George Floyd

Watching the ridiculously futile effort by police in places like Santa Monica, I just have to add my two cents, as I have been doing for the past 19 years. A newsman walking by saw stores being looted, he watched them inside picking out what they wanted with impunity. He actually witnessed an officer telling a loot filled car to move on. It seems every time a clear case of police brutality occurs rioting is soon to follow. I don’t place the blame on the police; it is the cowardly elected officials who make a show of force with no intention of stopping the chaos. It has been this way for many decades. To me this makes a mockery of their everyday purpose of keeping the peace. I, like you have seen the video many times of the knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck. As I understand it, even after he stopped struggling the officer kept his knee there for nearly three minutes. I agree, as I am sure you do, that this officer and the other three should receive the highest type of sentence for committing this heinous act of cruelty. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the police were called after he presented a counterfeit twenty dollar bill. How many times have you given a twenty and watched the cashier run a crayon over it. Let’s say I did it without me knowing. Would the police have been called? I doubt it. This incident is so tragic because of the consequences. I understand the deep feeling of concern by people of color and the knowledge that they were kept in virtual bondage for 100 years after the end of the Civil War. If I were of color, I no doubt would react as they do. That does not mean that we should not take every means possible to stop the violence from those who take advantage of these occurrences to create disorder. I am one who believes these groups are financed and encouraged to create havoc. Most of the violent ones it seems are not from the cities being looted and burned. I am an old man but I still care about my country. I fear for our future if we cannot find a way to live together judged by the content of our character not by skin color as a great man once said. Jack B. Walters May 31, 2020

The Life of Abraham Lincoln

By; Henry Ketcham You like I, have no doubt read many books about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. One documentary was published in three volumes of over 600 pages each. This is a small book devoted to teaching us about the character of Lincoln starting as a small boy until the end of his life. First and foremost he was a kind, gentle giant of a man who wished to not harm anyone. The grievous loss of life during the war devastated him. There were many episodes to show this to us. As a young man on a river boat to New Orleans he witnessed the brutality towards the slaves. It was here he resolved if it were ever in his power he would wipe it out. He was challenged to a duel by a small man. As the person being challenged he got to choose the weapon. He picked large broadswords. At six foot four inches it would be comical to see. The duel was called off, they became friends. One time he came across a young pig struggling to get out of the mud. In his lawyer suit he picked up the pig and brought it to safety. During the war young soldiers guilty of falling asleep on guard duty or some other infraction were brought to him to be brought before firing squads. He just couldn’t do it even though the Generals were furious. He did all he could to keep the Union together. He told them he would not start a war. When they bombed Ft. Sumter then he responded. Read this book if you want to learn more about this great man. I enjoyed reading. Jack B. Walters May 29, 2020

Every good thing has to end sometime

The deadline to renew men’s basketball tickets is June 1. We decided not to renew. No matter what changes between now and November I cannot envision myself joining 15,000 to see the games at McKale. I will be 92 by then, very vulnerable for the virus. I have been hesitant to renew buying tickets for some time. The one and done irritates me. The push to pay college athletes offends me. We attend cheering on for Arizona. If their only goal is making money and they do not possess team spirit for the University then my interest is gone. We have enjoyed the experience of being part of the cheering gang for decades now. We will miss it but will settle for TV as a poor substitute. Jack B. Walters

A Higher Call

An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II By; Adam Makos I really enjoyed reading this excellent, well researched effort by a young author. He discovered this story while researching for WWII veteran’s stories while they were still with us. The interviews were done fifty-nine years after war’s end. He found the name Charlie Brown. While interviewing, Charlie told him to first talk to Stigler and then he would tell his story. He said “In this story, I’m just a character; Franz Stigler is the real hero”. In the process he discovered one of the greatest untold stories in military history. The two main persons in this story were Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, the pilot of a B-17, Flying Fortress with the 379th Bombardment Group; and Franz Stigler, a German Fighter pilot flying a Messerschmitt 109. They came together on a cold December day in 1943. It was Charlies first command flight, a bombing raid on Bremen by 475 bombers. As part of his formation he had dropped his bombs and was returning when hit by flak. He and another plane were forced to leave the protection of the formation and try to make it back on their own. They were attacked by a flight of Focke-Wulf 190’s. The other plane was shot down. His was severely damaged and limping back. His gunners were able to shoot down two of the pursuers. Half his crew was either dead or wounded. Only one gun was able to function. The plane was severely damaged. They flew right over a German Air Base and Stigler got into his plane to finish him off. What happened in the next few minutes is the reason this book was published. So incredible it is hard to believe it could have occurred. I will ask you to read so you learn in the reading. Most of the book is spent telling of their lives before, during and after the war. Charlie completed 29 missions and Franz 487 mostly in the I09 but near the end of the war in the Me-262, a jet fighter that was faster than any of our fighters and in my opinion had they been produced in quantity the bombing of Germany would have been impossible to achieve. Franz as a young man considered the priesthood but when the war began he enlisted. As a fighter pilot he scored many victories starting in N. Africa then Sicily, Italy and finally Germany. The bulk of this book is of his four year history of flying combat which only ended when the war was over. We also read about Brown’s tour of duty. Of all of the WWII books I have read this one stands alone in first place. I highly recommend reading. Jack B. Walters May 27, 2020

The Things Our Fathers Saw

The untold stories of the WWII Generation- Volume I I: War in the Air- from the Great Depression to Combat By; Mathew A. Russell The author was born 16 years after the end of the war. Fifty years after the war ended as a history teacher he became interested enough to enlist the help of students who were willing to fan out over the country collecting stories from veterans still alive. Together they collected over 200 interviews. These were published under titles such as this one. Others were; I- Voices of the Pacific Theater, III-War in the Air- Combat, Capture and Reunion, IV- The war in Italy and V- D-Day and Beyond. We have all read the accounts by Generals and government leaders but these individual stories of ordinary men doing their job fills in the spaces usually overlooked. By now they have all passed away. Due to the interest of the author their stories have been immortalized and are there for anyone, now or in the future to read. We get to know them starting with their lives before the war, their wartime experiences and their lives after returning. I enjoyed reading, perhaps you will as well. Jack B. Walters May 19, 2020

Helmet for my Pillow

From Parris Island to the Pacific By; Robert Leckie The author describes his life from the time he entered the Marine Corp until he was convalescing in a hospital in America. Fully expecting to recover and return to action the Atomic Bombs were dropped ending the war. He philosophies the reason men like him do as they do. They are willing to defend their country if attacked. He signed up on January 5, 1942. His account of training is oftentimes humorous. He landed on Guadalcanal with the first wave and stayed until this was ended. While rehabbing in Melbourne, Australia he got himself into trouble by not obeying the rules. He returned to action at Peleiu and Okinawa. He writes about his fellow Marines and the jungle warfare. We learn a lot about what it was like fighting a fanatical opponent who would fight to the death, no surrender. He was wounded many times and suffered with malaria as well. If stories about WWII interest you I recommend reading this one.

Air War in the Pacific

By; George C. Kenney Early in 1942 when the battle of Bataan and Corregidor was near the end. President Roosevelt ordered General Mac Arthur to leave for Australia so that he would be available to lead our forces back when it became possible. When he arrived, he only had a scattering of personnel to defend Australia. It was expected that the North Coast including Darwin would be conquered by the Japanese. Two famous statements he made. 1- I came thru and I shall return. 2- The battle for Australia will be fought in New Guinea. To that end he moved his headquarters to Port Moresby on the Southern Coast of New Guinea. The Air Force he inherited was totally ineffective. He knew of General Kenney’s reputation and requested he be assigned to him. It was granted. It didn’t take him long to see the many shortcomings. He went to work and shortly had enough planes in the air to make a difference. He was also effective in his trips to Washington in getting replacement aircraft and parts. He would visit with Roosevelt and after a friendly chat somehow a miracle would occur and shipments started arriving. Early on they were P-40s, P-38s and B-25 bombers. Later P-47s and P-51s were received. With training his men learned tactics to be effective. One of his innovations was Skip Bombing. He had worked on the theory before coming and shortly perfected it. It consisted of flying low towards the broadside of a ship and dropping the bombs in the ocean. They would skip over the water and bomb the side like a torpedo would do. One interesting side note, General Kenney had a young pilot on his base in San Francisco when he commanded the Fourth Air Force. The pilot was caught flying close to the ground, under bridges, etc. He was called in and reprimanded but the General made sure that wherever he would be assigned that this pilot would follow him there. At that time he was a little blond-haired Norwegian boy about five foot six with a round pink baby face and the bluest, most innocent eyes. His name was Richard I. Bong. He became the highest achiever of downing aircraft in the air with 40 confirmed kills. At that point he was sent home only to die as a test pilot soon thereafter. The first major achievement was the destruction of a Japanese re-enforcement fleet of troop ships, cargo ships and destroyers. It became known as the Bismarck Sea Battle. All were destroyed. The book is a chronicle of events leading to the Philippines and preparation for the invasion of Japan. Due to the vast distances needed to reach objectives, he quickly garnered a construction crew of engineers. They were the first to arrive after a landing took place to build air strips and buildings to support the arrival of fighters so they could support the longer range bombers. As an Air Force veteran myself it was, of course, fascinating for me to read. You might find it otherwise but I recommend anyway.