Two Words, One Answer.
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 Sole survivor: The Battle of Midway and its effects on his life $55.00 When those who care enough to remember think of George Gay; they invariably think of him as Ensign Gay; the lone survivor of Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) who was shot down at sea and while floating in the midst of the Japanese fleet witnessed the Battle of Midway. It's almost as if Gay is frozen in time and will always be an ensign. But that single event, no matter how dramatic, doesn't completely define George Gay. And, as you will find by reading his book, there was much more to "Ensign" Gay's life than just that one fortuitous circumstance; although it did, to a large extent, shape and determine the course of his later life. For George Gay, it all began when he was accepted as a naval air cadet shortly before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. After completing his flight training and winning his wings, he was trained as a torpedo bomber pilot and transferred to VT-8, then aboard the USS Hornet. He was aboard that carrier when Jimmy Doolittle's sixteen B-25s were brought aboard, and he sailed with them toward Japan. Then, on April 18, 1942, he watched as Doolittle's Raiders took off on their legendary attack on the Japanese homeland. Three months later, along with the pilots of fourteen other Douglas TBD-1 Devastators, each carrying an ancient World War One 2000 pound submarine torpedo, he took off from the Hornet himself; this time in search of the Japanese fleet at Midway. Flying at low altitude and without fighter protection, VT-8 located the enemy carriers and immediately began its attack. Sadly, all fifteen Devastators, each with a two man crew, were quickly shot out of the sky by an overwhelming force of Jap Zeros. Although wounded, Ensign Gay stayed in the air long enough to release his torpedo and then, after ditching his plane, became the only survivor of VT-8. He floated in his bullet riddled life raft for the next thirty hours before being rescued. In the meantime, while trying desperately not to be seen by the Japanese ships all around him, he watched the Battle of Midway, witnessed the three damaged Japanese aircraft carriers burning and sinking, and saw the enemy's carrier aircraft falling into the sea. After his recovery, and rehabilitation in Hawaii, Gay went back to the States as a national hero. While there, he traveled the country speaking to groups and on the radio to promote the sale of War Bonds. Before long, however, he was transferred back to the Pacific, this time to Torpedo Squadron Eleven (VT-11) which was operating from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. While there he flew twenty-one more combat missions including bombing attacks, night and day strikes against Japanese shipping, and night mine laying operations. At one point during this time, the men of VT-11 were to be flown to Australia in three shifts for a few days of rest and rehabilitation (R&R). Once again, Gay's luck held. He was bumped from his flight by his Group Commander who was killed along with everyone else on board when Gay's assigned DC-3 crashed at sea. When his tour of duty was up, Gay was ordered back to the States where he again made personal appearances to aid the war effort before reporting to Opa-locka, Florida. While at Opa-locka, he trained new torpedo bomber pilots in the latest operational techniques. With the war winding down in 1945 and having won the Navy Cross, Gay was eligible for early release. He took that option and was separated from the Navy shortly before Japan's surrender. Following the war, he became an airline pilot; an occupation he pursued until he reached the mandatory retirement age of sixty. For those who were in the Navy, this book will bring back a host of memories. For those who weren't, it will provide a glimpse of what they missed. The most interesting thing to me about this book, however, was George Gay's expressed anger at the way many seemingly intelligent Americans failed to grasp the importance of being prepared to protect America at all times and to fight America's enemies whenever necessary. [He was particularly annoyed with the man he termed "the peanut farmer" and "that guber nut in the White House." (Jimmy Carter)] Strangely enough, Gay's thoughts, as expressed herein, are so timely that they could have been written yesterday. Bottom line: George Gay is much more than I ever thought he was; and, besides being a great read, this book is relevant in today's world. It would benefit the country greatly if every American child would read it.  Womens Baby Phat Black Flyer Center Lo Suede Sneakers. Jump into the sweet style of the sneaker from Baby Phat. Its fun printed upper has patterns on it for a whimsical style with its casually laid-low silhouette that will look good with everything. 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