American Legion Tipton County Post 67Newsletter July 12, 2012

Tipton County Courthouse (Covington, Tennessee)

Built in 1889, this Italianate courthouse was designed by the Kentucky firm of the McDonald Brothers. It once had a tower that was later on removed.

My dad served from Feb. 15, 1942 till Oct. 22, 1945. He went to boot camp in San Diego, CA. He first served on the USS The Sullivan DD-537. Then he served mostly on the USS San Pablo AVP-30. Both ships were in the Pacific Theater in WWII. He would never talk about the war, so most of the information I could get was on the internet, and off his discharge papers. I know he saw a lot of action against the Japanese (including kamikaze attacks on the San Pablo). He was a 1st class Torpeoman. I did not know he came to Millington for some training until we got stationed here and he told me he was here during the war.

I could not find much information on the ship, mostly on the Sullivan brothers.

The USS San Pablo (AVP-30) was built by the Associated Shipbuilders, Seattle, WA. It was Launched on March 31, 1942 and commissioned on March 15, 1943. It was sponsored by Mrs. W.A. Hall. Cmdr. R.R. Darron in command. Following commissioning and outfitting, San Pablo conducted shakedown in the Puget Sound area and then steamed to San Diego for readiness training. On June 15, the small seaplane tender departed the west coast and headed for the South Pacific. At Espirtio Santo, San Pablo embarked marines and deck cargo, then proceeded to Noumea, New Caledonia. After off loading there, she went to Brisbane, Australia, to pick up the flight crews and aviation supplies, including spare parts and

Story by Rose Lightfoot

fuel, of patrol squadron VP-101; then returned to Noumea to commence operations as tender and base for “Black-Cat” (night-fighting, air-search, and reconnaissance) PBM’s and PBY’s. With VP-101 and assigned crash boats, San Pablo formed Task Group 73.1 and established their seaplane base by charting the bay, setting out mooring and marker buoys, and constructing quarters for squadron personnel at nearby Honey Hollow. They also built an advanced base at Samarai, Papua, New Guinea. For the next several months, the “Black Cats” operated from these bases, preying on enemy shipping along the coasts of New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland, and in the Bismarck Sea. They inflicted great losses on inter-island barge traffic as well as to heavy shipping; harassed enemy troops with night bombing and strafing missions; conducted photo intelligence operations provided at-sea search and rescue support for downed Army fliers and sailors of sunken vessels; and carried high ranking officers, friendly coast watchers, and native guerrilla units.While continuously on the alert for enemy air attack, San Pablo sailors worked around the clock to fuel, repair, arm, and control the seaplanes, and to feed and care for their crews. On October 9, she was relieved by Half Moon (AVP-26) and sailed to Brisbane for long needed repair, replenishment, and shore leave. She returned to Noumea on December 20 and resumed operations with VP-52. During January 1944, she gave direct support to the force which occupied Finschhafen, New Guinea, and helped to establish a new advance base at Langemak Bay. At times, she also tended the planes of VP-34, then flying rescue missions for the 5th AAF from Port Moresbhy. She once temporarily based two OS2U scout planes from Boise (CL-47).From Langemak Bay, San Pablo’s planes helped to prevent the Japanese from supplying garrisons on Rahaul and Kavieng. On February 25, relieved again by Half Moon, San Pablo returned to Noumea for repairs alongside Dobbin (AD-3). During the work, she assisted in removing a screw from Aaron Ward (DM-34) using her seaplane winch. This speeded repairs to the destroyer-minelayer and allowed her to reach Ulithi in time to prepare for the forthcoming Okinawa campaign.By March 24th, San Pablo was conducting operations at Seeadler Harbor, Admiralty Islands, with VP-33 and Vp-52 planes. They carried out night bombong missions in the Carolines and search flights by day. The pace had so quickened by the end of March that Tangier (AV-8) was brought in to help carry the load. On May 13, they moved to Hollandia to patrol the approaches to Wake Island prior to Allied landing there. Relieved by Orca (AVP-49) on May 26th, San Pablo then refueled PT boats at Humboldt FAy and transported personnel and cargo between Manus Seeadler, Emirau, and Woendi. On August 19, she commenced ASW patrols with VP-11 planes at Woendi and, during October and November, conducted ASW operations off Morotai and Hollandia. Later relieved by San Carlos (AVP-51), she moved to anibong on Bay Leyte, to support planes conducting search missions in the Philippfines. On December 8th, San Pablo received survivors of Mahan (DD-364) who had been picked up by one of her PBM’s after that destroyer had suffered three kamikaze hits and sunk in Ormoc Bay. She then joined a convoy en route to Mindoro and came under severe attack by suicide planes for ten consecutive days. Most of the kamikazes were beaten off by AA fire from the convoy screen or by CAP planes.

However, one hit an ammunition ship which completely disintegrated in tremendous explosion, and another crashed into a Liberty ship and caused severe damage. On December 30th at Mindoro, a Val barely passed astern of San Pablo and crashed into Orestes (AGP-10), wounding four San Pablo men with shrapnel. On the 31st, a Betty bombed nearby Porcupine (IX-126) and then crashed into Gansevoort (DD-608). Through January and early February 1945, San Pablo made search missions in the South China Sea and along the China coast with VPB-25 and VP-33 squadrons. On February 13th, she was relieved by Tangier and returned to Leyte.Through April, she escorted LST-777, Chestatee (AOG-49), and various merchant transports between Leyte and Palawan. She then steamed, via Moratai, to Manus. At the end of June, she moved to Samar and the Lingayen Gulf area for air search and rescue operations in the South China Sea-Formosa area. These lasted until Ausust 15th when she received orders to cease offensive operations. On September, the day of Japan’s formal surrender ceremony, San Pablo was in Lingayen Gulf providing ASW patrols to cover occupation convoys bound for Japan. San Pablo returned to Bremerton, Wash., on November 17th to prepare for inactivation.

Captains:Darron, R.R.,CDR March 1943-May 1943Dunlap, S.D.,CDR May 1943-June 1944Willard, C.C.,CDR June 1944-March 1945Hughes, G.E.,CDR March 1945-October 1945Eisenback, C.R.,CDR October 1945-July 1946

THE COAST GUARD LORAN STATIONIWO JIMA

Iwo Jima is about 600 miles south of Japan and considered to be in the Tokyo city limits. In 1968Lyndon Johnson gave the island to the Japanese.The name means Sulfur Island .

The area size is only

Early Flag Raising on Iwo Jima

MEMORIALS ON IWO JIMA 2003

The first Flag Raising

Al Lightfoot was stationed on Iwo Jima twice one year 1978 and one year 1987. There were no phones or internet communicationto home. Only the Japanese base had a phone to the outside worldin 1978. The USCG only had a water catch, they had 28 men stationed there. Al was the Corpsman with collateral duties.

LOOK AT THESE SIGHTS FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Mt. Suribachi

PATTON TANKM48-A2C

On February 27th, 1951, a new Army requirement from the Ordnance Technical Committee Minutes (OTCM) went out for the “90mm Gun Tank, T-48”. The re-quirement called for a new tank system to help refill the stables of the dwindling American armor supply and promote military might. This design would have to be something of substance, power and modern stature. When compared to the M47, the T-48 ffeatured a revised hull with an improved suspension system coupled to a new turret design, itself mounting the T54 90mm main gun. It was fitted with a gasoline engine and dthe bow-mounted machine gun and applicable radio operator’s position was removed, reducing the operation crew to four-in a way this arrangement became the standard for all tanks following, including the modern likes of the M1 Abrams. Of course some Russian designs go a step further and remove the loader altogether, choosing instead to go with a complex, yet highly-effective, autoloading mechanism. The new pilot (prototype in tank-speak) T-48 began production in 1952 at the Chrysler Delaware Tank Plant. By the end of 1959, 11,700 examples were from the Fisher Tank Arsenal and the Ford Motor Company. Base production models had poor ballistics protection and were used as crew and gunnery trainers under the the designation of M48C.

The M48 was characterized by her elongated and stout turret, curved along the front and sides to better assist with ballistics protection. There was an identifiable commander’s cupola offset to the right side of the upper turret. The turret housed the gunner, loader and tank commander with free access to each other’s respective positions. The gunner maintained the 90mm main gun as well as a co-axially mounted M73 7.62mm machine gun. The loader also manned an anti-infantry 7.62mm machine gun as did the commander from his cupola. The main gun was centered in the forward face of the turret and extended out over the front of the hull capped by a y-shaped muzzle brake, the barrel budged somewhat by a non-concentric fume extractor. The rear of the turret, known as the bustle, maintained a stowage basket running from each rear side. The top of the hull was a surface suitable for carrying extra equipment or infantry. There were medium road wheels to a track side with a drive sprocket at the rear and a track idler at the front. The glacis plate was well-slopped with the drivers position held at the center just under the main gun and forward of the turret ring. The engine was mounted within a compartment to the rear of the vehicle, producing a slightly raised rear quadrant, reminiscent of the upcoming M60 Patton. Her armor protection was 120mm (4.89 inches) at its thickest. In Vietnam the M48 became the heaviest tank to be fielded by the US Army in the conflict. It was relegated to supporting infantry actions in the dense jungle and suburban fighting to follow. Ultimately it proved unsuitable in that terrain. When the US forces were not suppressing enemies by way of cannon or machine gun fire or flushing them out through flamethrowers, they were shredding them by way of the canister round. This destructive projectile essentially turned the main gun of the M48 into a large spread-fire shotgun , dispersing some 1,280 pellets or up to 10,000 darts against infantry or to cut away thickets of jungle. It was relatively well-armored to contend with land mines and was often used to sniff out these killer weapons ahead of infantry and convoys, being used as a mine-roller. The Soviet anti-tank wire-guided missiles were its biggest problem. We left the tanks with the South Vietnamese Army that used them until they ran out of gas and ammunition. At the end the NVA captured the systems and put them to use for a short time.

Events

Early Voting Schedule for the August 2 2012 Elections

There are two early voting locations: Tipton County Election Commission Office located at 113 E Church Street in Covington and the Munford Board Room located at 69 College Street in Munford.

Friday July 13 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Saturday July 14 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Monday July 16 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Tuesday July 17 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM

Wednesday July 18 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Thursday July 19 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM

Friday July 20 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Saturday July 21 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Monday July 23 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Tuesday July 24 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM

Wednesday July 25 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Thursday July 26 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM

Friday July 27 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Saturday July 28 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Job FairHosted By

Congressman Stephen FincherJuly 20, 2012

DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center3149 Hwy 51 S., Covington, TN

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Celebrate Munford Car ShowSaturday, September 15th, 2012

City Park, Douglas and College St. Munford, TNRegistration 8:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Judging Begins at 10:00 AMAwards Ceremony at 3:00 PMEntry Fee $25.00 per Vehicle

1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Awards and 3 Speciality AwardsFirst 100 Entries T-Shirt and Goodie Bag

For Information Contact: AL Lightfoot 901 837 8039or e-mail: legionpost67@mac.com

Post PicnicMid-South MVPA Chapter Rally

and Car ShowAdkinson Park Atoka, TN

Oct 6, 201211:00 AM - 1:00 PM