The Battle At Midway Essays - Battle Of Midway, Japan,

The Battle at Midway Nothing distinguished the dawn of June 2, 1942, from countless other dawns that had fallen over tiny Midway atoll in the North Pacific. Nothing, that is, except the tension, the electric tension of men waiting for an enemy to make his move. On Midway's two main islands, Sand and Eastern, 3,632 United States Navy and Marine Corps personnel, along with a few Army Air Force aircrews, stood at battle stations in and near their fighters, bombers, and seaplanes, waiting for the Japanese attack they had been expecting for weeks. The carrier battle of Midway, one of the decisive naval battles in history, is well documented. But the role played by the Midway garrison, which manned the naval air station on the atoll during the battle, is not as well known. Midway lies 1,135 miles west-northwest of Pearl Harbor, Oahu. The entire atoll is barely six miles in diameter and consists of Sand and Eastern islands surrounded by a coral reef enclosing a shallow lagoon. Midway was discovered in 1859 and annexed by the United States in August 1867. Between 1903 and 1940, it served both as a cable station on the Honolulu - Guam ? Manila underwater telegraph line and as an airport for the Pan American Airways China Clipper (Miracle 5). In March 1940, after a report on U.S. Navy Pacific bases declared Midway second only to Pearl Harbor in importance, construction of a formal naval air station began. Midway Naval Air Station was placed in commission in August 1941. By that time, Midway's facilities included a large seaplane hangar and ramps, artificial harbor, fuel storage tanks and several buildings. Sand Island was populated by hundreds of civilian construction workers and a defense battalion of the Fleet Marine Force, while Eastern Island boasted a 5,300-foot airstrip. Commander Cyril T. Simard, a veteran naval pilot who had served as air officer on the carrier USS Langley and as executive officer at the San Diego Air Station, was designated the atoll's commanding officer. Along with the naval personnel manning the air station was a detachment of Marines. The first detachment was from the Marine 3rd Defense Battalion; it was relieved on September 11, 1941, by 34 officers and 750 men from the 6th Defense Battalion under the command of Lt. Col. Harold D. Shannon, a veteran of World War I and duty in Panama and Hawaii. Shannon and Simard meshed into an effective team righ! t away. World War II began for Midway at 6:30 a.m. December 7, 1941, when the garrison received word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. At 6:42 p.m., a Marine sentry sighted a flashing light out at sea and alerted the garrison. Three hours later, the Japanese destroyers Sazanami and Ushio opened fire, damaging a seaplane hangar, knocking out the Pan American direction finder and destroying a consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat. The Japanese retired at 10:00 p.m., leaving four Midway defenders dead and 10 wounded. On December 23, 1941, Midway's air defenses were reinforced with 17 SB2U-3 Vought Vindicator dive bombers, 14 Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo fighters, and pilots and aircrews originally intended for the relief of Wake Island. The Buffaloes and Vindicators were cast-off aircraft, having been replaced by the Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless dive bombers and Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighters on U.S. aircraft carriers. The Buffaloes became part of MarineFighter Squadron 221 (VMF-221), while! the Vindicators were put into Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241), both making up Marine Air Group 22 (MAG-22) under Lt. Col. Ira B. Kimes. Midway settled into a routine of training and anti-submarine flights, with little else to do except play endless games of cards and cribbage, and watch Midway's famous albatrosses, nicknamed gooney birds, in action (Stevens 56). Then, in May 1942, Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto, commander in chief of the Japanese Combined Fleet, came up with a plan, called Operation Mi, to draw out the U.S. Pacific Fleet by attacking Midway. Using Midway as bait and gathering a vast naval armada of eight aircraft carriers, 11 battleships, 23 cruisers, 65 destroyers and several hundred fighters, bombers and torpedo planes, Yamamoto planned to crush the Pacific Fleet once and for all. Alerted by his code-breakers that the Japanese planned to

Best Private Schools Offering Summer Experiences

Best Private Schools Offering Summer Experiences Many folks hear the words summer camp and think of living in cabins for a month, swimming in lakes, and participating all kinds of outdoor activities, like archery and ropes courses. Rarely does the phrase summer camp make someone think about an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming school year. ​ On the other hand, many folks hear the words summer school and  think of the stereotypical student who failed a class or needs more credits to graduate. Rarely does the phrase summer school make someone think of a positive summer camp-style experience. What if we told you theres a middle ground? A summer experience thats both fun and educational? Its real. And some of the best private schools in the country are offering students unique educational opportunities that are way more than just your typical classroom experience.   Lets look at a few of the  unexpected opportunities  that you might find at a private schools summer program. Travel the World Summer camp doesnt have to be  limited to only one campsite. Some schools offer summer travel experiences, taking students around the world to experience life away from home. Proctor Academy in New Hampshire offers a summer service opportunity, which takes students to places like Guatemala for two-week sessions. See the World From 30,000 Feet in the Air Thats right, aspiring aviators can attend a summer camp at Randolph-Macon School in Virginia. Students get the chance to participate in a highly specialized program  leading towards taking a solo flight in a Cessna 172.   Space Camp and Sustainability Sustainability is a popular topic at private schools  and is one that has led to several summer camp programs designed to educate students and get them thinking about how we can better serve the planet Earth. One such program exists at Cheshire Academy in Connecticut, which offers two different tracks from which students can choose for their summer study. One track focuses on the impact of humans on the earth, while the other takes a new approach to a space camp by exploring both the oceans and space. You even get to take field trips and even launch rockets - and were not just talking about small model rockets!   Learn a New Language For students looking to come to the United States for a boarding school experience, a summer camp can be a great way to master their English language skills. ELL/ESL students can often greatly benefit from these highly specialized summer classes that are often several weeks long and designed to immerse students in an English language environment. This not only helps participants to master their speaking, reading, and writing skills, but also gives them a preview of what dorm life is like, making the adjustment to boarding school in the fall a little easier. Some schools even offer an accelerated program, like New Hampton School in New Hampshire.   Get a Competitive Edge in Athletics Aspiring athletes, especially those looking to improve their skills in order to play varsity sports at private school, can benefit from a summer camp focused on athletics. Starting to participate in these camps during middle school can be a great way for high school coaches to see a student athletes drive and potential, which means building relationships with the school even before the admission season arrives. Athletic camps are available for the more novice student-athletes, as well, helping those players still learning the game to prepare to play on a sports team at a  private school for the first time. Baylor School in Tennessee offers a camp that meets the needs of both the competitive athlete and the recreational athlete.   Perfect a Creative Craft Young artists can find numerous private schools that offer creative summer camp experiences, ranging from drama and dance to music and drawing. And, some of the best private school programs even offer creative writing and literary-focused programs, as well as digital photography and animation courses. The opportunities for creative expression are endless, and the levels of experience can vary. While some schools, like the Putney School in Vermont, offer a wide variety of workshops for artists of all experience levels and interests, other schools take a more specialized approach. The Idyllwild Arts Academy in California offers intensive two-week programs as part of the  Idyllwild Arts Summer Program. These programs can sometimes help students looking to attend competitive art schools for college get a head-start on art portfolios. Try Your Hand at a Non-Traditional Trade Some schools offer incredibly unique programs, like Emma Willards Rosies Girls camp. Drawing inspiration from the fictional character Rosie the Riveter, the boarding school in New York offers girls the chance to experience what its like to work in  carpentry, automotive repair, masonry, and other non-traditional trades.