This day in history: November 12

[seamusTX]

1942 - The Battle of Guadalcanal began. Lasting four days, the series of sea and amphibious battles was extremely destructive to both sides, resulting in some 38,000 dead, 67 ships destroyed, and more than 1,200 aircraft crashed or disabled.

But in the end, the Japanese were handed their backsides in a bucket. Their control of the South Pacific deteriorated after this loss. In some ways, the spirit of the Japanese military leadership was crippled.

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/even ... adlcnl.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/72-8/72-8.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.guadalcanal.com/battleofguadalcanal.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1948 - Japanese General and Prime Minister Hideki Tojo was sentenced to death for war crimes. He was hanged a month later.

Of course today we have much larger concerns about fired sports coaches and political candidates who don't know which end of a rifle the bullets come out of and can't keep their foot out of their mouth.

- Jim

[RiverRider]

You're so right, Jim. Our heroes have been taken away from us and they've given us celebrities. It's time to rehabilitate Davy Crockett, George Washington, and Daniel Boone. And start realigning our values and priorities.

[seamusTX]

How do we do that, when people care more about what brand of shoes "Lady Gaga" wears than our military putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan? I doubt the average "man on the street" today could point to Afghanistan on an unlabeled globe of the world.

- Jim

[jimlongley]

Hey Jim, I hate to tell you this, but one of my relatives was fighting on Guadalcanal in August of 1942, and my grandpappy was there with the Army later, bringing ashore supplies. His tales of Marines raiding the Army stores were very interesting, as well as Marines wandering in to try to get issued new Garands, claiming their weapons were lost in battle, while carrying perfectly good '03-A3s over their shoulders - "Oh, that sir? It's not mine, I'm (just carrying it for my injured buddy; just taking it to the lost and found because I found it in the jungle; etc, etc)"

Maybe you were referring to the naval "Battle of Guadalcanal" which started around this date?

[RPB]

Maybe you were referring to the naval "Battle of Guadalcanal" which started around this date?

"Naval Battle of Guadalcanal"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Batt ... uadalcanal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Nov 12th-15th 1942
The action consisted of combined air and sea engagements over four days ...