PENNSYLVANIANS ENJOY CALLING NORTH CAROLINA HOME

The late night radio message from an east-bound B-17 from Tokyo was stark but calm, “I am 25 minutes from Oahu with 20 minutes of fuel.”  A second message followed a few minutes later, “Now ditching.” 

BILL MCKENZIE WAS ON BRIDGE WATCH WHEN 
A RADIO MESSAGE CHANGED THEIR ROUTE

Within minutes, air traffic controllers directed search planes and rescue ships to the anticipated crash area – an extremely remote area 65 miles west of Honolulu.

Additionally, four Navy destroyers in route to Japan via Pearl Harbor were ordered directly to the crash scene at flank speed.

Aboard the ditched B-17 was a contingent of top officers from General Douglas MacArthur’s Tokyo headquarters, including Ambassador George Atcheson Jr., Chairman of the Allied-Council for Japan.  Hand-cuffed to Atcheson’s wrist was a briefcase filled with sensitive Japan treaty information to be personally delivered to President Harry S. Truman.

The next morning, three survivors were picked up by a Coast Guard cutter after a Marine Corps fighter pilot spotted the wreckage and an overturned raft.  Navy and Coast Guard ships recovered five bodies and another sank during recovery efforts.

 

Among the four bodies never recovered was Ambassador Atcheson, a World War I veteran, 27-year Far East diplomat, and General MacArthur’s top adviser. 

Gunnery Controlman Bill McKenzie was standing bridge watch aboard the USS McKean, one of the four destroyers mentioned earlier.

USS MCKEAN DD-784

 “We were looking forward to a liberty call in Hawaii when ordered to bypass the Islands and go directly to the crash scene.  We searched for three days and nights, with specific orders to watch for a survivor or body with briefcase containing highly confidential documents.” 

McKenzie entered the Navy in June, 1946 after high school graduation in McKeesport, PA.  (McKenzie, from McKeesport, aboard the McKean, has to be a linguistic analogy of mention!)  “After the B-17 crash diversion, the remainder of my enlistment was spent on occupation duty out of Yokosuka and Sasebo, Japan.  The Japanese people were very nice to us – any problems were brought on by our own troops.”

GUNNERY CONTROLMAN BILL MCKENZIE 
ENJOYS LIGHTER MOMENT AT SEA

A former high school classmate invited McKenzie to Tokyo, “We met accidently on a train.  He was an Army draftsman in the Supreme Commander’s Headquarters in the Dai-Ichi Building.  It was a memorable event for me to see General MacArthur in the flesh!”

Following his Navy discharge, McKenzie graduated from Muskingum College (now University), a United Presbyterian school in New Concord, OH.  He later earned a Master’s Degree in finance from University of Pittsburgh.

Realizing I knew less about Muskingum College than they knew about the Mississippi Southern College my wife and I attended, the McKenzies filled me in.  “John Glenn dropped out of Muskingum during World War II to become a Marine Corps aviator – on his way to earning six distinguished flying crosses and becoming the first American to orbit the earth, U.S. Senator, etc.  His dad was a New Concord plumber, and John married a Muskingum coed.  They were faithful in returning for school reunions.”

I deferred mention that Hall of Fame kicker, Ray Guy, came from our school -- punting and orbiting the earth don’t have a lot in common.

After working initially with Gulf Oil Company, Bill McKenzie spent most of his business career with US Steel Corporation, “I primarily did real estate work, which involved heavy travel all over the country.  I slept on business in all but three states!”

McKenzie’s father was a 54-year old school teacher when Bill was born, “He made $60 per month and made me promise: don’t swim in the river; don’t play in the old coal mine; don’t hop freight trains; and don’t marry a school teacher.”

In addition to his livelihood, McKenzie found his life’s mate at US Steel – the former Carol Newcome and Bill McKenzie have been married 57 years.  According to Carol McKenzie, “We have three children -- a son and daughter in the Triad -- another daughter in Texas.  At the moment, all our grandchildren are in Texas – one in high school and three in college.”

The McKenzies are pleasant and enthusiastic folks, but most pleasant and enthusiastic when sharing about their grands, “Our twin grandsons are at Southern Methodist University – one is a kicker on the football team, the other is earning two engineering degrees.  Our other grandson is a Sam Houston State University senior and hopes to become a professional golfer.  Our only granddaughter is a high school junior who is a competitive dancer.

BILL AND CAROL MCKENZIE -- 2017
(UNFORTUNATELY, BILL PASSED AWAY JUST WEEKS AFTER THIS PHOTO)

After two of their three children settled in the Triad, and after extensive travel around the world, it isn’t surprising that the McKenzies found Greensboro in 2007.  They are members of Fellowship Presbyterian Church and relatively new residents at Friends Home Guilford.

        

   

GREENSBORO VETERAN THINKING POSITIVELY AT 100-YEAR MARK

Without argument, Herbert Woodrow “Red” Strader is a numbers man – starting with birthdays – of which he had his 100^th on April 29, 2017.

"RED" STRADER AMONG SEVERAL CENTENARIANS AT FRIENDS HOME WEST 

 “My first job was delivering papers for the Greensboro Record, at $2 per week.  My second job was with Swift & ConAgra Foods, at $15 per week.  After two years, I received a raise to $17 per week.”

His earnings took a hit when he joined the Navy in 1943, “I earned $21 per month and nearly froze to death doing it!”

After basic training at Bainbridge, Maryland, Strader underwent four months of anti-aircraft amphibious training at Lido Beach, Long Island, New York.  “Reveille went for us at three in the morning.  We practiced going out to sea and coming back ashore over and over again.  The main thing I took away from Lido Beach was that I was cold and wet the entire time I was there!”

Strader was an optimist, even in his younger days, “At least, I didn’t get seasick like many of my peers.”   However, he learned more about seasickness on his way to Okinawa aboard the USS Typhon, “We had some really bad sea days and I felt extra terrible.  It didn’t help my feelings one bit that the captain and many crew-members were seasick as well.”

STRADER MOPPED UP OKINAWA AND TRAINED TO INVADE JAPAN

From Okinawa, Strader witnessed the massive build-up of men and materiel in preparation to invade the Japanese homeland.  “We had already started training for the Invasion when President Truman made the decision to drop the atomic bomb.  To this day, I give him credit for saving my life.  There is no telling how many American and Japanese lives would have been loss had that Invasion taken place.”

Even though Strader was well-practiced in amphibious landings, Okinawa had already been taken when his contingent arrived.  He helped establish and secure Navy facilities on the Island, “We were continuously harassed by Japanese troops who held out to the bitter end.”  For one such confrontation, he received a commendation and a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, James Forestall. 

Even though Stader felt “extra terrible” when crossing the Pacific, he fared even worse when Typhoon Louise hit Okinawa in October, 1945.  “Tents and anything made of canvas were blown away, as were 80% of all buildings on the Island.  We were without food for several days.  I laid in a ditch to survive the storm.”

Two of Strader’s brothers also served in World War II – Frank with the Army in Italy, and Jack with the Navy in the Pacific.  “I have no doubt that both of them would have been involved in the Invasion of Japan as well – I’m so thankful it did not happen.”

Greensboro born, Strader’s family included six boys and one girl, “My dad lost everything we had in the Great Depression, I don’t see how he was able to feed our family – but we never went hungry!” 

Long life-spans ran in his family – his mother died at 98, his sister at 99, and his brothers into their 90s.  After attending Pomona, Peck and McKeever schools, Strader graduated from Greensboro High School in 1935. 

As a centenarian, Strader’s recollections might shock Millenials, “I never rode a school bus in my life.  My wife and I traveled a lot -- gasoline was fifteen cents per gallon.  America is the greatest country on earth.  I have surrounded myself with good and knowledgeable people – hopefully, some of that rubbed off on me.  Money and material things are good, but not nearly as important as family and friends.”

Youngsters of all ages will marvel that Strader reads three newspapers daily and follows the stock market relentlessly.  Oh, he doesn’t wear glasses either!

Post-World War II, Strader worked 44 years with ConAgra Foods Inc., which morphed into Swift & Company.  Along the way, he and his wife formed Yancey Investment Company, Inc., with considerable holdings in real estate and other investments, “I’ve turned all that stuff over to my son and grandsons now, I know it’s in good hands!”

STRADER AND HIS CPA, DEBBIE MARLOWE

According to Debbie Marlowe, his accountant, he has not lost his passion as a numbers man, “I wish everyone brought their tax paperwork in as well prepared as Mr. Strader!”

Strader is a lifetime member of College Place United Methodist Church.  He and his wife, Nessie “Nip” Myrick Strader, were well-traveled – it would be easier to list world-wide venues they did not visit rather than those visited.  Nessie Strader died in 2004 after 66 years of marriage.  They had one son, three grandsons, and two great-grands.

At his 100^th birthday bash, Strader philosophized, “I’ve done a lot of dumb things in my life, but God has always been there to pull me through.

   

FORREST BRAY -- WW II SAILOR, RECYCLER, BUILDER, POLITICAL ACTIVIST 

The Navy recruiter probably didn’t ask Forrest Bray about his work ethic.  At Asheboro High School, he had lettered in baseball, basketball, football, played in the band, become an Eagle Scout, and elected student body president.  He also had part-time jobs -- firing the gym boiler and delivering the Greensboro Daily News. 

However, even during World War II, the Navy had a sense of humor, “I wanted to go into Naval Aviation, so the Navy assigned me to the Navy Armed Guard aboard the Billy Mitchell, a Merchant Marine ship named after an aviator.”

FORREST BRAY (R) DURING HIS EARLY WW II DAYS

During World War II, 144,900 U.S. sailors served in the Armed Guard aboard 6236 Merchant Marine ships – 710 ships were sunk, 1810 guardsmen killed in action.

The Billy Mitchell reached England in May, 1944 with assorted Seabee materiel and two Navy PT boats on board.  “We unloaded and left for the States on June 5, the day before D-Day.  We had to dodge a sea of ships to leave, but thanked the Lord for getting us out of harm’s way before hostilities began.”

The Billy Mitchell returned to the war zone by way of Glasgow, Scotland, where two ocean tugs were off-loaded.  Next stop was Omaha Beach, where they anchored for six months, “We were like Ace Hardware at sea, with 2 X 4s, plywood, nails, all sorts of building materials needed by our forces on land.  The ocean was adrift with floating material that had been lost or thrown overboard.  I built a small boat for scavenging useful material when we weren’t busy.”

Being anchored for six months almost did the Billy Mitchell in, “We unloaded at Cherbourg, France in November, 1944 and headed for the States.  We couldn’t maintain convoy speed across the Atlantic and were left without an escort – that was a little scary!”

Bray went aboard another Merchant Marine ship, the E. Kirby Smith.  “We sailed for Europe again.  The Germans were retreating on land, but enemy submarines were still active.  We stayed at general quarters from dusk to dawn.  Passing through the Straits of Gibraltar in single file -- three ships ahead of us were torpedoed. – that was our closest call.

All ships went on full speed.  We could only make six knots but finally made it to Port Said, Egypt for repairs, then to Calcutta, India.  Next ports of call were Sri Lanka; Mozambique (where we learned about V-E Day); Cape Town; Trinidad; and New York.”

After assignments at Charleston, South Carolina and San Diego, California, Bray reported aboard an aircraft carrier, the USS Kwajalein, at Pearl Harbor.  “At last, I would learn about airplanes, something I had always wanted to do.” 

BRAY'S DREAM OF SERVING ON A CARRIER FINALLY MATERIALIZED
BUT HIS CARRIER HAD NO AIRCRAFT

That was not to be, Kwajalein’s airplanes had been taken off and the carrier was being used to bring troops home from the South Pacific – the war was over!”  Bray was honorably discharged on May 10, 1946.

His parents had moved to Greensboro during the war, “I got a job at Sears Catalog Order Plant that lasted 14 years.  During that time, I started part-time in real estate and building.”

After Sears, he formed his own development company, Bray, Inc.  “We were fortunate to add a good number of residential and commercial buildings to the Greensboro landscape, including some sizeable developments and a few subdivisions.”

He was also active with the Homebuilders Association – on the local, state, and national levels.  He served as president of the Greensboro Builders Association and was Homebuilder of the year in 1981.

 

It wasn’t all work for Bray.  He found an 88-acre play haven to which he would eventually retire – in the Bethany community of Rockingham County.  “I wanted to experience building as did my ancestors – cut the timber, hew the wood, build the structure – and never take any trees down unless absolutely necessary.”

A self-acclaimed “tree-hugger,” 91-year old Bray is also a consummate recycler.  “Just about everything on my property is built from previously used material.  My chimney isn’t even pure-bred, the bricks come from four different structures.”

Bray is politically outspoken and has consistently offered himself for public office – in both Guilford and Rockingham Counties.  He has made unsuccessful runs for county commissioners in both counties as well as for mayor of Greensboro.

FORREST BRAY IS DOESN'T MIND OFFERING HIS TIME AND TALENT
 "TO FIX BROKEN SERVICES"

“I’ve slowed down a bit nowadays, but still attend school board and county commissioner meetings, as well as a lot of committee meetings.”  He also posts political commentary at www.rceno.com and has hosted a monthly radio show on Madison’s WLOE.

FORREST BRAY IS LIVING HIS DREAM ON 88-ACRE DOMAIN OF HIS OWN

His former wife is deceased – they had two children, three grands, and five great-grandchildren.  Bray attended Westover Church in Greensboro, but now attends Smyrna Presbyterian Church in Bethany.

     

 

  

WW II CORPSMAN HAS STRONG CONNECTIONS TO GUILFORD COLLEGE AND COMMUNITY

James Campbell “J.C.” White entered Guilford College three times: in 1942 after graduating from Curry School; in 1946 following World War II; in 1950 after care-giving his parents through a seize of illnesses. 

Pragmatic beyond his 92 years, “After one year in college, I knew the draft board would be coming for me, so I went to them first.  It was Army-Navy alphabetically, so the W’s went Navy.  One year of pre-med at Guilford placed me in Navy Hospital Corps School.  One autopsy took all plans of medical school off my plate.”

He worked for the Postal Service after dropping out of college to take care of his parents.  “That was a great job, paid well and gave me time to help with my parents.”  It also gave him time and resources to invest in rural family land that was becoming less rural by the moment – it was near the intersection of Friendly Road and Dolley Madison Road.

His third enrollment at Guilford College was more typical – he graduated in 1952 with a degree in history.  He was already aligned with Greensboro history – he was delivered by Dr. Wesley Long. 

In the war zone, it took White a while to find his LST-456 duty station.  “The Navy flew replacement crewmen to their ships wherever they were posted.  Before my ship could be located, dysentery and dengue fever put me in a Brisbane, Australia sick bay.

J. C. WHITE AND FIRST COUSIN DURING WW II

That wasn’t bad duty – major league baseball stars, Phil Rizutto and Johnny Mize were there.  Rizutto’s bunk was next to mine.  When I left for New Guinea, he asked me to send him back some guineas.  Another memory – Rizutto received more letters from more women than anyone I ever knew!”

White caught up with LST-456 in the New Guinea theater, but did not follow through on his bunk-mate’s request.

WHITE'S LST-456 WAS ACTIVE IN PACIFIC THEATER 

As the junior corpsmen aboard ship, he spent much of his time giving shots.  “I know some of those shots were quite painful.  I don’t think I could do that now, at my age.”

With editorial license, I find that strange – As a sea-going Marine 60 years ago, corpsmen uniformly assured me, “This shot won’t hurt a bit!”

White recalls one sailor who wanted to choose his own doctor, “We were off the coast of Borneo.  I was the only corpsman on the ship when two crew-members got in a fight.  One suffered a split scalp but didn’t trust me to fix it.  ‘That’s fine with me, I told him -- go ahead and bleed to death – it’s your call.’ 

He changed his mind and I sutured him up, but he complained afterwards that my stitching left his bald head looking just like the lacing on a baseball.  I told him to grow lots of hair and no one would notice.”

White added, “We had a doctor aboard for a short while – he was a pediatrician – I never could figure that out!”

LST-456 earned eight combat campaign stars during the war, several of them after White came aboard.  He became a golden shellback when his troop carrier crossed both the Equator and International Date Line.

LST-456 EXTRACT SURRENDERED JAPANESE FROM LUZON 

He has indelible memories from the Philippines, “We beached our ship on Luzon to take on Japanese troops as prisoners of war.  A Japanese major went ashore with a bullhorn to coax them out of the jungle and to surrender their arms.”

He well remembers the day the war ended, “We were below deck watching Gone With the Wind for the umpteenth time.  Anti-aircraft guns started firing from all over the place, and the announcement came over the PA system, ‘The war is over.’ “

Memories were also made after sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge, “ Welcome Home, Boys had been painted on the Alcatraz water tank.”

Even then, he wasn’t home free, “Several of us weren’t paying attention and got on the wrong train in Chicago.  The conductor was going to kick us off, but three women passengers talked him out of it.  We got to Atlanta, where we caught another train to Greensboro.”

White traces his Quaker heritage back to Cane Creek’s Simon Dixon.  Late in life, he married Winifred Lincoln, an Englishwoman and daughter of a British engineer working in the U.S.  She had a son and daughter.  Winifred White died in 2014.

The son has also passed away, but his step-daughter, Joan, is around to dote on White, “She is the daughter I never had.” 

J. C. WHITE AND BOB BENBOW -- WW II LST SAILORS IN DIFFERENT THEATERS
BUT TOGETHER AT FRIENDS HOME -- GUILFORD

White spent most of his working career with Dillard Paper Company, “I couldn’t have chosen a better place to work.”  His venture into real estate is a stand-alone story.  Parcels of his land were once owned by a Payne family.  They had a daughter named Dolley.

   

   

  

BENBOW'S NAVY SERVICE A TESTIMONY FOR PEACE

On January 1, 1942, John R. “Bob” Benbow attended the first Rose Bowl game played away from Pasadena, California.  (Duke Stadium, Durham, NC – Oregon State 20, Duke 16). 

On January, 19, 1943, Benbow joined the U.S. Navy.  After boot camp, he went aboard the Navy’s first tank landing ship, LST-1. 

Of 1000 LSTs manufactured during the war years, Benbow’s was the first to float.  “We left New York on April 14, 1943 with a full load of tanks, trucks, jeeps and lots of supplies.  We even carried a 131-foot landing craft tank on our main deck.  Pontoons were attached to each side of the LST for unloading tanks and heavy equipment.

Bermuda was our first port of call – it was the first and last friendly call for the next two years.”

BOB BENBOW IS OAK RIDGE, NC NATIVE AND
GRADUATE OF OAK RIDGE MILITARY ACADEMY

Arzew and Bizerte, along the African Coast, were less friendly, “We got our introduction to the real war there – air raids, bombs, and firing our anti-aircraft guns at enemy planes.”

Sicily was even less hospitable, “We were bombed almost every day and sometimes at night – just enough to keep us up and wear us out.”

LST-1 made several supply shuttles back and forth to Africa.  “On one trip, we took on 400 German and Italian prisoners of war and transported them to Africa. 

On another trip, I met the Army doctor who had come aboard for the Invasion of Sicily.  He was a major and I was enlisted, but we developed a special bond – his name was Dr. Maurice LeBauer, from Greensboro, North Carolina.

TROOPS OFFLOADING AT SALERNO, ITALY

The September, 1943 Invasion of Salerno, Italy came next for us.  We got there a few days after D-Day, but were still within firing range of the Germans.  We stayed at general quarters almost all the time.”

LST-1 went into the supply shuttle mode again, making several voyages across the Mediterranean to Northern Africa.  “We knew another invasion was being planned, but the ship was on lock-down secrecy.  After sailing, we were told – Anzio.”

There was hardly anything about Anzio that Benbow approved, “It was poorly planned and the execution was worse than the planning.  Allied lives were lost unnecessarily!”

The fact that U.S. ships were raided by Luftwaffe bombers and received heavy barrages of fire from inland gun placements -- including Germany’s infamous railroad gun -- surely clouded Benbow’s perspective.  Many companion LSTs were hit and some sank at Anzio.

COMBAT LOADING AT SALERNO FOR ANZIO INVASION

After Anzio, LST-1 returned to dry dock in Sicily, featuring rest & recuperation for the crew.  The welcome this time was friendlier than on their prior visit.

Benbow lost his Oak Ridge Military Academy class-ring in Sicily.  “That broke my heart and I looked all over for it.  After the war, I went back to Oak Ridge for one semester.  A guy from New York sent the ring to the president of the school.  He had traded a carton of cigarettes for my ring in Salerno.  Fortunately, he was a good guy -- my name and the school name was engraved inside the ring.” 

By early May, 1944 Benbow was in Swansea, Wales, enjoying what turned out to be a lull before the storm.  “This was our first English-speaking port in over a year, but even with my Welsh heritage I had a hard time with their brogue.”

LST-1 had been combat-loaded for four days when she slipped from an English port on June 5, 1944.  “I was up early the next morning – you could see ships in four directions and airplanes in four directions – that’s the only way I can describe it.

We anchored off Omaha Beach D-Day afternoon and sent a landing craft ashore with a load of Navy beach-masters.  They would supervise off-loading from the ships.”

Benbow’s second visit to Omaha Beach was on June 12, 1944.  It was a mind-changer.  “My walk on the beach that day is burned in my memory.  Those memories will haunt me forever.  Ships were sunk or partially submerged, tanks and vehicles over-turned and burned, dead soldiers were lying in the sand – body parts were still being collected.”

For decades, 93-year old Benbow did not talk or write about his WW II memories.  Eventually, he started writing – then talking -- he feels people need to know about the awfulness of war, and that war is not always the answer.

WORLD WAR II VETERAN OF FIVE CAMPAIGNS VOLUNTEERED TO SERVE
BUT PRAYS THAT WARS CAN BE AVOIDED IN THE FUTURE

The North Carolina State University graduate worked with Nationwide Insurance for 31 years.  He has been retired 33 years.  He married Reba Lowdermilk in 1949 – they have three children and three grand-children.  

In October, 2016 Benbow was among the 1942 Rose Bowl attendees invited back to commemorate the occasion – only one of the football players was still alive.

  

 

 

  

CHUCKS I'VE KNOWN

My wife and I have been blessed with good neighbors.  As the years turned, I intended to write about two of them.  Both had morphed from good neighbors to good friends.  Both were sailors of Korean War vintage.  Both were named Charles.  Both were known by everyone as “Chuck.”

I am sorry to report, both are being written about in the past tense.

NAVY SEABEE -- CHUCK LEIPHAM

Chuck Leipham, the Seabee, lived 177 feet across the street from our front door.  Chuck Kasai, the Corpsman, lived 210 feet around the corner from our front door.  No, we don’t feel cramped at all – our prior home was a 35’ motor home. 

CHUCK & GLORIA LEIPHAM

The two Chucks were perfect neighbors.  The Seabee was a master carpenter.  Among other things, he walked me through the installation of a life-saving stairway rail.  The Corpsman was a retired IBM engineer.  He coached me in keeping our amps, ohms, pixels, and bytes going in the right direction.

NAVY CORPSMAN -- CHUCK KASAI

Leipham and Kasai had similarities beyond their names.  Both were Northerners.  Both re- retired to Greensboro because they had a daughter who lived here.  Leipham has another daughter who lives in New York – Kasai has a son who lives in Raleigh.  Jane and Chuck, Gloria and Chuck -- childhood sweethearts -- had been married for a cumulative 124 years.

CHUCK & JANE KASAI

The two sailors and I did not talk a lot about military service, although the three of us hit many of the same ports around the world.  Leipham much preferred to talk about his two grand-sons and what talented prodigies they were.  Kasai’s Navy stories were usually centered around his Navy grandson, a senior chief petty officer of the submarine force.  “He’s the real sailor in our family,” the grandfather insisted.

While I missed a lot about how they had lived on this earth for over eight decades, I was more privy to their eleventh hour feelings about how they would leave this earth.  Facing end of life issues, both men were brave, analytical and fiercely independent.  Neither intended to be a family burden – but neither wanted to spend their last days belted in a nursing home wheelchair lane.

During these times a friend loaned us her copy of “Being Mortal,” by Dr. Atul Gawandi, Medicine and What Matters at the End.  It read like Dr. Gawandi had been inside the minds of Chuck Leipham and Chuck Kasai – or vice versa.

The good doctor marveled at the medical paradigms available to stave off death for the terminally ill, such as $12,000 per month chemotherapy, $4,000 per day intensive care, ventilators, defibrillators, and thousands of dollars in endless surgeries – often with unintended circumstances. 

From a perspective he did not learn in medical school, the doctor writes that some terminally ill patients might have lived better, and possibly longer, had they opted for more conservative care.  That is not a new perspective – hind sight remains 20/20.

Since our neighbors were blessed with excellent insurance and full VA benefits, financial ramifications were not significant.  Neither were medical wonders that might stave off death. 

Leipham realized he had passed the point of too many damaged joints and failed organs.  Kasai realized cancer had raged in vital organs too long and too far.  They spoke with authority that their bodies were wearing out and concurred with Dr. Gawandi, “Aging isn’t an appealing prospect.”

The doctor, Leipham, Kasai and I all went to different churches.  They did not hear our pastor proclaim, “God realizes the aging process that takes our bodies away doesn’t have a lot of appeal, but can be fixed in one heartbeat.” 

       

Secure in their faith, my two friends chose to let God have His way.  Obliging and loving families, caring doctors, and Hospice helped ease the process.  Both men were ever so grateful for the small amount of autonomy that existed into their last days – remember, they were “fiercely independent.” 

Dr. Gawandi admits he doesn’t have all the answers, as evidenced by the case study of his own father, also a doctor, during his last days.  He is even quicker to admit that his profession has a lot to learn when it comes to counseling and treating patients at the end of their lives.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed “Being Mortal.”  The book changed our thinking on some issues and led us to tweak a few of our plans.  A chapter on my two friends called Chuck would have made his book even better. 

Charles T. (Chuck) Leipham passed away March 18, 2016 – he was 83.  Charles (Chuck) Frank Kasai passed away November 3, 2016 – he was 84.

THE ERRORS STOP HERE

I didn’t think for one moment that Bill O’Reilly would answer my email message.  After all, it contained a litany of errors found in his recent best seller, KILLING THE RISING SUN.

 

Conversely, I hope he doesn’t think for one moment that I will let those errors go unscathed for readers of this column.  Nor that I come to these pages to condemn his book.

Granted, the message carried a negative tone.  I didn’t care for my first call-out, and recently, when called out for the 300^th time, it wasn’t any more palatable. 

But it’s doubtful he would have responded, even if I had glowingly posted him that I thought this was his best “Killing” book yet – which I do.  Just a guess, but he and his ghost writer buddies are probably already busy, scouring the planet for something else to kill.

Some of his errors are excusable, such as the statement that the distance from San Francisco to Tokyo is 8000 miles.  When I made that trip via troopship in the 1950s, it took 21 days and seemed like 88,000 miles.  However, Google distance says it’s only 5136 miles.

There was no suspense that the plot a book of this genre would lead to the deck of the USS Missouri, in Tokyo Bay, for surrender ceremonies, photo ops, and mass flyovers.  O’Reilly had good words to say about the “Mighty Mo.”  In fact, they were too good!  His mention of the ship’s 25-inch guns would have caused consternation with international treaty folks – 16-inch is the legal maximum – the Missouri has nine of them, but zero 25-inchers.

His glowing accolades went down with the ship when he quantified her length as almost as long as a football field.  At 887 feet, she is much closer to the length of three football fields.

These all too obvious errors were on page 257 of the 300-page jewel of a World War II broad brush – definitely not his best page.

Looking past the errors, allow another disclaimer – this is one great book.  I recommend it wholeheartedly.  Buy, it borrow it, check it out, or Kindle it, you will be glad you did.  Best you buy it, because it is one you will want to read more than once.

O’Reilly struggled with the Marine Corps table of organization during the Battle of Peleliu, primarily on page 40.  He conflicted himself by reporting that the 1^st Marine Division, no longer a fighting force, was relieved by the 5^th Marines. 

Three regiments made up the 1^st Marine Division: 1^st Marines, 5^th Marines, and 7^th Marines.  O’Reilly should have reported, “the 1^st Marines were no longer a fighting force.”

While the errors on page 257 were unforced, unnecessary, and fall in the low-hanging fruit category, the Marine Corps infrastructure mishap on Peleliu is more easily over-looked and forgiven – except for a best-selling author.

What cannot be over-looked and forgiven are errors on page 35.  O’Reilly mentioned a Marine officer named Pope who had first seen action on Guadalcanal in June, 1942.

Numerous Guadalcanal veterans have been written about in these pages, including PFC Speedy Spach of the 5^th Marines, Major General Lloyd Wilkerson USMC (Retired) of the 1^st Marines who was a PFC at the time, and my brother, Sergeant Jack Thetford, of the 1^st Marine Air Wing – even so, Marines did not land on Guadalcanal until August 7, 1942.

O’Reilly’s Grand Poobah comes in dealing with that Marine officer named Pope.  Not only did he place Everett Pope on Guadalcanal when it was only occupied by natives, Korean laborers and Japanese troops – he mistakenly reported Pope was the father of two sons. 

This would have been a shock to his bride of just a few months, Mrs. Eleanor Hawkins Pope.

The Popes did eventually have two sons, Lawrence E. and Ralph H. Pope, but only after Captain Everett Pope returned home from combat campaigns on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu – during which he earned a bronze star, purple heart, and Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Pope son, Lawrence E., should sound familiar to readers of these pages.  As a retired U.S. Ambassador to Chad, Ambassador Pope was called back into service in 2012 when John Christopher Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya, was murdered by terrorists at Benghazi.

Ambassador Pope has been called upon again more recently.  He will speak at the inauguration of the Bowdoin College Marine Corps Association.  It will be named in memory of his father, a magna cum laude graduate from Bowdoin. 

Hopefully, the Greensboro News & Record will send Bill O’Reilly a gift subscription.  He might enjoy reading about our veterans as much as we enjoyed reading his KILLING THE RISING SUN.