Col. Page really brings home how valuable the experiences of a 'China Marine' as well as those of Haiti, etc. These 'old men' (Manilla John Basilone, etc) were able to teach the new recruits & thankfuly so because they were going up against battle-hardened (ironically also from China) IJA vets. Walked 200 miles to the nearest Marine Corp recruiter! At 20 mi./day that's a 10 day trip! You always hear about Chesty but this is the 1st time I've ever heard of Col. Hannigan. Sounds like these Marines had two of the most experienced Battalion Commanders we had.
I flew into Okinawa on my over to Nam, the first thing I saw on approach to the airport was a A&W sign out the port side window. Spent six weeks at Camp Schwab before shipping out.
When I saw this I instantly remembered the time me and my brother sent off for a bracelet, one each, and never received it. Figured we were ripped off. And I really wanted one badly.
This small group of pilots deserves allot of credit. A recently published book "59 Days on Starvation Island" is about the first two squadrons on Guadicanal.
TY for your service. One point of clarification--the NVA DID take prisoners but only a select few. Pilots and other officers would be captured and sent to Hanoi. Grunts and door gunners were shot on the spot if captured, yes.
@@joshboncoeur6985 I think he said neither side was taking prisoners, meaning at that time and place in his experience. Obviously he didn't mean not a single prisoner was ever taken by the NVA during the whole war, I'm sure he knows that would be a ridiculous statement.
Uncle Chuck was definitely a man of the "Greatest Generation".... a purple heart in each war...... a larger than life fun man. One time when I was a teenager, he asked if I wanted to fly from San Diego to Phoenix with him. His private plane was a small Cessna or something like that. Over the desert, with the sun setting, he turned to me and said he was going to take a quick nap so I should let him know if I see any lights heading for us. Its been half a century, but this still sticks in my head!
Greetings from Scotland and I read the book years ago and when I visited Washington DC I went to the wall and took a rubbing of his best friend's name Kevin from 'the wall' and mailed it to him when he was living in Kintore Scotland years ago back in 1996.
Thank you Randy Zahn for your service and sacrifice. I do not watch tv nor movies any longer at my age (I'm 10yrs your junior). I don't like the drama in films. However, I watch and listen to veteran stories (mostly combat vets). Vets are mostly on top of their game and sure of themselves. And when a veteran is in a deeply emotive moment in his or her story I am all in...captivated. I served on submarines '80-'86. Thanks again...
If your going to do an "interview"-with these Gentlemen,-please "bone-up"-on the Subject,-you had a "rare-chance"-with Veteran,-of the'Cactus air force"-at guadalcanal-fo christ sake,--these guys held line,in the Pacific against-Real Zero pilots,-that were the best !!-at least find out what an "airplane looks like"-& where the "pacific-ocean is"on the map !!-and let the Guy tell His Story--("what's an outside loop??-for Christ-Sake)
Thank you, Colonel Neiman for your service to our country. Your heroism and selflessness, actually volunteering for combat duty, is an inspiration to us all.
No pay increase, no insurance on their lives, pay for room and board plus uniforms...doesn't speak well for the greatest generations command structure.
Thank you so much for doing this! My dad was so thrilled to participate in this unique documentary, as he loved history. We lost our dad in June 2010, so this video is precious beyond measure.
My two cents says let the man speak from the begenning of his service to the end,instead of jumping around to different stories.Most interviewers take that position of begenning to end.That way the story makes more sense.
