By Peter J. Fagan: 
As this issue of The Sedona Times is being published between Memorial Day and July 4th, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this article to the men and women who have served and are serving in our armed forces, in particular those who served in World War II.
In the last two months I have had the opportunity to visit the National World War II Museum (formerly the National D-Day Museum) in New Orleans, LA and attend a reunion of the crew of my wife’s uncle’s World War II Coast Guard ship in Pine Know Shores, NC.
At the greatly expanded World War II Museum I had the privilege of attending a new movie about World War II narrated by Tom Hanks. The movie is entitled “Beyond All Boundaries.” It is done with great style and bone chilling realism. The movie starts with a series of numbers being flashed on the screen. These numbers represent the people killed during the war in the countries around the world. The total is an astonishing 260,000,000 people. That represents 11% of the earth’s population in 1940.
Over 16 million Americans were members of the United States armed forces during World War II. As of September 30, 2009 the U.S Defense Department estimates that there were approximately 2,272,000 American veterans still living. Approximately 850 American World War II veterans die every day. The median age for a World War II veteran in 2009 was 86 years.
If you are in New Orleans please visit the museum. It will be well worth your time.
You might ask why is the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, LA? A main part of the answer is the Higgins Boat. The Higgins Boat was a landing craft used extensively in World War II. The boat was designed and manufactured by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana based upon boats designed for operating in the swamps and marshes. More than 20,000 were built during World War II. Which brings me to the reunion my wife, Janet, and I just attended in North Carolina.
Janet’s uncle, John, served in the Coast Guard during World War II aboard the USS Samuel Chase (APA-26) which was assigned to the Navy for the duration of the war in 1941. The ship was classified as an attack transport and was manned by 578 crew members, transported 1,300 troops and had a complement of 33 Higgins Boats. The Samuel Chase participated in the amphibious invasions of North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Normandy and Southern France before heading to the Pacific in 1945. Over the years of the war roughly 1800 men served tours of duty. Today it is estimated that there are about 300 still living.
This year on D-Day June, 6 the crew and their families celebrated the ship’s 29th reunion. Each reunion fewer and fewer crew members attend but the children, grandchildren and relatives are now active participants.
Tom Brokaw named the men and women of the World War II era “Our Greatest Generation.” When you speak to them about their wartime experiences none consider themselves heroes. They say almost to the man “We were just doing our job.”
So, if you get the chance to visit New Orleans, stop by the National World War II Museum see the movie, tour the exhibits and look at the Higgins Boats on display. You will not be disappointed. If you have the opportunity to converse with a World War II vet please do so. It won’t be too many years into the future where that will no longer be able to happen, and if you see a man or woman in a U.S. armed services uniform stop and thank them for their service. HAPPY 4th of JULY.
