No Memorial Day Program

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   There won't be a Memorial Day program at the schools this year. Too bad, it was one of the few times the youngsters were actually exposed to American Patriotic Heroism. You may have read about my post on my wife's Uncle she never met. She hadn't even been born when he died at Midway. I used to relate part of their story when invited. Johnny Ralph Cole flew as the Radioman Gunner on a Douglas TBD-1, off Yorktown CV-5, Torpedo 3, Plane T7, Pilot Lt. Patrick Henry Hart, squadron XO. 
They went at the Japanese Carriers a full half an hour after Torp 8 and Torp 6. So they had some idea of what awaited themThe torpedo planes were
old fire traps that were so slow—those old TBDs would go about 80 knots, with
the nose down maybe 110—awkward and had no self-sealing tanks. They needed
protection more than anyone else, so that governed our decision. The torpedo planes had
to split in order to make an effective attack. We thought we were doing pretty
well until they split. Then, of course, they were extremely vulnerable, all
alone with no mutual protection. The Zeros were coming in on us, one after the
other, and sometimes simultaneously from above and to the side. We couldn’t
stay with the torpedo planes, except for one or two that happened to be under
us. The torpedo planes went
on in. I saw three or four of them that got in and made an attack. I believe
that at least one torpedo hit was made. All the records, and the Japanese, and
Sam Morison’s book said that no torpedoes hit.⁴ I’m not sure that the people on board a ship that is hit
repeatedly really know whether they got hit by a torpedo or a bomb. These people hadn’t
given their lives in vain, they’d done a magnificent job of attracting all the
enemy combat air patrol, all the protection that the Japanese carriers had were
engaged and were held down. So we did do something, and maybe far more than we
thought at the time. We engaged the enemy that might have gotten into the dive
bombers and prevented them from getting many hits. It is said they went in knowing that the probability of any of them making a successful run was poor, but they prayed that one of them would make it. 
As an aside, Lieutenant Patrick Hart was Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for this action. Johnny Ralph Cole ARM1c earned his Purple Heart the hard way. 

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Sewer Pipe Snipe Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List BBS Supporter Joined: 04 Jan 2016 Location: Albany, GA Status: Offline Points: 5723	Post Options Post Reply Quote Sewer Pipe Snipe Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: No Memorial Day Program Posted: 23 May 2020 at 5:02am
	There won't be a Memorial Day program at the schools this year. Too bad, it was one of the few times the youngsters were actually exposed to American Patriotic Heroism. You may have read about my post on my wife's Uncle she never met. She hadn't even been born when he died at Midway. I used to relate part of their story when invited. Johnny Ralph Cole flew as the Radioman Gunner on a Douglas TBD-1, off Yorktown CV-5, Torpedo 3, Plane T7, Pilot Lt. Patrick Henry Hart, squadron XO. They went at the Japanese Carriers a full half an hour after Torp 8 and Torp 6. So they had some idea of what awaited them The torpedo planes were old fire traps that were so slow—those old TBDs would go about 80 knots, with the nose down maybe 110—awkward and had no self-sealing tanks. They needed protection more than anyone else, so that governed our decision. The torpedo planes had to split in order to make an effective attack. We thought we were doing pretty well until they split. Then, of course, they were extremely vulnerable, all alone with no mutual protection. The Zeros were coming in on us, one after the other, and sometimes simultaneously from above and to the side. We couldn’t stay with the torpedo planes, except for one or two that happened to be under us. The torpedo planes went on in. I saw three or four of them that got in and made an attack. I believe that at least one torpedo hit was made. All the records, and the Japanese, and Sam Morison’s book said that no torpedoes hit.⁴ I’m not sure that the people on board a ship that is hit repeatedly really know whether they got hit by a torpedo or a bomb. These people hadn’t given their lives in vain, they’d done a magnificent job of attracting all the enemy combat air patrol, all the protection that the Japanese carriers had were engaged and were held down. So we did do something, and maybe far more than we thought at the time. We engaged the enemy that might have gotten into the dive bombers and prevented them from getting many hits. It is said they went in knowing that the probability of any of them making a successful run was poor, but they prayed that one of them would make it. As an aside, Lieutenant Patrick Hart was Posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for this action. Johnny Ralph Cole ARM1c earned his Purple Heart the hard way.
	Walt, Had I done everything right throughout my life, the World wouldn't have noticed.