughing to himself and smiling at me while slightly biting at his bottom lip. He was so beautiful that I got caught up in the moment and had completely forgotten that I hadn’t paid for my food yet. The girl behind the counter cleared her throat a bit, but before I could pay for myself, Bucky stepped in and ordered himself a burger and fry before paying for the both of us. I was still confused as he led me over to a booth and it wasn’t until just then that I noticed he was wearing an Army uniform.

“So doll, you read much?” He asked, taking me by surprise.

“Actually, yes. My mother made it a point to read with me every night when I was growing up. It’s one of my favorite pastimes.”

“That’s wonderful. I loved school.”

“When did you decide to enlist?” I asked as the waitress brought our food over and set two straws down for the milkshake I had ordered.

“Just last month actually. My best friend has always wanted to join the Army, but I didn’t decide to join until after the attack. I couldn’t just sit by and watch; and I can’t stand to listen to Steve go on about it anymore, so here’s my way out.” He said, laughing at his own story.

“When did Steve join?”

“Oh, he’s tried several times; in every branch. But he’s not cut out for it. I’ve had to save that kid more times than I can count. He has a bad habit of picking fights with guys who are twice his size.”

“Oh, well I’m sure he’s proud to see you doing what he’s always wanted to. You’re so brave for even enlisting.”

“My father was a military man, so I guess I was kind of born into it.” He said, shrugging and taking a bite of his burger. I took a small sip of my milkshake before saying, “My father somehow managed to avoid ever serving in either war, but both of my uncles served.”

“Have you ever tried this?” He asked as he dunked a fry into my milkshake.

“Um, no. That’s so gross!” I said, laughing, but disgusted.

“What?! It’s delicious! How can you say something is gross if you’ve never tasted it?” he said with a mouth full, “Here, try it!” He held a new fry covered in milkshake out to me. I hesitantly reached out and took the fry from him. He smirked at me, waiting for me to taste it. Finally, I took a bite of it and was taken aback by how not-disgusting it was. It took a second for my taste buds to get acclimated, but eventually the sweetness of the milkshake and saltiness of the fry blended together. Bucky raised his eyebrows at me, excitedly awaiting my reaction to it.

“Okay, you got me. It’s not totally disgusting.” I said, raising my hands in surrender and laughing at him as he smirked proudly.

“Do you come here often? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.” He said, carefully examining my face.

“Actually yes, I come here every Friday afternoon. It’s my little treat to myself at the end of every week. I usually just sit by myself and read.”

“I’m surprised we didn’t meet until today since I come here every Friday too.”

“All things happen when they’re supposed to.” I said, knowing fully well he’d never seen me before because he was always here with a different date. Our conversation continued on strong for about three hours until we suddenly realized that it was dark outside. We had finished our food well over an hour ago, but I realized I actually liked this boy; he wasn’t just a pretty face. He was really sweet and funny.

“Well doll, what do you say about a dance? I know a great little place downtown. Glenn Miller is playing tonight! Unless you have other plans?” He asked, standing to his feet and holding his hand out to me. I looked at him and smiled before nodding my head and taking his hand. I always listened to Glenn Miller’s orchestra on the radio, but this was going to be my first time seeing him live. This was actually my first time going dancing with someone; let alone my first Friday night out on the town with someone. Was this a date? It was so spontaneous and so unlike me. We hopped in his car and drove downtown to some jazz club I had never even heard of. I had lived in Brooklyn my entire life, but there was so much of it I had never explored.

Bucky talked to the doorman for about five seconds before the man opened the door and let us in without a ticket. It made me wonder who this boy was. He was so dashing and I knew he was a bit of a player since I never saw him with the same girl twice, but I couldn’t help myself when he smiled at me like that, licking his lips.

“Hey doll, I’m going to go get us a drink, what’s your poison?”

“Maybe a gin rickey?”

“Sounds good, I’ll be right back!” Bucky shouted above the loud music. I stood off to the side by myself as I watched him walk swiftly over to the bar tender. While he was at the bar five different girls went up to him, but each time he dismissed them and looked back over at me, smiling. After a few minutes he came walking back over with our respected drinks when the song, In the Mood, filled the room. Bucky grabbed my hand and swiftly led me onto the dance floor. I was never much of a dancer, but Bucky took the lead and soon we were dancing the night away, laughing and smiling to each other the whole night. I stepped on his feet a couple times which just made him giggle and call me a dead hoofer in a teasing tone.

Glenn spoke into the microphone saying that they had just one song left and it was for all the lovers in the room then and started playing Moonlight Serenade, my favorite song. I couldn’t hide my excitement as Bucky took my hand and walked me to the center of the dance floor. The beautiful melody was playing loudly as he pulled me close to him and swayed me back and forth to the music. I rested my head on his chest and I could feel him smile against the top of my head. I had spent so many Friday afternoons daydreaming of this exact moment and now it was really happening. His cologne mixed pleasantly with my perfume and I fit so perfectly in his arms. He was so strong and held me tightly against him as we continued to softly sway to the music. The song ended and he took my hand, kissing the top of it before we turned to applaud for the band.

“Would you like to go get a drink or two? I know a little place that’s just down the street.” Bucky said, not wanting the night to end. I smiled, also not wanting this night to end, and said, “Yes soldier.” He smirked at me when I said that and walked me out of the building with his arm tight ‘round my midriff. Bucky continued to make fun of me for being a terrible dancer to which I had no excuse for and decided to just laugh at myself with him. We walked into a small bar; there were only four other people inside. We sat at the bar and he ordered us each a gin rickey; remembering what I had asked for earlier in the evening. Bucky looked me in the eyes without saying anything, and just smiled to himself.

“What?” I asked, clearly blushing.

“I just feel like I’ve waited my entire life to meet you. I’ve never connected with someone so fast.” He said, lightly brushing a strand of hair from my face.

“I feel the same way. Can I be honest about something?”

“Of course, doll.”

“I’ve never been on a date before. I’ve never been the girl that gets noticed in a crowd. I’ve seen you before at Mimi’s, but you were always with a date and I was way too shy to ever say hi to you.”

“I can’t believe you’ve never been on a date before.”

“Why’s that so hard to believe?”

“Well, for starters, you’re so beautiful. You’re also one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met; though I suppose that intimidates some folks.”

“I don’t know about that. I’ve just kept to myself most of my life. I guess that’s not something you can relate to though.”

“It’s just been me and Steve most of the time. I may go on casual dates, but I don’t connect with a lot of people.” He said and I could tell he was being genuine about it.

“I’ve admired you from afar for so long, and now that the moment is here, I don’t really know what to say.” I smiled, but I could tell he was tired of hearing the same lines from every girl. What he didn’t know was that this wasn’t just some line for me. It had never seemed so fitting before. We had only been together a few hours, but I could feel myself getting a crush on him and I had to stop myself from saying something stupid.

“Well, there’s no rush. We have all night.”

“I don’t want tonight to ever end.” I said, more to myself than to Bucky.

“Me neither.” Bucky said, reaching out and gently placing a hand on my knee. Chills ran down my spine and the butterflies in my stomach grew restless. Part of me still thought that all of this was a dream; that maybe I had slipped down the stairs on my way out of the house and this was all in my head. But then I caught a glimpse of the way he was looking at me and smiling so tenderly and was brought back to the reality of the night. I never thought a boy like Bucky would even look in my direction, let alone compliment me and spend a Friday night out on the town with me.

I finished my drink and saw the clock on the wall which read 11:25p.m. We had been out all night and I knew my mother would have a lecture for me the next day about what the proper time for a young lady to be home was, but I didn’t seem to care. We sat, in comfortable silence, for a few minutes as a song played faintly from the jukebox.

“One second, I’ll be right back.” Bucky said as he got up and walked over to the jukebox, smiling cheekily. He put a nickel in and carefully browsed the selection before excitedly pressing the button he wanted. He walked back over to me smiling with an arm outstretched asking, “Can I have another dance, doll?” I smiled before taking his hand as the song started playing. It was a love song called, I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire by The Ink Spots. We walked over to a small, empty corner near the jukebox, and Bucky pulled me tightly against him and began swaying me back and forth. The song was terribly romantic and I could feel the butterflies in my stomach growing restless again as our faces rested against one another and I could feel his warm breath softly against my cheek.

“I love this song.” I hummed out. I could feel him smile against my ear as he whispered, “It’s almost as beautiful as you.” I couldn’t help but smile wide as my cheeks flushed. We continued to sway back and forth until the song ended. Bucky wrapped both of his arms around me in a tight hug and I swear he started to say something before stopping himself and pointing out the time saying, “Whoa, look at the time! It’s well past the respectable time for a young lady to be out.”

“Just one more dance?” I pleaded, but Bucky refused saying he needed to get me home before my family thought we were up to no good. I sighed as he paid the bartender and led me back outside toward his car. It was a short walk to the jazz club where he was parked, but I wanted every second to drag out and last forever. He wrapped an arm around me as I shivered in the breeze and the snow crunched beneath our feet. I hadn’t anticipated just how cold it would get that night, so my jacket was not enough to keep me warm in the January winds. We stopped again and Bucky undid his jacket to draped it around my shoulders before rubbing my arms trying to warm me up.

“Is that better doll?” He asked, gazing into my eyes with genuine concern.

“Yes, so much. Thank you. I get cold so easily.” I said through my nervous laughter. His tie was askew against his white button down shirt, so I reached to straighten it out for him. When our eyes met, I didn’t recognize the look in his. I’d never had someone look at me that way before, but it was a warm gaze. I meekly smiled to him and he took a deep breath as he put his arm back around me. The snow had stopped falling a while ago and the sky cleared enough to see the stars, which I continued to look up at as we finished our walk back to his car. He opened the door for me and I reached over to unlock his door for him. When he got in the car, he asked where I lived and I gave him the directions. I could tell he was flustered, but he also seemed nervous for the first time that night as he looked over at me and smiled before starting up the car; and I swear I saw him actually blush.

The car ride home was short, but he held my hand the whole way there. I could feel the lump of sadness growing in my throat as we pulled onto my street. This had, so far, been the best night of my life and I couldn’t believe it was coming to an end. When we pulled up to my house, Bucky took a deep breath and got out of the car, coming around to open my door for me. He took my hand and helped me out of the car, carefully making sure I didn’t trip on the curb.

“Well, I guess this is it.” I said, sadly. He licked his lips before saying, “Before I go, there’s one more thing I want to do.” I could feel the excitement race through me as his right hand cupped my face and he leaned in, softly yet firmly pressing his lips to mine. I reached up to rest my hands behind the nape of his neck and kissed back. Our lips fit so perfectly together, his so soft and warm against my own. We stayed pressed up against each other for a few seconds before I smiled and he pulled away to place a gentle kiss on my forehead. Caught up in the moment, with my eyes closed, I whispered, “I love you.” After I said it, I realized how stupid I must have sounded; that is until, much to my surprise, I heard him whisper, “I think I love you too.” against my forehead.

#somethin' stupid #40s bucky fic #40s bucky x reader #40s bucky barnes #40s bucky #bucky barnes x reader #1940s bucky barnes #1940s bucky #1940s bucky x reader #my writing #don't repost #fan fiction #fic #sebastian stan

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queenofthecommunistcannibals · 5 years

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For work I am watching a bunch of interviews from old Cold War submariners and boy howdy do they have some stories. Some high lights so far:

The cook's nickname was (still is) Hotdog.

He has the word "Hotdog" on the t-shirt he was given/has as a former crew member.

One of them gave a quick summary of his life before the Navy and in about two sentences he says he dropped out of school in eighth grade, ran away from NYC to California, became a carny, and then was given the option of going to school, jail, or the military and figured the Navy sounded pretty okay. He joined the Navy on his 17th birthday. That is literally all the detail he gives and says he was a carny as if it is totally normal for someone to go all Clint Barton. He doesn't even say what he did for the carnival or why he was potentially going to jail.

The boat was a spy sub and had a bunch of super high tech (for the '50s/'60s) radio equipment. While they were still in port, one of the enginemen who was 19 and didn't know anything about radios decided he would get some music for the long trip ahead. So when he was on watch at night he taught himself how to use this super high tech super secret radio equipment and patched in a Hawaiian rock station. He taught himself how to hook it up to their entertainment system. Then he spent his four hour shifts recording reel-to-reel tapes of rock music. He offered to show other people but they turned him down. Then when they got underway all anyone had to listen to was hours upon hours of rock music, including the older white officers. They ended up either liking it or just getting used to it and were still listening to these 1958 reel-to-reels when the former crewmember left.

The recorder described it as "one of my finest hours"

A former crew member thought there was a fire in the missile hangar because of a heat warning that went off so he pumped the missile hangar full of water. Turns out it was a burst pipe and he had just ruined four multi-million dollar nuclear weapons. But the crew was more upset that he ruined the other things stored in the hangar: movie reels and the labels on the food cans

The cooks had to just guess what was in the cans from then on. A lot of it turned out to be okra. They ate. A lot. Of okra. To the point that most of the guys on that cruise still remember all the okra.

Some army guys decided to terrifyingly haze the submariners by kidnapping and assaulting them and treating them as prisoners of war, claiming this is what the Soviets would do if they were caught. The crewmember recounting the story describes being physically tortured by other members of our own military like it wasn't no thing. "They just wanted to see our reactions."

The carny-turned-submariner signed up for subs because that was what his C.O. had been. He didn't know anything about the mission, but was cool with that. He signed a contract that said he wouldn't discuss the mission for 50 years.

On patrol he realized they were spies and he could easily die out here.

There was a mission during which one of the distillers broke and they were producing so little fresh water the crew didn't get to shower once in 55 days. On your average 70+ day mission most crewmembers showered 2-3 times.

A former crew member said that while they all smelled horrible they all smelled the same so it didn't matter.

Once the vacuum created by the air snorkel slamming shut ruined a cake. Another time it burned a cook who was boiling potatoes.

The Captain's wife, Katherine, wrapped presents before they left on patrol on a cruise that would last for Christmas so they would have something to open. "I don't remember what they were, but they were a damned present" -Hotdog

One of them grew up in Hawaii and used to visit the Marine base on Maui. The gave him presents including fucking bayonets. He was roughly seven years old at the time.

A final submarine qualification exam could take 12 hours easily

"[on a submarine] you become part of the family because I know I can depend on you...and you know you can depend on me."

All naval structure breaks down on a sub. Much more equal. People tend to get along regardless of rank, religion, sexual orientation, or race because everyone was equally dependent on each other.

They were on patrol when Kennedy got shot and it took hours to figure out what actually happened. They were at Pearl Harbor when the Cuban Missile Crisis was going on and their orders were to load up and be ready to go at a moment's notice.

The actual instructions for launch, plus the coordinates for their target was locked in a safe in the Captain's room that he could only open after a call from the White House. They were off the coast of the USSR as a threat, they had no plans to actually launch. The Soviets had similar subs off our West Coast.

60-80 days on mission. Underwater for all but three of them.

Alka-Seltzer and tinfoil are enough to throw off sonar.

There were spies on board who would appear out of nowhere in port, get on, decode messages from the Soviets, then disappear as soon as they were in port again. Never to be seen again. The sailors didn't even know their real names.

One describes submarines as "the most fun you can have with your clothes on." This is the same guy volunteers with us and once hid from a Secret Service agent to prove that he could. That story I have heard the full circumstances around. He then said that Secret Service guys are easy, "they're part of the treasury department, practically accountants" (he was impressed I knew the origins of the secret service). The real challenge, he said, was hiding/escaping from an FBI agent. "That's a story for another time!" I haven't gotten that story yet. He also calls me Lady H and is the coolest person I have ever met.

#history #submarines are rad

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shelleyseale · 5 years

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Six of the best museums in the USA to celebrate Veteran's Day

When it comes to honoring the men and women who have served in the United States military, there's no better way than learning some of the history and their stories.

The U.S. has a wealth of incredible history museums, but I've chosen these six that I've personally visited within the last few years, to recommend as top places to immerse yourself in military/war history, learn their stories and commemorate our veterans.

The National WWII Museum - New Orleans, Louisiana

I just visited this incredible museum earlier this week. Since its opening in 1991, this has been the preeminent collection focusing on World War II history; in fact, it's been designated by Congress as the official WWII museum of the United States. Located in downtown New Orleans on a six-acre campus, five soaring pavilions house historical exhibits, on-site restoration work, a period dinner theater, and restaurants. The museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. They do this through immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and an expansive collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories, taking visitors inside the story of the war that changed the world. If you go, do not miss the film Beyond All Boundaries. Narrated by Tom Hanks, this is a 4D experience that fully engages all your senses and emotions through the United States' participation in the war. INFO: 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 www.nationalww2museum.org/visit [email protected] 504-528-1944

National Museum of the Pacific War - Fredericksburg, Texas

Just an hour and a half west of Austin, this recently expanded museum in the charming town of Fredericksburg (a great place to spend a fun weekend!) extensively covers everything to do with the Pacific Theater of World War II. Discover the human story of WWII in the Pacific in more than 55,000 square feet of exhibit space spread over three galleries located on six acres in the heart of Fredericksburg, Texas. The National Museum of the Pacific War is the only museum in the continental U.S. solely dedicated to telling the story of WWII in the Pacific. Spanning six acres and more than 55,000 square feet, the National Museum of the Pacific War through multiple galleries, Nimitz Education & Research Center, Plaza of Presidents, Japanese Garden of Peace and a memorial courtyard. There's also an incredible outdoor live-action living history amphitheater, where reenactments take place seven times a year (tickets are separate from the museum and are recommended to be purchased online ahead of time, as they often sell out). I just visited this museum a couple of weeks ago for the third time, and got a tour of the living history theater and its educational program, which is quite impressive. INFO: 340 E Main St, Fredericksburg, TX 78624 www.pacificwarmuseum.org/visit/ (830) 997-8600

Pearl Harbor National Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii

If you find yourself on the beautiful island of Oahu, you won't want to miss a visit to the Pearl Harbor memorial, which commemorates the attack by the Japanese on December 7, 1941 that launched the United States into WWII. I visited this site last year, and here you can not only learn of the history of Pearl Harbor, the invasion and the war; but you can even take a boat tour that departs from the site and takes visitors out into the harbor to view some of the sunken battleships and memorial markers for the ships that were sank, and the thousands of lives lost, on that fateful morning. View my full post about Pearl Harbor here. INFO: 1845 Wasp Blvd. Bldg. 176 Honolulu, HI 96818 www.nps.gov/valr/planyourvisit/index.htm (808) 422-3399

The National D-Day Memorial - Bedford, Virginia

This museum and memorial is dedicated entirely to D-Day, the June 6, 1944 Allied invasion of Germany-occupied France along the Normandy coast that was the largest amphibious military operation in history. It also was the turning point in the war for Germany's ultimate defeat. This memorial is especially meaningful to me because of a personal connection; my grandfather, E.F. Smith, Jr, was one of those soldiers in Operation Overlord (as the D-Day series of invasions was called). His unit went on to liberate St-Lo, and then to the famous Battle of Mortain, where my grandfather was captured by the Germans. He spent the rest of the war in a POW camp in East Germany until the Russians liberated it.

One incredible local story, and why the memorial is located where in this town, is that of the "Bedford Boys." They consisted of 30 National Guard soldiers from Bedford who landed on the shores of Normandy on D-Day. By day's end, 19 Bedford soldiers were dead. Four more died later in the Normandy campaign. Proportionately, the town of Bedford, then about 3,200 residents, suffered the nation's most severe D-day losses. I actually wrote a story about this for the LA Times, which you can read here. INFO: 816 Burks Hill Road, Bedford, VA www.dday.org/visiting-info/ 800-351-DDAY

Yankee Air Museum - Belleville, Michigan

This Smithsonian-affiliated aerospace and science museum with rare historical aircraft ranging from World War I to the Vietnam era. The exhibits include hands-on interactive STEM exhibits, science-based camps, educational tours, unique aviation artifacts, and more. For me, this museum had two really unique, cool aspects that I particularly enjoyed.

First of all, this is home of the Willow Run bomber plant, built by Ford Motor Company to produce fighter planes for the Allies' war efforts. The factory was three-and-a-half million square feet — the largest factory under one roof in the world — and the assembly line was over a mile long. Willow Run began producing B-24 Liberator bomber planes, making one every 55 minutes. By the time the Allies declared victory on May 8, 1945 more than 86,000 airplanes had rolled off the assembly line. It's also the place where the iconic Rosie the Riveter worked — read my story about that here. Second, you can actually take a ride in an original WWII-era plane! This was one of my most thrilling visits to a museum anywhere in the world, and the only place where you can do something like this. INFO: 47884 D St. Belleville, MI 48111-1126 yankeeairmuseum.org/tickets-hours/ 734.483.4030

Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

Last, but certainly not least, is the extensive collection of Smithsonian museums and institutes in our nation's capital. Particularly the National Air & Space Museum is great for Veterans Day and war history visitation, with its one-of-a-kind artifacts such as Flak-Bait, the only World War II bomber of its kind to retain the original insulating fabric panels lining the interior of the forward fuselage. They also pay homage to units like the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only unit that stormed the beach at Normandy on June 6, 1944, and was comprised entirely of African American soldiers.

The National Museum of American History also has exhibits about military history. INFO: 655 Jefferson Drive, SW Washington, DC 20560 https://airandspace.si.edu/visit 202-633-2214 Read the full article

#history #military #MuseumofthePacificWar #museums #NationalD-DayMemorial #NationalWWIIMuseum #PearlHarbor #Smithsonian #veteransday #worldwartwo #WWII #YankeeAirMuseum

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laws-are-like-sausages · 5 years

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cold war western bois

don’t think i’ll finish this before the exam but sure

Acheson

Lawyer

Assistant Secretary of State --> helped with Lend-Lease (Mar. 1941)

Head of State Dept. delegation in the Bretton-Woods Conference (1944 -- created the World Bank and IMF)

After Stalin’s consolidation of Eastern Europe, Acheson changed to support Containment based on Riga Axiom reasoning

Key to shaping the TD & MP and forming NATO

1949 onwards: Secretary of State

McCarthy attacked Acheson a lot for “losing” China

Attlee

July 1945 landslide Labor Party victory; took Churchill’s place midway through Potsdam

Socialist (unlike anti-Commie Churchill)

Left dealing with Stalin to Bevin (Foreign Secretary)

Bevin

Trade union boi who tried to outsmart the commies

Didn’t like Molotov / Soviets

Supported American post-war intervention in Europe to counter Soviet influence!!

Also hated the British Empire; u better decolonize m8

Byrnes

Supreme Court judge

Really supported Truman

Really defended American interests

Speech of Hope: Restatement of Policy in Germany

Economic reconstruction for Germany

Maintain military presence in Europe (this upset Stalin)

Churchill

Wartime Prime Minister of Britain

Iron Curtain speech in Mar. 1946

Aware of Red Army strength

Friends with FDR <3

Anti-commie during the Russian Civil War: supported foreign intervention then, but during WW2 he was okay with Stalin

Replaced by Attlee midway through Potsdam because the labor party won a landslide in the 1945 general election

Clay (Gen. Lucius Clay)

The Guy Behind The Berlin Airlift

Dude actually wanted tanks to breach Berlin Blockade

1945: Gen. Eisenhower’s deputy

1946: Deputy Military Governor of Germany

1947-49: Commander in Chief of US forces in Europe

Governor of the US zone

Retired in May 1949

Controversy: commuted death sentences of Nazis in hope of improving relations with the German public

Helped Byrnes’ in his Sep. 1946 Speech of Hope (Stuttgart speech)

Both argued against the Morgenthau Plan; instead wanted economic development in Western zoens

“Byrnes is my homie, his speech is my hope” - Clay, probably

Did NOT see Soviets as a military threat

de Gaulle

Led the Free French resistance during WW2

Led the 4th Republic’s Prov. Govt. (1944-46)

Dirigiste economics

Basically capitalism, but state controlled

Eden (Lord Avon)

Churchill’s wartime Foreign Secretary

Found it hard to negotiate with the Russians

1942: agreed on the Anglo-Soviet Alliance (pls don’t come up in the exam)

20 years of mutual assistance

Tried to make concessions to Stalin regarding E. Europe

Harriman

American boi

1941: special envoy to Europe; worked on Lend-Lease

1942: went to Moscow to talk to Stalin

1943-46: ambassador to Moscow

1946: ambassador to Britain (Court of St. James)

1948: bacc in Washington DC as Secretary of Commerce

Hardliner in dealing with Stalin

Kennan

Containment is my child, born from the depths of the Cracks of Doom Riga Axioms

He was there during the purges so yeah

Feb. 1946 Long Telegram (Mr. X)

Led to his recall to Washington (by Forrester the Sec. of Navy who wanted to confront the USSR)

Saw Soviets as political than military threat

Also spoke Russian and German #funfact

Claimed his Long Telegram was misunderstood (... but was he honest in claiming so?)

Advocated withdrawal of American forces in Europe (basically America pls stop fluffing around in Europe)

Kennan + Acheson = we just wanna limit Soviet expansion

Regretted American military confrontation with the USSR

Even in 1948 Kennan felt the US could be persuaded to cooperate with the US

Marshall

Wartime Chief of Staff (of the US Army)

Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after Pearl Harbor

Advise FDR on war strategy!

Went to a lot of international conferences

Secretary of State under Truman --> Marshall Plan

Imo this guy knows How To War™ but not how to run an economic plan, but hey

Impartial guy; treated everyone fair n’ just

Roosevelt

President 9 years before Pearl Harbor (in office 1933-45)

New Deal --> get America out of the recession

Got the US in the war (Dec. 1941 after Pearl Harbor)

Felt it was in the best American interest that the Western Allies won the war

Lend-Lease

Agreed a lot with Churchill

Atlantic Charter

Germany should be defeated before Japan; protect Britain at all costs

Kinda understood Stalin, but then died in Apr. 1945

At least he hadn't need to make the decision on the bomb in Japan

He protecc, he attacc, but most importantly he got Churchill’s bacc

Truman

Really, really, really, x10000 anti-Commie

Iron Fist

Missouri senator

Managed the defense program and saved the US a lot of money

jan. 1945: V.P. to FDR

Continued FDR’s policies but “spoke bluntly to Molotov” (just took that line off McCauley)

Tried to understand Stalin (and coerce cooperation) but just saw things in Cold War terms; that idea of the Americans seeing things as almost self-evident

Truman Doctrine to help any country that is under threat from Communism, or just anyone opposed to Communism really

Gotta win the 1948 presi elections! I care about public opinion now!

#paper3

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dweemeister · 5 years

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Hell to Eternity (1960)

The march of time changes how history is written, how art is consumed and interpreted. Latino involvement on behalf of the United States in the Second World War has been largely underreported, in part because they were tabulated as white. They served in all branches of the armed forces and wherever the Americans fought – on American soil, Asia and the Pacific, Northern Africa, Italy, Western Europe. Closer to home, the United States carried out a policy that was and always shall be a moral disgrace. In a time of war hysteria and popular racist sentiment, President Franklin D. Roosevelt in February 1942 ordered the relocation and internment of more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans – more than two-thirds of whom were American citizens by birth or naturalization. These two chapters of American history converge with the story of Pfc. Guy Gabaldon. Gabaldon, who was of Mexican descent, was raised by a Japanese-American (unofficial) foster family in Los Angeles.

When the dramatization of Gabaldon’s early life and experiences at the Battle of Saipan (American victory at Saipan – in the Marianas – precipitated into the Invasion of the Philippines and brought the U.S. closer to the Japanese mainland) was made into a movie, Gabaldon’s Mexican heritage was completely whitewashed. And though his Japanese-American family is given some attention in the opening half-hour, the film does not take much of a stand against government actions, content only to call out individual acts of bigotry. Through my young, Asian-American eyes, Phil Karlson’s Hell to Eternity is a frustrating watch – erasing entirely Gabaldon’s Mexican background in favor of describing him as an, “all-American boy”, and a spotty handling of his Japanese-American upbringing (Gabaldon served as a consultant on Hell to Eternity). The film’s intentions are noble, but these frustrations and unfocused filmmaking prevent undermine Hell to Eternity throughout.

It is 1938 in East Los Angeles. Physical education teacher Kaz Une (George Shibata) separates Guy (Richard Eyer at twelve-year-old Guy; Jeffrey Hunter as an adult) from bullies taunting our young protagonist for having, “Jap friends.” Kaz, who is Japanese-American himself and older brother of Guy’s best friend George (George Matsui as a child; George Takei as an adult), soon learns Guy’s mother has been taken to the hospital and that his father has passed on. Kaz takes Guy home to the Une household (in real life, their surname was Nakano); after Guy’s mother dies, the Unes unofficially adopt Guy. Mr. Une (Bob Okazaki) is unfortunately not seen much in the film, but Mrs. Une (Tsuru Aoki) will exemplify unconditional love. The film will fast forward to the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the internment of the Une family. Guy is drafted, but fails due to a perforated eardrum. But after learning George and Kaz are fighting with the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (upon its creation, the 442nd was a regiment comprised almost entirely of Japanese-Americans that fought in the European theater), Guy enlists in the Marines. He goes through boot camp at Camp Pendleton in northern San Diego County in the film’s middle third, with the final third depicting his service at the Battle of Saipan.

Silent film leading man Sessue Hayakawa (1915′s The Cheat, 1957′s The Bridge on the River Kwai) also appears as a general of the Imperial Japanese Army. As the general, his last words to his surrendering soldiers (like all the Japanese spoken in the film, there are no subtitles) recount the folk story of Momotarô – which tells of strength through kindness.

Jeffrey Hunter, in his build, is a much different person than Guy Gabaldon. Hunter is 6′2″, with broad shoulders like the rest of the actors playing Marines in this film; Gabaldon was 5′4″. Hell to Eternity, released by Allied Artists (this film’s North American rights are currently under Warner Bros. via the Turner Entertainment library), was made at a time when top billing to a non-white actor was almost unheard of. There was no major Latino actor during the height of the Hollywood Studio System, and the last Latino superstar in Hollywood was silent film actor Ramón Navarro (still alive in 1960, was largely inactive in cinema, and made his final film earlier that year). Allied Artists had a lengthy history of financial troubles, so their films usually had more modest budgets than something from Paramount or 20th Century Fox. Jeffrey Hunter, with his matinee idol looks but inconsistent filmography (no disrespect intended), is not as compelling a box-office draw as some of his fellow youthful contemporaries. Why not cast a Latino actor? Even if the film’s screenplay – penned by Walter Roeber Schmidt (his only other credit is 1980′s Monstroid) – glosses over Gabaldon’s conflicts of self-identity, a hypothetical Latino actor would be more able to invoke such an identity conflict in his performance.

Compounding this whitewashing is the screenplay’s uninspired commentary about how the United States treated Japanese-Americans on the day of the Pearl Harbor attacks and afterwards. Playground epithets in the introductory minutes transform into suspicious stares and racialized intimidation in a scene where Guy is taking Ester (Miiko Taka) to a drive-in diner. This confrontation is depicted in a way that makes it too much like ‘60s episodic television – there is no connection between the racial hatred directed at Ester in this scene with the internment orders that all too abruptly follow this scene. Guy is given a few moments to exclaim how horrible FDR’s executive action is, but the filmmakers are too uncomfortable in opening uncomfortable, but necessary, political dialogue. Instead, Hell to Eternity makes the Une family’s internment look like an inconvenient, but government-funded relocation rather than a heinous abuse of executive power, a denial of American constitutional rights. Guy’s brief visit to Manzanar in Eastern California is sanitized – emotionally, factually, and physically. The Schmidt screenplay and Karlson’s direction appear willing to make dissenting statements, but only within certain bounds so as not to lose the cooperation of American military in their assistance in the film’s second half. Hell to Eternity should be credited, however, for positively portraying – if somewhat stereotypical with broken English - a loving Japanese-American family.

This lack of care about Guy’s identity and, most prominently, his Japanese-American upbringing, in these American-set scenes negatively affects all the scenes set on Saipan. The Issei (first-generation Japanese-Americans) and Nisei (second-generation Japanese-Americans) disappear by the film’s halfway point, making enemy soldiers the only Japanese characters seen in the closing half. Guy – who proceeds to use his skills in Japanese to convince civilians and soldiers to surrender (the filmmakers are taking historical liberties here, as Gabaldon was not fluent in Japanese) – captures hundreds. On Saipan, little separates Guy’s bloodlust for those who have killed his fellow friends and Marines and quarter for those who look like his family. For the former, Hell to Eternity has a scene where Guy mutilates a Japanese soldier who has, likewise, hacked a Marine into (presumably) pieces. Mutilation is a war crime. but Hell to Eternity suggests – through the editing – that Guy’s actions are justified. Mutilation is a healthy, legal expression of rage, the film says through these images, as long as the all-American boy does it. Only when he remembers the Une family does Guy snap out of this mutilating mindset – his subsequent acts of mercy seemingly absolving him of his ruthless destruction of Japanese corpses and an excessive number of bullets fired at enemy soldiers.

With assistance from the American military to provide the right equipment and to choreograph troop movements as well as the involvement of several hundred veterans of the Imperial Japanese Army serving as extras, Hell to Eternity’s battle sequences are impressive to watch. Shot on Okinawa, the film alternates from beachheads, dense tropical rainforests, the occasional clearing, and charred and cratered hellscapes. But all this technical mastery is undermined by how Karlson portrays the film version of Guy Gabaldon during the Battle of Saipan. Though the film ends decrying the horrible waste of life and his conduct to the Japanese soldiers he has killed, Hell to Eternity seems too celebratory (or, in the best-case scenario, apathetic) and too forgiving of what horrible things this version of Guy has inflicted. But thankfully, the final resolutions in Hell to Eternity are nonviolent.

Despite the erasure of Gabaldon’s Mexican background, Gabaldon enjoyed Jeffrey Hunter’s performance in Hell to Eternity – indeed, Hunter, along with Aoki, gives one of the better performances in this film. The Pied Piper of Saipan captured ten times more enemy prisoners than Sgt. Alvin C. York in World War I but, unlike York, Gabaldon was never awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. After Gabaldon’s death in August 2006, Latino activists mounted a campaign to have the United States upgrade Gabaldon’s Navy Congress to the Medal of Honor – to little avail as of the publication of this write-up.

At the time of Hell to Eternity’s release, this was one of the most nuanced treatments of Imperial Japanese soldiers and of Japanese-Americans. Its takes on ethnic and racial identity were almost nonexistent in early 1960s Hollywood. Today, the execution of this message leaves much to be desired. It is no war film classic. Yet Hell to Eternity’s attempts to have Gabaldon’s struggles with his identity as the avenue in which to resolve situations peacefully make it unique among other war films released during that time.

My rating: 6/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

#Hell to Eternity #Phil Karlson #Jeffrey Hunter #David Janssen #Vic Damone #Tsuru Aoki #George Takei #Bob Okazaki #Sessue Hayakawa #Patricia Owens #Richard Eyer #George Matsui #Miiko Taka #George Shibata #Reiko Sato #Walter Roeber Schmidt #TCM #My Movie Odyssey

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sciencespies · 3 years

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'Band of Brothers' Stars Reflect on the Epic Miniseries' Evolving Legacy

https://sciencespies.com/history/band-of-brothers-stars-reflect-on-the-epic-miniseries-evolving-legacy/

'Band of Brothers' Stars Reflect on the Epic Miniseries' Evolving Legacy

Actor James Madio played Easy Company T-4 Frank Perconte. Courtesy of HBO

Michael Cudlitz remembers the moment clearly. He was standing on a dike in Europe while filming episode five of “Band of Brothers,” the epic 2001 HBO miniseries about American soldiers fighting in World War II. With blaring lights and cameras rolling in the background, he fired furiously at the actors playing German soldiers.

Cudlitz fumbled as he pressed a new clip into his M1 Garand rifle, then brought the weapon back to his shoulder. Shooting blanks, he took aim at a soldier dressed in a Wehrmacht uniform and squeezed the trigger, watching the “enemy” fall to the ground.

“I call it my holy shit moment,” says the actor, who portrayed cigar-chomping staff sergeant Denver “Bull” Randleman. “There is the smell of cordite and sulfur in the air. For a second, you feel like you caused that. There is something very visceral about it. We got the tiniest taste of what these guys might have gone through.”

Michael Cudlitz as Staff Sergeant Denver “Bull” Randleman

Courtesy of HBO

“Band of Brothers” first aired 20 years ago, on September 9, 2001—two days before the 9/11 attacks shook the country. The Emmy Award–winning production offered viewers a gritty look at the lives of soldiers on the front lines of World War II’s European theater, realistically showing what the men experienced in combat and how they put their lives on the line for their beliefs.

Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, the miniseries is based on historian Stephen Ambrose’s bestselling 1992 book of the same name. Both follow the real-life experiences of Easy Company, part of the 506th Parachute Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division, from basic training through the end of the war in Europe.

James Madio, who costarred in the ten-part miniseries as T-4 Frank Perconte, says that “Band of Brothers” changed him and all those who watched it. He went from a World War II “illiterate” to an active supporter of veteran causes.

“When you look back and think of the bravery and camaraderie and the sacrifice of that generation and how unified America was because we were attacked, the story continues to gain strength as it goes,” says Madio, who has also appeared in Jersey Boys and Basketball Diaries. “To some degree, we wish we could go back to that American way.”

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Two days after the series’ premiere, the United States suffered the most significant attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Peter Crean, a retired Army colonel who served in both the 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne, remembers 9/11 well. Just after learning of the attack, the then–35-year-old soldier wrote a portent passage in his Palm Pilot: “My generation just had its Pearl Harbor. We are at war with people we don’t even know.”

“Just like the real ‘Band of Brothers,’ we were in a war we didn’t ask for,” says Crean, who lost two friends at the Pentagon on 9/11 and now serves as vice president of education and access at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. “They were civilian soldiers who defended their country after it was attacked. The book and series showed us that we had been here before and we would get through this.”

From the beginning of the project, the actors understood they were participating in something special. Hanks and Spielberg, who had filmed the equally realistic, albeit fictionalized, Saving Private Ryan three years prior, spared no expense in making the miniseries as accurate as possible. Uniforms, weapons, scenery—everything was exact to the tiniest detail. With a budget of $125 million, “Band of Brothers” was then the most expensive production of its kind.

Band of Brothers

Stephen E. Ambrose’s classic bestseller and the inspiration for the acclaimed HBO series about Easy Company, the ordinary men who became the World War II’s most extraordinary soldiers at the frontlines of the war’s most critical moments

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Easy Company’s 140 paratroopers were dropped behind German lines on D-Day, June 6, 1944. They could only hope that the amphibious landings at Normandy would succeed, giving them the chance to survive what could have easily been a suicidal mission.

The unit managed to successfully link up with American soldiers advancing from the Omaha beachhead. Under the command of legendary Army officer Richard Winters, Easy Company went on to participate in the liberation of France, the attempted liberation of Holland in the botched Operation Market Garden, the defense of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, the liberation of concentration camps, and the capture of the Eagle’s Nest—Hitler’s hideaway in the Bavarian Alps.

Each episode in the HBO series began with interviews featuring the real-life soldiers. (As a segregated unit, all of Easy Company’s paratroopers—and the actors who later portrayed them—were white, with Irish, Italian, Jewish or German American heritage, among other European backgrounds.) Then in their 70s and 80s, the men discussed their experiences and offered insights on how the horror of being in battle affected them. Today, most—if not all—of the original members of Easy Company are deceased.

Both Madio and Cudlitz formed close bonds with the real soldiers they played. Like the rest of the cast, they spent time with the men and their families, learning about who they were in order to develop their characters.

Damian Lewis (center, kneeling) played Easy Company’s leader, Dick Winters.

Courtesy of HBO

“I must have stared at my phone for 45 minutes before I called [Randleman] for the first time,” Cudlitz, who is also known for his roles in “The Walking Dead” and Grosse Point Blank, recalls. “I kept going over in my head how I was going to start this conversation. And the more I did that, the stupider it sounded. I wanted to get it right. I mean, that was the point behind the whole project: We wanted to get everything right.”

Madio, who was only 26 when filming began, says he knew nothing about World War II, let alone the Normandy invasion, before winning the role. He was a quick study, though, and became extremely close to Perconte—so close, in fact, that Perconte asked the actor to attend a reunion with him and other veterans in Europe after the show wrapped.

“Frank had just lost his wife, and his son couldn’t go on the tour,” Madio says. “He asked me if I would go with him. I spent two weeks with Frank and the other vets as we went around Normandy, Holland and Germany. It was amazing.”

The miniseries experience left most of the actors feeling like they were indeed a band of brothers. (The phrase refers to a passage from William Shakespeare’s Henry V: “From this day to the ending of the world, / But we in it shall be remember’d; / We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.”) Before production began, the group attended a “mini bootcamp” where they trained, drilled and learned how to be World War II soldiers. Filming, combined with getting to know the men they were portraying, left the actors with an intense feeling of solidarity.

“We get together once a year at my place in Los Angeles,” Cudlitz says. “Whoever is in town shows up.”

He adds, “We’ve also bonded with the [veterans’] families. We told the stories of their fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers with respect, reverence and love.”

The men of Easy Company pose in Austria after the end of the war in 1945.

Nat1939 via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA 4.0

“Band of Brothers” was a life-changing experience for Madio. He came away with a deep admiration for the Greatest Generation and its sacrifices, and he continued to wear the dog tags he’d received during production for two years after the show ended. Today, Madio volunteers with the United Service Organizations (USO) to entertain American troops in faraway places.

“It changed me as a young man,” he says. “I was this kid from the Bronx with no education on World War II. I went to Europe for a year and got to meet these guys who fought there. It taught me respect and understanding for what they did. It shaped me into the man I am today.”

Madio and Cudlitz regularly participate in “Band of Brothers” symposiums sponsored by the National World War II Museum. Both plan to be a part of the museum’s 20th anniversary program, which is scheduled for January 8, 2022, in New Orleans. The symposium will be livestreamed for virtual audiences free of charge.

Twenty years later, “Band of Brothers” continues to resonate with audiences. The message of sacrifice for a cause greater than the individual—along with the realistic portrayal of the average American at war—reminds viewers of how the country can coalesce into a formidable force when it needs to.

“‘Band of Brothers’ is important because it shows ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” Crean says. “These were citizen soldiers. None of these men planned to be in the military. They answered the call when their country needed them.”

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Saving Private Ryan: The Real History That Inspired the WW2 Movie

https://ift.tt/3cXjCBF

The events as they’re presented in Saving Private Ryan would never happen that way. This was my grandfather’s terse review of the Steven Spielberg movie back in 1998. He would know. After serving in the Pacific Theater throughout the war—being there from Pearl Harbor to Saipan, and then Okinawa—he carried a quiet lifelong interest in documentaries about the World War II American experience. And he had little time for Hollywood sentimentality.

“Eight guys for one man during D-Day? Never would’ve happened.”

Indeed, the idea of eight men being potentially squandered during the largest seaborne invasion in history is probably a flight of fancy by Spielberg and screenwriter Robert Rodat. Nevertheless, there is a poignant, mostly heartbreaking truth which informs Saving Private Ryan’s fiction. The context can be absurd at times, with Tom Hanks’ Capt. Miller leading a group of U.S. soldiers behind enemy lines to find one paratrooper, Pvt. Ryan (Matt Damon), after his three older brothers died in battles around Europe. However, the idea of the U.S. military wanting to prevent an entire family from being wiped out?

That cuts to the heart of War Department policy near the end of the Second World War. Here are a few of the true stories which inspired Saving Private Ryan’s Hollywood narrative.

The Sullivan Brothers

Near the beginning of America’s entry into World War II, the family of Thomas and Alleta Sullivan from Waterloo, Iowa endured a tragedy so all-encompassing that it made national news. In November 1942, all five of their sons, George, Frank, Joe, Matt, and Al Sullivan, died after the sinking of the light cruiser USS Juneau in the Pacific. The youngest of them, Al, was aged 20, with oldest brother George being one month shy of his 28th birthday.

Before their deaths, the U.S. Navy already made it a policy to separate siblings upon enlistment, but it was never strictly enforced. And as George and Frank had served in the Navy before, they wanted to take the three younger brothers under their wing. All five volunteered to enlist in January 1942, shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor. But they did so only upon the written stipulation that they serve on the same ship.

“We will make a team together that can’t be beat,” George Sullivan wrote to the military. “We had 5 buddies killed in Hawaii. Help us.” The Navy granted that wish, putting them on the Juneau, which soon headed to Guadalcanal where an Allied campaign began in August to wrest the island from the Empire of Japan.

The Juneau participated in a series of naval engagements before the ship was struck by a Japanese torpedo on Nov. 13 during a naval battle near the Solomon Islands. The cruiser was forced to withdraw, and later that day it traveled with other damaged U.S. warships toward the Allied rear-area base on Espiritu Santo. The Juneau was the lone vessel not to make it there. Torpedoed again, this time by Japanese submarine I-26, the cruiser’s ammunition magazines were struck by the blast and the ship exploded, sinking immediately.

It would be several days before there was any attempt to search for survivors.

At the time of the sinking, Capt. Gilbert C. Hoover of the USS Helena deemed it unlikely anyone survived the Juneau’s explosion and considered it reckless to look for survivors, thereby exposing more wounded ships to the unseen Japanese submarine. The other ships did not turn back. Instead the Helena signaled a nearby B-17 bomber to tell headquarters to send other aircraft out to search for survivors. However, the bomber could not break radio silence and did not report the sinking until the plane landed.

The bomber’s report went unnoticed for more than 48 hours under paperwork. By the time naval staff realized the clerical error, the more than 100 initial survivors of the Juneau’s sinking had long begun to see their numbers dwindle. This included several of the Sullivan brothers.

Of the 100 or so men who went into the water after the Juneau sank, only 10 were alive when a PBY spotted them eight days later. All five Sullivans were gone. According to those who did survive, Frank, Joe, and Matt died instantly on the second torpedo’s impact. Al drowned the next day. George, meanwhile, survived for four or five days before delirium set in, apparently caused by hypernatremia (a high concentration of sodium in the bloodstream). As a result, he jumped off the raft he was sharing and was never seen again. He was one of many who died from exposure to the sun, starvation, dehydration, and of course shark attacks.

Their parents Tom and Alleta did not know any of this for months. The U.S. Navy deemed it necessary to keep the Juneau’s loss classified, so as to not provide crucial information to the Japanese. But as days became weeks, and then months, parents of all the sailors grew fearful when communication with their children stopped.

After one anxious letter by Alleta was sent to the Bureau of Naval Personnel, inquiring about a rumor that all five Sullivan boys were dead, no less than President Franklin D. Roosevelt responded.

“As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I want you to know that the entire nation shares in your sorrow,” Roosevelt wrote. “I offer you the condolences and gratitude of our country. We who remain to carry on the fight must maintain spirit, in knowledge that such sacrifice is not in vain.”

The day before the letter arrived on Jan. 13, 1943, the Navy informed the Sullivans their sons were dead. When Tom Sullivan asked the approaching chief petty officer which son had died, the Navy man responded, “I’m sorry. All five.”

The brothers left behind a younger sister named Genevieve, as well as Al’s widow and son (Al was the only brother married). It became an international story, with Roosevelt sending another letter, and Pope Pius XII sending a silver religious medal and rosary with a message of condolence to the Catholic family. Alleta was there when the Navy launched a new destroyer, USS The Sullivans, in 1943. She and her husband also became regular speakers for the war effort in the following years.

As a result of the Sullivans’ sacrifice, plus another family’s suffering, the newly named Defense Department soon implemented the Sole Survivor Policy. But before that happened there were…

The Borgstrom Brothers

Alben and Gunda Borgstrom of Thatcher, Utah were already touched by tragedy before the Second World War. The parents of 10 children, seven boys and three girls, one of their sons had already died in 1921 from a ruptured appendix at the age of 10. When World War II began, five of the remaining six sons either volunteered or were drafted into the war: LeRoy Elmer, Clyde Eugene, twin brothers Rolon Day and Rulon Day, and Boyd Borgstrom.

Over the span of about five months, four of the brothers died all over the world. The oldest of them, LeRoy, was only 30 while twin brothers Rolon Day and Rulon Day were aged 19 when they died on different sides of the English Channel.

Clyde, 28, was the first to die in March 1944, struck by a falling tree while clearing land for a new airstrip on the Solomon Islands in Guadalcanal. His older brother LeRoy followed three months later when he was killed in action while fighting in Italy. Rolon Day died in August when the bomber he was on experienced engine failure and crashed in Yaxham, England. Rulon Day, meanwhile, was reported as missing in action after an attack on Brest, France, a port city in the Brittany region held by the Germans. He was later found gravely injured, and soon died from combat wounds on Aug. 25, 1944.

Even before a mortally wounded Rulon Day was discovered, his parents had already gathered the support of neighbors and Utah congressional leaders to petition the U.S. military to release their last surviving son, Boyd, from service. The petition was successful, and Boyd was transferred home to the U.S. and thereafter discharged from the Marines with a special order of the Commandant of the Marine Corps., Gen. Alexander Vandegrift. Further the Borgstroms’ youngest son Eldon, who was not yet old enough to serve in the military in 1944, was exempted from the draft and military service.

A funeral service was held when all four deceased brothers’ remains were returned to Utah in 1948. During the service, their parents were presented with three Bronze Star Medals, one Air Medal, and one Good Conduct Medal. The loss of the four Borgstrom Brothers, like the five Sullivans before them, triggered the official adoption of the Sole Survivor Policy.

The Sole Survivor Policy

Implemented in 1948, the Sole Survivor Policy is a Defense Department directive which describes a set of regulations to be observed by the U.S. military in all its branches. The policy is designed to protect the sole survivor of families from combat duty or the draft if the son or daughter in question has siblings who already died in combat.

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However, the policy is entirely voluntary. Which means the designated “sole survivor” of a family in the military must apply to be sent home by commanding officers. Additionally, it only applies during peacetime, and not in times of war or national emergency as declared by the U.S. Congress. But since Congress hasn’t officially declared war since 1942, it’s pretty much been in place in perpetuity, although each branch of the military has its own special provisions for the regulations.

While it would not have been implemented during the events of Saving Private Ryan—in fact, several of the fallen Borgstrom brothers would still be alive during the events of the film—its creation would have already been on the minds of the top brass when something like the Pvt. Ryan situation occurred. However, even if the Sole Survivor Policy had been in place by ‘44, Damon’s James Ryan would still need to apply to return home (which he did not want to do in the film)…. and that paperwork probably would not have been processed during the middle of a massive invasion.

Still, it makes for a great movie.

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hobbit-historian · 3 years

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Part five

During the past couple of years, we had hopped from island to island, fighting naval battles and supporting air craft carriers. The Japanese has multiple island bases that we were tasked with destroying.

It was now 1945.

Many of my boys had grown into men. They could grow facial hair now, a fact that many of them were proud of. Military dress code required them to shave; however, occasionally one cocky man would grow his out slightly for shore leave, claiming it would attract the women. Their muscles and builds were more defined, having years of hard ship work behind them.

But not all of the growth had been positive. We had lost some crew members in past battles. New men came and went, either killed by Japanese Zeroes and Kates or assigned to another ship. Some of the original crew were also reassigned.

I never forgot any of their names.

In the summer of '45, the USS Indianapolis was given a secret assignment. We were currently undergoing repairs at the Mare Island Navy Yard. The orders were sent from high up in the chain of command - we couldn't know the names because it would be too risky if we were ever caught. We were to go to Pearl Harbor - quickly.

Later on, the newspapers and records would crow about our ship, how we set a speed record.

The USS Indianapolis had traveled from Mare Island to Pearl Harbor in 74 and a half hours. This had not been done before. Accomplishing such a goal, trivial as it may seem in war time, brought a sense of pride to my crew. And of course I was proud.

When we reached Pearl Harbor, the decks grew quiet. The only sound was the rumbling of the engines and the stamp of many feet rushing onto the top deck. Everyone who could leave their station wanted to see the infamous harbor. It had been almost four years since the attack, but it was still fresh on my crew's mind.

Here was the reason why some of them had joined.

Here was the reason why so many of them hated the Japanese.

Here was the reason why we had to win.

The men stood on the deck, mouths agape as they looked at the harbor. Even Captain McVay was watching, his white jacket gleaming in the sun. It seemed too bright and cheery for a thing to be in the face of such a disaster.

All of the wreckage had been cleared away by now, all except for one ship, her twisted superstructure peeking out of the water.

The USS Arizona was still sitting on the bottom of the harbor, leaking oil like black tears.

Mixed in the oil were the actual tears of her Maiden, still weeping over the corpses of her crew. I could hear her sobbing beneath the water. A shiver crawled up my spine as we drew near to the sunken ship. The area that the Arizona lay in was covered with oil, and although most of the ship was covered, we could still make out some defining features as we gave her a wide berth.

I pushed my hair behind my ear as I stood among the crew. I gripped the railing, my knuckles turning white. An unearthly silence hovered over the Arizona, and the Indianapolis skirted the oil patch, afraid to disturb the quiet.

The only sound I could hear, even as we moved past the oil, was the weeping of her Maiden.

My tears slid down my cheeks.

They landed in the water with an inaudible plop and joined the tears of my sister.

On the other side of Ford Island, the USS Utah lay, capsized. The Utah had been a close friend of mine, and my heart hurt for her loss. I cried harder, knowing how many men were trapped I n the two ships alone, cold and unknown.

But not forgotten. Murmurs ran through my crew as they named off some of the men who they had known or read about. Some even had gone to school with those who now lay within the ships.

Backing away from the rail, I let my men fill in around me. I needed to hear their voices, to remind myself of the living. A fog welled inside my head, shutting out the sun and the nice things of this world.

What world did we live in that would cause this? Cause destruction like this? Why would men ever think that this was ok?

Of course I had heard the stories. I had once reveled in those time worn treasures, or treasures I had thought then to be. Now they were rusted, twisted and broken on the bottom of the harbor, proof of the cruelty of human kind.

My skirt caught my legs and tugged me forward. Wind whipped across the deck and the crew exclaimed, holding onto their personal affects as the fingers of air threatened to rip them away.

As one, the crew and I turned to follow the wind to the Arizona. Her Madien was now perched on the remains. The wind whipped past her, but she stood steadfast.

Our eyes met.

She blinked once, her eyes rimmed with red and bruises.

Ice ran through my veins as I beheld what my great sister had become. She was a ghost of herself, a shell, a has-been.

Her lips moved, pale and blue, as we passed.

I squinted, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Was she trying to tell me something? I jogged forward, wind to my back and getting stronger.

Curse my hair - it was all in my face.

But as we rounded the edge of the ship, I finally made out what Arizona was telling me.

Not telling me, warning me.

“I am not the end, just the beginning.”

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spartan-in-a-b-25 · 6 years

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My Grandfather, the Pilot

On the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, I wanted to share my Grandfather’s story, since thats where his WWII story begins.

Robert ‘Moe’ Hamill was born in Hamill, South Dakota, a town named after his father (and a place I intend to visit if I can) in 1918. In 1925 his family moved to southern California where he qualified to play football for the San Jose Spartans, and in 1941 was playing under “Pop” Warner. He was co-captain of the team and voted Little All-American. It all starts when he and the Spartans sailed to Hawaii to play some charity games in December 1941.

November 27, 1941

The SJSU Spartans sail for Honolulu from San Francisco aboard the S.S. Lurline to play two football games, one against Hawaii University and the other against Willamette University.

December 3, 1941

The team arrives in Honolulu, staying at the Moana Hotel.

December 7, 1941

While the team was eating breakfast at the Moana, on Waikiki Beach, the bombing started. The night before, they had been told the Army would be conducting maneuvers using tow targets so at first they kept eating, eventually they realized there were no tow targets out.

December 8, 1941

The day after the bombing, at home no word had been received from the team. The College Director of Athletics was quoted saying “Unless orders are issued to evacuate the Island sooner, or if the team is detained by military activity, …the boys will be home December 24 as originally planned.” However there was some concern that submarine presence in the Pacific could hold the team indefinitely.

December 9, 1941

The Spartan Daily reports rumors that the team has been assigned to the Honolulu Police force and are helping to patrol the downtown areas of the city to help enforce the blackout and protect the water supply.

December 11, 1941

The parents of the football players are cabled that the team is safe and confirms that they are working with the police in downtown Honolulu.

December 19, 1941

The team’s way home is still uncertain. The Police Department is taking care of the teams’ expenses; originally the game against Hawaii was to be a charity game sponsored by the Police Department. Neither of the scheduled games were played.

Roughly 3 weeks After the Bombing

The team returned on the President Coolidge, with two players each assigned to a stateroom to assist in tending the wounded.

Once in San Francisco, Moe lead the team to the Navy recruiting office because they had a program that would let you finish college before you went into flight training, and they all wanted to fly. However, Moe had an underbite and that barred him from joining the Navy; upon hearing this the team all left the Navy recruiting office and went to the Air Corps office instead! Once home he saw he had received an offer to play for the Chicago Bears offering $150 a game. He turned it down.

He reported for active duty in 1942, and during his check ride his squadron commander Captain Edwards made the comment “Where did you learn to play football?”. Not realizing he was making a point about him being rough on the controls, Moe told him about his football career!

Jean Tarbox

In 1942 he married his college sweetheart, Jean Tarbox while he was in pilot training in Arizona. Their wedding was in July and it was so hot that not everyone made it through the service, and the gloves she was wearing essentially melted on her! Moe ultimately named his plane Tarbox after her.

B-25 Training (If you’ve made it this far, this is where things get fun y’all)

Based in Columbia, South Carolina, he flew his first solo mission at night. At the end of the runway, his instrument lights didn’t come on; he refused to abort, having the engineer shine a light on the instruments and continued the run up. At takeoff, the cockpit was plunged into darkness, and when the engineer used his light is was blinding. He kept flying until he felt a slap on his face, the engineer waved a pine branch at him, “I think you went through the trees.” The plane was damaged, including the bombardier’s hatch being torn off.

He was grounded and made a second lieutenant commander processing people who had been accepted for pilot training, and with the help of his sergeants did well enough to get the notice of the group commander who gave him two options: stay here on the ground or go overseas flying B-25s.

The Infamous Duck Story

I’ve heard this story many times and I still laugh Every. Time.

In February of 1943, before heading to Myrtle Beach to pick up bombs for training, he left his bombardier at the base to sleep off his partying from the night before. Six planes were flying to Myrtle Beach, some of them dropping out of formation to buzz the cotton fields below. Moe spotted a wide river where he could try to fly close enough to the water to get water in the lower turret, which he succeeded in. Unfortunately, there was a turn in the river ahead, and Moe had forgotten it was duck migration season. When he turned the corner, thousands of ducks flew upwards and into the planes’ path. The bombardier’s hatch was destroyed and full of dead ducks, the rocker boxes were barely hanging on, and the front edges of the wings were banged up. He turned for home, and the four crew got out (B-25s have a five man crew), the ground crew thought he had killed his bombardier! Leaving his bombardier on base may well have saved his life that day. He credited still being allowed to fly to the desperate need for pilots.

On to North Africa

Picking up a new plane in Michigan, he then flew with his crew to Egypt, where he assigned to the 12th Bomb Group, 489th Bomb Squadron. After going into town, he came back to his plane running and ready to go, the operations officer telling him the copilot had been briefed. He taxied out to take off, at which point he was flagged down, he had taxied into a literal minefield! After being led out, he was able to take off.

May 6, 1943

Flying his sixth mission, the plane in front of him took a direct hit, and he had to dodge the debris, upon returning to base, he couldn’t get the landing gear down due to the damage done when the plane was fired on. The crew opted to stay in and he bellied in, popping 3 disks in his back. The next day they found the pilot and bombardier from the hit plane in a German hospital tent when Cape Bon was taken.

Sicily

While bombing on the side of Mount Aetna, an 88mm shell went through the right wing and exploded above the plane, killing the upper turret gunner. Moe finished the bomb run and returned to base in a plane with over 500 holes in it.

He returned home after flying forty two combat missions, leaving the Army in 1947 with the rank of major.

Berlin Airlift

He rejoined into 1948 to fly again, and after training on C-54s, headed over to Germany where he flew 205 missions in 17 weeks.

During his military career he had received the Distinguished Flying Cross, The Air Medal and the Purple Heart along with many other citations.

Everything here was pulled from: anecdotes from my father, Moe’s son, copies of the Spartan Daily from November 27, 1941 to December 19, 1941, and the book he was interviewed for, I Always Wanted to Fly: America’s Cold War Airmen by Colonel Wolfgang W.E. Samuel. I’ll add to this as I get more info!

#sorry it's so long I cut out a ton!!#personal #history #wwii #pearl harbor #long post

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friendlyneighborhoodhistorian · 4 years

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January 3, 1942/January 3, 2000

“We would make a team together that cannot be beat”: The Fighting Sullivan brothers/ “We Stick Together”: The USS Sullivan

Okay, listen. I hadn’t ever intended to make one post on two things. These are stories that came my way a day late whoops and I was magnificently intrigued by the way life can kind of come full circle. This, from a girl who isn’t particularly interested in military history. Brace yourselves, this is a long one.

The Fighting Sullivan brothers were born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa. Their growing up seems to have been a little spotty, littered with absentee parenting and poverty. Their father, Tom, was said to have been an abusive alcoholic. Their mother, Alleta, suffered from what we can only assume was depression, taking to her bed for days at a time. This resulted in unruly little boys, who left school around age 16 or so and who also seemed to exist solely as trouble-makers and bad influences. The Sullivan family lived just a stone’s throw from the black neighborhood; while most of the white working-class folks of Waterloo avoided the neighborhood, the Sullivan boys are reported to have spent time lurking in the alleys of the black neighborhood where they “stirred the shit,” initiating fights with their black neighbors. They were all also reportedly members of a local motorcycle club, a large group of men parading around in what equated to soldiers’ uniforms (of Italian Fascist design, no less) and causing a general ruckus to the neighborhood.

By the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, two of the Sullivan brothers had already served time with the Navy: oldest brothers George and Frank enlisted in 1937 and served together for four years before returning home in May of 1941. After the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, all five brothers -- including the youngest, Al, who had married at 17 and already had a 21-month-old son -- decided to enlist. George wrote to the Department of the Navy, explaining that they had friends killed in the attack at Pearl Harbor, and all but begging that he, his four brothers, and two friends from the motorcycle club be allowed to serve together. The Navy didn’t directly encourage family members to serve together, but they also didn’t actively discourage it, so after passing their physicals, they were all assigned to the light cruiser, USS Juneau. The Sullivan brothers became local and national heroes.

The USS Juneau participated in several naval engagements during the extensive Guadalcanal Campaign that began in August 1942. But, on November 13, 1942, the Juneau was hit by a Japanese torpedo and forced to withdraw from the fighting. Juneau and two other cruisers -- the Helena and the San Francisco, also damaged from the fight -- were heading to the US Naval base at Espiritu Santo for repairs when the Japanese submarine I-26 launched two more torpedoes. They were intended for the severely damaged San Francisco, missed, one hitting Juneau in the same place as the previous hit. There was a great explosion, the Juneau broke in two and, in twenty seconds, the entire ship was gone. Fearing more attacks, the Helena and the San Francisco continued to Espiritu Santo without attempting to rescue any survivors. One hundred men survived the sinking, including two fo the Sullivan brothers, left to fend for themselves for eight days until rescue aircraft arrived; of those one hundred, only ten were lost to shark attacks and the elements, including the two remaining Sullivan brothers.

The Sullivan family became almost like a mascot for the US Navy after the attack. The parents toured the country at the behest of the Navy, stopping at war bond rallies and production plants to promote pro-military sentiments and move the workers into enlisting. On February 22, 1943, Alleta Sullivan even christened a new Navy ship, the USS Tawasa, and the again, less than two months later, when the Navy commissioned the new destroyer The Sullivans. This version of The Sullivans remained in active duty until it was decommissioned on January 7, 1965. The second destroyer The Sullivans was commissioned by the Navy on April 19, 1997. It’s the second destroyer that sort of brings the story of the Fighting Sullivans full circle. And, I promise, this bit is a quick one. In October 2000, the USS Cole was attacked by suicide bombers while she sat in port in Aden, Yemen. The FBI launched an investigation into the bombing with the Yemeni government; the Yemeni government confirmed the Cole had been the target of a terrorist plot. Yemeni officials arrest two suspects in the bombing and, while in custody, one of the suspects explains that there had been another attempt to attack an American warship in January 2000. One official thought the report was bogus, but the suspect gave so much credible information into the attack of the Cole that they felt it must be true. The suspect claimed the first attack had been planned for January 3, 2000, but that it had been aborted. Why? Because the boat used by the attackers was overloaded with ammunition and began to sank before hitting its desired target. And the target? Supposedly the United States destroyer ship The Sullivans, ported in Aden, Yemen for refueling.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sullivan_brothers

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Juneau_(CL-52)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_The_Sullivans_(DD-537)

https://www.navytimes.com/veterans/2019/11/10/the-deaths-of-these-5-sailors-changed-how-us-manned-military-units/

https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/18/world/meast/uss-cole-bombing-fast-facts/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_The_Sullivans_(DDG-68)

https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/10/world/failed-plan-to-bomb-a-us-ship-is-reported.html

Additional Reading:

If you're militarily inclined, the United States Navy has an entire website called Naval History and Heritage Command. On it is a section devoted to Disasters and Phenomena with an entire area of interesting information devoted to the Sullivan brothers. You can read it here.

On March 17, 2018, the expedition crew of Research Vessel (R/V) Petrel found the remains of the wreckage of the USS Juneau! You can read about that here and here.

#military history #happened today #wwii history

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thepowerofyourotherhand · 5 years

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Benjamin Franklin on the “Other Hand”

Sunday, September 1, 2019

While on a recent book tour in Silicon Valley, I spoke at the Stanford Park Hotel in Menlo Park, hosted by Kensington Place of Redwood City Memory Care. As I left the building I encountered a life size statue of Franklin on a bench near the entrance. My friends took a photo of me “meeting” Ben. He had a lot to say about the “other hand.” You’ll find out how he felt about the non-dominant hand later in this post.

In Chapter 2 of The Power of Your Other Hand, entitled “The Upper Hand and the Other Hand,” I discuss the historical prejudice against the left and everything associated with it. This prejudice of the majority (“righties”) against the minority (“lefties”) runs throughout history. In fact every language, except Hopi and Classical Chinese, have words for left that also mean clumsy, handicapped, weak, paralyzed, left-over, stupid, crooked, malicious, deceitful, evil, etc. You get the idea. Gauche means left in French, but English-speaking folks use it as a put-down. Gawky, meaning awkward, even looks like a mispronunciation of the word gauche. In Italian, sinistra means left. Change a letter or two and it becomes sinister in English. Mancini, another Italian word for left, is also used to mean maimed, defective, stupid.

The acquisition of literacy all over the world has been accompanied by the mandate that “the right hand is the correct hand for writing.” That was true in our American schools at one time, but over the years things have changed. Generally, lefties are allowed to be lefties. What happens at home is another matter. Some parents might still be imposing right-handedness, especially if they came here from a culture that is prejudiced again the left hand.

Of course technology has brought ambidexterity to writing. We all “write” with both hands — on computer keyboards. “Thumb writing” for texting is another whole topic I won’t go into, but notice that people do use both thumbs.

I began introducing people to their unschooled, non-writing hand in 1974 when I was in graduate school researching and developing my methods. Over the years I have met fewer and fewer people who are “switch-overs” (lefties forced to become right-handed for writing and drawing). Now they are usually over 70 and went to school when kids got ridiculed, slapped, or punished in some way for the audacity of writing with their natural (left) hand. There is a section in

The Power of Your Other Hand

on switchovers and the emotional damage this practice caused. Based on my research into more recent science on the physiology of trauma, I now believe being forcibly switched over caused severe neurological damage as well.

While dining with a man from India recently, I was told that children there must do their school work with their right hands. Left-handedness is not acceptable when it comes to writing or drawing. I’ve heard this about a lot of other countries as well, especially in Asia and the Middle East. Over the years, students and workshop attendees have told me they were made fun of, beaten, given a dunce hat to wear, had their left hand tied to the desk chair, and in the worst case, one had the left hand broken by a teacher. This happened in Pearl Harbor in a military school during WW2. The boy, now a man, held his hand out to show me the scars. The teacher slammed his hand with a wooden 2 x 4 because he persisted in writing with his left hand. I gasped! But he then grinned and told me the rest of the story. Fortunately, when this military family returned to the US mainland, his new teacher allowed him to use his natural hand. He actually chuckled while telling me that he had maintained his left-handedness for writing throughout his life in spite of this early injury to body and soul.

Benjamin Franklin

If you think this topic of the prejudice against the left hand is a new one, think again. Benjamin Franklin, statesman, philosopher, author and inventor was a proponent of education for both hands. As a believer in training for ambidexterity, including writing with both hands, here’s a letter he penned, that appears in Chapter 2 of

The Power of You Other Hand

. It was written on behalf of his “other hand.”

A Petition To Those Who Have The Superintendency of Education

I address myself to all the friends of youth, and conjure them to direct their compassionate regard to my unhappy fate, in order to remove the prejudices of which I am the victim. There are twin sisters of us; and the eyes of man do not more resemble, nor are capable of being on better terms with each other than my sister and myself, were it not for the partiality of our parents, who made the most injurious distinction between us.

From my infancy I have been led to consider my sister as a being of more educated rank. I was suffered to grow up without the least instruction, while nothing was spared in her education. She had masters to teach her writing, drawing, music, and other accomplishments, but if by chance I touched a pencil, a pen, or needle I was bitterly rebuked; and more than once I have been beaten for being awkward and wanting a graceful manner.

Must not the regret of our parents be excessive, at having placed so great a difference between sisters who are so perfectly equal? Alas! We must perish from distress; for it would not be in my power even to scrawl a suppliant petition for relief…

Condescend, sir, to make my parents sensible of the injustice of an exclusive tenderness, and of the necessity of distributing their care and affection among all their children equally. I am, with profound respect, Sirs,

Your obedient servant,

THE LEFT HAND

-----

Lucia

Follow Lucia Capacchione:  Facebook/LuciaCapacchionePhD   Download Her Audio Books:  https://luciacapacchione.bandcamp.com  Visit the art shop: https://tinyurl.com/y6nhcowj  Purchase Lucia’s books on: Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lucia-Capacchione/e/B001K8C7X4 www.luciac.com  www.visioningcoach.org

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shelleyseale · 5 years

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Six of the best museums in the USA to celebrate Veteran's Day

When it comes to honoring the men and women who have served in the United States military, there's no better way than learning some of the history and their stories.

The National WWII Museum - New Orleans, Louisiana

National Museum of the Pacific War - Fredericksburg, Texas

Pearl Harbor National Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii

The National D-Day Memorial - Bedford, Virginia

Yankee Air Museum - Belleville, Michigan

Smithsonian - Washington, D.C.

#history #military #MuseumofthePacificWar #museums #NationalD-DayMemorial #NationalWWIIMuseum #PearlHarbor #Smithsonian #veteransday #worldwartwo #WWII #YankeeAirMuseum

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