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Saturday, August 13, 2005

"The Great Raid"

Just got back from seeing "The Great Raid."

I don't have enough military knowledge to critique weapons, tactics, stuff like that. In fact, I think doing that sometimes takes away from the bigger picture - whether it's a good movie. And sometimes that has nothing to do with whether or not every technical detail is exactly right.

I thought it was a good movie. I particularly liked James Franco's portrayal of Captain Prince. The movie is the story of the January 28, 1945 raid on the Cabanatuan POW camp, during which Soldiers from the 6th Army Ranger Battalion rescued 511 American POW's - survivors of the horrific Bataan Death March. The official movie website is here. It's not a non-stop-action, "DieHard" kind of film, which is actually kind of refreshing. It focuses more on the compelling facts than on entertaining special effects. Yes, there is violence - it was a war. And in fairness, I thought that the "love story" element was a bit too present. But it wasn't overbearing, and I thought it was important to understand that relationship in its context - how it fit in with the events surrounding the POW's at Cabanatuan.

The movie gives a glimpse into life for the Japanese-occupied Phillipines that I don't think I've seen portrayed anywhere else. And it's a story of heroes. It is "based on true events," so I'm sure a good amount of creative license was taken, but it doesn't seem to have been overdramatized too greatly. There really isn't a whole lot of need to overdramatize - the real events are inspirational enough.

I liked it. A lot. It's a movie that shows you what sorts of extraordinary things ordinary men (and women) sometimes do.

I am left with a few important thoughts:

In the Japanese portrayed in the film (and in historical fact) is a lesson about real prisoner abuse. Believe me, despite media hype and hyperbole, Abu Ghraib is NOTHING next to the prisoner abuse American POW's endured in camps run by people like the WWII Japanese, and the NVA and company. The few incidents that have been investigated don't even hold a candle to what abuse of detainees - or prisoners - really is.

In the actual film clips that follow the film (make sure you stay for the credits) is a lesson about how to honor heroes - how they should all be treated when they come home.

And lastly, in the entire film, there is a reminder:
According to the DoD's POW/Missing Personnel office, more than 78,000 Americans are still unaccounted for from WWII. More than 8,000 are missing from Korea. There are still over 1800 Americans unaccounted for from Vietnam. There are missing crew members from 14 Cold War missions. There is one - Navy Lt. Commander M. Scott Speicher, still unaccounted for from Desert Storm. We should - we must - keep working until they all are brought home, or at a minimum, until their fate is conclusively known.

You can find more information on Americas POW's / MIA's here and here.

You can find more information about the real story behind "The Great Raid" here:

Websites
Cabanatuan American Memorial
Cabanatuan Rescue Roster
Army News Service

Books
"The Great Raid - Rescuing the Doomed Ghosts of Bataan and Corregidor" -- William B.Breuer

"Ghost Soldiers" -- Hampton Sides

The Cabanatuan American memorial

Alaska's Sherpa Crews in Iraq, Kuwait

A C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft assigned to the Alaska Army National Guard’s Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, parked on a tarmac at Ali Air Base in southern Iraq, is silhouetted against the rising sun. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


A C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft crewman assigned to the Alaska Army National Guard’s Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion displays the unit patch on his flight suit. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Stephen D. Law, of Anchorage, Alaska, and a C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft pilot assigned to the Alaska Army National Guard’s Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, keeps an eye open for ground hazards after take off. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Tracy W. Andersen, a C-23 Sherpa pilot in Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, performs a pre-flight inspection on the aircraft before takeoff. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Tracy W. Andersen, a C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft pilot assigned to Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, waits for permission from the tower to take off at Ali Air Base, in southern Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Sgt. Larry W. Tolley, assigned to Company D, 4th Battalion, 123rd Aviation Regiment, based at Fort Wainright, Alaska, uses a forklift to load cargo onto a C-23 Sherpa at Ali al Salim Air Base, Kuwait. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. soldiers assigned to Company D, 4th Battalion, 123rd Aviation Regiment, based at Fort Wainright, Alaska, use a forklift to load cargo onto a C-23 Sherpa at Ali al Salim Air Base, Kuwait. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


A C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft assigned to the Alaska Army National Guard’s Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, makes the final approach for a landing at Ali al Salim Air Base in Kuwait. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Raymond A. Vasofsk, a flight engineer assigned to Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, performs a pre-flight inspection on a C-23 Sherpa before takeoff. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon R. Howe, a flight engineer assigned to Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, observes the engine startup of a C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft at Ali Air Base, Iraq, before a predawn takeoff. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


A C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft assigned to Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, skims the desolate desert floor during a low-level approach to a landing strip in southern Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


Air crews assigned to Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, carefully load a C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft at Ali al Salim Air Base in Kuwait. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon R. Howe, a flight engineer in Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, installs jacks for additional support underneath a C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft before heavy cargo is loaded at Ali Air Base, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon R. Howe, a flight engineer in Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, gives a hand signal to the pilots of a C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft to start the aircraft’s two turbine engines at Ali Air Base, Iraq, before a predawn takeoff. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Gordon R. Howe, a flight engineer in Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, gives an “all OK” hand signal to the pilots of a C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft at Ali Air Base, Iraq, before a predawn takeoff. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


A C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft assigned to the Company E, 207th Aviation Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, taxis to a parking area at Ali Air Base in southern Iraq after a mission. U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Lek Mateo


Read the associated DoD story about the Sherpas here.

You can also go to this post at ROFASix for a little more about these unique aircraft.
IRAQ PATROL — U.S. Army Spc. Daniel Firszt, Task Force 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, secures an area in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, during a routine patrol, Aug. 2, 2005. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Day

In Today's News - Saturday, August 13, 2005

Quote of the Day
"Iraq is a long way from [the USA], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face."
-- Madeline Albright, Clinton Secretary of State, Feb 18, 1998

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraqi, U.S. Soldiers Keep Sadr Streets Safe
U.S. Troop Visit Brings Medical Care to Iraqis
U.S. forces raid Iraq chemical facility

Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghan Army Opens Medical Training Center

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Sept. 11 Firefighters' Documents Released
9/11 Panel Defends Probe
Hamas: We Will Continue to Fight Israel After Gaza Pullout
Two arrested in last month's Egypt bombing
Lebanon frees radical Muslim cleric

Welcome Home!
797th Ordnance Company Returns From Iraq

Fallen Heroes
Service Honors U.S. Airmen, Iraqi
KBR Honors Fallen Employees

Other News of Note

Fox News
Iraq Bombings Kill Nine
Constitution agreement close
Washington Wildfires Rage
Sri Lanka Emergency
Iran Pushes Nuke Program
Fugitive Couple Fight Extradition to Tennessee
Abramoff Goes to Court
Georgia Doc Accused in 'Flesh-Eating Paste' Probe

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraqis: Constitution will beat deadline
Iran pushes ahead on nuclear path
Settlers observe bittersweet last Sabbath
How Gaza withdrawal is expected to occur
Sharon goes from builder to dismantler
Roadside bombings in Iraq are increasing
Jordan to ask Britain to extradite cleric
IAEA urges Iran to freeze nuke activities

Reuters: Top News
Iraq president says charter may be ready Sunday
Top Sri Lanka minister shot dead, Tigers blamed
Bush raises option of using force against Iran (as a last resort)
U.S.-S.Korea war games prelude to war: N.Korea army
Bush gets first look at anti-war protest near ranch
Hamas vows continued resistance after Gaza pullout
Israel building checkpoints ahead of Gaza pullout
U.S. will not withdraw from Iraq prematurely - Bush
Senate Democrats demand certain Roberts documents

Department of Defense
Giambastiani Sworn In as Vice Chairman — Story
Army Unit Speeds Technology to Front Lines - Story
U.S., Iraqi Logistics Partnership Yields Results — Story Transcript

ON THE GROUND
Alaska’s Sherpa Crews Tackle Desert Duties — Story
Joint Missions Search for Insurgent Materials - Story
Airmen Guard Gates, Protect Resources — Story

IN IRAQ
Marines Ensure Iraqis Are Combat Ready
Troop Visit Brings Shoes, Smiles to Children
Unit Offers Medical Screenings for Iraqi Kids Photos
Keeping Cool Requires Hard Work
Camp Cropper Expands

IN AFGHANISTAN
Medical Outreach Visit Treats Afghan Villagers
82nd Airborne Unit to Bolster Election Security

IN SOUTHWEST ASIA
Airmen, Soldiers Partner to Explode Excess Ordnance

FACE OF DEFENSE
Deployed Contractor Visits Airman Daughter — Story

AMERICA SUPPORTS YOU
Employer Supports Naval Reservist — Story
Freedom Walk Honors Troops
New York Mets Salute Troops

TOP NEWS
IN IRAQ
Tip Leads to IEDs; Child Rescued
IED Blasts Kill U.S. Soldier, Marine
Literacy Program Bolsters Police
Bush Discusses Iraq Progress
Withdrawal Hinges on Progress
More Units Involved in Defense
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps
Iraq Daily Update
Multinational Force Iraq
Iraq Progress Fact Sheet (pdf)
Weekly Progress Report (pdf)

IN AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Daily Update
Maps
Afghan Reconstruction Group Recruiting

WAR ON TERRORISM
Innovations Aid Language Classes
Language School Focus: Arabic
Program Offers Terror Fight Tools
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

MILITARY NEWS
Petroleum Products Fuel Military
National Guard, Reserve Update

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Army Casualties — Story

Weather
Iraq

Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Gitmo


Today in History
1521
- Spanish conquerors capture Mexico City from the Aztecs.
1651 - Litchfield, CT is founded.
1704 - The English defeat the French at Battle of Blenheim.
1876 - The US-Hawaii Reciprocity Treaty is ratified.
1906 - Black Soldiers raid Brownsville, TX.
1907 - New York City sees the debut of the taxi cab.
1939 - The 'City of San Francisco', a dirigible, crashes in the Humboldt river in Nevada, killing 24. Sabotage is the suspected cause.
1945 - 35 Jews sacrifice their lives to blow up a Nazi rubber plant in Silesia.
1946 - Britain transfers illegal immigrants (bound for Palestine) to Cyprus.
1953 - President Eisenhower establishes the Government Contract Compliance Committee.
1960 - Central African Republic & Chad proclaim independence from France
1961 - In East Germany, construction on the Berlin Wall begins.
1977 - The Space Shuttle performs its first test glide.
1989 - The STS-28 Space Shuttle lands.

Birthdays
1422
- William Caxton, the first English printer (Histories of Troy)
1655 - Johann Christoph Denner, inventor (clarinet)
1814 - Anders Jonas Ångström, physicist, founder of spectroscopy
1818 - Lucy Stone, women's rights pioneer
1819 - Sir George Gabriel Stokes, physicist/mathematician (Spectroscope)
1860 - Annie Oakley, frontierswoman (Buffalo Bill's Wild West)
1888 - John Logie Baird, the "father of TV"
1899 - Alfred Hitchcock, director (Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window)
1902 - Felix Wankel, inventor (Wankel rotary-piston engine)
1918 - Frederick Sanger, chemist, Nobel Prize winner (1958, 1980)
1927 - Fidel Castro Ruz, Cuban leader (1959- )
1942 - Robert L. Stewart, Brigadier General US Army/astronaut (STS 41B, 51J)
1963 - Pamela Jean Stein, Playboy playmate (Nov, 1987)

Passings
1988 - Otto E. Passman, (Rep-LA, 1947-77)
1991 - Jack Ryan, inventor (Barbie Doll, Hot Wheels)

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Gollahon, Gene R., USN (OH); F8D shot down on "Black Friday" in the beginning of Rolling Thunder, KIA, body not recovered

Mellor, Fredric M., USAF (RI); RF101C shot down on "Black Friday" in the beginning of Rolling Thunder; radio contact indicated he ejected and was injured, no further contact

Thomas, Harry E., USN (CA); A4C shot down on "Black Friday" in the beginning of Rolling Thunder, remains returned - ID'd October, 11996

1966
Devers, David Ronald, Sr., US Army (OH); DIC, remains recovered December, 1969, ID'd January, 1970

O'Neil, John Joseph, Jr., US Army (RI); DIC, remains recovered December, 1969, ID'd October, 1970

1967
Goodermote, Wayne K., USN (NY); RA5C shot down (backseater to Hyatt), released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive and well as of 1998

Hyatt, Leo G., USN (NH); RA5C shot down (pilot); released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Captain - alive as of 1998

1969
Hansen, Lester A., US Army (CO); UH1C shot down (pilot)

1972
Gauntt, William A., USAF (TX); RF4C shot down (pilot); released by PRG March, 1973

Townsend, Francis W., USAF (TX); RF4C shot down (systems officer); listed as POW as of 1973

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