if you live anywhere near Washington, DC...

[billmunny]

I'm attending an event this eve in downtown DC hosted by the American Veterans Center and the U.S. Navy Memorial for an advanced screening of the upcoming History Channel mini-series WWII in HD.

I'm especially excited because these vets will be there:

*Col. Jimmie Kanaya-Veteran of the Army's Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team
*Shelby Westbrook-Veteran of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen and Flying Cross award recipient
*Jack Yusen-Navy veteran that survived the sinking of the USS Samuel B Roberts during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf


If anyone wants to go (they have have free cocktails, too!), let me know quickly! The event begins at 6pm and they just told me I could bring a friend or two..

[billmunny]

my report

The event Friday eve was just great! In addition to showing clips of the soon-to-be-released History Channel in HD footage of WWII in HD (which consists of all-color film from the era), they had several WWII vets about to meet and talk to including Staff Sgt. Amos "Buck" Taylor and PFC Herbert "Jr." Suerth both of the 101st 506 PIR "Easy Company," Col. Jimmie Kanaya of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, Shelby Westbrook of the Tuskegee Airmen and Flying Cross award recipient, Jack Yusen, who survived the sinking of the USS Samuel B Roberts during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, and other heroes.

On interesting story (and there were many!), was one where Kanaya, who was born in Washington state and enlisted well-before Pearl Harbor and served in Italy as a medic, recounted how he negotiated truces with German forces on several occasions to collect the dead and wounded. On one such occasion, he arranged a truce (incidently without permission from command) scheduled to commende at noon the next day. When he arrived on the battlefield at noon he found US and German soldiers chatting, sharing pictures and trading souvenirs including medals and badges! Not all TR badges were taken by force, "liberated" or bought after the war!

Kanaya was subsequently taken prisoner, and related that in his experience, the Germans for the most part and both on the battlefield and at the POW camps, observed the Geneva Convention. They also did not treat him any differently due to his being of Japanese ancestry. He did relate that when he was visiting his family on leave before going into combat, he found it a bity odd that he, as a Sgt. at the time, had to ask permission from a bukc private at the internment camp to enter and to visit his family...

Jack Yusen, who survived the sinking of the USS Samuel B Roberts during the Battle of the Leyte Gulf, related teh harrowing story of his survival from both the Japanese and sharks in the p=Pacific.


I also had a chance to visit with Herb "Jr" Suerth of Minnesota who said he joined Easy Company in time to be sent to Europe just days before the Bulge. He was wounded and spent 10 months in the hospital. He said he had a bunch of German souvenirs but that he lost them all when he was wounded. Years later, he rescued his jump boots from the garbage after a vigorous house-cleaning!


What a great night!