I comment as a veteran of the United States Navy and as a person who contemplated suicide. Suicide is hideous because your mind tells you that you are better off to be dead. Because of this, I try my best to prevent others from committing Suicide.
That is sad that RU-vid imposed an age restriction, these podcasts are so in-depth that they should be used to teach and remember the past is a very respectful way. Keep up the great work.
Captain Toti, I've commented on previous episodes regarding your and Seth's integrity as historiographers, but I also made the observation that you (and Seth and distinguished guests) have brought to light both the good and bad actions of and karmic recognition to, key players in the Pacific theater. This piece openly and fearlessly shines a light on your powerful sense of justice as you tell the story of a brave hero who was torpedoed twice; once by the infamous and multi-treaty violating Japanese Long Lance Type 93 oxygen torpedo, and then again, metaphorically, by a scapegoat-seeking United States Navy. We live in a world where the assessment and evaluation of hard facts have been made even more crucial by the sheer power of the kinetic tools at the disposal of sovereign nations, and Indianapolis was right in the middle of the dawn of the nuclear age. I admire your manifestly strong sense of justice at a personal level. But I also appreciate how important it is to shape, and sometimes force, historical narratives to be congruent with incontrovertible evidence, or no one will know how to make our military a non-conflicted force for good within itself, to say nothing of vis a vis the rest of the world. Your series is enormously interesting and thought-provoking. I hope your work becomes key curriculum at our military academies. Thank you for your service.
Well said, my friend. This was a procedure issue, not a managerial one. I'm assuming that Captain McVey was poorly represented. Your remarks, if said then, may have exonerated a good Skipper in his unfair court martial. The Circle of Blame is a time-honored naval tradition.
I can't imagine how bad life would be without me... As a veteran, my empathy has to be channeled. I understand why buddies became drug or alcoholics, divorces, and often had crazy kids and a broken life. The devil throws hand grenades. He just doesn't want you. He wants the whole family. Just stand in faith, see the beauty and stay thankful.
I often think about the courage and sacrifice made by soldiers on different sides of this war. It is fitting and respectful to keep their memory alive.
I applaud you bringing the issue of PTSD to this series. My Father suffered from PTSD from his service in the Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams of WWll. I also suffer from PTSD and, even though I am 71, it is as fresh as the days of the incidents that created it.
Thank you, Sir. You tell the story with grace, dignity, and respect for the memory of Captain McVay. Bravo Zulu. And I join with other vets in underscoring the warning in Captain McVay's story. We're generally not going to be particularly forthcoming with what's bothering us. Don't try to pry too hard, because that can make us think of it as an attack, but let us know you're willing to listen and not judge or reframe it. Above all, though, please, please don't brush it off. (My own combat experience was pretty mild by comparison, but the thing that gets you - or got me, at least - is that nobody is going to really understand. It took a while to work through it, and it took some searching to find the right people to listen. But
I have lost too many friends, and shipmates in the late 90s. I knew them all. All their names. I dont remember peoples names that I meet anymore. Thank you for this video. Great Job Admiral.
Thank you, Captain Toti, for sharing this truly sad story with so much respect and honor. Captain McVay was treated so unfairly and you and others have done a remarkable job of helping to restore the honor of this American hero. I am sure that he not only distressed by the treatment he received, but I cannot help but imagine that he must have been haunted by the unnecessary loss of life of his men/shipmates while they were adrift for days. Hopefully he is at peace now with his men knowing that their sacrifice is more fully appreciated in its proper light. Thank you again, Captain Toti!
Thank you Admiral for talking about this. I've lost two friends, both Vietnam combat vets to suicide. To prevent and intervene in the downward psychological spiral to suicide requires bringing this out into the open, and getting consuling and therapy to those afflicted. Again, thank you, and as a son of a combat WWII Seabee veteran, and have witnessed first hand how war doesn't end with cessation of hostilities among combatants
Thank you for this important work, Captain. Dan Carlin in his Supernova in the East podcast occasionally mentions the Pacific Marine vets he knew and tried to interview when he was a young man. Invariably they were in the process of drinking themselves to death.
Thank you for talking about his life and his death. Too many turn away from the topic, and by extension, they turn away from the dudes struggling with it. Thank you again.
I was previously unaware of Captain McVay's final demise. Thank you so very much for the education regarding this solemn and tragic event and the circumstances leading to it. It saddens me greatly that the establishment at the time needed a scapegoat, and thus court-martialed Captain McVay. I would like to learn more about who led the charges against him and of the court-martial itself. Thank you, Captain Toti, for leading the efforts to exonerate Captain McVay and restore his honor. On a more trivial note, what a beautiful and meticulously maintained 250 year old home and grounds. I'm wondering if it's currently a private residence. Nice camera work, too. Thank you again for this excellent, educational video.
It's just entered my mind , thinking of veterans , and wondering if the movie in 1970 called MASH which not only glorified adultery, fornication, alcoholism, insubordination, disrespect, etc, etc its main theme and anthem " Suicide Is Painless" might have added to veterans suffering .
Yeah, interestingly M*A*S*H was based on a Richard Hooker novel. He was a Korean War vet who disavowed both the film and later TV series. The filmmaker, Robert Altman, took huge liberties with Hooker's book, essentially turned it into an anti-Vietnam film and Alan Alda made the TV show even more so. Hooker was not pleased, but there was nothing he could do, once he sold the rights he had no say.
Thank you Captain Toti. My father was a soldier and I believe was haunted by what he saw. He was a difficult man to be around but videos like this help explain why. All too often true for servicemen to this day
I've read the report and seen the pictures while doing a report for school about the sinking. The Navy failed to take into consideration the multiple failures that lead to this tragedy. Losing his crew was punishment enough. But yet the mental health care in that time period wasn't known as much as it is now. Still shows today with the the failure of the military and mental health care.
The wounds of war are handed down from parent to children and children to grandchildren. The trauma indelibly colors our lives. I speak as a physician; we have made tremendous progress, Commodore. The care of individuals with PTSD is good and getting better. Medical research will continue to improve the standards of care. Hopefully, our elected leaders will find a path forward for a more peaceful and just world so that no one else is subjected to this.
PTSD is a real thing. I see it every time I attend appointments at the VA hospital in Temple (for non-PTSD matters). I see it in some faces -- invisible injury, my ass. It's heartbreaking. How much worse it must have been for the Captain, what with the hate mail and perhaps even survivors guilt? In a real sense he too is every bit a victim of those two torpedoes. Thanks, Capt Toti.
Im reminded of the story of Peter Zschech, the German captain of U-505 of that killed himself during a depth charge attack by US destroyers. It's a grim story. And thanks for handling this subject with gravity and grace. It takes a man that cares to tell a story like this. I was not aware of this story. Now i'll likely never forget it.
Sir, thank you treating your fine discussion with the respect and dignity this officer deserves. You and Seth treat all of your topics with dignity knowing you guys are talking about human beings who moved toward the sound of the guns. All sacrificed some, some sacrificed all. Thank you so much for bringing this tragic event to the forefront. Regards
How incredibly sad. Captain Toti, keep up the good work on spreading the word about our veteran PTSD issues. I recently saw/read that we now lose, on average, 22 of our warriors daily. THIS HAS TO STOP! Well done Sir.
An important expose of a former Captain that was treated horribly by military bureaucrats while highlighting the dangers of untreated mental stresses that linger on with potentially dreadful outcomes. Well documented Captain Toti.
Thank you Captain bill for handling this with the reverence and respect it required. We have two suicides in our family and although they're not military-related they're still devastating. Please people, if you observe a friend or loved one that is quiet when they are normally not for long periods of time or that they're just generally really depressed seek help. Talk to them.
Thank you Captain bill. I agree, we need to talk more about topics such as suicide, depression, sexual assault ET cetera. We've remained quiet for too long because we consider these topics taboo. That the person that's experiencing it is then forced to endure it and suffer in silence when there is so much help and so much love available to those people they've hit rock bottom and don't know how to ask for help or to reach out for a hand to get back up. The work that you do is so essential and again I'm so grateful for the way that you handled this devastating and tragic situation.
Love this episode, it maybe too early yet to know but do you think you will cover his courts martial in an episode? Having met a Indy survivor I’ve always read things that just didn’t seem to square up. Hopefully you guys can set the record straight. God bless your work.
Thank you Bill. For that Q&A my question was on The chaplains role. I can’t imagine how a young Saipan veteran prepares his mind for the next amphibious assault without Divine guidance . In that era most people believed in “ the hereafter “
His aversion to religion, in the sense usually attached to the term, was of the same kind with that of Lucretius: he regarded it with the feelings due not to a mere mental delusion, but to a great moral evil. He looked upon it as the greatest enemy of morality: first, by setting up factitious excellencies - belief in creeds, devotional feelings, and ceremonies, not connected with the good of human kind - and causing these to be accepted as substitutes for genuine virtue: but above all, by radically vitiating the standard of morals; making it consist in doing the will of a being, on whom it lavishes indeed all the phrases of adulation, but whom in sober truth it depicts as eminently hateful
I was once in contact with “Dutch”Shultz’s daughter of Longest Day fame- yeah he tried to drink himself to death. He was able to get his live back together after many years. His daughter still has the famous rosary that Dutch received prior to D-Day, as seen it in the movie.
Somehow, I found this before it was deleted. Thanks for proving that Captain McVey was never culpable for getting Indianapolis sunk. The investigation was poor, the real investigation should have been why it took 3 days to find them.
The tolls of dead listed in official records and in the museums of WWII should include those service men and women whose mental anguish caused them to end their lives. They were just as much victims as those who fell in battle. So tragic.
Fantastic episode, Captain Todi. McVey wasn't the only USN scapegoat. In a way, Admiral Fletcher was shelved without any specific charges. Even strong men break.
Bill. Over the years have any of the family members of the family members who'd blamed Capt McVay, have they expressed any sympathy to the McVay family after learning of the injustice done to him?
This bideo will save lives. Share this video, you will ultimately save lives. Those suffering often show few outward symptoms, but those symptoms are crucial. Again, share thus video.
I think this might have some relevance. I experienced the suicide of a friend the important thing was that day he was very relaxed after weeks of deep upset and depression. He evidently was comfortable in his resolve and maybe that is something to look out for in others like that. I greatly appreciate this series not only for the history and Invaluable insights but the profound humanity you bring to the study of war. Always, thank you and best
I felt bad for the stepson, his dad died and then his mom quickly remarried against his wishes and moved the new guy into his dad's house, smhd. That is a shitty, selfish thing for McCvay to have done to her kids, I never understood how some guys just force themselves on another man's children, college age or not. Sounds from the stepson like the Captain and the selfish mother got what they deserved in the form of a miserable marriage. I thought the stepaon was beyond gracious for even agreeing to the tour and appreciated his speaking honestly and candidly about a man to whom he was not related and whose presence clearly caused him a lot of upset and grief. Having been wronged by the government and suffering PTSD does not provide license for or excuse barging in to another man's family where you are not wanted. Kudos Bill and team for offering this unvarnished look at historical facts, irrespective of my personal views regarding his impact on his wife's kids he was a heroic, yet tragic figure whose suffering and passing were quite sad.
Come to Washington DC for a live episode. The Tune Inn on 4th and Pennsylvania SE. Its been there for 70 years. Its owned by a boots on the ground Desert Storm Veteran. Im the bartencer and i have so many fun questions. Ive seen all your content and i have so many questions. Let me convince you why Jimmy Doolittle was the most important individual in WW2.
Ironic that the US Government found fault and judged a man guilty due to public outrage. The anthesis of this is the government's and public's lack of outrage to the 800 or so USN sailors that died because of the Bureau of Ordinances indifference to their Mk-14 torpedo's ineffectiveness, attributable to their own worthlessness.
Not sure if it’s just me, but this video is only showing up under the season 4 playlist. It’s not showing up under the regular “video” section of the channels uploads.
