The Flying Tigers by; Sam Kleiner

(The untold story of the American Pilots who waged a secret war against Japan) I purchased this newly published book as soon as I learned of it. It is very well written and researched. Most of you reading this will have no knowledge or recollection of this famous group. Because of my advanced age I do. At the beginning of WWII there was nothing but bad news. We were beaten everywhere by the Japanese. The Flying Tigers was the lone exception. In reading I now know how it was formed. Claire Chennault had resigned from the Army Air Corp and went to China in the 30’s to help them create a Chinese Air Force. In this he was not successful due to the poor quality of the aircraft and the poorly trained pilots. He brought the situation to the attention of President Roosevelt to create a volunteer Air Force of Americans in 1940 to help China, which was before we were attacked at Pearl Harbor. The volunteers for the most part were from our air force. They resigned with the understanding that they could return after serving one year. There were about 100 pilots and an equal number of maintenance personnel. They were supplied with P-40’s which I am proud to state was produced in Buffalo, N. Y. They painted the nose to resemble shark teeth. Somehow sharks became tigers in describing the group. Do to the foresight of FDR and Chenault they were ready at the time of Pearl Harbor and became active. The book covers the events during that year. A few agreed to stay on. Some of those didn’t make it back. Some rejoined the Army, others returned home. Their exploits were spectacular. The Japanese for the first time had equal opposition. Many enemy aircraft were destroyed but the main benefit in my opinion was the huge boost in moral for those of us at home when all else was disaster. They fought over Burma, China, Thailand and French Indo-China. They are credited with destroying 299 Japanese planes with another probable of 153. They also strafed and bombed Army units as they found them. Many were aces destroying 10 or more planes. Many didn’t return home. Those that did received boisterous demonstrations from grateful citizens with home town parades. This is another great book reminding us of the contributions of the “Greatest” generation. Jack B. Walters June 27, 2018

The Mathews Men

(Seven Brothers and the War Against Hitler’s U-Boats) By; William Geroux A friend advised me of this book which covers the war from the perspective of Mariners. A chronicle that up to now has never been documented as Mr. Geroux has so thoroughly written. Mathews is a County of the coast of N. Carolina that has had a tradition of producing sailors since the 1700’s. It was astonishing to me that one location could have had so many important sailors during WWII. I never realized how successful the U-Boats were particularly during the first six months of 1942. As a nation we were not ready to conduct war on an equal basis until we had time to train men and produce equipment to fight. This was particularly true with respect to protecting merchant ships. The ships sailed alone and were sitting ducks. The citizens resisted turning down lights. The U-Boats had no trouble seeing the outlines in the night. There was no air cover or naval escorts. The ships were not provided weapons to fight back. It wasn’t until the middle of 1942 that coastal convoys were created with air and naval protection. The progress of the War is outlined. Of particular interest were the convoys to Murmansk which received great losses. A man could not survive more than a few minutes in the bitter cold water and the convoy couldn’t stop to try to save them as they would only add to the losses if they stopped. As we follow the different men we learn that many returned again and again after surviving a torpedo attack. Some eventually paid the ultimate price by doing so. We learn of the families of these men and how they persevered. If you are interested in WWII history you might learn from reading this one. Jack B. Walters June 8, 2018

Letter to Mr. Steller

I am responding to your article published today in the Arizona Daily Star entitled “Recent Immigrants no threat to American identity”. I always read your articles and usually agree but not this one for several reasons. Representative David Stringer does not speak for those of us who voted for Trump. You assert that Trump was elected because those of us who voted for him are racist. That may be true for some, but the ones I know who voted for him including myself did so out of disgust for a Congress,(both parties) who have been bought and sold, a Congress that ignores the welfare of the average citizen and always does the bidding of the lobbyists who shower them with money and write legislation to benefit themselves. I hope you took the time to watch 60 Minutes this evening when the opioid epidemic was featured and where the Food and Drug investigators were made toothless The Legislation was passed without a negative vote from anyone in the House or the Senate. It was signed into law by Obama, the Obama that was and still is adored by most members of the Press. Illegal immigration is totally out of control. Congress even with Trump is not willing to pass legislation. As a result there is chaos at the border. No fence will ever stop this when all they have to do is assert they need shelter and they are admitted. The separation of families is to create the tumult of indignation such as expressed in your article. How can any country function if the borders are wide open and hordes of humanity cross over? As to people of the Muslim faith, no one should care what anyone believes. It is not as simple as that. The radical believers have been creating problems all over the world and they seem to be in control. It will not be long before it grows in magnitude. This religion when in dominance lords it over all others. Don’t take my word for it just read your history books. I have read many. I am not willing to let them dictate who or what the rest of us want to believe. Trump is doing all he can while all it seems are determined to keep him from draining the swamp as we want him to accomplish. Jack B, Walters .