Such a cliche, isn’t it. But this month on All Hands TV from NavyTV – a special Chapter on the Carolina Canines. This program is working with the Charleston Navy Brig to train dogs for wounded warriors. This helps the inmates and is a great service to the wounded warriors who will depend on these wonderful dogs as aides and companions.

The journey starts at the SPCA.  The healing for everyone involved is amazing, the trainers who feel a sense of redemption, and the wounded veteran who is given the trained animal  to assist them with their daily lives, from turning on lights, to being the steady companion when the spaces are too small and there are too many people; and the life of the dog, spared from the cages of the pound or even worse.

Watch this piece.. and realize the healing power of a dog!

Now Hear This – the GI Film Festival is coming to the Navy Memorial next week!

The GI Film Festival, the nation’s first and only military film festival, is coming to the Navy Memorial May 9-15, 2011. We have a week full of celebrity red carpet events, dazzling parties and inspirational films by and about our servicemembers and veterans.

Watch a preview here on NAVY TV – there’s also a highlight film of the 2010 Festival.

Buy your tickets for the GI Film Festival here and enter code “MIL11″ for a discount.  See you THERE!

Navigating the Seven Seas

Father and son Vice Adm. and Master Chief Melvin Williams speak at a Navy Memorial “Authors on Deck” event about their memoir Navigating The Seven Seas: Leadership Lessons of the First African-American Father and Son to Serve at the Top of the Navy.  In this lecture, they outline their seven “C”s of leadership: Character, Competence, Courage, Commitment, Caring, Communicating and Community, and tell their personal stories about overcoming racial barriers in the Navy over the course of 60 years of consecutive service.  See their presentation on NAVY TV

Read more about them in the Navy Log Blog.

Surrender came with great reluctance to the Japanese at the end of World War II.  By 14 August 1945, when Emperor Hirohito made the final decision to submit to the stern terms dictated by the Allies, however, Japan’s ability to wage war had been virtually annihilated.  Cut off from raw materials by the destruction of the merchant fleet, Japan’s factories could manufacture little in the way of weaponry.  The few ships that remained of the once mighty Japanese Imperial Navy were limited in what they could do by lack of fuel.  The Supreme War Council could foresee no results from continuing resistance to the Allied assault on the homeland other than further suffering of the Japanese people and further destruction of the country’s cities, ports, and industry.

On 6 and 9 August, a single powerful new weapon dropped on each of the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki had leveled those places.  How many more atomic bombs the United States had in its arsenal the Japanese did not know. On the day Nagasaki was bombed, the Soviet Union, whom the Japanese had hoped would mediate a peace, declared war and launched an invasion of Manchuria.  Despite the clear need to end the war, a few military leaders conspired to effect a coup d’état in order to reverse the emperor’s decision, but were foiled in the attempt.

The final words of the emperor’s recorded surrender message, broadcast to the nation by radio the next day, encapsulated the Japanese feelings about the surrender: “It is according to the dictates of time and fate that We have resolved to pave the way for a grand peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is unsufferable.”

From The Marine Corps History Division…

The 24 July – 1 August 1944 campaign for the assault and capture of the Mariana Islands played a vital role in the final defeat of Japan. Planners deemed the islands of Guam, Saipan, and Tinian of critical importance because the Army Air Corps needed bases from which its long-range bombers could make non-stop strikes on Japan. Additionally, the Navy wanted the islands developed as advance bases, and hoped that a Marianas operation would draw out the Japanese Combined Fleet so that it could be engaged in a decisive battle.

After the capture of Saipan in early July 1944, the next step in this campaign was Tinian, whose relatively flat terrain was ideally suited for the construction of airfields for the new American B-29 bombers. Vice Admiral Richmond Kelley Turner, USN, commanded the approximately 800 ships and 162,000 men of the Marianas Joint Expeditionary Force. Turner also led the Northern Attack Force, designated specifically for Saipan and Tinian. The task of taking Tinian fell to the 2d and 4th Marine Divisions, under the overall command of Major General Harry Schmidt, USMC, Commander, V Amphibious Corps.

Tinian underwent over 40 days of preliminary naval gunfire and bombing from the air. Shore fire control was improved from previous campaigns as fire-control parties worked out procedures on board the gunfire ships designated to support the landings. Photo reconnaissance flights and captured enemy documents on Saipan gave a clear picture of the topography of Tinian, and for the first time napalm was used extensively and proved successful in burning off ground cover.

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Last week we talked about getting started on researching a family member who served in the US Navy.  This week we would like to take a minute to talk about researching ships.  A great starting point is the Naval History and Heritage Command Frequently Asked Questions on Ship’s History and Record Logs.  This will provide you with very informative links on Deck Logs and the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships among other resources.  Here in the Navy Department Library we have numerous books on ships, plus a unique collection available on individual ships called the ZC Files. 

Our ZC files  are an incredible resource when it comes to researching ships.  The ZC series comprises material relating predominantly to 19th century ships of the US Navy. Data on a few Revolutionary, Confederate, and private ships also are found, as are some files on 20th century ships. Examples of the types of materials in individual files include: (1) brief ship histories; (2) movement reports; (3) newspaper and magazine articles; (4) official Office of Naval Records and Library, and Naval History Division correspondence relating to the history of the ship. Twentieth century material in this collection includes items such as commissioning brochures and welcome aboard pamphlets.

… that the Vietnam War ended 35 years ago today.

Thirty-five years ago today, I was an about-to-graduate high school senior. State wrestling champ, All-state football player, with a scholarship offer from the University of Missouri. Ready to move on to the next phase.

I walked down the stairs to where my bedroom was, turned left, and the Auld Soldier was sitting on the couch, watching TV. He was four months away from retiring after 27 years, two wars, a Silver Star, BSM w/v, and seven Purple Hearts.

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In honor of those who went and came back. And those who did not.