Read Greatest Possible Service; A Marine Aviator's Epistolary Account of World War II

Greatest Possible Service; A Marine Aviator's Epistolary Account of World War II

Susannah Colt

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Description:Thomas C. Colt, Jr. joined the Marines in 1929 for the express purpose of learning how to fly, which he did and he earned his commission of second lieutenant, serving a year before he was discharged. Twelve years later as the United States was drawn into the second world war, he took a leave of absence from his job as the director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in July 1942 to join the war effort. 75 years later, Colt's daughter came into possession of 160 letters her father wrote to his wife, Belle, during the war and edited and annotated them into a book that tells the story in great detail of one aviator's experience during the war. It reveals a man devoted to defending his country from aggression, even at great emotional cost to himself and his family. His letters are filled with details, from the mundane to the extraordinary, in lyrical fashion, worthy of acclaim as if he were a well-known author. They are sometimes serious and sometimes peppered with humor and pathos about the state of the war and his part in it. His eye-popping descriptions of every place he was stationed allows one to feel as though they are in the middle of it all. Here are some samples:“We first sighted land in the late afternoon last Sunday. It was a low broken line of palm trees on the horizon, in the midst of this great waste of water. As we approached them, the light became the slanting opalescent light of early evening; great cloud masses stood in the sky, riotous with color. . . . The ships fell into column and one by one crossed the reef between two of the islands, entered the lagoon, steamed down it and dropped anchor. Next morning, we came ashore.” 29 June, 1944“Years of training and experience, months of organizing and planning, hours of travel to a target, maybe all of sixty seconds in contact with the enemy – a good summary of war in the air. I’ve been on only four strikes in the months I’ve been out here, which contrasts unpleasantly with the number I’ve planned, and briefed the pilots, and sent them out on. It comes as a distinct relief to go myself, but it comes only as a special dispensation.” 4 Nov., 1944“This tour of duty is proving a movement in crescendo. The quiet month with the wing, the slow months learning the job, the building up of the work, now the sudden buildup of activity and heavy responsibility. I only hope I can stand up to it.” 12 Nov., 1944 “I guess it’s far enough away in time and place for me to be able to say that it was at Iwo Jima I spent a few days on my survey trip a couple weeks ago. That was not, repeat, not a very nice place. Everyone up there agrees that the Japs did a magnificent defensive job. It looked like a literal version of Hades. The Japs don’t seem to be doing so well on Okinawa. Wonder how soon I’ll see that place?” 3 April, 1945“I thought I knew what war was at Engebi. Now, I suspect Engebi was an opium smoker’s dream. I wonder if I ever knew anything but war. We got it, like the itch, its ever with us. That is, we’ve got war, or mud, or both.” 25 May, 1945We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Greatest Possible Service; A Marine Aviator's Epistolary Account of World War II. To get started finding Greatest Possible Service; A Marine Aviator's Epistolary Account of World War II, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
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Pages: 253

Format: PDF, EPUB & Kindle Edition

Publisher: Susannah Colt

Release: 2021

ISBN: 9780578900

Description: Thomas C. Colt, Jr. joined the Marines in 1929 for the express purpose of learning how to fly, which he did and he earned his commission of second lieutenant, serving a year before he was discharged. Twelve years later as the United States was drawn into the second world war, he took a leave of absence from his job as the director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in July 1942 to join the war effort. 75 years later, Colt's daughter came into possession of 160 letters her father wrote to his wife, Belle, during the war and edited and annotated them into a book that tells the story in great detail of one aviator's experience during the war. It reveals a man devoted to defending his country from aggression, even at great emotional cost to himself and his family. His letters are filled with details, from the mundane to the extraordinary, in lyrical fashion, worthy of acclaim as if he were a well-known author. They are sometimes serious and sometimes peppered with humor and pathos about the state of the war and his part in it. His eye-popping descriptions of every place he was stationed allows one to feel as though they are in the middle of it all. Here are some samples:“We first sighted land in the late afternoon last Sunday. It was a low broken line of palm trees on the horizon, in the midst of this great waste of water. As we approached them, the light became the slanting opalescent light of early evening; great cloud masses stood in the sky, riotous with color. . . . The ships fell into column and one by one crossed the reef between two of the islands, entered the lagoon, steamed down it and dropped anchor. Next morning, we came ashore.” 29 June, 1944“Years of training and experience, months of organizing and planning, hours of travel to a target, maybe all of sixty seconds in contact with the enemy – a good summary of war in the air. I’ve been on only four strikes in the months I’ve been out here, which contrasts unpleasantly with the number I’ve planned, and briefed the pilots, and sent them out on. It comes as a distinct relief to go myself, but it comes only as a special dispensation.” 4 Nov., 1944“This tour of duty is proving a movement in crescendo. The quiet month with the wing, the slow months learning the job, the building up of the work, now the sudden buildup of activity and heavy responsibility. I only hope I can stand up to it.” 12 Nov., 1944 “I guess it’s far enough away in time and place for me to be able to say that it was at Iwo Jima I spent a few days on my survey trip a couple weeks ago. That was not, repeat, not a very nice place. Everyone up there agrees that the Japs did a magnificent defensive job. It looked like a literal version of Hades. The Japs don’t seem to be doing so well on Okinawa. Wonder how soon I’ll see that place?” 3 April, 1945“I thought I knew what war was at Engebi. Now, I suspect Engebi was an opium smoker’s dream. I wonder if I ever knew anything but war. We got it, like the itch, its ever with us. That is, we’ve got war, or mud, or both.” 25 May, 1945We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Greatest Possible Service; A Marine Aviator's Epistolary Account of World War II. To get started finding Greatest Possible Service; A Marine Aviator's Epistolary Account of World War II, you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

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Greatest Possible Service; A Marine Aviator's Epistolary Account of World War II

Greatest Possible Service; A Marine Aviator's Epistolary Account of World War II

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