Naval History Magazine

 

Admiral William Halsey, Commander, Third Fleet On the bridge of his flagship, USS New Jersey (BB-62), while en route to carry out raids on the Philippines, December 1944.

(NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND)

 

Under the Radar: Admiral Halsey at the End of World War II (Part I)

For the two weeks before the official surrender, Admiral Halsey had a new boss, the newly named Supreme Commander General Douglas MacArthur.

By Rolland Kidder

October 2022

 

Naval History Magazine

ARTICLE

 

 

In researching the World War II activities of an old friend, Ambassador F. Haydn Williams, it became evident to me that aside from U.S. Navy efforts at finding and rescuing American POWs in Japan, there seemed to be little information about what the Navy was doing in the two weeks leading up to the formal Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945. What was happening with the 3rd Fleet, one of largest naval fleets ever assembled, during this two-week period?

15 August to 2 September

In his 1947 autobiography, Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey reveals the time gap of the two-plus weeks that followed the 15 August announcement by the Japanese Emperor that Japan was quitting the war. There are five pages in Halsey’s book covering this time, with only general references to what was happening with the 3rd Fleet.¹ The formal surrender ceremony would not be held until 2 September 1945 on board the USS Missouri (BB-63)—a long time to be sitting on your hands if you were Bull Halsey. On 14 August, Halsey’s forces were still attacking the main Japanese island of Honshu. The next day, one of the most massive fleets ever formed was quiet, yet still steaming off the coast of its once mortal enemy.

An analysis of the fleet messages sent and received during this time, as revealed in Admiral Chester Nimitz’ Gray Book, are telling. Nimitz described the movements of the 3rd Fleet innocuously on 20 August as “continuing to replenish and reform today.”² A similar non-specific description was noted for 22 August: “Units of the 3rd Fleet have completed replenishment, have reformed for the pending operation, and are operating at economical speed, in areas assigned.”³ In fact, Halsey and the 3rd Fleet were cruising under the radar of most of the world. They were now working with the new Supreme Allied Commander for Allied Powers in the Pacific, General Douglas MacArthur, in implementing the early stages of the occupation of defeated Japan.

Aside from the beginning of efforts to find American POWs in Japan, Halsey’s book reveals little about what happened between 15 August and when the fleet entered Sagami Bay on 28 August and then Tokyo Bay on 29 August. The autobiography almost seems to jump from 15 August to the 2 September surrender ceremony where, according to Halsey: “Newsreels show MacArthur putting his arm around my shoulders at this moment and whispering to me. . . ‘Start ’em now!’ I said, ‘Aye, aye sir!’”⁴ Where, upon Halsey’s signal, soon was heard the growing thunder of the hundreds of Navy planes and Army Air Corps B-29s that roared overhead, culminating in what Theodore White, in In Search of History, described as the most incredible show of air power in human history:

Four hundred B-29s, the fire-bombers that had leveled Japan, had taken off from Guam and Saipan hours before. . . . came, low, low over the Missouri, and fifteen hundred fleet planes rose above and around their wings. There they were, speckling the sky in flocks of scudding gray; it was American power at zenith. They dipped over the Missouri, passed on over Yokohama, inland over Tokyo to brandish the threat, then back out to sea again. . . The planes paraded their triumph over Tokyo Bay as Caesar’s legionnaires had paraded theirs in Rome. . . . It was the supreme moment of air power.⁵

U.S. Navy carrier planes fly in formation over USS Missouri (BB-63) during the surrender ceremonies, 2 September 1945. (Naval History and Heritage Command)

“Aye, aye, Sir!” says a lot. For those two plus weeks before the official surrender, Admiral Halsey had a new boss, the newly named Supreme Commander General Douglas MacArthur. Halsey had delivered a lot for MacArthur in those two weeks, much of it lost in the euphoria at the war’s end and in the fog of history. Leaving his own autobiography vague about most of what had happened in those two weeks is also part of that story. There was room for only one principal actor in postwar Japan, and that was Douglas MacArthur. That meant that Halsey’s other “boss,” U.S. Navy Commander in Chief Pacific (CINPAC,) Chester W. Nimitz, would be taking a back seat. It also meant that everyone in the chain-of-command, including “Bull” Halsey, would defer to the new Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers when it came to writing the history of the war’s end.

Nimitz and MacArthur

There has never been much controversy over the fact that Chester Nimitz and Douglas MacArthur did not like each other. It would be hard to confine two such powerful men in any room. Their antipathy toward each other was partially personality-driven—with MacArthur as the showman and self-promoter; and Nimitz the more reserved and quiet one. But at its core, their relationship was characterized by an ongoing four-year power struggle about who would command the Pacific War.

Initially, Nimitz had prevailed and drawn lines isolating MacArthur’s dominance to the “Southwest Pacific Area,” which included Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. Nimitz maintained control over the vast “Central Pacific,” which included Midway, the Marshall Islands, and the now-famous battlefields of Guam, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. But by mid-year 1945, the war was coming to an end and the outcome was a foregone conclusion—Japan would either surrender or be destroyed in one last Allied invasion of its main islands. Plans had to be made for a postwar Japan.

Halsey had been home in 1945. He and Raymond Spruance alternately controlled what was called the 3rd Fleet under Halsey and then renamed the 5th Fleet when Spruance was in command. Halsey needed a break from the war, but the Navy also wanted him home to talk about the big picture. He was sent east to Washington, where he met with military leaders such as Admiral Ernest King and General George Marshall. He also spent an hour at the White House with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In these discussions, there undoubtedly were conversations about the war coming to an end, and what potential roles Halsey might need to play.

Halsey was a person people liked, and he liked people. He was not one to burn bridges, but rather build relationships. In his early Navy days, he had first met then-Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt while on training maneuvers with his destroyer off the coast of New England in 1913. He had reluctantly given the Secretary the helm of the ship but found out Roosevelt was “a nearly ‘professional sailorman,’ handling the ship with skill and sparking an acquaintance between the Navy man and patrician politician.”⁶ He would meet Roosevelt again later, after the United States entered the war against Germany in World War I.

Army vs. Navy

There was probably not a doubt in Washington that the Army would be in charge in postwar Japan. This is one of things armies do—they occupy defeated territory. Coupled with that was the realization there was no American military leader as familiar with the Far East as Douglas MacArthur. He had lived in the Philippines for years as chief advisor to the Philippine Military while the country was still under American control. As the outlook for war worsened, he was recalled to active duty by the U.S. Army. MacArthur was born and bred Army. His father was a Medal of Honor winner from the Civil War. MacArthur had been raised on Army posts, had attended West Point, and had distinguished himself on the battlefield in World War I—and he was good at letting the press and public know of his military pedigree.

In addition, there was MacArthur’s own political ambition. His name had been touted from time to time as a possible presidential candidate, speculation which he did not discourage. Looking toward running himself in 1948, it surely occurred to President Harry S. Truman that it would not be easy for MacArthur to run for national office if he was tied up in rebuilding a defeated Japan. To cap it all off, MacArthur would now be called the “Supreme Commander” for the Allied Powers in the Pacific, an apt title for a big ego. Though it must have been a hard pill to swallow, Nimitz knew it was not going to be him after a trip to the West Coast in early July 1945. When President Truman announced MacArthur’s appointment, Nimitz sent a message to General MacArthur on 15 August: “Please accept my hearty congratulations on your appointment as Supreme Commander for the occupation of JAPAN and my assurance of full support of the forces and resources available to me.”⁷ If MacArthur ever responded, it is not listed in Nimitz’s Gray Book.

The Postwar Years

In style and approach, the postwar years mimicked these same traits in Nimitz and MacArthur. MacArthur published his memoirs; Nimitz never did. Nimitz did compile a list of messages and fleet summary activities that he had sent or received during the war years. Called the Nimitz Gray Book, reading it is a slog for even the most dedicated researchers. The messages generally follow chronologically in four separate sections—at least that is the organization as compiled by Nimitz in the time period of this analysis, July–August 1945. Today, all have been declassified. Some were “Top Secret” and “Nimitz Only” messages. Some entries were summaries of naval actions that were happening throughout the Pacific. There are more than 3,000 pages in the Gray Book. Yet they do not include every message or briefing summary sent and received by Admiral Nimitz and his command. Nimitz selected the messages to be included, leaving the reader/researcher the job of trying to connect all the dots.

In addition to his memoirs, titled Reminiscences, MacArthur’s history of the Pacific war written with his approval, was published by the U.S. Army after his death. Released in 1966, it was a self-congratulatory tome of more than 450 pages titled Reports of General MacArthur: The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific. General Harold K. Johnson, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, inserted this disclaimer in the foreword:

While he lived, General MacArthur was unwilling to approve the reproduction and dissemination of the Reports, because he believed they needed further editing and correction of some inaccuracies. His passing permits publication but not the correction he deemed desirable. In publishing them, the Department of the Army must therefore disclaim any responsibility for their accuracy. But the Army also recognizes that these volumes have substantial and enduring value, and it believes the American people are entitled to have them made widely available through government publication.⁸

In other words, what we are reading in the Reports is 100-percent Douglas MacArthur, his view of history, and of himself. To give one a sense of how much MacArthur is the focus of this book, it is worth reading the rendition of how he landed in Japan at the Atsugi airfield on 30 August 1945:

Shortly after 1400 a famous C-54—the name “Bataan” in large letters on its nose—circled the field and glided in for a landing. From it stepped General MacArthur, accompanied by General Sutherland and his other staff officers. The Supreme Commander’s first words to General Eichelberger and the men of the Eighth Army and the 11th Airborne Division who greeted him were:

From Melborne to Tokyo is a long road. It has been a long and hard road, but this looks like the payoff. The surrender plans are going splendidly and completely according to previous arrangements. In all outlying areas, fighting has practically ceased.

In this area a week ago, there were 300,000 troops which have been disarmed and demobilized. The Japanese seem to be acting in complete good faith. There is every hope of the success of the capitulation without undue friction and without unnecessary bloodshed.⁹

It could not have been scripted any better had it been written by a Hollywood screenwriter. The Reports are testament in themselves as to why William Manchester titled his book on MacArthur The American Caesar.

That is who MacArthur thought he was. He wanted the American occupation of Japan to be Army only, or at least primarily Army, and he wanted to be seen as the liberator. Yet, he was confronted by the reality that at the time of the surrender, the primary American presence around the main Japanese islands was in the hands of his old nemesis, Nimitz, and the U.S. Navy. Anticipating a Japanese surrender, the U.S. Joints Chiefs of Staff had issued an opinion giving the Navy a prominent role in the initial days, which stated:

It appears to JCS that immediate naval occupation of critical ports of Japan is desirable to include in each case, if practical, an operational airfield to facilitate communication and permit airborne landings. . . In order to produce a continuity of policy of procedure in dealing with the Japanese Imperial Headquarters or its Ministries a representative of General MacArthur will be designated to perform this function until General MacArthur has actually landed in Japan and personally assumed this responsibility. The foregoing provisions will not be allowed to interfere with conduct of local surrenders by Naval or other U.S. commanders concerned.¹⁰

It is interesting to note the date given to this “JCS Study,” as it was called: 21 July 1945. It was becoming clear to the Joint Chiefs by mid-July that the war was coming to a close. How would an occupation of Japan be handled? Though the JCS Study made efforts to mollify MacArthur, that didn’t mean he liked it. On 13 August, Nimitz’s representative, Vice Admiral Forrest Sherman, sent his boss a message from Manila, where he had been meeting with MacArthur on the expected surrender of the Japanese and the upcoming occupation:

[MacArthur] reiterated in most emphatic terms his disapproval of the use of a fleet landing force prior to the arrival of troops in strength and prior to the clearance of Japanese forces from the area under armistice arrangements. This disapproval is based on both military grounds and effect on service relationships.¹¹

Forrest Sherman was a traveling man. Since MacArthur didn’t want to fly to Guam, nor Nimitz to Manila, it became Sherman’s role to fly back and forth from Guam to Manila to try to negotiate the fine line between Navy and Army roles in the surrender and occupation of Japan. Sherman had gone to Manila earlier on 29 July and, at that time, had sent a similar message to Admiral Charles “Soc” McMorris, Chief-of-Staff to Nimitz, back in Guam:

Cordially received. Had long and very amicable conference with General MacArthur. He accedes to naval features and to naval and air show of force as soon as fighting stops. He considers it unwise to risk landing any marines or seizing airfields until troops arrive in strength. He had the JCS message but did not consider it a directive and has asked for one.

Unless I receive other instructions, I will adjust plans to make all early landings contingent operations with timing to be determined later . . . . ¹²

The message was clear: MacArthur was not interested in any naval landing forces going ashore in Japan before he and the Army arrived.

It is interesting also that Sherman’s message to McMorris on 29 July had been sent on Navy communications only—it had gone out under the name of COM7THFLEET (Kincaid’s command) to CINCPAC ADVANCE HQ in Guam. McMorris messaged back a few hours later: “Do not concur that landing of marines or occupying airfields must be deferred until troops land in strength.” And then these words, which may have opened the door for a solution: “The naval officer on the spot must be free to act expeditiously to cope with any existing situation. Trust your skill and judgement to avoid this question becoming an issue in current discussion . . .”¹³ Ultimately, this response would open a solution that MacArthur could accept. If that “naval officer on the spot” were one William F. Halsey, it was probably a provision that he could live with.

The Supreme Commander

As noted earlier, the issue of naval forces seizing ports and airfields had been addressed again at the 13 August meeting in Manila, with neither side giving way. Sherman would go back to Manila one more time, three days later on 16 August, this time to meet with the Japanese representatives sent by the Emperor. There was a new reality now. General Douglas MacArthur had become “Supreme Commander.” The message traffic is not clear exactly how it happened, but the Navy, as it related to the occupation of the main Japanese islands had now come under MacArthur’s control. There would now be landings of Americans at certain Japanese ports and airfields prior to the “landings in force” as had been earlier envisioned by MacArthur. The landing parties would be termed “advance parties,” “garrison forces,” or as some type of minor force. They would be primarily Navy and Marine forces, and they would be directed by that naval officer in command who had earned the respect and trust of Douglas MacArthur—William F. Halsey.

1. ADM William Frederick Halsey, USN, Admiral Halsey’s Story (New York: Whittlesey House, 1947), 222–27.

2. Command Summary of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (Gray Book), vol. 8, 3307.

3. Command Summary of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 3308.

4. Halsey, Admiral Halsey’s Story, 229.

5. Theodore White, In Search of History (New York: Harper Collins, 1978), 230.

6. Thomas Hughes, Admiral Bill Halsey: A Naval Life (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016), Kindle location 1247 of 9240.

7. Command Summary of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 3349.

8. Reports of General MacArthur: The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific, vol. 1, iii.

9. Reports of General MacArthur: The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific, vol. 1, 453. 10. 10. Message of United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, 21 July 1945 (then classified Top Secret), Marshall Foundation.

11. Command Summary of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 3517.

12. Command Summary of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 3502.

13. Command Summary of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 3419.

 

 

 

 The Post-Journal

Lessons From A Summer Of Weddings

                                                                                        SEP 3, 2022

ROLLAND KIDDER

You would think that after being married for 50 years, I would be getting accustomed to weddings. But, this summer has been special–a granddaughter, a nephew and daughter of a good friend are all getting (or have gotten) married.

There seem to have been a lot of weddings this year. I think some of it is due to COVID and the gathering restrictions related to it. Weddings planned for the past couple of years got delayed, and so this year, we are making up for lost time.

What is it about weddings that everyone seems to like? When partnerships or corporations are formed, no one has a party. But, when two people “tie the knot,” it becomes the big social event of the year. And, this happens in all cultures.

When I was in the Navy, I would see wedding processions and celebrations in places like Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and even Vietnam. I have been told that weddings can become so big in India that a family’s total savings can be spent on it.

No matter what religion, ethnicity or even political persuasion–people get excited and enthused about a wedding. Even Republicans and Democrats can find common ground when it comes to a wedding.

I have come to the conclusion that weddings have universal, human approbation. They are looked forward to, anticipated and appreciated by the entire mass of common humanity. That, in itself, is something to celebrate.

Though the dating game has greatly changed since I was a kid, the wedding celebration seems to be as strong and traditional as ever. It is a time when friends and family set aside all other interests or priorities to celebrate a new union, the formation of a new family.

I also believe that many couples wait longer before getting married. As a result, friends and family expand, and so do the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen. (Think about 10 or 12 each in some cases.) The idea of a common dress code among participants still seems to be in vogue–of course, with no one out-shining the bride.

Legally, marriage is nothing more than a simple contract. It could be done (and sometimes is) by two people standing before a judge. But, let’s face it, what people really want is to have a big celebration that no one can ever forget. I think that must be a part of our DNA.

I grew up hearing about big Italian weddings. But, I have seen some big Swedish ones too. Can you imagine combining them? That’s what often happens in our town!

So, let’s celebrate something that is so meaningful, powerful and meant to be long-lasting. Mine happened over 50 years ago, and it still seems like yesterday.

I have been enjoying this summer of weddings!

 

Manchin Brings Dems To The Middle

LOCAL COMMENTARIES

AUG 6, 2022

ROLLAND KIDDER

A month ago, Senator Joe Manchin seemed to be in the “doghouse” with the White House and many Democrats.

Then, last week, he announced that he could support a balanced approach to energy issues by recognizing the need for renewable energy but also by reaffirming the reality that we will need a lot of help from fossil fuels to bridge the energy gap.

“Hello!” This is where we all should have been at the beginning of this debate. It took Joe Manchin to break the log-jam and push forward a bill which reflects the real world we live in.

If nothing else, the War in Ukraine should have now awakened us to the reality that people need heat and energy today–not just in a distant, hopeful, future state of zero emissions. The people of Europe are likely to be cold this winter. Promises of wind and solar are not going to help them now or even next year.

Of course, for the “deep-thinkers” here in New York state, the rhetoric remains as high as ever in making such promises.

Yet, recently released data shows that in New York, after the closing of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant on the Hudson River, the percentage of fossil fuel in downstate electric bills has now gone up from 77% last year to 88% this year. (If you own an electric vehicle, you are using more fossil fuel in it now than you did last year.) So much for rhetoric versus reality here in the Empire State.

Okay, I am harping a bit on one of my favorite topics. But, it irks me when people speak one thing while the reality is something else.

As to Joe Manchin, I am not arguing that everything he stands for is gospel. But, when it comes to energy, he pretty much understands the reality of where we are.

As to automobiles, we are going to need gasoline for a long time to help fuel our cars. I expect that more of them will be powered by hybrids, and that helps. But, to think that we are all going to be driving around with batteries in a few years and then be faced with a massive electrical outage (think Texas a couple of winters ago)–guess again.

A shift to all-electric cars is not something people are going to accept willy-nilly.

Those in the Democratic Party who are pushing for electrifying everything, are rightfully grateful to Manchin for agreeing to new programs which will stimulate renewable energy. The Democrats have a bare majority in the U.S. Senate. Without him, nothing will happen.

Yet, in keeping with the traditions of another true West Virginian (I am thinking here of former Senator Robert Byrd from that state,) Manchin tucked into the legislation special incentives for renewable energy projects which are built on the sites of old coal mines. How is that for ingenuity?! The last I looked, many of those sites were located in the State of West Virginia.

Which brings us back to the quote of former Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill, that “all politics is local.” Joe Manchin understands that — and as one political commentator observed last week, Manchin can probably be re-elected Senator from West Virginia as long as he wants to keep running for the job.

Indeed, now, we should all be thanking Senator Manchin.

Moving the country back toward the middle is a good thing.

 

The Post-Journal

Remaining Relevant In Retirement

LOCAL COMMENTARIES

JUL 23, 2022

ROLLAND KIDDER

 

 

When people retire, some may think that means you are now free to drift along and do nothing. That, in my opinion, is a recipe for disaster.

The happiest people in retirement I have found are those who still have purpose, want to stay engaged and remain relevant. “Relevant” meaning, in general, still making a difference in life.

When you are young, you don’t even think much about being relevant because everything you do is very relevant. Raising kids, holding down a job, getting an education, paying the bills, fixing up the house — whatever you are doing is immediately relevant. While you are doing all of this, you are probably also involved in the local community, planning for your kids’ future and putting money away for your own eventual retirement.

I know that I might be “preaching” a bit, which may go back to my days in seminary, but that is okay. If you are over the age of 65 and retired, you need to stay engaged.

I remember a woman who volunteered at a nonprofit where I was working. She was in her late 70s and every Tuesday she would come in to volunteer as a docent with a new scarf around her neck and sparkle in her eyes. She wasn’t done with life. She still wanted to give back to the community. Her attitude lifted everyone around her.

Others stay “relevant” by staying involved in what they loved to do before retiring. I remember my Dad and how he loved farming. It was more than a job. Even after my brother took over running the farm, he still stayed involved. He loved being on a tractor mowing hay or feeding the calves morning and night. I remember once when he and my Mom went to Florida to stay for a month. After two weeks he said: “We’re coming home.” When I pushed him about the decision, he finally said: “Well, I miss the cows.” He was involved in the farm nearly to the end of his life.

The passion that some people have for gardening, reminds me of my Dad’s love for farming. Gardening can be a way to remain relevant.

Sometimes your family is what keeps you involved. Though you don’t have children to raise, you may have grandchildren that you can spoil. What better thing is there to do than be worried and involved with them?

And, yes, I’ll admit that I need and seek involvement. Why do I write these articles? It is true that I like to write and stay engaged in the public conversation around here. But, at its heart, I think writing for me is a way to stay relevant, to stay engaged. Which is to say, I expect that you will have to put up with a few more of these articles.

So, if you want to live a long and fruitful life, stay involved. There are only so many rounds of golf you can play, only so many trips you can go on, only so many excursions to the mall or shopping center to be made. After that, you will still want to make a difference, to have a reason to get up in the morning.

Staying relevant, staying involved is a good recipe for retirement!

 

 

The Post-Journal

Ukraine And The Coming Winter

LOCAL COMMENTARIES

JUL 16, 2022

ROLLAND KIDDER

 In a plea for more weapons of defense, the President of Ukraine recently expressed hopes that his country’s war against Russian aggression could end by winter.

To my mind, he was expressing more than a hope for an end to the war. He was expressing the reality of what winter will bring — the need for heat.

Think about what would happen in this community if it were announced that this coming winter there would be little or no natural gas available. Most homes here heat with natural gas and there would be panic as to how we could heat our homes without it. With Russian gas being reduced and potentially shut-off, that is the reality that Europe is faced with. Natural gas prices have more than doubled here and overseas, but in Europe it is more than a pricing problem — gas may not even be available.

Some might say: “Well, shift to propane. It is usually a bit more expensive but it would give us heat just like natural gas.” That sounds good but the reality is that you would have to change the burner tips in your furnace, water heater and all other natural gas appliances since propane burns hotter than natural gas. Besides, propane (Liquified Petroleum Gas–LPG) is an oil derivative so it has its own problems with supply and demand pricing…think of what it has recently cost you to fill up your car with gasoline.

What about shifting to electric heat? That might be an option in places like Jamestown or Mayville which get a majority of their electricity from the hydro plant at Niagara. But, the rest of us would have to purchase more electricity from the grid which already has close to 40% of its production coming from natural gas.

Sometimes these “details” about energy get lost in the political shuffle. Will more electricity come from renewable sources in the future? Yes, but that doesn’t help anyone who wants to heat their house this winter.

The United States has made representations that it will supply more liquified natural gas (LNG) to Europe to help wean them off Russian supplies. Yet, LNG is much more difficult to liquify and transport than LPG and countries receiving LNG must also have the necessary infrastructure to deliquefy it. In addition, our promising to sell more of it could well be a hollow promise since we don’t have enough plants now to meet added demand for it. To complicate things, recently, one of the major LNG plants in our country failed and shut down, thus cutting the availability of a significant amount of it for shipment.

Of course, New York state doesn’t help in any of this. We are big consumers of natural gas but have effectively banned the exploration and development of it in our state. How does that work?

And, how does all of this play out in the politics of Europe? There is a lot of support now for Ukraine but will it hold up when people’s homes start to get cold?

I think that is what the President of Ukraine was getting at. Russia has been the biggest supplier of natural gas to Europe, and Putin is now playing hardball, threatening to shut down his gas pipelines. If you had to choose between heating your house and supporting Ukraine, which would you choose? Winter is coming.

 

 

Summer’s Great Thanksgiving

“Summer’s Great Thanksgiving”

It sort of hit me this year on the 4^th of July that the holiday reminds me a lot of Thanksgiving.  I think you could call it “Summer’s Great Thanksgiving.”

Like Thanksgiving, it has become a big family event.   We didn’t have many of our kids home this year, as they were gathering with their families in other places.   Once your kids marry, you have to accept the fact that you have to share their time with the “in-laws.”  Such is life, but it is a good thing.  On the Fourth of July, people block out time to be with family—even if that means that they may not be coming to your house.

Of course, the holiday day really started in 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, and it has ever since been a big day for the country.   When you try to describe our country, I have always felt that the words on the Great Seal of the United States say it best:  E pluribus unum,—“Out of many, one.”

E pluribus unum,—“Out of many, one.”

Admittedly, we have been living through a time more focused on the “out of many” side of the equation—people going in different directions, disagreeing, sometimes disliking each other.  But, the Fourth of July reminds us that we are still “one.”  Old Glory flies up there with its 50 stars and 13 stripes reminding us that we remain one people.

There were still some political flags flying from flag poles and boat masts this year, but they were fewer.  The American flag was the prominent symbol being seen and flown. 

There are probably reasons for this.  Political rhetoric is down and genuine concern is up.  With inflation up, the stock market down and the war in Ukraine going on—it has brought us back at bit to the reality that “we are all in this together.”  Life is not just a “hop-skip-and-a-jump” from one euphoric high to another.  Mankind still struggles to get along.  There are bad forces in the world that need to be confronted, and we need each other to deal with such things.

On the 4^th, friends of ours sent us a “hurry-up” video of their brood gathering for a family photo.  There were people of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds running around setting up benches and chairs, then smiling for the photo followed by the dismantling of the scene.  It was a hoot to watch!  It also sent a message visually (not in writing) about what a great day they had getting together as a family.

THE GREAT JHS CLASS OF '81 RECONNECTING ON THE LAKE ON JULY 4TH

Earlier in the weekend, one of our kids came back to be with friends to attend their high school reunion.  Talk about political diversity in the group—it ran from bright blue to deep red—the whole gamut.  Jokes were even made about that at one of the reunion events.  Fortunately, these are friendships never to be broken.  Out of many, one—is still the mantra for this now decades-old high school class.

Yes, there is, has been and will continue to be division in our body politic.  But, as with families or old high school friends, we can rise above our differences or divisions.   The message on the Great Seal still holds.  E pluribus unum.  It is what makes us strong and resilient.  It also makes for Thanksgiving in the summer!

Rolly Kidder