70 years ago this week, a chance meeting San Pedro

USS Zeilin AP-3 by Wayne Scarpaci

The transition of time for most of the world is now January 1st. As the celebrations of the year 2013 were ushered in from Sydney, Tokyo, Shanghai, Dubai and across Europe as Paris, then London lit the night sky with the spectacle of fireworks worthy of any independence celebration or in the case of our own history, a nation born of martial combat.

It is also significant that we in the US mark the transit of anniversaries as they reach milestones. This year past we marked the bi-centennial of the War of 1812, the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and as we move through this decade, the 70th anniversary of the events of World War II. This brings me to write about an event that occurred 70 years ago this past week, that is seminal to my existence. It was during the week between Christmas and New Years in 1942, that my mother met my father at a USO dance. The chance meeting came about when dad's ship the USS Zeilin AP-9, was attacked on the eve of the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and escaped being sunk through the efforts their escort the USS Atlanta CL-51, and her own crew's gunnery who claimed two planes, and their efforts after a bomb glanced of off the side and blew out several hull plates.

USS Atlanta defending the USS Zeilin Nov 11, 1942

Jay B Wade, 1942

After temporary repairs, my father's ship returned to San Pedro, California, arriving on December 23, 1942 where she entered dry dock until March 1943, when she sailed for Aleutian Campaign followed later with the invasion of Tarawa and Kwajalein in the spring of 1944. My dad, was sent home on leave and joined the new carrier USS Bon Homme Richard CV-31 and ended the war off Japan.

My Dad returned from the war and in the first half decade of my life, left me to wonder why. I wrote the several posts in the early days of this blog about my memories of him, and how I came to discover that I had two long lost brothers from different mothers who have become as close as if we were raised together in the same home. My brother Vince, shares a love of history and the Navy, inspired by our father's service. Over time I was able to construct my father's service history and when the USS Iowa BB-61 became a museum ship in San Pedro, I began to spend all my spare time as did Vince. It was during this time that Vince quietly commissioned a remembrance that I will cherish forever. He had a mutual friend and gifted naval artist Wayne Scarpaci, make a painting of the USS Zeilin passing Angels Gate as she sailed into San Pedro, setting the stage for me to sit here typing this heartfelt thank you to my brother Vince, and Wayne, for a superb tribute to my dad's memory.

The First Saturday in May: A milestone marked.

Joseph Benjamin Wade

"with honors"

Four years ago this month, I wrote a blog post acknowledging a few people whom the month of May marked the passage from being a student preparing to assume their place at the starting gate of contribution to not only their lives, but to the greater human family where our actions both positive and negative can create a ripple that can sweep across the globe. One of  those I wrote about then, was my son, who made his parents, and his family proud beyond words this first Saturday in May, when he completed the first stage of his self chosen path to higher education, and graduated magna cum laude from Loyola Marymount University.

The past four years has seen him not only study hard to maintain his GPA, but provided him the opportunity to study abroad, where he spent a semester studying in Bonn, Germany. His senior year, saw him invited to be part of a special honors class in political science, where his thesis, addressed the role social media might play in changing the future of Iranian politics. More on that subject in a later post.

The next goal he has set for himself is one of the top law schools in the US, and with his GPA secure, is looking to spend the next few months studying for his LSAT's and working to increase his treasury, and hopefully, gain some experience in his chosen field. I being the dotting dad, have encouraged him to specialize in either international, or maritime law where he can channel his strengths of being bi-lingual and experienced in traveling to such diverse places as Iran, Dubai, and almost every country in Europe as well as having a passion for history passed down from dad, and an acumen for negotiation, common to his maternal side.

True to form when getting a university education today; my son is liberal as is most of his cohorts, who incidentally spring from families that are varying degrees, to the right of their children. My son is no different, but astutely admits that when he is making more money and paying high taxes, would find himself standing politically right of center. I must admit that his observation fits the often observed way people mature in a society that promises an equal opportunity to succeed, versus a guaranteed future of equal station where everyone shares the same cookie cutter existence.

Anyway, I would hope all will forgive the the self-serving post of a proud "Baba" who now finds his youngest child has joined the ranks of adulthood, and now politely considers my advice, but has the moxie to make me pause and consider his position on many subjects both political and strategic.

June: A time for Commencement

UCI Commencement

For tens of thousands, June is the month that years of effort and perseverance will be rewarded by the conferring of a degree. I have written before about the significance of commencement and the importance of knowledge to the social health of this nation and the world. This year is no different, last week I attended commencement for the 2011 graduating class for the university where I teach. This is my sixth graduation ceremony and each year brings an increase in graduates, with women becoming the largest contingent in doctoral and masters, as well as bachelors degrees. This is borne out across the nation where women now hold more college degrees than men.  This points to something that troubled me earlier this year when I wrote about the growing number of 20-somethings who have opted to fore go higher education or even learning a trade or getting a job. The statistics in that article did not break down the gender, but a non-scientific census of family and acquaintances seems to reveal a large number of home-bound and under-employed boys, versus daughters who for the most part are off to school or working in a career field.

The debate about higher education got some attention this past week when Larry Sanger co-founder of Wikipedia wrote a series of articles that caught the eye of Galrahn at information dissemination. Sanger offers up a defense of higher education which he begins by deconstructing an essay written by a 19 year-old who decries that "College is a waste of time." Sanger's destroys each of the nine premises with devastating accuracy. Sanger's next article addresses a question he asks:

Is there a new anti-intellectualism? I mean one that is advocated by Internet geeks and some of the digerati. I think so: more and more mavens of the Internet are coming out firmly against academic knowledge in all its forms. This might sound outrageous to say, but it is sadly true.

Read more:
Is there a new geek anti-intellectualism?


Taking this all under consideration and review, one would see by the extensive responses to Sanger's latest article that it fostered a healthy debate.

Counter to the anti-intellectual arguments and 20-somethings postponing their lives; are the many students I see in class each week who are fore going their free time and personal gratification, to study and gain the knowledge that Larry Sanger so eloquently writes about. Before I close, I would like to share a brief story of a chance encounter that reinforces Sanger's essay on the worth of a higher education and serves as a tribute to all who will graduate this year.

Last month I visited my dentist for a routine filling. I was ushered into the treatment room by a young women who after getting me prepped, explained that the dentist would be delayed for a few minutes. She remained and our talk turned from joking about it being the "fateful" afternoon of May 21, "Doomsday," to history, global events, and the state of the nation. When the dentist joined us, he jumped right in the discussion, and while waiting for the Novocaine to take effect we three talked about the fate of higher education in California. I soon learned that this young women would be graduating this month from the University of California and would be entering medical school where she intended to become a  pediatrician.  She related that in addition to working as a dental assistant, she also worked in a local children's doctor's office and volunteered at a local hospital, all while maintaining the grades to qualify for medical school. In the short time I was in the dentist chair, and without getting too graphic, I observed a person who for a dental assistant, was as attentive to the patient as a practicing oral surgeon. When I asked her why she did not become a dentist, she responded that she worked in both kinds of offices to learn which path in medicine would best suit her passion. I became convinced that this person was destined to accomplish what she had set out to become.

After the dentist finished, I learned that her parents had been part of the mass immigration after the fall of Vietnam. She joins a growing list of young people whom I have encountered, who by the grace of circumstances borne out of a war long ago; have joined this band of souls we call Americans and are enriching the fabric of our nation with their grit and passion to succeed. I do not write this little vignette to cast un-do attention on her, but to acknowledge an accomplishment she shares with her fellow graduates this year. I am convinced that she is well on the way to becoming a fine doctor and will make her parents, and her community proud.

WATCHTOWER AND MEMORIES OF MY FATHER

USS Zeilin AP 9

Air Attack November 11, 1942

Air Battle off Guadalcanal November 11, 1942, USS Atlanta in lead.

I have been closely following the series of posts over at the United States Naval Institute Blog that commemorates the 67th anniversary of the assault on Guadalcanal that began on August 7, 1942. This campaign holds special interest for me, as my father was a participant in this great campaign.

This post examines the background of WATCHTOWER the code word for this campaign in a post by UltimaRatioRegis: The Last Arguement of Kings.

In the aftermath of a desperate and decisive battle, those of us who look back across the years, decades, and centuries at such events, inevitably ask the question; “Why there? What made that place worth the price in sweat, blood, and sacrifice?” Something must have drawn the cross hairs of history to such a place, made its possession worth the titanic struggle for control.
Megiddo, the most fought-over place on earth, is a hillock that dominates the ancient Haifa road in modern-day Israel. Such a symbol is it of man’s propensity for war that its very name is where scripture ascribes the end of the world to occur- Har Megiddo. Armageddon.

Gettysburg’s extensive road and rail junctions were keys to Robert E. Lee’s successful foray into Pennsylvania, once the Federal Army of the Potomac could be dislodged from the dominating high ground east of the town.

The terrain of Gallipoli overlooks the Dardanelles, and access to the Bosporus and the Black Sea, and was envisioned as a way to break the ghastly stalemate on the Western Front that had been consuming Europe’s youth for a year.

The Battle for Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands Campaign is no different. Except that by the Summer of 1942, it was not just what nature had made, but also what man had built, that drew the respective armies and navies into the fiery maelstrom that churned the jungle and the waters around them some sixty-seven years ago. As author Eric Hammel states; “There was no reason inherent in the value of the Bismarcks and the Solomons that made them worth a fight. Only a confluence of events would make them a focal point for a desperate gamble.”(1)Read more:

The Solomons Campaign: WATCHTOWER — Why Guadalcanal?

As I noted above, this campaign was the first of several campaigns that my father participated in as the United States fought back to regain control of the Pacific and defeat Japan. I first wrote about my father in this post, A Thanksgiving Tribute to my Dad and Tribute continued:

The focus of most of what has been written has rightfully been on the great land and sea battles that raged from August 7, 1942 to February 9, 1943. Less known is the actions of the men and ships of the amphibious forces who supported the landing and kept the forces resupplied with men and material. The following is a tribute to those men and ships.

My father shipped out on the USS Zeilin (AP-9) on his first voyage to deliver the men of the 3rd Defense Battalion on several islands adjacent to Guadalcanal.

The "Mighty Z" as she was called was a member of the Harris Class APA's. and earned eith battle stars for her service in World War II.

The early morning of November 11, 1942 found the Zeilin, 1 mile off Lunga Point preparing to discharge troops in support of the Marines at Henderson Field. She was protected by the USS Atlanta (CL-51), a ship with only two more days to live, Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. At 9:00 an air raid warning was broadcast of approaching bombers.

Here is the Zeilin's WAR diary and Action report of that day.

This is a summary of the attack.

FIRST ATTACK

This vessel in company with U.S.S. BETELGUESE and LIBRA, escorted by ATLANTA and Destroyer Division TWELVE, arrived off the designated unloading area east of Lunga Point, Guadalcanal Island, anchored, and commenced unloading at 0540.

At 0857 a radio message reported that enemy bombers and fighters were headed for Guadalcanal; subsequently a message by radar set the arrival time at 0935.

The ship ordered boats to remain clear and at 0919 proceeded to get underway. At 0936 enemy planes were observed coming in over the western tip of the island and ten were identified as dive bombers, type Aichi 99-N-DB. The fighters were to high to be accurately counted, however a message reported twelve.

At 0940 the hip commenced firing 3"/50 cal. AA batteries using 1.5 second fuse settings. The enemy planes took diving formation and proceeded to peel off. One was hit by shrapnel and the port wing was afire. This plane did not dive. Five planes dived on this vessel, releasing bombs at approximately 1,200 feet. There were three near misses registered on the ship; two on the port side - one about amidships, the other aft; and one on the starboard side at about frame 45 opposite No. 8 hatch, depth about 15-30 feet. The ship suffered severely from this bomb.

The ship sustained the following damage from this attack:

Number 8 hold was flooded to the third deck; number 7 to the fourth deck. Starboard shaft alley was completely flooded. Port shaft alley is leaking and is kept dry by pumping. Number four 3"/50 cal. AA gun carriage was sprung by shock. A 3/8" pipe of inboard water column line on No 5 boiler in No. 2 fireroom was broken by shock. A 1 ? overboard water cooling line from generators was broken by shock next to overboard valve. Fresh water tank, starboard side of No. 7 hold, c-611, opened to the sea. Feed water bottoms under engineroom are leaking slightly. Starboard propeller shaft was either broken or coupling bolts sheared. This shaft was broken about one-half hour after ship left CACTUS and no examination can be made until after the shaft alley is dewatered. The bulkhead between No. 7 and No. 8 holds, starboard side, is torn for a space of 30 inches. This hole was wedged practically tight before No. 7 hold was flooded. On starboard side aft of No. 7 hold at lower first platform deck rivets are sheared for about 6 feet. This leak could not be stopped because of inaccessibility, the magazine being loaded at the time. The flooding was controlled by closing of non-watertight door, shoring and wedging, then by pumping. Later the trunk leading into the magazine, 10'x10', was closed by welding over the whole trunk. A few rivets were sheared in No. 9 hold at the skin of the ship, starboard side, between No. 8 and No. 9 holds. This leak was controlled by plugging and welding. There is a dent in the starboard side of No. 8 hold about 1 and ? in depth, caused by glancing bomb. There are numerous small leaks in after part of ship, including leaks in after peak tank and small leaks in the feed water tank under the engine room. There is approximately 2,000 tons of water in the ship.

Examination by diver upon arrival at BUTTON disclosed 5 shell plates between frame 45 and 46 are cracked, one stove in about 2 feet. One rupture is across three plates, 16 feet long and varies from nothing to 2 and one-half feet wide. There is another crack 8 feet long across 2 plates. This crack is about one-half in. in width.

.SECOND ATTACK

At 1055 following the earlier attack by dive bombers, the ship received word that enemy planes were again headed for Guadalcanal.

Although damaged from the attack the ship got underway. At 1127 a flight of enemy planes identified as heavy bombers, possibly Mitsubishi 97M or 96, about 27 in number, were observed on a course towards Henderson Air Field.

Fire was opened by all ships, this ship firing all 3"/50 cal. AA guns as they could be brought to bear. Fuse settings were 21 and 30 seconds. Fire was controlled locally after the initial salvo and was checked once to change fuse settings and again to allow two guns to bear. Bursts were well grouped and appeared to be reaching up to and a little ahead of the planes. No hits were observed. Fighter planes from Henderson Field began engaging the enemy and "cease fire" was ordered on all ships.

Following the conclusion of the attack the ship returned to the unloading area. The enemy's objective appeared to be Henderson Field on Guadalcanal.

3. The officers and crew preformed their duties in a most highly creditable manner. Particular mention may be made of Lieutenant Commander Russell J. Bellerby, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Einar N. Eriksen, D-M, U.S. Naval Reserve, Carpenter Allan R. Carlson, U.S. Navy, and the repair parties for prompt, efficient, and fearless work in damage control; of Frank Grasso, gunner's mate second class, U.S. Navy, for excellent gunnery on the 20mm battery; and Thomas Ralph Dobbins, boilermaker first class, U.S. Navy, for prompt and efficient action in closing a valve on a ruptured steam line in No. 2 fireroom. The action of Privates XXXXXX, U.S.M.C., and XXXXXXXX, U.S.M.C.R., of the Second Replacement Battalion are subject to censure. From statements obtained these men deliberately remained on board after debarkation of troops. A separate report of the circumstances has been made to the Commanding General, First Marine Division. P. BUCHANAN.

The links to the action report contains hand maps showing the approach of the bombers and the positions of the ships involved.

After this action, the Zeilin retired to Espiritu Santo, in the New Hebrides where she was attended too by another famous ship, Pearl Harbor survivor, USS Vestal (AR-4).

The Zeilin went on to participate in more campaigns and my father served aboard until 1944, when after the invasion of Kwajalein Atoll , he was given 30 days leave and then joined the new carrier, USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31).

There is a little postscript to this story. My brother Vince, whom I wrote about in the tribute post, came to visit me last week. We spent a day visiting San Diego and touring the USS Midway Museum ship. Our fathers love of the Navy rubbed off on Vince, he still proudly wears the cap of his ship the USS Ingersoll and spent three years as a live-aboard caretaker of the museum ship USS Hornet. http://www.uss-hornet.org/. I learned more about the navy and shipboard life in those few days than a whole week of posts could convey. During our visit to the Midway, Vince began to attract an audience and at times he looked like the Pied Piper of Hamlin, with a train of visitors tagging along to hear his description of life aboard ship. Vince's visit reminded me of our father's role in WATCHTOWER, and it seemed appropriate to honor those who served in the Gator Navy.

For more on the USS Zeilin

http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/Product.aspx?ISBN=0-7414-0614-4

And for Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle

My Persian Sons

Over twenty years ago I met a young Persian woman, mother of two small boys, ages six and three. Fortune would have it, that we fell in love and I became step-father to these two boys. Time passed and we had our own son, a blend of the genes of Asia and Europe. The boys grew into men. Our son now 17, lives with his mother, our relationship parted, but the bond between my sons and I, remain as a father and his children.

Out of this relationship also came an understanding of the world that I never could have imagined thirty years ago. My two older boys are college graduates, in business together as partners, one is married and expecting his first child. My youngest son is about to graduate high school and wants to study political science or history, his sights set on international relations. I am amazed of his understanding of the World. The essay he wrote for college admission tells of a brief time he spent going to school in the United Arab Emirates, and the knowledge he gained about the diversity of the world and the importance of understanding all people.

I am not writing this for an exercise in bragging about my children. I do so because almost every day we are reminded about our problem with Iran. For the past twenty years I have watched as members of ex-pat Iranian families journey back and forth from the U.S. and Iran. I have met dozens of family members, coming from Iran. They all say, "We love America." To a person they long for a change in their countries political fortune. This silent passage for the past twenty years of people visiting and returning has set the corner stone for the future. When things change in Iran, and they will, the people will be ready to embrace the connections made in thousands of visits over the past years. In a series of articles linked on his blog today, Tom Barnett addresses the glimer of hope for that better relations with Iran will lead to a soft kill "alla Soviet Union."Bush seems ready to deal with everybody, even Iran—so far as Iraq is concerned
And just in, a New York Times article detailing tough economic times for Iran.
A Frail Economy Raises Pressure on Iran’s Rulers

When you strip off the veneer of idologies and get to know the people of a nation, they all are motivated by the same desire to survive and provide a better life for their children. I have found the same in almost every corner of the globe. As people diversify and make connections through business and personal relationships, the old custom to treat every stranger as a potential enemy dissipates. I am reminded of something I read in Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel:
Amazon.com: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies: Books ...
Diamond writes about a native tribesman from New Guniea who told of how it was until a short time ago, that when you met another man in the forest you carefully probed each other, hoping to find kinship, so that you could avoid mortal combat. Today, much of the world is past that point. The connected places are less likely to go to war with their neighbor nations because of kinship brought about by connections in trade, immigration, and trans-national marriage.

Don't believe this so? Marriage between nationalities in this country was a big taboo one hundred years ago. We now revel in: "My Italian Grandma taught me how to make such good spaggetti sauce." Or,"my Irish granddad could whip anybody's ass." I don't provide these examples to point out differences, but to show that the more we assimilate and accept diversity, the stronger and safer our nation becomes. Many of the men who fought World War II were the sons and grandsons of those who came here by standing in line at Ellis Island. We could have not been successful without their blood.

The next generation of talent, innovators and toilers in our nation carry names and the genes of hundreds of places we silently barred a few years ago. How we develop this talent and grow as a nation is the subject of my next post.

I will write more on this, when I discuss John Kao's book Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters and What We Can Do To Get It Back.