On May 27 the crippled Yorktown arrived in Pearl Harbor and slid into Dry Dock Number 1. One admiral estimated the time needed for repairs as ninety days. The Navy Yard inspectors thought it possible to get her back to sea in two weeks. Admiral Nimitz, aware of the impending showdown at Midway, had the final say. He wanted the Yorktown ready to fight in three days! One historian notes:
Overnight, more than 1400 workers swarmed aboard the stricken ship. Civilian contractors and Navy technicians dragged miles of electrical cable. Other men on scaffolds patched the hull. Steel plates were dropped over the holes in the deck…acetylene torches burned everywhere. The work on the Yorktown had become one of the most intensive repair jobs the Navy had undertaken. The requirement for electricity alone became so great that districts in Honolulu endured shortages so that the yard could get the extra power it needed.69
Over the next three days the “impossible” was accomplished. The Yorktown put to sea on May 30 to play her vital role in the Battle of Midway. This story inspires us to raise our expectations of what dedicated people with a mission can accomplish. We can expect the “impossible” in God’s service. The saying goes, “God doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies those he calls.” All we need are willing hearts and unlimited expectations.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
—Matthew 28:18–20
February 19
This War Is Over
Before the start of World War II Cdr. John Ford organized the Field Photographic Branch of the Office of Strategic Services. Sent to Pearl Harbor in January 1942, he later found himself on Midway Island to record events during the looming battle. He was assigned to the top of one of the prominent buildings on the island to report on enemy aircraft and to take pictures. He was later cited for his actions during the battle. Commander Ford had an insightful observation about the young men who had been around him:
The Marines with me—I took one look at them and I said, “Well this war was won.” They were kids, oh, I would say from 18 to 22, none of them were older. They were the calmest people I have ever seen. I have never seen a greater exhibition of courage and coolness under fire in my life and I have seen some in my day. Those kids were really remarkable, and as I said before, I figured “Well, this war is over, at least we are going to win it if we have kids like that.”70
Young people are often associated with a lack of life experience and a corresponding lack of wisdom. Yet youth also goes hand in hand with idealism and courage in every arena, as evidenced by the young Marines whom this officer observed on Midway Island. The apostle Paul charged Timothy to ignore any criticism of his youth and to set an example for all generations in the way he lived his life for the Lord. No matter our age, we are never too young or too old to make a difference in the world around us, and to bring glory to Christ in so doing. (JG)
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
—1 Timothy 4:12
February 20
Jack Waldron
Lt. Cdr. Jack Waldron was the only experienced pilot in his squadron. He had graduated from the Naval Academy in 1924 to become a naval aviator. At Midway he commanded Torpedo Squadron 8 aboard the USS Hornet. Early on June 4 he knew that their first combat action was imminent. He briefed his aircrew with prophetic words: “I want each of us to do his utmost to destroy our enemies. If there is only one plane left to make a final run, I want that man to go in and get a hit. May God be with us all.”71
He knew that his men were piloting obsolete aircraft. Top speed for his fifteen TBD Devastators was two hundred miles per hour, compared with three hundred fifty for the Japanese Zeros. Not a man in his squadron had ever carried a torpedo in his aircraft, much less flown off a carrier with one. Their training had consisted mainly of “chalkboard” exercises. Even with all these disadvantages, however, Waldron knew that he and his men faced one of those grave, historic moments that found a few men in a desperate but vital role. They had to do whatever was humanly possible. One hit on an enemy carrier might make all the difference.
Jack Waldron exemplified great leadership in a crisis situation. One of his pilots said of him later: “I know that if I had it all to do over again, even knowing that the odds were going to be like they were, knowing him like I did know him, I’d follow him again through exactly the same thing because I trusted him…”72 This kind of trust is built over time by a leader who puts the needs of those under him ahead of his own. The model of this servant attitude was Jesus Christ.
The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
—Luke 22:26
TBD Devastator torpedo bombers in formation. (U.S. Naval Historical Center)
SBD Dauntless dive bomber. (U.S. Dept. of Defense) (public domain photo from militaryfactory.com)
February 21
Torpedo 8
Naval aviation tactics in World War II called for coordinated attacks on enemy ships. The torpedo planes were to come in low, dive bombers would strike from high altitude, and fighters would provide air cover against enemy fighters. During the Battle of Midway there was no such coordination. The various types of squadrons arrived on the scene piecemeal and disorganized. Low on fuel and knowing that any opportunity might be fleeting, leaders had to make split-second decisions.
The fifteen slow-moving TBD Devastators of Torpedo 8 found the Japanese carriers first at 9:20 a.m. on June 4. Sighting the enemy ships on the horizon at a distance of about four miles, Jack Waldron waggled his wings, signaling, “Follow me,” dropped down in altitude and bore in on the Soryu, one of the four enemy carriers. Suddenly, anti-aircraft fire began exploding among his aircraft. Japanese Zeros appeared and began riddling the formation. One by one Waldron’s aircraft plunged into the sea. The rest continued the attack. Within eight minutes only three were left. Then two more went down. The last TBD, piloted by Ens. George Gay, was able to drop a torpedo, passed over the Soryu, and crashed into the sea.
Twenty-nine airmen died in this attack. Ensign Gay was the only survivor. The individual courage of every one of these pilots is almost unfathomable. During the agonizingly slow, low-altitude run, every pilot witnessed the destruction of his fellow airmen and his own leader. Any pilot could have rightly concluded that this was a futile effort. Anyone could have turned back. Not one did.
Because the hand of the Lord my God was on me, I took courage.
—Ezra 7:28
February 22
Apparent Futility
The sacrifice of Torpedo 8 in its attack on the Japanese strike force might seem like a gallant, but useless, gesture. The “Charge of the Light Brigade” comes to mind:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.73
Only in retrospect do we know that Torpedo 8’s attack was indeed not futile. In fact there are few instances in any war when such an apparently futile effort accomplished so much. As the Japanese carriers maneuvered to avoid these attacks, they could not launch their own aircraft. The American carriers may have been saved because of this delay. Of equal importance, the Zeros that shot down the aircraft of Torpedo 8 at low altitude found themselves hopelessly out of position minutes later at the climax of the battle. The skies high above the Japanese carrier fleet were undefended when the American dive-bombers appeared.
My father used to quote Robert E. Lee: “Duty is the sublimest word in the English language.” These intrepid young pilots individually demonstrated the full meaning of this sentence. Fortunately, most of us do not face such life-and-death situations.
However, we are all called to do the right thing every day. Sometimes it isn’t easy, and often we don’t see the immediate benefit. But we know what we should do.
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
—Ecclesiastes 12:13
February 23
Ensign Gay
Watching his fellow pilots go down around him, Ens. George Gay pressed his attack on the Japanese carrier Soryu. He stayed in the air long enough to successfully launch his torpedo and was the sole survivor of Torpedo Squadron 8. He recalled:
Everything was shooting at me. I flew right down the gun barrel on one of those big pom poms up forward… I figured the only way that I could evade all that anti-aircraft fire was not to throw my belly up in a turn away from the ship, but was just to go right straight to her and offer as small a target as I could. So I flew right down the gun barrels, pulled up on the port side, did a flipper turn right by the island, I could see the little Jap captain up there jumping up and down raising hell. Just a little bit after that… the Zeros jumped on me and… shot my rudder control and ailerons out and I pancaked into the ocean.74
After struggling from his sinking aircraft, Gay found a cushion floating nearby. He hid himself as best he could from the Japanese fleet, which passed by him several times that day. He was witness to the destruction of three of the enemy carriers. Gay was rescued the next day and returned to duty for other operations in the Pacific war. He eventually returned to the States, where he made frequent public appearances in support of the war effort and continued speaking as a civilian.
In 1980 Gay came to Charleston, South Carolina, to talk to naval science cadets at The Citadel and to deliver a message calling for military preparedness. I heard him say, “I was lucky. I’ve never understood why I was the only one that came back.” He felt that his mission in life since that day was to ensure that American boys not be sent again into a conflict without the best equipment and training that their nation could provide.
While Ensign Gay attributed his survival to luck, as Christians we can be sure that God has numbered our days for a specific reason (Psalm 139:16). It is our responsibility to be ready for the tasks that he has determined we should accomplish.
Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms.
—Ezekiel 38:7–8
The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.
—Proverbs 21:31
February 24
Suicide
Ensign Gay fought to control his Devastator during his long, tortuous torpedo run on the Soryu. Through every burst of enemy gunfire he kept the nose of his aircraft pointed at his target. He witnessed his fellow pilots going down and was very aware that his own life could be measured in seconds. Every detail seemed to stand out as he focused his eyes on the looming enemy carrier. The flight deck was full of aircraft and scrambling figures. For an instant, a strange thought flashed through his mind: “I had a thought right in a split second there to crash into those planes… because I could have started a beautiful fire.” However, his thought process then changed course rapidly: “The plane was still flying and I felt pretty good and I didn’t see any sense in crashing into those planes. I thought maybe I’d get a chance to go back and hit them again someday and as long as there’s life there’s hope. So I pulled up and went over them.”75
For some reason America seems to face foes who glorify suicide. The Japanese in World War II sent countless young kamikaze pilots on one-way missions. Terrorists of today kill themselves and innocent victims for their own “higher” cause. American values, thankfully, do not permit this approach. In the beginning, our Founding Fathers acted on the firm belief that the value and dignity of every human being comes from God and that every citizen is “endowed by his Creator with certain unalienable rights.” In wartime our leaders sometimes have to send men on dangerous missions. However, every effort is made to provide for their safe return. Every American soldier knows that he will never be considered “expendable.”
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
—Genesis 1:27
February 25
Prepare to Abandon Ship
Lt. Joseph Pollard went aboard the USS Yorktown on May 27 and sailed with her three days later. As one of the ship’s medical officers, he prepared his men and equipment for the action ahead. On June 4, the Japanese task force was finally sighted. The Yorktown’s aircraft were armed, fueled, and launched late that morning. An eerie lull ensued. Finally, at about 2:00 p.m. the aircraft began returning, many with battle damage. In the midst of recovery operations, the general quarters alarm was sounded, alerting the crew to an enemy attack. Suddenly two sickening thuds shook the ship, resulting in an immediate hard list to port.
Pollard remembered: “Just then word came over the speaker, ‘Prepare to abandon ship!’ I was dumbfounded. It was uncomprehensible. A man lying beside me with one foot shot away and a severe chest wound turned his head towards me and asked, ‘What does this mean for us?’ and turned his head away. He knew that he would have no chance in the water.”76
We have sympathy for anyone like this who is suddenly jolted from calm conditions to utter chaos. How would you or I react? We hope we would be cool and confident in a crisis, but we never know until it happens. We can only pray for courage under fire and the ability to think clearly. Confidence in God and in our relationship to him is a big advantage at such a time. Jesus promised, “The peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). This peace pertains not only to our long-term spiritual well-being, but also helps us find confidence and a calm mind in an emergency.
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
—Acts 4:13
February 26
Wade McClusky
Early on June 4 Lt. Cdr. Wade McClusky led a squadron of Dauntless dive-bombers from the USS Enterprise in search of the Japanese carriers. Arriving at the designated point, he found the sea empty. Unknown to him or anyone else, the Japanese task force had changed course. The search then became a guessing game. Having climbed to high altitude with heavy bomb loads, fuel and time were running out.
As he was calculating his next move, McClusky looked down to see a lone Japanese ship far below:
Call it fate, luck or what you may, because at 1155 (0955 local time) I spied a lone Jap cruiser77 scurrying under full power to the northeast. Concluding that she possibly was a liaison ship between the occupation forces and the striking force, I altered my Group’s course to that of the cruiser. At 1205 (1005) that decision paid dividends. Peering through my binoculars which were practically glued to my eyes, I saw dead ahead about 35 miles distant the welcome sight of the Jap carrier striking force.78
This decision not only “paid dividends” in the Battle of Midway, it was one of the most pivotal decisions ever made in any war. Twenty minutes later McClusky’s dive-bombers delivered fatal blows to the Japanese carriers Kaga and Akagi, ensuring one of the most improbable yet decisive defeats ever inflicted in naval warfare. McClusky’s decision was one of many “lucky” events contributing to this amazing and miraculous victory.
Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. His face turned pale.
—Daniel 5:5–6
February 27
Another Stroke of Luck
The air group from the USS Enterprise was amazingly successful in finding the Japanese carrier force on June 4. The Americans were also astounded to find no fighter opposition to their attack. As Lieutenant Commander McClusky bore in on his bombing run, he discovered one mor
e surprise:
As we neared the bomb-dropping point, another stroke of luck met our eyes. Both enemy carriers had their decks full of planes that had just returned from the attack on Midway. Later it was learned about the time we had discovered the Jap force, an enemy seaplane had detected our forces. Apparently then, the planes on deck were being refueled and rearmed for an attack on our carriers. Supposing then we, Air Group Six, had turned southward toward Midway, as the Hornet group did, I can vividly imagine the Enterprise and Hornet at the bottom of the sea as the Yorktown was some three days later.79
The condition of the flight decks on the Japanese carriers at this decisive moment was critical to the outcome. There was great confusion because the aircraft were being rearmed for a strike on the American carriers, instead of a second attack on Midway. The flight decks were filled with fuel lines and aviation ordnance. The bomb hits of McClusky’s dive-bombers would probably not have been fatal in themselves. However, they were devastating due to what McClusky termed “another stroke of luck.” In this case the “luck” was confusion on the part of the Japanese and the sacrifice of Torpedo 8. Human planning could not have orchestrated the sequence of these improbable circumstances.
Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II Page 7