'50

Gary Dayton '49/'50
Imperial Beach CA
gdayton65@gmail.com
Please
note, I have changed my email address


2-3-12 Happy Birthday to Vangie Brownwood
Regan, she has joined our 80 club and will be hosted tonight on the
Midway. A fitting place for her birthday celebration since she has
been so involved with it for so many years. Sorry we can't make it.

Looking good.


1-31-12 We have another great. Gary's daughter, Lexi
Dolan has her second girl to go with her boy. Gary has 3 girls and a
boy, they have 10 between them and Kylie is due in Mar. Bruce has 2
daughters and 2 granddaughters. Lisa, Gary's wife has 2 daughters
and a son, one daughter has 2. That makes 14 going on 15.


1-31-12 From Lorraine Alley, Gene and Lorraine stood
up for us at our wedding and we did the same for them both back in
1951. Barbara and Lorraine have been friends since kindergarten, I
would have thought this would have come from Gene, he drives a
Bentley. Gene and I go back to grammar school, him in Englewood and
staying at his grandparents on Diamond St next to our place. He
would spend the summers there, later many knew him from Carpenters
and parties.



Check out the 'man caves' ..... I
thought you all might enjoy this new
form of enjoyment going on up in Minneapolis !!!
What a concept! It's
a 'guy thing'..... in
Minnesota
... Brilliant
idea and successful in this economy
....http://bcove.me/a52ky1yi

1-29-12
Dire Straits - Walk Of Life [ HD Music Video ]
This is one of my favorite videos, just plain fun,
music and sports clips.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZxVC0GB838
If you like this, there are links to lots more free
fun videos from this one, I must have watched another 6-8 of them.

1-29-12 An old friend sent these links, it is a
treasure trove of history. Here is just one of probably hundreds.

Santa Anita Racetrack with the housing for the
Japanese during WW2, this is just a sample of what it there.
THIS IS VERY
INTERESTING. IF YOU CLICK ON THE CAPTION , ON THE TOP OF
THE PHOTO IT WILL SHOW YOU MORE.
....
...
...
enz...enz....
archieven :
|

1-29-12 I have been reading a great Trilogy that I
think should be used as History books, WW2 is presented as a novel
using real people based on diaries, letters, and interviews. The
first in the series is the last one I am reading, our son, Gary,
sent me the middle one and the Library had the last one and the
first one. They are available from amazon.com at very reasonable
prices used. The author is Jeff Shaara, and he is great.
No 1 Rising Tide
No
2 Steel Wave
No
3 Final Storm

Jeff has several others that I plan to read, Civil
War etc.
Jim Regan reviewed " The Final Storm" in Dec.
A BLOODY
REVIEW – 12/16/11
This week’s
review is a work of historical fiction, THE FINAL STORM by Jeff
Shaara (2011), and recreates the bloody conquest of the island
of Okinawa. Dubbed code name “Operation Iceberg,” it was one of the
most costly battles fought during WWII. Reportedly, there were over
100,000 Japanese casualties vs. 50,000 allies. The capture of this
strategic island set the stage for the final bombing missions of
Japan and its ultimate surrender. Okinawa is the largest (about 60
miles long and 2 - 18 miles wide) in the Ryukyu Island chain and is
350 miles from the homeland of Japan.
The author is
well known for his World War II novels, including No Less Than
Victory, The Steel Wave, The Rising Tide, To the Last Man, The
Glorious Cause, Rise to Rebellion and Gone for Soldiers. Many
readers may recall Jeff father’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The
Killer Angels.
It was in the
spring of 1945, not long after the fall of Iwo Jima, that allied
forces invaded the key island of Okinawa. Securing the island with
its four air bases was considered essential in order to escalate
bombing missions over Japan. The battle of Okinawa lasted 80+ days.
In the beginning, two marine and two army divisions landed at
Hagushi Bay where they met little resistance. The invasion seemed to
be going well until our troops encountered fanatical Japanese forces
who were literally “dug-in” the rocky volcanic hillsides and
reinforced with heavy artillery. A warren of caves, connected by
tunnels, were riddled throughout the steep hilltops and provided
safe shelter from any frontal attacks and from our off-shore guns.
Despite the advanced shelling by our naval guns and heavy air
strikes, the Japanese mountain fortresses suffered little damage.
The author has
constructed the battle through the eyes and minds of key personnel.
Throughout the book, Marine Private Clay Adams takes the
reader to the battlefront as he struggles to become accepted by his
fellow veteran platoon members after being hospitalized with an
infection. Having lived in the shadow of his older brother, a
decorated army paratrooper, Adams portrays a young marine who is
confronted by the brutality of war while fighting for his life and
for the lives of his fellow mates. In the end, Adams is one of six
marines in his platoon that survived the battle. Admiral
Chester Nimitz, Commander in Chief, Pacific, was appointed in
charge of the invasion of Okinawa. The author paints the in-fighting
between inter-branch Generals & Admirals (Air Force (Curtis LeMay),
Army (Simon Buckner Jr.), Navy (Chester Nimitz) and their staffs as
they wrestle with their respective problems in carrying out the
mission. Their personalities and divergence of opinions in strategic
planning and operations created frustrations in getting the job
done. After all, why should a Navy Commander tell an Army General
how to fight a land battle?
The book
outlines the decision making process and how these decisions
affected the invasion and eventually the outcome of the war.
Each chapter
takes the reader back and forth between the two sides as they engage
in battle. The Commanding General of the Japanese land forces on
Okinawa was Samurai General Ushijima who subscribed to
the ethic code of “bushido, (“The Way of the Warrior”). His
reaction to the invasion provides some interesting insight into the
Japanese Empire’s aspirations for global supremacy and the struggles
he encounters from his superiors and subordinates while fighting to
retain the island of Okinawa. Initially, the superiority of his army
was demonstrated from their hilly fortified positions. As his army
slowly erodes, and as he witnesses the death and destruction of his
army, he chooses suicide over capture.
Shaara does a
good job describing the battle with the use of simple maps.
General Simon
Buckner was the land
commander directing the U.S. ground troops. Unfortunately, he was
killed while performing a risky reconnaissance mission at a forward
outpost by artillery fire. He became the highest ranking officer to
be killed throughout WWII. After a smooth landing, our troops were
divided and sent into opposite directions, north and south. The
marines who went north were met with sporadic and minimal
opposition. The army foot soldiers who were sent south, however,
encountered fierce resistance. The result was that most of the
marines who went north were sent back south to assist in countering
the Japanese hillside strongholds. The assault on Sugar Loaf Hill
proved to be the beginning of a lengthy nightmare. Our forces would
gain ground inches at a time while suffering many casualties. Enemy
fire and grenades would rain down from the caves and trenches above
necessitating periodic retreats to the safety of foxholes and
limited shelter, only to regroup and push forward, once again.
Throughout this ordeal, the author makes you feel as if you were
there. At the time, Okinawa had a large civilian population, and
they, too, suffered huge losses from both sides. As the fight turned
against the Japanese army, General Ushijima, acting on the advice of
his staff, decided to launch a final counter-attack by relocating
his remaining troops in a compact southerly area. Their headquarters
had been demolished and relocation became a necessity. Air drops of
napalm and heavy artillery bombardment, flame throwers and grenades
became the weapons of choice on the enemy’s new battle lines. This
proved too much for the Japanese fighters and after 80+ days of
intense fighting, there was no more enemy to pursue. Allied forces
had reached the southern end of the island and victory was declared.
As the mopping up process began across the island, most of our
troops were taken to Guam for some rest and recreation. Many
veterans, including Pvt. Adams, were given a thirty-day leave – time
to return to the States – a time to reflect.
Meanwhile,
lurking in the background was the U.S. secret program known as the
Manhattan Project, headed up by Dr. Robert Oppenheimer. Often
referred to as “the Father of the Atomic Bomb,” he along with
General Leslie Groves developed the “mother of all bombs.” The death
of President Roosevelt, and the subsequent assumption of the
presidency by then vice president Harry Truman, brought mixed
emotions to our country. Truman had military experience as an
artillery officer during WWI and understood the necessity for using
“the bomb.” The new 33rd Commander-in-Chief was credited
with bringing the war to an end.
The crew of the B-29
bomber named the “Enola Gay,” was selected and Colonel Paul
Tibbets was designated the pilot in command of the mission. When
given the green light, their secret assignment was to unleash an
atomic bomb on one of three chosen targets, Hiroshima, Kokura or
Nagasaki. Multiple targets were selected in order to assure
acceptable flight conditions. The author takes the reader on this
dramatic mission (August 6, 1945) over Hiroshima as he traces the
entire event from take-off, to “bomb away” and to the return to
base. Later, Nagasaki became the target of another bomb. As the
reader knows, Japan surrendered soon thereafter. And, the fanatical
thirst by Japan’s Imperial High Command to conquer the world came to
a historical end.
Jeff Shaara’s
account of the battle of Okinawa gives the reader pause at the
bravery and heroics shown by our military. One wonders what could
have happened if we had lost our freedom…..Marines like Pvt. Adams
wasn’t about to let that happen. And, thanks to all of our brave
military men and women who thought, and acted likewise.
JR

1-22-12
A View From The Top of Hotel to Replace Seacoast Inn
A view from the fourth floor of the hotel
expected to open in September.




In the first pix you can see building material stock
piled across the street. This is quite a big project for our little
town.
Pix from the IB Patch website.

1-16-12 I have been meaning to put this up, this is
really interesting again. Reid is back at sea with his family and a
crew. You can back up to where they left NY and the storm they went
through and having the rudder shaft break during the storm.
http://1000days.net/home/


1-16-12 Here is something Gene Bunch sent out that
you may enjoy, I sure did.
Wyman Meinzer graduated
from Texas Tech. When he
graduated, he moved back
to his ranch near
Benjamin, Tx so he could
begin his photography.
He lived in a dugout for quite a few months, to be in the middle of the roadrunners, coyotes, and snakes.
Tremendous work.
If you're from West Texas and love the outdoors….or not, this will stir your heart!
Be sure to turn on your speakers!!

http://player.vimeo.com/video/22132017?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0

1-8-12 We had a nice Christmas here in IB, son Gary
and wife Lisa came down from Reno for a week. They had a Honey Baked
Ham delivered and we had many meals off it, then Lisa made a huge
pot of bean soup that was/is out of this world, we still have some
to enjoy. Lisa also made many other dishes, she is a fantastic cook.
I do most of the cooking these days, so it was nice to have a real
cook in the house. We ate out at Jalisco's, Carrow's, and the
Outback Steak house. Gary did a lot of walking and bike riding. He
also brought 2 new kites that we flew down at the beach. My sister,
Nancy & husband Jim joined us for dinner two nights, the second she
brought dinner in her little wagon (they live 4 doors up the
street). Gary is in a lot of pain still from a motorcycle wreck over
a year ago. He still needs surgery on his left shoulder. They bought
us an avocado tree, half barrel and soil to plant it in.

Gary and Lisa, and one lone piece of pumpkin pie that
Nancy brought.

Jim and Nancy

Barbara, notice all the cans of Diet Pepsi on the
table. I bought 3 36 can packs before they got here, we went thru 2
of them.
While the kids were here the movie "Overboard" with
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell was on TV. We watched it but I can't
stand all the commercials so I ordered it from the library. We
watched all the way through in peace. I liked it so much that
I Googled Goldie and found this great 46 min bio on her life.
Barbara and I both enjoyed it and thought you might too. Overboard
is a real cute movie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfBuaRgos1o Overboard trailer.

http://www.biography.com/people/goldie-hawn-9331873


12-25-11 A blast from our past, Jim Tedeschi, our old
next door neighbor in Havasu. We moved to Elko NV in '71 so this was
after out time there. It sure brings back some great memories
though. A Christmas video from Lake Havasu City in 1984.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2363156603109&mid=5616

12-23-11 Jim Regan forwarded this little ditty
to me about living in San Diego.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQfpD3Mocs0)


Dec 28th is Richard Edwards 81st Birthday

12-21-11 I talked to Richard for a few minutes today,
he is still hanging in there, on oxygen 24/7, but he has been for
years. He said his lungs are just shot from all his smoking. He said
he can walk about 10 feet, but he has an electric scooter. He was
using the scooter when I visited him when we were planning the
Midway Reunion. If you want to give him a call his cell # is:
714-514-9595 and his address is: Gold Coast Retirement Ctr. Rm 243B,
13881 Dawson St, Garden Grove CA 92843.

I didn't have a good camera with me when I visited
Richard, you can see he was flying the US flag on his scooter.
I will never forget the story about him coming
through the roof of a drugstore and the cops were there. He hollered
"Don't shoot, it's me, Richard", nice to be on a first name basis
with the cops. I always thought it was in Monrovia, but I asked him
about it and he said it was in Arcadia. He served time in prison way
back and said he was working in the kitchen and actually served
Charles Manson, he said he was a spooky little guy. Richard went
straight and became a carpenter for many years.
Richard at Clifton with his dog "Jet"
They say the good die young, I guess that tells you
something about Richard and me.

Let's go to the beach and then for a little sea
cruise, shall we?

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=T4FIS1FnOQg

12-1-11 We met Noel '41 and wife Nancy at the Hotel
Del Coronado for lunch to day, beautiful day, we ate outside in the
Shearwater restaurant. I forgot my camera, but here is a pix of them
taken here 4-29-05

Below, Joe Coombs '44 President of Trico, our
engineering company,. Noel '41 (Noel, Milt Cox '50 and myself '49,
were minor partners in Trico, Tom Griffin '51 & Phil Eggstaff '51
were major partners) The pix was taken in Mazatlan in '74. I had
flown Joe, & Barbara down in the Piper 250 Comanche, the rest took
the train from Nogales Son. We were supposed to take it but Joe was
late getting to the Reno airport where we picked him up and the
train didn't wait. Noel, Nancy and Woody, Joe's wife all took the
train. Then coming back the Mexican government said Joe had to leave
the way he came in, so he had to fly back with us.

The Piper 250 Comanche that we went to Mexico in, I
flew it over a 1,000 hours, fun plane, 1960 model. Pix in Elko, NV
before I got a hanger (after having it sabotaged with dirt in both
gas tanks).

I see in the "Wildcat that Noel's brother, Paul '44
died this year, he was married to Marion Edwards (Richard Edwards
'50 sister, she died about a year ago), she was his first wife. Paul
had "Mercury Fence" in Azusa, I think his son has run it for years.

11-28-11 Our oldest great-granddaughter will turn 14
on Dec 5th. This is Gary's oldest daughters daughter. Gary must be
getting old, son Gary that is. I will only be 80. Gary's son turns
30 on 12-1-11.

11-21-11 More sad news, Kathi Henry '53 editor
passed away 11-17-11, see the '53 page for details. I enjoyed
working with Kathi all these years. There is one of her paintings at
the bottom portion of this page. She sent it to my wife, Barbara, as
a mothers day card and had me put it on her page. Barbara still
treasures it. Here is a pix her daughter, Kristi sent with the
information I put on the '53 page. Note is was taken the day before
she died.

Making works of art right up to the last, doing what
she really enjoyed and was great at.

11-20-11 Sad news, Betty Peterson, Pete's widow,
emailed me tonight that Pete's sister, Shirley Jan '48, passed away
this morning. I just saw her at Gene and Lorraine Alleys in San
Clemente Sept 17th. Barbara wasn't able to make the trip. Here is a
pix I took of some of those there, her son Hal and wife Julie Roach
were there too.
9-17-11 We were invited up to the Alley's in San Clemente today,
Barbara wasn't up to it as she was getting over the effects of a
bout of diarrhea. Pete's widow, Betty had flown in from Austin
Thurs. Pete's sister, Shirley Jan '48 was there with her daughter,
Jana'73 and a friend Kay Dalbec '70. Quite a bunch from MAD at
various times, Pete '50, me '49. I didn't get a pix of Shirley's son
Hal Roach and wife Julie, Hal was MAD not sure about Julie. They had
come over from Lake Havasu City to see his mom Shirley. Shirley had
been at the Midway Reunion.

11-21-11 Hank Morris '47 sent me this pix of Shirley
and noted:
Gary:
Sorry to hear about Shirley. We were both at Wildrose and I
remember her at Clifton and MAD. Talked to her aboard
Midway. Picture attached.

Thanks Hank '47.

11-14-11
I got a link to this, I don't think there are many
young enough to watch it all, but there are sure some memories here.
Thanks to Gene Bunch.
http://www.oldiestelevision.com/

11-20-11 I just finished "An Irish Country Girl",
this is my 4th book I have read in this series, they are fantastic.
Tonight I started the 5th, "An Irish Country Courtship". Start with
the "Irish Country Doctor"
An Irish Country Girl
An
Irish Country Courtship
11-10-11 Jim has another
great review, I had just finished reading it this morning. "An Irish
Country Christmas"

He has been featuring "An Irish
Country" series and this one is the third. They are fantastic. I
have 2 more to read. That ought to give you a hint as to how great
they are. I have been buying them from Amazon.com or ABE.com
for great prices. The author is actually a doctor.
The
one to the left is "An Irish Country Village"

11-6-11 A little life
saving for us old folks, and anyone else that needs it. This is
really pretty simple.
http://medicine.arizona.edu/spotlight/learn-sarver-heart-centers-continuous-chest-compression-cpr
![]()

11-1-11 That is unique.
Here is a youtube video called
"People are
Awesome". The ones in
this video sure are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Vo0Cazxj_yc&vq=medium

10-30-11 Last night while
reading one of Jim's great reviewed picks, "An Irish Country
Village", I first read "An Irish Country Doctor", next is "An Irish
Country Christmas". These are fantastic books, you can't believe all
that is going on in the little Irish town. I have to stop and go
read a bit to Barbara now and then, it is so funny.



The girl named Deana, that
turned out to be a boy when she/he went to the vet for the first
time. He came from next door when the lady died. His chip was never
registered and I have it in my name now. Cassy, our black cat sleeps
with Barbara and is strictly her cat, she doesn't want anything to
do with me anymore.
He is an indoor/outdoor cat, and
last night he wanted in, and after eating joined me reading "An
Irish Country Village"

10-26-11 The Zimmers again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqfFrCUrEbY
In the next one, I am sure Pat '49 is in there somewhere,
or maybe she had to be edited out.
Here is another great Zimmer video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=GLaPBHg0fcI

A little fun in jolly old England again.

10-9-11 This one of the best stories out of WW2, be
sure to watch it and pass it on. Two flyers find out they had both
been in the same 2nd grade class when they were 8 years old, they
found this out just recently.
WOW
what a story...

9-19-11 A BLAST FROM THE PAST, we
were there. The following is from the Havasu Pioneers Facebook page
Jim Tedeschi Does
this site, he lived down the street from us on Sunflower as I
remember.
Susan Geary
had mentioned the following episode of the classic TV series "Route
66" shot on Lake Havasu in 1962. I posted highlights on YouTube.
This is Havasu before the city as few of us have seen it and a
remarkable film history. NOTE: The video is 18 mins. If you have a
slow connection, it may freeze on Facebook. Click the link
immediately below to open a separate window. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rbO1PaBIhY

www.youtube.com
Selected scenes from the episode titled "Go Read the
River" (1962) from the classic TV series "Route 66"
starring Martin Milner and George Maharis, Season
2,...

8-29-11 Gary:
The CLASSMATES website has a listing of yearbooks available as reprints;
you can preview them on the website,
http://www.classmates.com/yearbooks/96438/96438?s=email&e_prod=&e_date=&e_ver=&e_slot=&e_content=BLPROMO091510_P_R3A1&e_target=CM4578&e_sub=&fromEmail=true&hitwiseSegment=paid
At present, the following are available:
1942, 1944, 1945, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1956 & 1958
Might be nice to post info on our website. BTW, Jan (MAD 49) had her
yearbook swiped at a reunion many years ago. If CLASSMATES comes up with
a 49, we'll probably buy it.
Hank



Imperial Beach aerial view from a Century 21 post card.
We back up to the dark open space, right center. Not a very big
town. The south end of San Diego Bay is at left center. The pix doesn't
show all the way south to the condo on the beach where we lived from '88
to '95 when we moved to 5th St. That is when I retired.

2-3-11 Did you lose
your cat?

Is there a reward?

Be sure to watch the 4 year old on the drums below. I
probably have watched it 20 times, any time I need a smile.
7-31-10 What are your 4 year old kids up to? Click
below to see this one in action. Every time I need a smile I watch
this little guy. I think I need to get some greats a drum set.

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/drummer.html

Kathi Henry '53 did this card and sent it to Barbara as a Mothers Day
card and for me to scan for her page. What a talent.


If needed download
the free Power Point viewer from this site
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?
FamilyId=428D5727
-43AB-4F24-90B7-A94784AF71A4&displaylang=en
I found this
doesn't seem to always work with AOL, if you have
that problem download
Firefox from here, it works great. I use it to monitor the
websites.
http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/


Barbara thinks this is me every time she goes
in my office or the garage.


This is hard work.


Our curb art address, fun things at the beach. The sloop is
from a painting of our old sloop "Bluejeans". Below, the artist at
work.

