Sunday, December 30, 2012

The Day Japan Bombed Brookings, Oregon

   
Brookings, Oregon By: Norm Goyer

September 9, 1942, the I-25 class Japanese submarine was cruising in an easterly direction raising its periscope occasionally as it neared the United States Coastline. Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor less than a year ago and the Captain of the attack submarine knew that Americans were watching their coast line for ships and aircraft that might attack our country. Dawn was approaching; the first rays of the sun were flickering off the periscopes lens. Their mission; attack the west coast with incendiary bombs in hopes of starting a devastating forest fire. If this test run were successful, Japan had hopes of using their huge submarine fleet to attack the eastern end of the Panama Canal to slow down shipping from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The Japanese Navy had a large number of I-400 submarines under construction. Each capable of carrying three aircraft Pilot Chief Warrant Officer Nobuo Fujita and his crewman Petty Officer Shoji Okuda were making last minute checks of their charts making sure they matched those of the submarine's navigator.

  


  
The only plane ever to drop a bomb on the United States during WWII was this submarine based Glen.


September 9, 1942: Nebraska forestry student Keith V. Johnson was on duty atop a forest fire lookout tower between Gold's Beach and Brookings Oregon . Keith had memorized the silhouettes of Japanese long distance bombers and those of our own aircraft. He felt confident that he could spot and identify, friend or foe, almost immediately. It was cold on the coast this September morning , and quiet. The residents of the area were still in bed or preparing to head for work. Lumber was a large part of the industry in Brookings, just a few miles north of the California Oregon state lines.



 

The aircraft carried two incendiary 168 pound bombs and a crew of two.


Aboard the submarine the Captain's voice boomed over the PA system, "Prepare to surface, aircrew report to your stations, wait for the open hatch signal" During training runs several subs were lost when hangar door were opened too soon and sea water rushed into the hangars and sank the boat with all hands lost. You could hear the change of sound as the bow of the I-25 broke from the depths, nosed over for its run on the surface. A loud bell signaled the "All Clear." The crew assigned to the single engine Yokosuki E14Ys float equipped observation and light attack aircraft sprang into action. They rolled the plane out its hangar built next to the conning tower. The wings and tail were unfolded, and two 176 pound incendiary bombs were attached to the hard points under the wings. This was a small two passenger float plane with a nine cylinder 340 hp radial engine. It was full daylight when the Captain ordered the aircraft to be placed on the catapult. Warrant Officer Fujita started the engine, let it warm up, checked the magnetos and oil pressure. There was a slight breeze blowing and the seas were calm. A perfect day to attack the United States of America . When the gauges were in the green the pilot signaled and the catapult launched the aircraft. After a short climb to altitude the pilot turned on a heading for the Oregon coast.




 

The "Glen" was launched via catapult from a I-25 class Japanese submarine.


Johnson was sweeping the horizon but could see nothing, he went back to his duties as a forestry agent which was searching for any signs of a forest fire The morning moved on. Every few minutes he would scan low, medium and high but nothing caught his eye.

The small Japanese float plane had climbed to several thousand feet of altitude for better visibility and to get above the coastal fog. The pilot had calculated land fall in a few minutes and right on schedule he could see the breakers flashing white as they hit the Oregon shores.


Johnson was about to put his binoculars down when something flashed in the sun just above the fog bank. It was unusual because in the past all air traffic had been flying up and down the coast, not aiming into the coast.


The pilot of the aircraft checked his course and alerted his observer to be on the lookout for a fire tower which was on the edge of the wooded area where they were supposed to drop their bombs. These airplanes carried very little fuel and all flights were in and out without any loitering. The plane reached the shore line and the pilot made a course correction 20 degrees to the north. The huge trees were easy to spot and certainly easy to hit with the bombs. The fog was very wispy by this time.
  


  
 Warrant Officer Fujita is shown with his Yokosuka E14Y (Glen) float plane prior to his flight.


Johnson watched in awe as the small floatplane with a red meat ball on the wings flew overhead, the plane was not a bomber and there was no way that it could have flown across the Pacific, Johnson could not understand what was happening. He locked onto the plane and followed it as it headed inland.


The pilot activated the release locks so that when he could pickled the bombs they would release. His instructions were simple, fly at 500 feet, drop the bombs into the trees and circle once to see if they had started any fires and then head back to the submarine.


Johnson could see the two bombs under the wing of the plane and knew that they would be dropped. He grabbed his communications radio and called the Forest Fire Headquarters informing them of what he was watching unfold.


The bombs tumbled from the small seaplane and impacted the forests, the pilot circled once and spotted fire around the impact point. He executed an 180 degree turn and headed back to the submarine. There was no air activity, the skies were clear. The small float plane lined up with the surfaced submarine and landed gently on the ocean, then taxied to the sub. A long boom swung out from the stern. His crewman caught the cable and hooked it into the pickup attached to the roll over cage between the cockpits. The plane was swung onto the deck, The plane's crew folded the wings and tail, pushed it into its hangar and secured the water tight doors. The I-25 submerged and headed back to Japan .


This event ,which caused no damage, marked the only time during World War II that an enemy plane had dropped bombs on the United States mainland. What the Japanese didn't count on was coastal fog, mist and heavy doses of rain made the forests so wet they simply would not catch fire.

  


  
This Memorial Plaque is located in Brookings, Oregon at the site of the 1942 bombing

Fifty years later the Japanese pilot, who survived the war, would return to Oregon to help dedicate a historical plaque at the exact spot where his two bombs had impacted.

The elderly pilot then donated his ceremonial sword as a gesture of peace and closure of the bombing of Oregon in 1942.


Tuesday, December 25, 2012

((( THE BELL )))


    
 Christ’s Bell
 ~ 

 : 
 : 
 : 
I KNOW WHO I AM
I am God's child (John 1:12)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15 )
I am united with the Lord (1 Cor 6:17)
I am bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
I am a personal witness of Christ.  (Acts 1:8)
I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt 5:13-14)
I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27)
I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8: 1-2)
I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant (Phil 3 :20)
I am free from any charge against me (Rom. 8:31 -34)
I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2 Cor 5:17-21)
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6)
I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35-39)
I am established, anointed, sealed by God  (2 Cor 1:21-22 )
I am assured all things work together for good  (Rom. 8:28 )
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16 )
I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3: 12 )
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13 )
I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life (John 15: 1-5)
I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16).
  I am complete in Christ (Col. 2: 10)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).. I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 6:1). I am God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be perfected. (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col 1:14). I have been adopted as God's child 
(Eph.1:5) 

Monday, December 24, 2012

Buzzard, Bat and Bumblebee

 
THE BUZZARD

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top,
the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner.
The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet.
Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly,
but will remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.
----------------------------------------------
THE BAT


 
The ordinary bat that flies around at night, a remarkable nimble creature in the air,
cannot take off from a level place.
If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is shuffle about helplessly and,
no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air.
Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.
-----------------------------------------------
THE BUMBLEBEE




 
A bumblebee, if dropped into an open tumbler, will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out.
It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out
through the sides near the bottom.
It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.
-----------------------------------------------
PEOPLE




 
In many ways, we are like the buzzard, the bat, and the bumblebee.
We struggle about with all our problems and frustrations, never realizing that all we have to do is look up!
That's the answer, the escape route and the solution to any problem...
just look up!


 
------------------------------------------------
Sorrow looks back,
Worry looks around,
But faith looks up!
Live simply,
love generously,
care deeply,
speak kindly, and
trust in our Creator,
who loves us.


 
Share this with a friend... I just did.
 

Friday, December 21, 2012

(( ANGELS ))

What Some Kids Said About Angels 


 
 
Everybody's got it all wrong. Angels don't wear halos anymore. I forget why, but scientists are working on it. 
  
   -Olive, age 9 
 




It's not easy to become an angel! First, you die.
Then you go to Heaven, and then there's still the flight training to go through. And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes.

-Matthew, age 9 
 

Angels work for God and watch over kids when God
has to go do something else.

-Mitchell, age 7
  
 
My guardian angel helps me with math, but he's not much good for science.

-Henry, age 8

Angels don't eat, but they do drink milk from Holy
Cows 
  -Jack, age 6 
 
  
Angels talk all the way while they're flying you up
to heaven. The main subject is where you went wrong before you got dead.
Daniel, age 9 
  



When an angel gets mad, he takes a deep breath and counts to ten. And when he lets out his breath again, somewhere there's a tornado.

-Reagan, age 10 
 
 
Angels have a lot to do and they keep very busy.
If you lose a tooth, an angel comes in through your window and leaves money under your pillow. Then when it gets cold, angels go south for the winter. 
  
 
  Angels live in cloud houses made by God and his
son, who's a very good carpenter.

-Jared, age 8


All angels are girls because they gotta wear
dresses and boys didn't go for it. 
 
 -Antonio, age 9 
     
 
My angel is my grandma who died last year. She got
a big head start on helping me while she was still down here on earth.

-Ashley ~ age 9
   
 

Some of the angels are in charge of helping heal
sick animals and pets. And if
they don't make the animals get better, they help the child get over it.
-Vicki, age 8
  
 
    What I don't get about angels is why, when someone
is in love, they shoot arrows at them.

-Sarah, age 7 
  
 
May the God of love and peace delight 
 
and dwell with you forever.
 

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

"OLD WALL PHONE"

THE OLD PHONE ON THE WALL 
 
 
When I was a young boy, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood.. I remember the polished, old case fastened to the wall The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone,  but used to listen with fascination when my  mother talked to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful  device lived an amazing person. Her name was  "Information Please" and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anyone's number and the correct time.
My personal experience with the genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a  neighbor.. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer,  the pain was terrible, but there seemed no point in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy.
I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing.  Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver in the parlor and held it to my ear. 

"Information,  please" I said into the
mouthpiece just above my head.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

"Information."

"I hurt my finger..." I wailed into the phone, the tears came readily enough
now that I had an audience.

"Isn't your mother home?" came the question..

"Nobody's home but me," I blubbered.
"Are you bleeding?" the voice asked.

"No,"
I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts."
"Can you open the icebox?" she  asked.

I said I could.
"Then chip off a little bit of ice and hold it to your finger," said the voice.

After  that, I called "Information Please" for  everything... I asked her for
help with my geography, and she told me where Philadelphia   was She helped me with my math.
She told me my pet chipmunk that I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then,  there was the time Petey, our pet canary, died.  I called,
Information Please," and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said things grown-ups say to  soothe a child. But I was not consoled. I asked her, "Why is it that birds should sing so  beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?"

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, " Wayne, always remember that there are other worlds to sing  in."
Somehow I felt better....
Another day I was on the telephone, "Information  Please."

"Information,"  said in the now familiar voice. "How do I spell  fix?"

I asked.
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest . When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much.
"Information Please"  belonged in that old wooden box way back and
I 
somehow never thought of trying the shiny new phone that sat on the table in the hall. As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left  me..
Often,  in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then.  I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about a half-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information  Please."
Miraculously,  I heard the small, 

 clear voice I knew so well. 
 
"Information." 
 
I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, 
 
"Could you please tell me how to spell fix?" 
 
There was a long pause. Then came the soft 
 
 spoken answer, "I guess your finger must 

 have healed by now.." 
 
I laughed, "So it's really you," I said. 

"I wonder  if you have any idea how 
 
much you meant to me during that time?" 
 
I wonder," she said, "if you know how much 

 your call meant to me. 
 
I never had any children and I used to look 
 
 forward to your calls." 
 
I told her how often I had thought of her over the 
 
 years and I asked if I could call her again when 

 I came back to visit my sister. 
 
"Please do", she said. "Just ask for Sally.
 
Three months later I was back in Seattle ..  

A different voice  answered, 
 
"Information." I asked for Sally.. 
 
"Are you a friend?" she said. 
 
"Yes,  a very old friend," I answered. 
 
"I'm sorry to have to tell you  this", She said.  

"Sally had been working part time the last few 

years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago." 
 
Before I could hang up, she said,  

"Wait a minute, did you say your name was Wayne ?" 

"Yes."  I answered.
 
"Well,  Sally left a message for you. 
 
She wrote it down in case you called. 

 Let me read it to you.."
  
The note said, 

 "Tell him there are other worlds to sing in. 
  
 He'll  know what I mean." 
 
I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant. 
 
Never underestimate the impression you may make on others..

 
Whose life have you touched today? 
 
Lifting you on eagle's wings. 

 May you find the joy and peace you long for.. 
 
Life is a journey... NOT a guided tour. 
 
I loved this story and just had to pass it on. 

 I hope you enjoy it too. 
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