In the darkest days of World War II, the USA was reeling from the attacks upon Pearl Harbor, Alaska, The Philippines, Wake Island, Singapore, Burma, the conquests of China, Korea, Viet Nam, and the impending invasions of Midway Island, India, New Zealand, and Australia by the Imperial Japanese Army and its spearhead, the Imperial Combined Fleet. Into this murderous quagmire the USA Navy thrust the PT Boats, small plywood boats with some machine guns and torpedo tubes, to harass and impede the Cruisers and Destroyers of the Japanese Navy. It was a suicide mission. It was a stopgap measure, a Hail Mary pass; the young men on those plywood boats were considered to be expendable. John Kennedy, millionaire socialite, could have sat out the war, or with his fathers connections secured a cushy job at the Pentagon, attending cocktail parties and socializing with debutants. But like his brother Joe Kennedy, he chose instead to volunteer for one of the most dangerous missions of World War II. While Joe fought the Nazi war machine as he piloted warplanes over the flak-filled skies of Europe, brother John piloted a plywood boat in the steaming jungle waters of the South Pacific. Joe Kennedy was killed in combat against the Third Reich; John Kennedy was almost killed, but managed to save not only his own life but also the life of his crew. Later, as President, he faced down the Soviet Union by threatening global thermonuclear war, telling the American People that any strike from any missile launched from Cuba upon any nation in the entire Western Hemisphere would be considered to be an attack by the Soviet Union upon the United States, and will be responded to by a full nuclear response by the United States upon the Soviet Union. Thats a man with titanium testicular fortitude. John Kennedy was a man who challenged all Americans to Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. We never see men like this anymore. We never see the sons of the rich elite volunteering for service. How amazingly different we are, compared to 50 years ago today.
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 05:52:23 +0000