World War II - The Pacific War

Fredericksburg, Texas, is the birthplace of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USN.

Admiral Nimitz was born into German culture as the son of a hotel owner and his attractive wife.

Young Chester grew up in the hotel, and worked as a clerk.

He found this life boring as he grew up, and applied to his congressman for a chance to take the entrance exams for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Learning that all appointments were filled, he jumped at the chance to attend the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. He jumped at the chance, even though he had never heard of Annapolis. Rising steadily through the ranks, moving from command to command, he achieved a prominent place in pre-World War II naval circles.

Japan had become the dominant military power in the Far East, but the Portsmouth Peace Conference hosted by President Roosevelt insulted Japan by denying the empire the territorial gains it felt it had earned. In this tense setting, Nimitz received command of the USS Panay and was ordered to patrol the waters of the southern Philippines "showing the flag". In an era before radio, Nimitz enjoyed almost complete independence of command and learned much about leadership, seamanship, and diplomacy. He is quoted "We had no radio, no mail, and no fresh food." He loved every minute.

Years later, as CINCPAC (Commander in Chief, Pacific) after the attack on Pearl Harbor, many of the lessons learned on those early voyages stood Admiral Nimitz in good stead.

So it makes perfect sense to locate the National Museum of the Pacific War in the hometown of the man who guided this epic battle, as he said "representing the thousands of men and women who fought and died" for freedom.

The hotel that was once owned by the Nimitz family is now a museum devoted to the Admiral and his life. Just outside the hotel, on the way to the the Pacific War Museum, lies the Plaza of the Presidents, honoring ten consecutive presidents, spanning the years from 1941 to 1992, who served in their country's armed forces during World War II.

Each President is represented by a moment detailing his service record. From Franklin D. Roosevelt as Commander-in-Chief in 1941,

through Harry S Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, Gerald R. Ford, James E. Carter, Jr., Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush:

Entering the National Museum, one is struck immediately with the horror of December 7, 1941.

A portion of a door from the USS Arizona is located in a prominent location, complete with fuel oil stains about half way up and a ragged hole cut by rescuers looking for survivors.

December 8, 1941 was the first day of a New Age.

Four months post-Pearl Harbor, a symbolic and miraculous strike was made on the Japanese homeland by Dolittles Raiders. On 18 April 1942, 16 stripped down B-25s, loaded with 1,140 gallons of fuel and four 500 pound bombs each jumped off the 467 foot long deck of the carrier USS Hornet in pre-dawn darkness.

Designed to take off from land on runways thousands of feet long, the B-25s wallowed and stalled and nearly ditched as they clawed and climbed into the sky. Hours later, they dropped their bombs on Tokyo, beginning in a very small way a crack in the confidence of the Japanese people that their empire was invincible. Out of fuel, one B-25 landed in Soviet territory and was confiscated and the crew interned. The others either ditched near the China coast or crash landed in China. Of 80 men on the raid, 77 survived. The Japanese executed thousands of Chinese in retaliation for assisting downed airmen.

As the Pacific War progressed, censorship and news blackouts became commonplace in the United States. The first published image of American dead during World War II appeared in a September 1943 issue of Life magazine.

Brothers Joseph, Francis, Albert, Madison and George Sullivan served together on the USS Juneau. The ship, and the five brothers, was lost on 13 November, 1942, struck by a torpedo fired by a Japanese submarine during the battle for Guadalcanal.

Their mother, wrote a fearful letter in January 1943:

The industrial might of the United States immediately went into gear in 1942. Prefabbed ships were launched at the rate of one a day, with factories utilizing revolutionary production methods. During the war, the U.S. manufactured 325,000 military aircraft, more than Germany, Japan, and Italy combined.

The Museum contains so much detail on ship movements, battle plans, and personal tragedies that we had to leave the facility at about the half-way point on Tuesday. As we returned on Wednesday, the 20th, the First Day of Spring, we saw this near the entrance. These are words sadly needed in todays world.

Who has ever heard of Ulithi Atoll? Well, certainly not me, yet this volcanic atoll of coral, white sand, and palm trees located 360 miles southwest of Guam and 850 miles east of the Philippines was the busiest naval base in the world! Secured in September, 1944, within a month a floating base was operational. Repair ships, destroyer tenders, and floating dry docks arrived with 6,000 ship fitters, welders, carpenters, and electricians! This was where we picked up our second day tour of the Museum.

Lieutenant George H.W. Bush:

and a TBM plane with a ball turret like the future president was flying.

The horror of was cannot be better shown than by the "thousand yard stare."

Hundreds of little known islands, thousands of miles, and millions of men marked the slow progress of the war toward Imperial Japan. Heroism was normal, extraordinary sacrifice was commonplace, and petty grievances forgotten. The war went on...

We all have seen the famous picture of the flag raising on Iwo Jima:

But not many of us have seen a photo of the first flag raising, where the flag was fixed to the top of a 20 foot pole minutes after the Marines topped the hill!

 In 1942, three American soldiers were ordered to burn the American flag that was flying on an air base at Del Monte on Mindanao in the Philippines. Before the flag was destroyed, they decided to remove the 48 stars and hide them. For the next 42 months, the three men were moved to different prisoner of war camps and eventually taken to Japan on a "hell ship." During this time they concealed the stars in their clothes, barracks, and a steel factory. In the days before their liberation, they sewed together a new flag using a rusty nail for a needle, an old sewing machine, parachute material and the stars that they had saved. The new flag was flying over the camp when American troops arrived on 7 September 1945.

As the war ended, incredible joy swept the nation.

One can argue that every member of every branch of military service should be given a Medal of Honor.

This museum is a masterpiece of military history. There is an incredible amount of information on display, along with poignant stories of the men and women who suffered on freedoms behalf.

Leaders such as Admiral Nimitz, who didn't complete grade school, stepped up at exactly the correct time and deserve our thanks and appreciation. We wouldn't have the freedom that we now have without them.

Waitin'........and Waitin'........and Waitin'

We were told that the weather is warm and sunny in South Central Texas this time of year, but as they say down here: "We ain't seein' it." Of the 45 days we've been here in Kerrville, we've seen 8 nice days. So one of the primary reasons that we came down here....the famed Texas Bluebonnets....have not yet bloomed. We'll be here another two weeks, so we're "hopin', and wishin'" for warmer days!

In the meantime, we've passed the time with our good friends Bill and Diane from Georgia, gradually eating our way through the state.

Last Sunday, the 10th, we drove back to the cute little town of Bandera, TX, to have lunch at TJs at the Old Forge, and stroll through town. In the General Store, we took note of the latest edition of the Bandera Bulletin:

Took awhile to figure that one out!

Tucked back in a corner of the General Store hands a sign that says it all:

A couple of days later, we went to Fredericksburg for lunch with Bill and Diane at Hondo's. This restaurant is named in honor of the gentleman that is so famous for establishing the dance hall in Luckenbach, Texas, where so many country and western stars have gathered over the years.

In the afternoon, we drove south out of town to the Old Tunnel State Park. Originally carved out of a mountain to enable railroad traffic to Fredericksburg, the now-abandoned tunnel is home to 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats from May through October, all crowded into 950 feet of tunnel!

During their stay, thousands of visitors drop by at dusk to see the bats emerge. Viewing areas have been set up to watch this sight.

Before having Barbacoa at Bill and Dianes motorhome a few days later, we visited the Texas Ranger Heritage Center in Fredericksburg. This work-in-progress nevertheless has some awesome sculptures depicting the lives and times of the early Rangers.

Adjacent to the Texas Ranger exhibit is the site of Fort Martin Scott. Active from 1848 to 1853, the fort protected travelers heading across Texas toward California. It was occupied by General Philip H. Sheridan during the Civil War, but was eventually again abandoned. In 1870, Johann Wolfgang Braeutigam purchased the fort and operated a biergarten on the property until his death in 1884 at the hands of four strangers intent on robbing the biergarten's cash box. The fort has been restored to its original state at the time of abandonment, but is now only maintained in a state of "arrested decay".

Two ladies, volunteers, were demonstrating what they called "spindle tatting".

By moving the spindles, wrapped with thread, in a pre-determined pattern and tightening the thread as each knot is made, a length of lace is created. These ladies were creating lace bookmarks for the giftshop. They loved their work, and told us of lace made this way in the 15th century being taxed. The tax was determined by the length of lace attached to a garment!

Saturday got the four of us back into the car heading east toward the town of Dripping Springs, Texas. Donna and I remembered it to be a quaint little town, but in the years since we've been there, it has become a suburb of Austin, so we drifted right on through. Just south of Dripping Springs is the hamlet of Driftwood with it's signature business: a Sotol Tequilla distillery. Sotol is a type of agave plant that only grows in certain areas, and these people have figured out a way to get alcohol out of it.  Fortunately, they also have iced tea, but while we sat and enjoyed a bit of quiet time, we watched some people outside play a game. Two moves after this pic was taken, the stack fell!

So, maybe the weather will improve in the next two weeks, so we can enjoy some Texas Springtime!

We're hoping!

"The Situation is Improving, Mr. President"

With the weather improving gradually this week, we ventured out on Wednesday the 6th to see an area landmark. We had visited the Texas Hill Country briefly a few years ago and drove by the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch in Stonewall, Texas, but didn't have time to stop. This time we did.

Stonewall is only 44 miles from Buckhorn Lake RV Park, so it was a quick trip through Fredericksburg to the location of the Ranch. The Ranch is now divided by the Pedernales River into two separate parks. On the south side, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department manages a Visitors Center, a day-use facility, and the Sauer-Beckman Living History Farm, which allows visitors to walk among Pecan orchards and fields, glimpsing a view into an historical farm.

Exhibits in the Visitors Center peek into the complexities of the Presidents life. Dealing with an inherited war in Vietnam, economic woes at home, and struggles within his own party, LBJ used all of the political skills developed over many years. He still couldn't quite keep all of his loyal followers:

LBJ's saddle, boots, and hat are on display.

Lyndon Johnson was born at home in 1908. The German-Texan midwife who delivered him, Augusta Sauer Lindig, was born and raised at the nearby Sauer-Beckmann farm. The Johnson home was twenty miles from the nearest doctor, and the family did not have a car.

This desk was used by Lyndon when he attended eight grade at the school in nearby Albert, TX. His initials are carved on the top.

Young Lyndon planted his roots deep into the Texas soil even at an early age.

On the north side of the Perdernales, the National Park Service administers a working cattle ranch.

Lyndon was born in this modest farm house. He enjoyed country life, learning to ride horses, hunt and fish along the banks of the Pedernales.

The driving loop through the working ranch took us by some young twin calves, with Mom keeping a close eye on their welfare!

A long runway was built at the "Texas White House", but was found to be too short to land Air Force One on it, so whenever LBJ visited the ranch, he landed at a nearby air force base and flew in a JetStar to the ranch. Named "Air Force 1/2", the plane was most often piloted by Brig. Genera Jim Cross. Although a fleet of JetStars was at the Presidents disposal, this particular plane was a "Texan". It had been retired 50 years ago by the Air Force, and was rescued just before it was to be salvaged, in the Pentagon's "bone yard" in Tucson, AZ. Restored, it has been put on permanent display near the Texas White House.

Knowing full well that Fredericksburg is a Texas destination, we nonetheless ventured into town on Saturday night for dinner. One of the highest rated restaurants in Fred is the Fredericksburg Brewing Company. The food was superb! Rueben Sandwiches, Unpronounceable German Schnitzels and Sausages filled us up to the brim! Parking was a bit dicey, since every store in town was lit up like the Fourth of July, but walking back to the car, we came across Saint Mary's Catholic Church with the moon in the background.

It's Been That Kind of Week....

This picture says it all.....

After spending February 23 in Bandera and environs, we stayed home over last weekend and caught up on some rest as well as doing a few chores, among which was the completion of the wash/wax project on the motorhome. Yeah! On Wednesday we felt the need to venture back into San Antonio for a bit of shopping and ..... lunch at Torchy's Tacos. Let's see....we ordered the "Trailer Park", which had fried chicken and green chilis, the "Green Chili Pork" taco, with...wait for it....pork simmered in green chilis. We also ordered the "Baja Shrimp" with shrimp, cabbage, and jalapeños; and the "Republican", which included grilled jalapeño sausage, jack cheese, and poblano sauce. Put all that together with an order of "Hillbilly Queso" as an appetizer (chips, green chili queso and chorizo sausage, and you'll see why we skipped dinner that night!

Thursday and Friday were haircut and pedicure days, and enjoying the warm weather outside with the neighbors. Sasha ran and ran at the dog park and thoroughly tired herself out. Finally!

While watching the local tv news channel on Friday evening, we learned of two unique celebrations being held this weekend in San Antonio, both in the same area, so we had to brave traffic and go check it out.

The Menger Hotel is celebrating it's 160th birthday this weekend.

Located just a block away from the Alamo, the Menger was opened in 1855 as a boarding house and brewery by William and Mary Menger, both immigrants from Germany. The boarding house was so popular that it was replaced with a two-story structure in 1859....the beginning of the Menger Hotel. The Mengerwas San Antonio's most prominent hotel in the 19th century, and was periodically enlarged and remodeled to accommodate guests such as cattleman Richard King of the famous King Ranch, Generals U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Theodore Roosevelt recruited his regiment of "Rough Riders" in the Menger in 1898.

A very impressive structure, now covering the entire city block, the Menger remembers its roots with an impressive entrance.

A number of antiques grace the hotel, among them this unique clock showing the hour, second, day and date.

Sidebar:
Barbed wire, known as "Bob Wire" by cowboys, was a french invention first patented in the US in 1867, but it didn't gain favor with cattlemen until the late 1870's. A fellow out of DeKalb, Illinois began manufacturing barbed wire in 1874, and it was his wire that was first successfully demonstrated in Texas. A veteran salesman named John Gates set up a barbed wire corral just outside the Alamo in 1876 and drove cattle into the pen. Astonished cowboys and cattlemen saw how the wire held the animals and asked how they could order some. It's said that Gates invited everyone into the Menger Hotel for libations and orders. After the demonstration in Alamo Plaza, the market for barbed wire exploded with large sales to ranchers along the frontier.

John Gates, nicknamed "Bet-A-Million" Gates, became the worlds largest manufacturer of barbed wire, and helped found the Texas Company, later known as Texaco.

The other celebration, if that's the correct word, that's happening this weekend, is the Commemoration of the Alamo Siege and Battle. In 1836, between February 23 and March 6, Mexican troops under President General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission from Texians that had driven all Mexican troops out of Texas several months earlier. Roughly 200 defenders, including William B. Travis and James Bowie, died at the hands of the 1,500 man Mexican army after fending off two attacks. On March 6, 1836, the Mexican army stormed the walls of the Alamo and one by one executed the defenders. We all know the story of how this battle infuriated remaining Texians who banded together by the thousands and defeated the Mexican army a short time later at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836.

A touching memorial to the defenders of the Alamo:

Just across the street from the Alamo lies the Emily Morgan Hotel.

Six weeks after the Battle of the Alamo, on April 6, 1836, Emily Morgan was captured along with other members of her household by the Mexican army and was forced to travel with the forces of General Santa Anna as they slowly advanced across the prairie toward San Jacinto.

On April 21, the Texan army, led by Sam Houston, ambushed the Mexican campgrounds, where no guards were posted, allowing Houston's forces to win the Battle of San Jacinto in less than an hour. It is rumored that General Santa Anna was preoccupied with Emily Morgan during the pivotal battle cries, missing them completely and not alerting his troops.

In 1924, the Emily Morgan was built as a hospital and doctors office building, and was in use until 1976. After a decade of dormancy, the building was renovated as a hotel and named for the woman perhaps known as the Yellow Rose of Texas.

Donna and I were privileged to stay at the Emily Morgan in 2010, but were unable to make contact with any of the Ghosts said to be living there!

Just up the road is the Buckhorn Saloon and Museum. Reputed to be another one of the locations that Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders, the establishment has amassed some 40,000 square feet of museum space, including exhibits of thousands of trophy animals (can you believe a seventy-eight point buck?), firearms and memorabilia from the Texas Rangers.

After an afternoon of walking around downtown San Antonia and the River Walk, we drove a couple of miles north to Ma Harpers Creole Restaurant just off I35. Ma has run this place for seemingly forever and has won trophies from many, many competitions that she has entered. The building is not flashy, and the interior decor is modest. But the food is phenomenal.

Ma's place has been featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, where Ma slapped Guy Fieri's hand and admonished him to "fix it proper". Ma's daughter served us a bowl of Red Beans and Rice, with sausage, and a bowl of Gumbo with Corn Bread. Delicious! Ma was in the house, but she was negotiating a catered order of 120 meals, so we didn't interrupt, but Ma got up out of her chair and thanked Donna for "coming by". We would have liked to chat for a bit with her after seeing her on tv and laughing at her sense of humor! What a comfortable restaurant and wonderful people! Try it next time you're in SA!

As it was getting on toward evening, we shot back toward our "home" in Kerrville. The evening fog was beginning to settle in, and the temp was dropping.

So there you have another 140 mile day trip. Worth every mile!