June 2023  
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Weather

Oak Harbor, Washington

Rain Friday night

63°

73° 51°

Partly cloudy

Feels Like: 64°
Humidity: 42%
Wind: 2 MPH
Wed

73 52
Thu

67 53
Fri

63 54
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  • Community Service Award to Chamber of Commerce - Magi Aguilar Exec. Director
  • Change of Watch: Incoming Co-Presidents Larry & Beth Munns with Outgoing President Greg Smith
  • Scroll of Honor Recipient Steve Bristow
  • 2023-2024 Board members
  • Hall of Honor Recepients Connie Leonhardi and Greg Smith with NAS Co Captain Hanks and NL NW Regional President
  • 2022 Veterans Day Speaker - Captain Jim Patton, USN, retired
  • 2022 Veterans Day Leaders - Greg Smith, George Saul, Jim Patton, Jeff Neuberger
  • 2022 Veterans Day - OHHS Wildcat Band
  • 2022 Veterans Day - Navy Band Northwest Brass Quintet
  • NJROTC Awards - Rep. Larsen &, Assistant Superintendent Lundstrom
  • 2021 Veterans Day Entrance to Stadium
  • NL VP Dr. Darin Hand, NL Past-President Greg Smith, Chaplain David Lura
  • Welcome to NAS Whidbey Island
 

Links to OUR 2021 VETERANS DAY PROGRAM and the 2022 Memorial Day Program can be found IN ANNUAL EVENTS

7 June 2023 

on this day in 
1955 "The $64,000 Question" premiers on CBS TV
from - http://www.scopesys.com

in military history
rom - https://thisdayinusmilhist.wordpress.com

1942 – The Battle of Midway–one of the most decisive U.S. victories in its war against Japan–comes to an end. In the four-day sea and air battle, the outnumbered U.S. Pacific Fleet succeeded in destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers with the loss of only one of its own, the Yorktown, thus reversing the tide against the previously invincible Japanese navy. In six months of offensives, the Japanese had triumphed in lands throughout the Pacific, including Malaysia, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, and numerous island groups. The United States, however, was a growing threat, and Japanese Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto sought to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet before it was large enough to outmatch his own. A thousand miles northwest of Honolulu, the strategic island of Midway became the focus of his scheme to smash U.S. resistance to Japan’s imperial designs. Yamamoto’s plan consisted of a feint toward Alaska followed by an invasion of Midway by a Japanese strike force. When the U.S. Pacific Fleet arrived at Midway to respond to the invasion, it would be destroyed by the superior Japanese fleet waiting unseen to the west. If successful, the plan would eliminate the U.S. Pacific Fleet and provide a forward outpost from which the Japanese could eliminate any future American threat in the Central Pacific. Unfortunately for the Japanese, U.S. intelligence broke the Japanese naval code, and the Americans anticipated the surprise attack. Three heavy aircraft carriers of the U.S. Pacific Fleet were mustered to challenge the four heavy Japanese carriers steaming toward Midway. In early June, U.S. command correctly recognized a Japanese movement against Alaska’s Aleutian Islands as a diversionary tactic and kept its forces massed around Midway. On June 3, the Japanese occupation force was spotted steaming toward the island, and B-17 Flying Fortresses were sent out from Midway to bomb the strike force but failed to inflict damage. Early in the morning on June 4, a PBY Catalina flying boat torpedoed a Japanese tanker transport, striking the first blow of the Battle of Midway. Later that morning, an advance Japanese squadron numbering more than 100 bombers and Zero fighters took off from the Japanese carriers to bomb Midway. Twenty-six Wildcat fighters were sent up to intercept the Japanese force and suffered heavy losses in their heroic defense of Midway’s air base. Soon after, bombers and torpedo planes based on Midway took off to attack the Japanese carriers but failed to inflict serious damage. The first phase of the battle was over by 7:00 a.m. In the meantime, 200 miles to the northeast, two U.S. attack fleets caught the Japanese force entirely by surprise. Beginning around 9:30 a.m., torpedo bombers from the three U.S. carriers descended on the Japanese carriers. Although nearly wiped out, they drew off enemy fighters, and U.S. dive bombers penetrated, catching the Japanese carriers while their decks were cluttered with aircraft and fuel. The dive-bombers quickly destroyed three of the heavy Japanese carriers and one heavy cruiser. The only Japanese carrier that initially escaped destruction, the Hiryu, loosed all its aircraft against the American task force and managed to seriously damage the U.S. carrier Yorktown, forcing its abandonment. At about 5:00 p.m., dive-bombers from the U.S. carrier Enterprise returned the favor, mortally damaging the Hiryu. It was scuttled the next morning. Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto still had numerous warships at his command, but without his carriers and aircraft he was forced to abandon his Midway invasion plans and begin a westward retreat. On June 5, a U.S. task force pursued his fleet, but bad weather saved it from further destruction. On June 6, the skies cleared, and U.S. aircraft resumed their assault, sinking a cruiser and damaging several other warships. After the planes returned to their carriers, the Americans broke off from the pursuit. Meanwhile, a Japanese submarine torpedoed and fatally wounded the Yorktown, which was in the process of being salvaged. It finally rolled over and sank at dawn on June 7, bringing an end to the battle. At the Battle of Midway, Japan lost four carriers, a cruiser, and 292 aircraft, and suffered 2,500 casualties. The U.S. lost the Yorktown, the destroyer USS Hammann, 145 aircraft, and suffered 307 casualties. Japan’s losses in the hobbled its naval might–bringing Japanese and American sea power to approximate parity–and marked the turning point in the Pacific theater of World War II. In August 1942, the great U.S. counteroffensive began at Guadalcanal and did not cease until Japan’s surrender three years later.

Contact Us  
Navy League
PO Box 847
Oak Harbor, Washington 98277
Phone 360.720.8398
Mobile 360.720.8398
Announcements

MEETINGS monthly except July-August

11:30-1:00
OH Elks Club

Jun 6
No Mtgs Jul/Aug
Sep 5
Oct 3
Nov 7

SPECIAL WELCOME

Oak Harbor Area Council of the Navy League is a group of civilians who meet monthly in support of the women and men of the sea services.  A SPECIAL WELCOME is extended to military related families and those new to the area and includes an invitation to join us.

MISSION STATEMENT

We enhance the morale of
sea service personnel and
their families through national
and council level programs.
 
We provide a powerful voice to educate the public and Congress 
on the importance of our sea services to our nation’s defense,
well-being and economic prosperity. 

We support youth through programs that expose young people to the value of our sea services.

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