badbobby Loc: texas

Missouri-born Samuel Fuqua had a front row seat to the devastation at Peal Harbor from aboard USS Arizona, a battleship that was heavily bombed during the first wave of the attack. The 42-year-old lieutenant commander was having breakfast when the ship’s air raid sirens first sounded around 7:55 a.m. He immediately rushed to the quarterdeck, only to be strafed by enemy fire and then knocked out cold when a bomb fell just feet away from him. Though dazed, Fuqua jumped to his feet after regaining consciousness and began directing firefighting operations. Moments later, he became the Arizona’s senior surviving officer after another bomb detonated the ship’s ammunition magazine, killing more than 1,000 men. As burned and maimed sailors poured onto the deck, Fuqua ignored gunfire from passing aircraft and calmly led efforts to evacuate his sinking ship. “I can still see him standing there,” Arizona crewman Edward Wentzlaff later remembered, “ankle deep in water, stub of a cigar in his mouth, cool and efficient, oblivious to the danger about him.” Fuqua was among the last men to abandon ship. He and two fellow officers then commandeered a boat and braved heavy fire while picking up survivors from the fire-streaked waters. He went on to win the Medal of Honor for his actions at Pearl Harbor, and was later promoted to rear admiral upon his

bahmer

Very good badbobby but you seem to be missing the end of the report upon his what?

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

For you, Bahmer, I found this on the internet:

SAMUEL GLENN FUQUA, 15 October 1899 – 27 January 1987

Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Arizona.
Years of service: 1919 - 1953
Entered service at: Laddonia, Mo
Ending Rank: Rear Admiral
Serving on: USS Arizona (BB-39),
USS Macdonough (DD-331), USS Mississippi (BB-41),
USS Tuscaloosa (CA-37)
Commands: USS Bittern, USS Dixie (AD-14)
Awards: Medal of Honor
Samuel Glenn Fuqua (15 October 1899 – 27 January 1987) was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of America's highest military decoration - the Medal of Honor - for his actions in World War II.

Samuel Fuqua entered the United States Naval Academy in July 1919, after a year at the University of Missouri and World War I service in the Army. Following graduation and commissioning in June 1923, he served in the battleship Arizona, destroyer Macdonough and battleship Mississippi before receiving shore duty at San Francisco, California, from 1930 to 1932. Lieutenant Fuqua served in other ships and shore stations during the mid-1930s, and was commanding officer of the minesweeper Bittern in the Asiatic Fleet in 1937-39.
After service at the Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Illinois, from 1939 to 1941, Lieutenant Commander Fuqua returned to USS Arizona as the ship's Damage Control Officer and First Lieutenant, and was on board her during Japan's 7 December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Though knocked unconscious by a bomb that hit the ship's stern early in the attack, he subsequently directed fire fighting and rescue efforts. After the ship's forward magazines exploded, he was her senior surviving officer and was responsible for saving her remaining crewmen. For his actions at that time, he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Lieutenant Commander Fuqua's official Medal of Honor citation reads: "For distinguished conduct in action, outstanding heroism, and utter disregard of his own safety, above and beyond the call of duty during the attack on the Fleet in Pearl Harbor, by Japanese forces on 7 December 1941. Upon the commencement of the attack, Lieutenant Commander Fuqua rushed to the quarterdeck of the U.S.S. Arizona to which he was attached where he was stunned and knocked down by the explosion of a large bomb which hit the quarterdeck, penetrated several decks, and started a severe fire. Upon regaining consciousness, he began to direct the fighting of the fire and the rescue of wounded and injured personnel. Almost immediately there was a tremendous explosion forward, which made the ship appear to rise out of the water, shudder and settle down by the bow rapidly. The whole forward part of the ship was enveloped in flames which were spreading rapidly, and wounded and burned men were pouring out of the ship to the quarterdeck. Despite these conditions, his harrowing experience, and severe enemy bombing and strafing, at the time, Lieutenant Commander Fuqua continued to direct the fighting of fires in order to check them while the wounded and burned could be taken from the ship, and supervised the rescue of these men in such an amazingly calm and cool manner and with such excellent judgement, that it inspired everyone who saw him and undoubtedly resulted in the saving of many lives. After realizing that the ship could not be saved and that he was the senior surviving officer aboard, he directed that it be abandoned, but continued to remain on the quarterdeck and directed abandoning ship and rescue of personnel until satisified that all personnel that could be had been saved, after which he left the ship with the (last) boatload. The conduct of Lieutenant Commander Fuqua was not only in keeping with the highest traditions of the Naval Service but characterizes him as an outstanding leader of men."

During most of 1942, Fuqua was an officer of the cruiser Tuscaloosa. From 1943 to 1944, he was assigned to duty at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and attended the Naval War College. Captain Fuqua was Operations Officer for Commander Seventh Fleet from January to August, 1945, helping to plan and execute several amphibious operations in the Philippines and Borneo area. Following the War, he served in other staff positions, and from 1949 to 1950 commanded the destroyer tender Dixie. After service as Chief of Staff of the Eighth Naval District, he retired from active duty in July 1953, receiving at that time the rank of Rear Admiral on the basis of his combat awards.

bahmer

Why thank you for that. I had an uncle that served in the Navy during WWII. I know he was wounded and was on a ship that was bombed but that is all that I ever did learn about him. He had some problem with his digestive system after he got back from serving and he could only eat meat that had never been frozen. My dad had gotten a bunch of aged steaks for a christmas present from some company that his company did business with and they were delicious and my parents gave the rest of those steaks to my uncle instead of freezing them.

badbobby Loc: texas

durn Jarhead
you're
stealin my thunder
I was gonna give him that

badbobby Loc: texas

retirement

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Bahmer hasn't forever to wait.

badbobby Loc: texas

he's got more time than me

bahmer

Thank you for that badbobby.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Only the good die young, BB. You're gon'na live forever.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

You guys sure have a strange "on-again, off-again" bromance.

badbobby Loc: texas

I feel that there's sumpin implied there
and I'll figger it out

in time

badbobby Loc: texas

bahm is fine loyal and true
as long as I can keep him away from you and your pal Peewee
BTW
that's for yall's safety

bahmer

Well old Slatten keeps telling us how good he and his
Marine friends are so he better watch his step as he
could go at any minute.