
I so liked the main character, Jake Holman, that I named my last airdale after him. Walt's Courageous Jake. The character was an independent but honest and fearless Motor Machinest Mate First Class.
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United States interests in China were protected by U.S. Navy gun boats for 200 years of uninterupted naval service, longer than in any other area. The boats that patrolled the Yangtze River were know as YangPat for Yangtze Patrol. Many of the men on the river patrol craft served their entire 20 to 30 years there, retired and stayed in China. They loved the duty in real life as much as in the fictional movie.
There were eight River Patrol Gunboats on the the Yangtze:
USS Palos PR1
USS Monocacy PR2
USS Wake PR3
USS Tufuila PR4
USS Panay PR5
USS Oahu PR6
USS Luzon PR7
USS Mindanao PR8

The attack took place at midday as the crew were at dinner with their guns covered. They were removing civilians from a threatened American Embassy. Two bluejackets were killed along with one civilian. Eleven officers and men were wounded. Although the Japanese claim to be people of honor, their history is in conflict with that claim. I have not and will not own a Japanese car.
LESS WE FORGET, I wanted to write about these small ships because they had the most hazardous of duties in the most foreign of lands. Their crews may have had "ding how" shore leave but the duty and the pay was as bad as it could be. They served their country well.

Adlai Stevenson:
"Patriotism is not short, frensied outbursts, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime".
God Bless!
1 comment:
My father-in-law Sevrved aboard the USS Yuma from May 1944 to Nov 1945 His Military record from the Ships logs show he boarded the ship in New Caledonia.
There were 7 others on the Ship and I have their names as well. My email is maxmuscle3@lear.net
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