McNamara, defense chief during Vietnam War, dies

[SuperScout]

All well and good about JFK, but even on the blackist of nights at sea, there is enough ambient light that can be magnified by common 6X35 binoculars that the lumbering Jap destroyer could have been seen, if men had been topside, doing their jobs, scanning the horizon. Add to that the colossal failure of leadership of JFK in not knowing what happening to the other boats, the major portion of that little flotilla.

And it begs the question: if our PT boats were avoiding detection by Jap aircraft, how did the Jap aircraft seea all the way down on that moonless night? And were our PT boats so far out of US aircraft range that our US aviators didn't / couldn't fly at night? From what little I know, our aircraft were superior in night fighting capabilities.

[1CAVCCO15MED]

I do know that early in the war like around Guadacanal the Japanese Navy was completely outclassing us in night warfare. We lost about three naval battles during this period. The Navy abondoned the Guadalcanal troops for a couple of months. My father in law was there. He died a couple of years ago and his last words were, "Don't go to sleep boys, they'll cut your head off" and "I am starving." It was during this period also that the torpedoes used by the US Navy were practically useless. They would hit the target but they wouldn't detonate. They were just counting coup and causing a lot of dented hulls on Japaneses ships.

[Boats]

I feel we should have a president that has served in the military. It's something that I feel strongly about. They know the issues and the limitations. They also understand the cost that getting into a war represents.

Our Leader's have to have a backbone - they have to know when to tell others to shut up and listen. They have to also be accountable to those who are called into action and asked to give the ultimate price.

The reasons have to be very real and a real threat to our Nations People. If you put all those issues together - Then I'll fight for you as long as you watch my families back while I'm gone or killed. These are the hard and real issues when you commit men/women into these foreign lands. The cost is very dear and not all come back in one piece. Not all will come back. Those people in office must have a total understanding of the demands and cost that they will be held accountable for. Congress has to declare "War" and make our adversaries so sorry they pushed our buttons - that other's will think twice before pushing our buttons.

Just my thoughts.

[revwardoc]

Scout,

The Osprey book "US Patrol Torpedo Boats" talks about how the the phosphorescent effect caused by propellar wakes in the warm waters of the Pacific made a PT boat visible from the air on even the darkest nights.