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Health & Fitness

The Battle of Midway: How Quickly We Forget

Today is the 70th anniversary of arguably the most important battle of World War II. Our current generation needs to be reminded of our history.

The Battle of Midway, fought in June 1942, must be considered one of the most decisive battles of World War II. The Battle of Midway effectively destroyed Japan’s naval strength when the Americans destroyed four of its aircraft carriers. Japan’s navy never recovered from its mauling at Midway and it was on the defensive after this battle.

Today is the 70th anniversary of the battle, and I have some long-standing connections with the island.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked the island and my mother’s cousin’s son was killed.  He was a U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant, George H Cannon, and was the first Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor in the war.

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Following that attack my uncle was assigned to Seabee Battalion 10 and sent  to the island to prepare defenses. Interestingly enough, in 1958 I was assigned to Seabee Battalion 10 not knowing that he had been in the same battalion throughout the war. Then in 1965 I was assigned to the Naval Station on Midway — had one child born there.

Five years ago, Shelley and I returned for the 65th anniversary of the battle. When we stepped off the launch onto the island after so many years, it was an emotional experience.

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Today we should all take time to remember that 70 years ago our sailors and Marines fought a battle that shaped the war and our destiny as a nation.

I did not see one article marking the occasion in any of the newspapers except for the ceremony at the Marines Memorial Club.

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