“The Outsider” - Decades before ‘Flags of our Fathers’ this 1961 film follows Ira Hayes from basic training, to Iwo Jima, and the years following the war. Gain an appreciation of Ira’s demise as survivor’s guilt is thrust into the hero’s spotlight.
Hidden Gem: One of the best accounts of just how happenstance the second flag raising was.
USS Indianapolis is sunk
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July 30th, 1945
USS Indianapolis is sunk by a Japanese Torpedo killing 833 sailors. While only 300 went down with the ship, most died in the shark infested waters and the extreme heat and dehydration. Captain McVay was later Court Martialed for losing the ship, the only CO to be Court Martialed for losing his ship during WWII. The ship had just delivered valuable parts and Uranium for Little Boy which would be used on Hiroshima and was on secret orders to steam directly to the delivery and back from it without using the zigzag motions used to avoid torpedoes. Due to a failure of the Navy’s Mission Reporting System and her secret mission, Captain McVay would suffer the burden for the loss, and would years later commit suicide due to the heavy burden of the loss. It would not be years later till an 11 year old named Hunter Scott whom watched JAWS would do the research necessary to clear Captain McVay’s name. The Indianapolis is used as an example now for Basic Swim Qualifications for recruits at RTC on how to survive upon abandoning ship. -
Great story Mallery, thank you.
And Jaws…. -
@wittmann:
Great story Mallery, thank you.
And Jaws….Story always brings me back to Quint on Jaws.
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