Memorial Day- 2013

    A day of remembrance.  A day of recollection.  War and Remembrance, the great Herman Wouk novel, somehow comes to mind.   The gifted writer captured a nation with his saga, begun with the "Winds of War".  It  follows the Henry family through the triumph and tragedy that was World War II.
An unforgettable page, during the narrative, stopped the story line.  The author decided that a particular fact of history needed its own truthful remembrance:  this was the incredible story of the Battle of Midway Island, June 6th, 1942, six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
       The Japanese Fleet was known to be heading east toward Midway Island, with a goal of landing and capture.  U.S. Navy Admiral Chester Nimitz ordered his forces to intercept before the attack could begin.  Bull Halsey took sick, and the solid Adm. Raymond Spruance was given command.   His carriers were his weapons with their air wings on  board.   Air groups included attack/scouting squadrons, bombing squadrons, and torpedo squadrons. Air group 8 included Torpedo 8.
    It was the men of Torpedo 8 who caused the Japanese to lose their focus, giving bombers time to fix the carriers and sink them.  Thus the tide had turned for the Japanese.  Landings of Marines in the Solomon Islands would begin the long road to Tokyo Bay in August, 1945.
     Author Wouk listed the members of Torpedo 8 by name and home town.  One member, rear Gunner Anthony Maffei was from Santa Rosa, California.   His sister lives there, alone with her memories of her older brother.