A most superb reflection on one of our greatest admirals…
A favored saying among historians is that our failure to learn the lessons of history condemns us to repeat it. There are several variations of this, of course, most are a misquotation of the original by George Santayana (1863-1952), who in Volume I of The Life of Reason, wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” While the statement has a negative connotation, there are many positive things to learn from history and the people who made it.
Among the on-going discussions within the Navy and Marine Corps is how to best prepare for the next international conflagration. In his 2007 professional article published in the Marine Corps Gazette, Lieutenant Colonel Wayne Sinclair noted, “The greatest challenges and most far reaching opportunities of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commander will lie in his ability to orchestrate and synchronize the efforts of numerous, diverse entities…
View original post 3,139 more words
Less than six months after Japan’s “sneak attack” on the United States, our armed forces were on the comeback trail. Americans were angry—very angry, and our front-line troops gave no quarter to the fanatical Japanese who confronted them. And, truth be known, it was just as well the Japanese were more willing to sacrifice themselves to their Emperor because US Marines weren’t inclined to take prisoners. Guadalcanal was a disease-ridden cesspool; it was here that U. S. Marines met the Imperial Japanese Army for the first time in land combat. The contest was one of fierce determination, bullet to bullet, bayonet to bayonet, and in some cases, hand to hand.
Masako and Spam Musubi 