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THE BATTALION
Monday, June 3, 2002
Veterans remember
Battle of Midway as
WWII turning point
Fire shuts down highway in NJ
HONOLULU (AP) —
Sixty years after the Battle of
Midway, ceremonies across the
nation and on the tiny atoll
itself will commemorate the
day U.S. forces sunk four
Japanese aircraft carriers and
turned the tide of World War II.
Though today it is home
only to birds, turtles, seals and
other wildlife, Midway’s role
in World War II was critical.
“Unless you were alive, I
think Midway may be something
that some people have heard
about but maybe can’t compre
hend,” said Col. Lee Wyatt, a his
tory professor from the U.S.
Military Academy at West Point.
Despite the importance of
the June 4-6, 1942 battle, some
veterans and historians are dis-
! appointed that it does not
receive the same attention as
| other key events of the war, such
as Pearl Harbor or V-J Day.
For three days, American dive
bombers and fighter pilots fend
ed off the Japanese naval fleet’s
; attempt to gain Midway as an
I outpost. After Midway, the crip
pled Japanese fleet withdrew,
never again to gain the offensive.
“It’s a huge moment for
American military history mid
American naval history,” Wyatt
said. “The Pacific war was
extremely important to our emer
gence as a superpower.”
The victory also provided
the United States with a strate
gic military installation.
“It brought submarines four
days closer to the patrol stations
in Asia,” said retired Navy Capt.
Bill Dozier, 83, of Honolulu.
Many squadrons suffered
heavy losses, like Torpedo
Squadron 8, whose sacrifice
has become part of Navy lore.
The squadron’s 15 aging TBD
Devastators, too slow and
poorly armored to tangle with
the famed Japanese Zeros,
were picked off one by one
when they took to the skies on
June 4, 1942, without inflicting
any damage to Japanese ships.
But Torpedo 8 drew enemy
fighters nearly down to sea
level, leaving the Japanese
ships unprotected from high
flying American SBD
Dauntless dive bombers.
Only one of the squadron’s 30
pilots and gunners survived.
Ensign George Gay was res
cued when a sea plane piloted by
S.O. “Pappy” Cole spotted him
floating in the water the day after
the battle. Cole took a vote of his
eight fellow crew members before
attempting the risky rescue.
“He said ‘I’ve never made
an open-sea landing; we
might not make it, but I’d
like to try,”’ recalled Jack
Bohner, a radio operator
aboard the PBY-5A Catalina.
The vote was unanimous, the
landing a success and Gay, who
had spent 30 hours in the water,
lived to tell his story hundreds of
times and write a book titled
“Sole Survivor.”
Events planned to mark the
battle include a symposium in
Honolulu on the war in the
Pacific, “Midway Night” din
ners planned in cities across the
nation and a wreath-laying cere
mony at the island on
Wednesday by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
For more than 90 years,
Midway — about 1,200 miles
northwest of Hawaii — was
under the jurisdiction of the
Navy. The Naval Air Facility on
Midway was closed in the early
1990s, and the atoll was turned
over in 1996 to the Interior
Department to be managed as a
National Wildlife Refuge.
BERKELEY TOWNSHIP,
NJ. (AP) — A forest fire burned
across more than 1,000 acres near
a state park on Sunday, threaten
ing hundreds of homes and shut
ting down a 24-mile stretch of one
of the state’s busiest highways.
By nightfall, state forest fire
officials said they had stopped the
fire from moving forward. One
house was engulfed in flames, and
nine were damaged. At the fire’s
peak, 500 homes were evacuated.
State police said the Garden
State Parkway was closed along
the east side of Double Trouble
State Park, and several local
roads also were shut down.
Berkeley Township Police
evacuated the town’s Pinewald
section, sending residents to a
school building. By early
evening, fire officials said the
main threat was that the flames
were burning toward nearby
Beachwood.
“We were working in the
backyard and we saw all this
smoke out
there,” said
Geri Morris,
wife of
Beachwood
Mayor Harold
Morris. “My
niece called
from the back
of Beachwood
and said,
’Everything’s
turning
black.’”
The Crystal
Lake
Heathcare and Rehab Center in
Bayville evacuated vulnerable res
idents, including those with chron
ic health problems, officials said.
The fire started about 1 p.m.
near a cranberry bog, and had
spread through 1,000 acres
around Double Trouble State
Park by evening,
said Horace
Somes, division
fire warden for the
New Jersey Forest
Fire Service.
Firefighters
planned to set
backfires — con
trolled fires that
burn away the
brush that could
fuel the larger
blaze — around the
perimeter to con
tain the main body
of the fire. Including the back
fires, they expected that between
1,500 and 1,600 acres would be
consumed.
Firefighters’ efforts were hin
dered by 30 mph wind gusts and
drought conditions. They initially
tried to contain the flames but
eventually had to fall back, said
Horace Somes, division fire war
den for the New Jersey Forest
Fire Service.
“May was an average rainfall
month, but on top of that we had
12 months of dryness,” he said.
“We have a fire on our hands we
can’t fight with normal attack.”
About 60 state firefighters and
100 volunteers battled the blaze,
using at least three helicopters. A
state forest fire crewman suffered
a minor injury.
The fire was in central New
Jersey near the coast about 50
miles northeast of Atlantic City.
The parkway in the area is usual
ly packed on summer weekends
with people visiting the shore.
US Airways battling with congress
Airline contends curtailing loans could force company into bankruptcy
WASHINGTON (AP) — US Airways
and its supporters are battling congressional
efforts to curtail the $10 billion in emer
gency airline loans that Congress approved
just after Sept. 1 1, warning that squeezing
the bailout program could force the compa
ny into bankruptcy.
The airline and lawmakers friendly to its
cause are in an uphill battle against holding
up the loans for even a few months. The
delay would help to pay for add-ons to the
$27.1 billion President Bush wants in new
emergency spending for the military and
homeland security.
The fight has contributed to slow
progress on legislation paying for the battle
against terrorism, because the House and
Senate versions of those bills contain provi
sions restricting the loans.
US Airways, still among the nation's 10
largest airlines despite severe post-Sept. 1 1
pressure, has been preparing to seek a federal
ly backed loan of about $1 billion from the
program. Airline officials maintain that wait
ing until Oct. 1, when the government’s new
fiscal year begins and the loan guarantees
would become available again, will be too late.
Congress and Bush created the loans —
along with a separate $5 billion in grants —
to help airlines weather the drop in travel
after the terrorist attacks.
“We’ll have to consider reorganizing
under the bankruptcy laws” without the
government-backed loans, said US Airways
spokesman David Castelveter. “When you
do that, jobs are at stake.”
US Airways tried to stave off the loan
restrictions, with lobbying by top executives
and Capitol Hill visits by some employees
in May.
The airline had also contributed nearly
$167,000 to congressional candidates in
2001 and early 2002, the sixth most of any
airline, according to records compiled by
the Center for Responsive Politics, a private
group that monitors political contributions.
Even so, the airline struck out twice, both
with the House and with the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
Thq. .$££) billion-plus counterterrorism
bill that the House passed on May 24
included language forbidding any new fed
erally guaranteed loans to ailing airlines
until Oct. 1. US Airways says it needs a cash
infusion by August.
The Senate committee has a similar pro
vision — plus a permanent cut in the loan
program’s size to $4 billion — in its $31 bil
lion anti-terror legislation. Senators planned
to begin debating that bill Monday when
they return from their Memorial Day recess.
The fight over the loans could be time con
suming.
“This bill is not ready for passage,” Sen.
Rick Santorum, R-Pa., whose state has US
Airways hubs in Philadelphia and
Pittsburgh, warned before Congress’ break.
“There are serious changes that must be
made in this legislation for this bill to go
through the Senate.”
With intense opposition from lawmakers
from areas where the airline has major oper
ations — mostly in the East — congression
al aides say privately that the provision
could well end up being dropped.
We have afire on
our hands we cant
fight with normal
attack.
— Horace Sonnes
Division fire warden
New Jersey Forest
ATTENTION SWIMMERS—Rec Sports is constantly working
to make our facilities the best in the nation. To accomplish
that goal, we must from time to time, shut down some of our
facilities for renovation. The Outdoor Pool and Instruc-tion-
al Pool are due for renovation this summer beginning June
3rd. The Outdoor Pool will be closed for use and the
Instructional Pool will have limited use until further notice.
Please check with the Aquatics staff to learn more about the
renovation schedule. _ ^ ,
1 ATTENTION SUNBATFIERS—While the Outdoor Pool may
be closed, you can still enjoy the backyard facilities. Lounge
chairs will be set up around the sand volleyball courts for
your use during the renovation period.
Vogram Registration
'loon Adult Learn to Swim Now—June 3
’M Adult Learn to Swim Now—June 3
Sasic SCUBA Now-June 3
Masters Swimming Now—June 3
Cost
$25/$30$35
$25/$30/$35
$225/$ 235/$ 245
$50 for 25 passes
Don't Miss the Intramural Action
Program
3-on-3 Basketball
Slow Pitch Softball
Sand Volleyball
Indoor Soccer 1/2 ct.
Racquetball
Golf
Tennis
Registration
June 3-10
June 3-10
June 3-10
June 3-10
June 3-11
June 3-11
June 3-11
Cost
$ 20/team
$ 40/team
$ 20/team
$2 0/team
FREE
Green charge
FREE
FREE WEEK OF REC AEROBICS—Sunday, June 2 through
Saturday June 8. Enjoy all our fitness classes for free during this
first week—try one, try them all. See Member Services for your
fitness passes once you've come up with your fitness solution.
Healthy Living Lectures—Enjoy these free lectures on
Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. in room 281 of the Rec Center. The
first lecture takes place June 1 2th.
Reebok University June 28-30—Fitness enthusiast's beware.
One of the worlds finest trainers will be on campus for this
three-day workshop for those interested in earning cycle, yoga
and personal training CECs.
Rec Fitness SUMMER SIZZLER—Once just wasn't enough.
Last year's event was such a success, that we had to bring it
back hotter than ever. Come in on July 23rd and enjoy four very
different workouts going on all at once. Take your mind off the
summer heat, with some indoor spice.
Everything You Need To Know
• ALWAYS Online!—Confused about summer hours or what
programs will be offered in Intramurals, Rec Fitness & Classes,
Aquatics or TAMU Outdoors? Need more information on a fit
ness or instructional class you want to take? Not a problem!
Find the answers to these and all your questions online! Visit
Rec Sports online and find all the information you need to
know about recreation-schedules, prices, hours, etc.
recsoorts. tam. e/fi/
Program
Sea Kayak
Kayak Roll Clinic
Tube the Guadalupe
Intro to Rock Climbing
Kayak Roll Practice
Women's Rock Climb Trip
Fly Fishing/Canoe Day Trip
Intro to Rock Climbing
Horseback/Hiking Day Trip
Rock Climbing Day Trip
Kayak Roll Clinic
Bat Watching Canoe Trip
Kayak Roll Practice
Intro to Rock Climbing
Registration
June 3—1 2
June 3—1 7
June 3—1 8
June 3—19
June 3—24
June 3—25
June 3—July 2
June 3—July 1 0
June 3—July 1 0
June 3-July 1 6
June 3-July 22
June 3—July 23
June 3—July 29
June 3—July 31
Cost
$82/$90/$98
$ 1 5/$ 1 7/$1 8
$58/$ 64/$ 70
$25
$7/$8/$9
$68/$ 75/$ 81
$38/$42/$46
$25
$39/$43/$47
$31/$ 34/$ 3 7
$ 1 5/$ 1 7/$ 1 8
$31/$34/$37
$7/$8/$9
$25
• Make indoor rock climbing part of your fitness routine.
Take advantage of the relative quiet of the Student Rec Center
during the summer months and visit the Rock Wall weekly to
stay active and add some spark to your workout routine. Use
the Rock to supplement your cardio workout or as the total
body solution to wake up tired muscles. Rock Wall staff are
available for clinics and equipment information.
Playing a Round at A&M
• Enjoy 18 holes of championship golf at the Texas A&M
Golf Course. Call 845-1723 for tee times or visit the Pro
Shop for a complete selection of equipment and apparel.