Public Pulse

January 10th, 2008

Invasion Japan

Lyle:

I know all about this planned invasion. Hagan's Division came home from Europe with a 30 day leave, after which they were to be the first Division to invade Japan.

During that 30 days, our time together was bittersweet, because we both knew he could not survive another invasion. We both thought this was the last time we'd ever be together.

We were in Kansas City, waiting to get on a train to California where he was to muster with his Division in San Luis Obispo, when the news broke about the 2nd Bomb and that Japan had surrendered. We both cried at that news and went out of the hotel. The streets of Kansas City were filled with celebrating soldiers, civilians and even children. Two different women tried to pry Hagan from my arm, telling him they would give him a lot better time than that silly little blonde he was with (meaning ME!). I told them in no uncertain terms to find their own man, that this one was mine! We finally went back to the hotel, because the town was drunk and I was tired of women trying to take Hagan away from me. I thought then, and think now, that they should have been on their knees thanking God the war was over, instead of drinking until they were senseless. To the soldiers who were slated to go die on the shores of Japan, it was a great blessing. Estimates have been made that over a million people would have perished in such an invasion. Thank God it did not happen.

/s/ Louise Hagan
Oxnard/Ventura, CA.

Errors in Invasion Japan Story?

Lyle:

Not sure where you got this, but there are some mistakes.

First, the aircraft labeled as a Navy Hellcat is actually a Wildcat. It was used in the early part of the war and was not nearly as capable as the Hellcat. In addition, General Simon Bolivar Buckner was not a Civil War General. He was a U.S. Army General in WW II, who was killed during the invasion of Okinawa when his observation post was hit by enemy artillery fire (I think). There is a training camp on the military reservation at West Point named after Lt. General Buckner.

I believe he was the highest ranking American General killed in combat during WW II.

While the article is interesting, these obvious errors make me wonder about the authenticity of some of the other information presented.

/s/ Gene Adams,
Major, USMC, Retired
Windsor, Colorado

Editor’s Note: Major Adams is absolutely correct with reference to the Hellcat/Wildcat question. The image shown on page two of the January 3rd, 2008, issue of The Paper is that of a Wildcat, not a Hellcat. The Hellcat, however, was the correct aircraft flown on missions cited in the article. The editing error was due to the similarity in configuration of the two aircraft. Indeed, the Grumman F6F Hellcat was a fighter aircraft descended from the earlier F4F Wildcat, but was a completely new design sharing only a familial resemblance to the Wildcat. The Hellcat proved to be the most successful aircraft in naval history, destroying 5,171 aircraft in service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps (5,163 in the Pacific and eight more during the invasion of Southern France), plus 52 with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm during World War II.

However, the article is correct as it cites Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, a Confederate General who practiced “prairie dog warfare.” The confusion lies in the fact that General Simon Bolivar Buckner of the WWII era, is the son of the Confederate General. The original General Buckner is the General who surrendered to then Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant at Fort Donelson.

Liked PPH Story

Lyle ... Lyle ... Lyle ...

Greetings from the West side of Valley Center. I hope Evelyn and yourself are doing well!
Oh how I enjoyed your story on PPH. How revealing, how interesting, and oh how you outdid yourself! GREAT STUFF!

Do take care and maybe someday I can buy you lunch at the Sizzler?

All the Best,
/s/ Ron Gibson
Valley Center, CA.

More on the PPH Story

Lyle:

I picked up The Paper yesterday. I just read Sid's (Colquitt) letter. PPH did have a 25% budget for inflation (5% per year). By Aug 2005, they had "used" 20% of that. By Dec. 2005, they were 25% over the 25% padded budget.

As Sam Abed rightly observes, "inflation" has generated a 20% cost increase on the City's Police and Fire projects. Since PPH's cost overruns are much larger than that, something else is the cause.

Also, Mulholland and his ilk helped inspire the Brown Act and the Public Records Act. Sorry, Sid, backroom deals and covert operations are unethical (and illegal) violations.

/s/ Robroy Fawcett
Escondido, CA.

More on PPH and Beyond

Kudos on your excellent editorial in today's (12/20/07 - Mr. Mike’s Traveling Miracle Medicine Show) issue. I hope you will follow up with a report and keep the public informed of the millions of dollars of operational and maintenance costs of both the Sprinter and the usually empty Breeze buses traveling our North County city streets. It's too late to save the half billion dollars but maybe reality will lead to better stewardship of public funds.

Thank you for your interest and efforts.

/s/Henry M. Sanford
San Marcos, CA 92078.