Transcripts For CSPAN2 Buzz 20240705

My name is jan mason. And i didnt ive been that we all like to know things we like to be in the know but whats paramount importance for an investigative journalist is to know when we dont know something. And im guessing thats true for our historians to Buzz Bissinger is not a military man. He grew up raised by World War Two veteran. But like so many World War Two vets, his dad, not one to regale the family with war stories around the dinner table. Buzz doesnt have firsthand stories or even secondhand stories about. War to share. But what he does have is an extortion naturally inquisitive mind, a mind that changed the landscape of sports forever. In 1990, with publication of friday night lights ushering in a new era in genre. I think about it those investigative sports documentaries that we all love, they started to show up after 1990. What this mans mind apart is his infinite ability ask but why. Asking that kind of question about its complicated. Asking that kind of question about the battle of okinawa. My goodness. In the mosquito bowl, Buzz Bissinger dishes up every last crumb of that complexity for us, sparing none of the terrors of war or the heartaches youth or the challenges of emerging nation. He trusts us as readers and as human beings to sort through it all and make sense of what this unlikely World War Two football story means for us today. So whether youve served like bezos father or have only loved someone who served like me and theres this incredible story of marines and their families as a football and its meaning for Young Country and of the battle in the pacific is for you. He wrote it for you more than anything. Buzz wants you to read the story of these men. I that among you are men and women who have served in our armed forces and diplomatic corps, putting your lives on the line forward. Americas ideals. We are honored to have with us tonight ernest marvel of frankford, delaware. Now 98 years young, but only 20 when he served in the european theater. Please join me in thanking ernest for serving our nation. Ernest, would you please stand. And ernest, im going to ask you to stand more time. I have a feeling there are some brothers and sisters in arms who we would like to stand with. You. So any of you who have served our armed forces or diplomatic corps, please join ernest standing for us so that we can all thank you as well. Please. And now those persons are. Well, good evening. I got to tell you. I use profanity. Im only going to use once you guys got your together. Ill tell you that. This is unbelievable. Im sort of. I am. And im humbled. Im delighted to be here. But after an introduction like that, im done. Lets go home. Lets go. I aint got a topic. And my hats off to you sir. I know what you went through. Thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you. And everyone else, i do want to thank some people, obviously, ronald collins, the cochair of gen mason, the cochair and also the board. Matthew, matthew ash james, barbara haimes, susan kehoe, rebecca a thomas owen, peter zoll, and also the sponsor for tonights event, dogfish head. Very, very humbled and incredibly impressed. The Historical Research on the mosquito ball the past five years of my life, i never tired of it, never became bored with it, and also never felt i had enough. I imagine many of you can identify with this because were all historians here tonight. That feeling late at night of reading a book that has been lost to the ages or an document or pamphlet or an article and finding that little that nugget of gold in the otherwise empty dustpan. As a writer, you thirst for those tiny details because the devil is always in the details. When you write a book is the only way to make characters and events come alive. The mosquito bulb was. My first work of work of history. Friday night lights a prayer for the city three nights in august were all dependent. What we call immersion journalism being there as events unfolded, which allows for scenes to be vivid and alive and cinematic. I am not an historian, so i had to learn to be one. Its high learning curve. Im not sure i successfully fulfilled it, but man was it fun . It the ultimate journey and as many have said, it is so crucially important and i think more important than ever as we head along in such uncertain times, id like to think that everyone has already read the mosquito ball twice, once in bed and once on the toilet. Pretty sure thats not true, except maybe for the toilet part, which actually is my most favorite and private office. I actually like writing. You know, i dont. I like writing with noise. As a matter of fact, the sound of garbage trucks. I like with my wonderful wife who would be here, she decided to adopt a dog instead. Literally a sweet 11 year old with one eye. Really, really sweet. I liked when he said, i say that again. That was so sweet. Oh, here you go. I wrote on the kitchen counter and the only floor would be i would be in the middle of the magic sentence. The perfect sentence. The sentence. Wait for all your life. When my wife would come up to me and say, are you interruptible . And id say, well, i am now, because you just ruined the sentence. I would to say that and this is a delight to me, that the book has become an instant york times bestseller. It hit number eight out of the box. That does not relieve you of the responsibility of buying more books. I want to make that clear. I would venture say that many you have little or no idea of what the mosquito ball really was, so i should back up and im going to do a short reading from the book because it says it must much better than i could paraphrase. As each day, unquote, of kannauj. On december four, 1944, passed with the rumors of when the marines would ship out more and more of them, it adopted that far away is known as the thousand yard stare a going asiatic or going rock happy or whatever else you wanted to call it. The eyes blank and deadened like sharks eyes seeing, but not seeing the mouse talking but not talking. Some went deep into their heads and never came out. There were suicides. It was the weight the interminable wait. Marines didnt to wait. It was better than. No, you were going to die. Then play it over and over in your head fights erupted in those waiting months of 1944, morale was theyve been for months. Training is important, but training becomes dull. It was over a few beers. The former players on the 29th regiment of the six Marine Division would stand toe to toe with former collegiate players of the fourth regiment and made the emphatic claim that the 29th would kick the fourth is as if there ever was a full Football Game between the two, which of course was in a place like in the middle of the pacific with a war going. These were not run of the mill former collegiate football players, 29th included an allamerican running back from purdue and all Missouri Valley conference and players from cornell, notre dame, illinois and duquesne, and five former captains notre dame, illinois and purdue. The arrogance of the 29th infuriated the fourth, which had ample bragging rights of its own. A two time allamerican wide receiver, wisconsin, and another center from the university of california an ivy league, or who had started with the new york giants a year and starters from wisconsin, michigan state, fordham, montana and ohio. Northern 62. The players of the 65 who played were either or would be drafted or would sign a contract with the pros. The became as wonderful as it was improbable there would be an organized Football Game on guadalcanal in the pacific on Christmas Eve of 1944. Propitious between the 29th and the fourth of the sixth division. As close as you could get to the real thing and there was a name that would forever become associated with the mosquito. When i say is is this was not some mere pickup game they built goalposts said a coconut. They built a regulation field. Of the parade grounds trying to get as much coral as possible. And they didnt really succeed. So guys were cut all over the place. They had programs. They announced the starting rosters on the p. A. System they built. These guys were very, very, very clever. The game went out over parts of the pacific and what they call the mosquito radio network. They had officials. This was as close as you could get to the real thing. And you have to close your eyes, as i did when i heard about it. And try to imagine the improbability, the serendipity and the wonder of a football wonder of a Football Game underwater. 1500 marines line the field. They were allowed to be drunk. They would have been drunk anyway because the marines. They drank beer. They gambled on their Favorite Team and they watched as these. I. I dont think of them. I call them men. But to me, theyre not men. They were still boys. They were kids in a way, forced to grow up so quickly when the war began and they went into combat were 24, 23 year old boys were now in charge of a platoon of 17 and 18 and 19 year olds responsible for their life and their death. This was, i think, the last time they were allowed to be boys to do something they loved, to have a blast, to have a ball. The score was really a prevalent and i am going to swear one more time because they really well i want they really beat the out of each other. It started this touch but the marines semi tackled some said it was as rough as game they ever played. One guy fainted injuries so he wouldnt have to play. They would get cut up by the coral, which would blow up into infection. This is guadalcanal. Its extremely hot. The mosquitoes all over the place. But they had a ball. Five months later, they at a battle that i think has been mostly forgotten. Like much of the pacific war, has been forgotten in the shadow of the atlantic theater. Months later. And i just pause. Its still amazing to me. 65 of the men who played in that game, of those 65, 15 were later killed at okinawa. Many of them officers ranging in age the oldest was 25, the youngest. Was 18. Now it takes me forever to get a good idea for a book. Really, once every ten years, you know, they come and they and, you know, you think you have one, you know its ready. You think youve hooked moby and you realize it was just a very strong mental. You let it go. Its not going to work because what do you look in a book . What what makes good books . So elusive . What makes idea so elusive . You want drama. You want great narrative that unfolds like a mystery. What happens . What happens . What happens . You want a story, a beginning and a middle and an end that pulls the reader in and doesnt let go. And you need memorable, and perhaps most important of all, indelible characters that will resonate and stay in your heart long after the book, long after youve it all the ingredient were there. I was very, very excited when i heard about this game, and i found it by accident. It wasnt willful. All the ingredients were there except for one big problem. Of the 65 men who played in that game, 64 were gone. There was one survivor who i did interview, but my goal was high. I wanted the reader to connect with some of these men. I wanted the reader to care about these men. Maybe even love them and believe with them. And with them. As i took them on a journey from their child hoods in a different america to college to football, to the marines, and ultimately into this indescribably bloodbath of okinawa. And ill just say this now, a. Approximately 250,000 americans, japanese and civilians died at okinawa in 82 days. Thats 3000 a day. The casualty rate was way over 50 . The navy, because of the slowness of the Ground Forces and the kamikaze suicide pilots, lost roughly six 6000 seamen. The in any battle in history. Im not here to debate the atom bomb unless you ask questions about it, because i have a big mouth and ill say anything. But i know evidence and i am convinced truman dropped that bomb not to show the russians. He dropped that bomb because he was horrified by okinawa, which was the last step to the attack on the japanese homeland and i believe he said to himself we are not going to lose another american boy on foreign soil. And this is only way to stop a savage, relentless enemy that had shown no signs of surrendering. But i these men to come alive and this is where history comes. This is where research comes in. And granted, this is where luck comes in because it turned out several of the players had left behind and incredible paper trail of wives, not just letters home report cards. They didnt do very well, actually report cards, transcripts, other letters they had written starting when they were eight or nine years old. You know, letters, camp illustrations, drawing high school essays, everything. And that my eureka moment where i said, i think, i can do this. The only problem was i knew nothing really about the war. I nothing about the military. I really didnt know anything. So the learning curve was high. It was challenging it was a little bit scary, but i wanted to do more than just portray some of these players really for specific ones. Dave shriner, two time allamerican from wisconsin, perfect allamerican. If he walked into this room, you would see, i think all the women would want him. I dont know about the men we wont go there. But from a farm town in wisconsin, tony buchnevich, the best name ever for football deep from the coal mines of saint david. His father, an immigrant, croatia, two brothers who also went to Major University on football scholarships. The essence of the american dream. Despite withering hatred from too many pockets of america. John, mick lowry had lived a more entitled life. Hed grown up in providence. His father was a famous football coach named tough mick lowry. He was always that blocking back. Maybe because no one in their right mind would want to be a blocking back. Started with the new york giants. And you wont be able to see it, but youll see it in your book. And i want to just quickly point this out. You can look he drew that he was a gifted, gifted artist. He was he drew this this is the jungle of bougainville and i believe he drew it when he was at bougainville. And the last was bob bauman from a working class town of harvey, illinois, near chicago. His father had died when he was 14. He basically he and his brother raised the mother, the family. They were broke they would pick onions in South Holland and then steal a few. So they have something to eat for lunch. But beyond these men, i wanted to delve into aspects of war we often dont think about, i think, or overlook that affected the lives. Not only of marines, but soldiers and seamen everywhere. And this is where history really comes in the importance of it, the sacredness of it, the need for us as a nation to remember and remember and remember. So we never forget and believe. History has never become more important, more essential than than ever in our speed of sound society in one ear and not even out the other before we run to lap up the way this scandal, we no longer accept the importance of letting things sink in flowing to you. Think about them stepping back to examine them and learn from them and put them in perspective to think about them. Because what do we think about now . Or at least what does the media think . We think about now . What role . Meghan markle was in at the queens funeral . We write history because the complexity, the the horror of the past so helps to understand our futures that as americans, i believe, more uncertain than ever, which makes the value of history more important than ever. And how do you achieve that . Do you achieve all these things you research, you Research History . And i knew nothing i knew i knew absolutely nothing. You know, the bibliography see, the source notes are over 100 pages, much to the mortification the publisher, because the more pages of book is, the more it costs to print it. I looked at nearly 500 books and articles and documents obviously ranging books on okinawa, but not just okinawa. Virtually every major battle of pacific you spend guadalcanal, tarawa, guam. I have read at least at least 10,000 pages of after action reports that are kept by the military in the immediate aftermath of a battle and have great information. And if youre willing to really meticulously go through it. I read books on the history, japan and its culture. I have to say i could not go to japan because of covid. I had to write the book. I will go. Ive never seen okinawa, but i will go but covered for all of us and for me was a true impediment. I read innumerable biographies of some of the great men of the pacific and the atlantic. Chester nimitz, ernest king kelly, terrible. And admiral with the navy howling mad smith, who was a little bit crazy but a great and dedicated marine who constantly got himself into trouble with his big mouth and unfortunately it really hurt not just him, but men on okinawa because they would not let him be the commander in chief. And they picked someone who was really inadequate. And the other fun is to research the funky stuff like cookbooks who knew that the navy had cookbooks, which really the marines because that meant they were eating good food. Why theyre in. The merchant marine had a cookbook. I swear it was 570 pages, but thats fun to look at. Thats fun to look at. And you get obsessed with things. Im old fashioned. I use an index card system. I devised that were well over 100 and i wrote and i had research assistance. It was too much for me. Then they or i would go through every document, every book, every letter and put on index cards, descriptions with reference and then file them away. I had well over 3000, i dont know. I used. Maybe 20 , but theres no such thing as having too much. There is such thing of not having enough. And as i say, could have researched for another ten years. I wish i there were some documents that i wished i had access to. And as you research obvious, see, you learn. You learn elements of beauty. You learn elements of humor. Because im sure this is true of you. When you were in World War Two, if you didnt have a sense of humor, if you not laugh at everything, forget it. It was the only way to take the edge off what you were seeing and the constant, constant fear in the back of your mind. Am i to make it or am i not going to make it . And i also found myself shocked by some of what i learned. I was shocked, by the way, in which men and marines were so willingly sacrificed on occasions for wobbly and uncertain object. This knowing going in that if the strategy failed, the men would helplessly die. It hit me the most when i wrote about the battle of tarawa. I dont know how many here remember it. Its a forgotten battle, but it was a pivotal battle. It occurred november of 1943, and it was the beginning of the hopped up Island Strategy that would ultimately take us to the japanese homeland. Just as important it was the first test of Amphibious Assault on a welldefended beach. They. As much as they could. There was a lot they did not know, but there was one, one huge problem that they were unable to resolve. And tarawa is an atoll in the gilbert islands. The margin was going to be thin in terms of the tide. The best Case Scenario, a five foot tide, roughly 12 inches of clearance over the coral that rimmed the beach just enough for a higgins boat to float and take roughly 40 men at a time to shore, 12 inches the medium scenario with a four foot tide enough to get relatively close to shore. So the marines would not have to wait in from too far a distance. The disaster Case Scenario with a free three foot tide dead in the water, the waiters tie tables, the atoll of taro. I have a done 102 years before and were totally unreliable. Anyway, the navy worked up new timetables based on observations that appear in samoa, even though it was a thousand miles away. The cop top command tried. They rounded up australians and new Zealand Naval reserve officers who were somewhat familiar with the tides of tarawa. The consensus was you get five feet, youd it over the coral. And i have to say this was a defended beachhead. What does that mean . The japanese because of their culture, because of actually their sense of superior already this disbelief that were the chosen ones literally believed you did not need modern weaponry to defeat the americans they thought the americans were weak. They thought the west was weak. They thought that of sons would not tolerate a war. And after a year, we would come to the negotiating table that have been the worst mistake made in the history of humankind humankind. But they were smart. They started playing defense up to then. It was all offense. And youve probably seen the movies banzai attack boats and all this stuff, and they played defense. They had emplacements rimming the shore. You could not see them, and they were basically impregnable. And you have men you have marines, you have 17, 18, nine year old boys wading into that. And if you get hung on that coral, youre dead. The was that the tide would rise five feet. The leading expert, frank holland, he said, yeah, youre going to get five feet. But he had lived on tarawa for 15 years and he changed his assessment and said its not going to even approach feet, three feet. The admirals played no attention, no attention. In other words, the conditions were lousy they were dangerous. And the admirals know it and the excuse which makes no sense to me is that we could not delay this battle had to go off on november 20th, 1943, despite the fact dday was delayed. Okinawa was delayed, guam was delayed. Battles are delayed. And this was not a pivotal battle in terms of its strategic purpose. They built a lightning strip that they barely used. As it turned out. In other words, a tidal mess. There was no way of accurately predicting how high the tide would be that day. Too many variables. They could only literally go a hope and a prayer. The educated guesses of war that too often turn out to be fatal. The attack went ahead. The tide was feet dead in water. Now imagine. Youre 18 years old. This your first fight . Youre terrified. But whether youre a marine or your army or your navy or whatever, youre stuck on that coral. The japanese are roaming the shore. They have hidden emplacements, nabobs, machineguns, mortar, artillery. And you got to get off that boat, and now you have to wait a half mile with water up to your and youre holding your rifle aloft because you dont want get it wet sitting ducks, sitting ducks. Hundred died, 200 die, 300 died. No one knows. Its very to second guess and war. But i do believe that those whatever number it was died unnecessarily that they were fodder men die in war war is not about triumph it is about death. Make no mistake, it is about death. But they were sitting ducks and it could have and should have, i think been, prevented. I was shocked by the constant interservice rivalry. The army hated the navy. Navy hated the army and everyone hated the marines and the marines hated everyone literally because of politics. And im sure many of you know, but ill say it anyway, there was no single commander in. The pacific. It had to be divided between Douglas Macarthur of the army, who, by the way, i think was an incredible royal pain in the and got off easy. And i think it was because we were so desperate to have a hero. We made him into a hero even though he abandoned his men in baton the navy the other side of the was chester nimitz, who was a brilliant man. It was a peace between the army and the navy. But you can imagine how that one macarthur argued all the time, i should be the commander. I should be the commander. I should be the commander. And it would have been worse except for the ability of nimitz. I think just like eisenhower in the atlantic to swallow his ego surrounded a bunch of sometimes brilliant but narcissistic hothouse flowers. I was shocked by the constant fighting over who should get the credit in the media for victories. You would think in war they would get along. You would think in war that there would be a common purpose. But no. And it was much worse than just who gets credit. Men died. Men died because of the rivalry and frankly, the suspicion and the hatred at the battle of peleliu, september of 1944, a battle, by the way, that was completely, completely macarthur insisted that he needed the marines to cover his left like when he attacked the philippines nimitz, was against it ernest king was against it. Another leading admiral, they all met with roosevelt. Roosevelt was terrified of macarthur, poetically terrified. He did everything could to mollify macarthur. Any oc made the invasion of peleliu macarthur never used the flank. Basically, he never needed it. 7000 marines died once again going into hell in a 115 degree weather. The major general, William Rupert us was the commander of the first Marine Division. He repeatedly, repeatedly declined reinforcement from an Available Army regiment because he held such a low opinion. So instead he allowed first marine regiment of that division to be fundamentally decimated with a casualty rate of 71 in one battalion alone, he had a broken ankle that he tried to head high. He basically could not walk. He stayed in most of the time and barked out exceedingly or increasingly irrational orders and ultimately, according to accounts, cupped his head in his hands and gave up. I was shocked by decisions such as putting simon both of our buchner junior in charge of the army, in charge of the Landing Forces of okinawa by far the biggest, the pacific, 180,000 army and marines. He had no combat experience, none, none. You know, he had been in the aleutians, which was like going to the jersey shore. Its not like going to delaware. He had none. He was an excellent in logistics, which is extremely important. You had 6000 mile supply lines, but he had no combat experience. It was a compromised choice. Once again there were marines who were better who had much more combat experience and spent the war in the pacific. And they were good, brilliant strategists, but there was no way the army would allow that. No way calling the marines a bunch of beach runners incapable of commanding more than a handful of men, too reckless, too eager to get killed, only good for rapid fire assault. Buckner was a great career soldier. Make mistake, as was his father, the confederate general, simon bolivar. Buckner as an asterisk, the term Unconditional Surrender came from both of our when he unconditionally surrendered to grant in the civil war. And then, ironically, they became great friends and he bailed grant out when he went broke. Buckner served the country with great, great honor, but he was too slow and uncertain and he would not admit it because top commanders are loath to admit anything. The Ground Forces plotted along at okinawa, which means and many navy ships had to remain hanging onto the shore, which meant they were sitting ducks for the kamikaze suicide pilots, which meant casualties. As i said of nearly 6000. And i want to read, want to give you a flavor. And by the way, some people have said i could not bear the book because i could not bear the accounts of combat. Im not going to apologize for that. It was intentional because i wanted the reader to know what combat is like. Its not movies where everyone ends triumph. Matt damon comes home in saving private ryan. The cinematic depiction of the unbroken by Angelina Jolie offensive everything was predefined. Everything was in bright colors, including the depiction of the p. O. W. Camps. There is no triumph. There is terror. And i want to read you a little section about what its like when youre you a about in this case, the uss bush. And youre being hit not just by one. Imagine right. Its night. You cant see anything except the tracers. And theres something eerily beautiful about it. But you cant see anything. One comes in two, three, four, five, six. You get five, you miss the six dead in the war abandoned ship. Carney blown into the deck below and breaks his pelvis. Although feels as though his back is broken. A black steward named jackson lists carney and puts him on a raft. Jackson keeps going into the engine spaces to pull up men who have burned. Hes big and lubin. No idea how he squeezes himself through the deck hatches. He is shoeless and his feet are bloody. He doesnt make it. Why . Saki has been shot on the left shoulder. He dives into the water to save a sailor who has been blinded north. Cut in surreal help by saki changing dry clothes after he is back on it is then they realize the seriousness of his wound. The bullet exited underneath his right armpit. He doesnt make it. The boat sinks, splits into the order comes abandoned, ship men cry as they see their ship, which they have fallen in love with it is their ship. Go down now theyre in the water in the dark of night. Men exhausted by the pounding of the sea and try to keep their heads above water as they await rescue. Our after hour water temperature dropping to 52 degrees. The only time younger and feels any warmth is he urinates in his pants. Some of the men swallow saltwater and start to retch theyre going crazy. One position positions a picture of his family inside his lifejacket. He can see them when he dies. Another has his wallet in his hand with a photo of his wife and young son. Some men who cant bear any more become violent and hysteric. They slip out of their lifejackets and drown. There is no moon. There is. No stars. Japanese planes arrive in the night, strafing them in the water. Some have small one cell flashlight, but there are strict orders. To use them. But the only way to draw the attention of the rescue ships and the men get excited as they approach. But some start swimming and they smash their heads against the hull of the rescue ships and die are caught up in the propeller screws and mangled to death. The rescue ships do they can. There is great valor night those on board hear pleas for help from men who know there is no hope and that the sea will take them. 88 men from the uss bush dead or missing committed to the deep. Okinawa was campaign that was supposed to take 40 days. It took 82 days. It ended in june of 1945 and left 14,000 american instead. About 4000 remain. Marines, about 4000 army and about 6000 navy. There was once again the endless issue of of credit. The marines were sort of marginal guys at first. They were sent up north where there was very little opposition. And because buckner and Army Commanders wanted this to be an army show, the army hated the marines. They hated the marines. Since world war one because they felt the marines had taken all the credit for world war one because of the account of the marines. Abella woods by one, i correspond didnt name Floyd Gibbons from the chicago tribune, describing them as indescribably heroic, which they were. But the army had one world war one, they wanted they were tired. They were tired of all these accounts of great marines. They resented it. And i can understand of the resentment. So they wanted okinawa has to be ours. It has to be an army. So the went south. The army had four divisions. Thats where the action was. The army began to get obliterated. Some of these divisions. And the marines who felt weve done our duty, weve done our objective, weve done what weve been told, were going back to guam. With great hesitation and cajoling. And basically at the orders of nimitz buckner reluctantly said, all right, we got to get the marines involved. So the marines went south, and they became responsible for the seizure. A hill. I dont know how many have even heard of it called sugarloaf so inconsequential was barely on any maps. It had no name. It was a number the japanese held. It became the key and the defense line that had drawn across the island. But the japanese also held two other hills. And think about this in a trial triangle of mutually supporting fire. So think about it. Its why the terrain below, the hills was called death valley. That hill was taken and, retaken once, twice, three, five, nine, 11 times, 11 times in the space of a week to gain a total of 520 yards. The six Marine Division, which is the core of this book, suffered 2662 killed, wounded or missing in action. Nine of the 15 mosquito boat players died at sugarloaf, and i might as well give it. One of them was a marvelous, quiet humble former dame captain george murphy, following to take the hill, knowing that it was impossible at that juncture and meant certain death. Murphy, in his last acts tried to get as many wounded as he could down the hill until he was in the head. Murphy left behind a wife. He also left behind a daughter that he had never and never met and never would. Now its called the mosquito ball, which means its about football, which to some means is a sports book. Its a sports book. Repeat after me. Its not a sports book. Friday night lights was a sports book. I use football in the same way i use it in friday night lights. A sociological phenomenon of the navy believe to be the single best source of combat training and towards the end they kept College Football alive. They saved College Football and World War Two, roughly 100 schools are canceled. Program so they started something called the vito 12 program for the training of officers and marine officers in which they were allowed to go to college, spend time on those campuses for a period of time, and were also allowed participate in execute curricular activities such as football. So i was shocked once again when i learned i cant fathom now there are moments when you research and see history where you you know, its like a cartoon. Your eyes go one. I learn there was one single place to avoid the and go overseas and go into combat. And that place was west point. West point, you would think that at west point there would be no football. You would think that west point would say, all right, were in a war situation. Weve got to train these guys and get them out in six months. Maybe a year, because the officers we have now, theyre inadequate. Theyre 90 day wonders. They dont enough. Theyre terrified. The ones who make it are the ones who listen to their sergeants and their guns the ones who dont think they know everything everything. But at west point, there were still three years of required. I cant pronounce the word three years of whatever. You know where im going you know where im going with this, which also meant if youre a College Football player, you get three years of eligibility playing football without any worries, the draft or thing else. The army knew it. The army used it as a recruiting pitch, predictable. Well, son, let me ask you a question. Draft a lousy food, mud, filth, combat, death. Army. Three years of football. Well, it was three years of football. I could figure out why. Army during wartime had its best teams in history. And this is why they recruited from all over the country. And i believe i believe i cant prove it. I believe was behind it. He had gone to west point. He was a great believer in the value sports. He believed, as did other commanders, that Army Football would be good for the morale of the country. I dont think i dont think the gave a , to tell you the truth. Maybe army people did. And i know that men overseas resented the hell out there getting killed there up to their ears in filth. There are no showers, theres dysentery. And these guys are in a beautiful campus playing college. Theyre things you are shocking, but theyre beautiful things. You discover i learned to up duty really means i learned what honor means i want what sacrifice i mean i learned what the willingness to die means. Preserve the principles of our country. I learned about bravery. I learned about tragedy i learned about the horror of okinawa. Were so many died. But i learned also about love, the love of mothers and and fiancees, hoping and praying that the telegram of i regret to inform would never come, which of course, for some men it did. I learned about the power and magic. This is why we research. This is why we learned from history. I learned the power and magic of what can happen and did happen in the period of world two. Despite all horrors, the power of a nation our nation, our great so tattered and so divided is now and so nasty now and so cruel now gathering together in a single purpose to win the war. Everybody served. Those who were exempt from the draft had to have jobs that at least were considered essential to the war effort. Women served. They took over industry and manufacture strength and no insult to the men in this room. The women did a better, more efficient, more friendly, and none of the ego fighting africanamericans served despite horrible racism, segregation. They were segregated. They basically not allowed to participate in combat. They basically had service jobs. It meant they were serving whites. And think of that, the horrible irony of fighting for freedom, other countries that they did not have in their own country, but they served. They wanted to serve they believed in america in combat right on the line. Men served from every socio and stripe and region of the country east, south, midwest, west, rich and poor. And in between educated and poorly educated, they learned to respect each other. They learned to even like each other. And yes, ever after initially beating the out of other, they learned there is no red state or blue state in a foxhole foxhole. A marine with a ph. D. From yale who can quote shakespeare to a guy from brooklyn with a fifth grade education who quote anything. And its impossible to. Understand anyway. They were brothers. Now they were true brothers. They loved each other. They depended each other. One of them hated roosevelt, hated roosevelt, one of them loved roosevelt. It didnt matter. Their only purpose to watch others back and protect their brother where were two is beyond brutal. All over the world. We were frankly lucky. We were never attacked well over 100 million died. Well never know. The japanese have gotten off easy. They killed many as 50 million chinese. So many of those killed innocents. But for the united states, it was a beautiful time, a time of unison, a time of every single citizen gathering together, a time of what made america great. So what happened once . It happened once upon a time, this country and i am hopeful because. We are doomed without hope. And its scary now. Its so scary that it can happen again. Everybody has everybody should have beliefs. Thats the cornerstone of the country thats what makes america america. But you can have beliefs. What what is so disturbing is the nastiness the discord, the hatred of one for the other, the cruelty defines us now. And its both from the left and its both to the. I dont like donald trump. I cant stand him. I dont like aoc i think shes full of it. I do. So what is history . What is it. We all know history is to learn. History is, to be amazed and enthralled and informed. But at its most powerful history is about inspiration. And believing that what we did was we can and we must do again. It is the beauty of history. Unless we refuse to learn from it. And then i guarantee you our present and future will become our nightmare. Thank you. And that went over, im sure you did, but. But i told you guys that he was pretty doggone passionate about this book. Did not. Well, i felt that. I felt that passion for the book. Thank you. You want to do is there time for q a . I dont want to well, thats really the people here. Thats up to you, because i know there are some people took their directive today and may need to to take a quick necessary break. Dont feel shy about its okay nobodys gonna judge you you know im happy to do q a. I did go over i apologize. But if you want to do 15 minutes, thats fine with me. If you have questions or comments, its totally up to guys. All right. Well, we have folks wandering the room picking up some some questions, feel this is like, lets make a deal. I well, were to be a team at this, okay . I believe in us. Oh, my goodness. That is a long question. Im going to go for the short question first. I so gail wants to know if you could sort of talk about news differences between the World War Two reports that you read versus what you see in the media today . The media, you know, its interesting because i my background is as a reporter was a newspaper reporter, proud newspaper reporter for 15 years before i went off to do friday night lights. The media in World War Two was proamerica and promilitary and because of that, things happened that arguably should not have happened. However, it did keep the country together. The media today is relentless relentless about everything to the point we are ground down now and will say this maybe joe biden is too old. Maybe hes this, maybe hes that. But i ask anyone in the media, do you have the energy and the commitment to Public Service that he has had all his life at the age of 78 . I believe that. I dont know how he does it. I dont know any politician. It criticized over and over and over and over even trump story in the New York Times today. Trump is in desperate financial trouble. His corporation is to be dissolved. Hes going to go broke. And that but you read the story and you say, actually, hes in pretty decent shape. He has a lot of assets left. So know what that means. You could write the lead saying trump is actually in good shape. This is what happens. Put the negative spin on everything. Im tired of it as a reporter. Im tired of it. And so what do we do we opt out. We opt out . I feel become less informed. I cant stand it i cant stand. The news is so relentlessly awful i think my watch that thinks that i killed myself. Yeah thats does emergency s. O. S. Youre having a heart attack . No, im fine. Thank. Here we go. Were some simple questions as well. Okay. Which know this could be a spoiler alert for which we dont want to do know. Jeffrey wants to know who won and is that something you can talk about, oh, who won the game. Oh, yeah. The game was was was crappy. The game was zero zero. There was a field goal attempt at the end and they and they missed but the, the, you know, you can figure it out. I dont want to give it away. I mean, the power of the narrative is you read about these men and you do want to know who made it. And who did not. I thought that was like who won the war. I mean, i think we won. Jesus, i hope so. We have a question here. Football. Okay. Wondering who you think is. A better player. Red grange. Jim thorpe. Oh, man. I think jim thorpe was the better. I think red grange was was the better football player. You know, thorpe was an incredible. But i dont think he got the same chances red grange did at illinois. Thats a tough one. Thats a tough thank you. History book festival audience for right given the stumper we. Have a question here about at the sixth Marine Division talking about how what they achieved just completely unthinkable and how their victory was overshadowed by. Iwo jima, europe, fdr. And he talked about how excellent. Yeah that when the museum in quantico there was no display or any mention on sex i was just going to say that you should go to the u. S. Marine corps museum at quantico. Its a beautiful beautiful museum. As you walk through it, youll see incredible exhibits about tarawa. Youll two rooms about iwo jima, youll see one very small room about the sixth division. And half of it is dedicated to the code talkers. And ive gone through it with veterans, and it them live it it iwo jima was was awful, but okinawa was worse. The six Marine Division took two thirds of the island and went through hell. And i feel gets very little credit for it. They complain and theyve argued to the museum and they say theyre going to do something. But so far they have not. Thank you. Another audience member wants to know if any of the gentlemen who played and lived wrote about their own experiences. In first person, im going to. Well, yes. And no, actually, john lowry wrote a lot. I was wrote privately. He wrote an account, a patrol in bougainville. Thats of the most amazing documents ive ever. Its 85 pages and. I basically quote from it verbatim in the book. To me, its the essence of combat in which no one. Well, its. He was an incredibly meticulous man. So he did write about his experiences. And i have read private journals of others who did did write their experiences. And another question here is what new course or direction do you hope our lives will take . We explore and interact with your book, and they took that from the history festival program. What lives the life . What do you want people to take away from this book . I just want to buy my book. Thats all i care about. I dont know if cspans to play that for us. No, you told me. You told, me. When we had dinner, you said that your hope. You want people read this book . Well, i want. I want people to read the book. You know, we all want an author always wants people to read the book. I want you, if nothing else. If nothing else. Obviously, i talked about some of the things and underlying theme in the book. In my heart, i wanted the lives of these men who died, who died for us. I wanted those memories preserved. We are losing our World War Two veterans, the backbone of, our country. And its great. Ive read the figures. I dont have them. But they say in 10 to 15 years there will be no one left. And we have to remember. We have to remember. We have to honor these men in death. But we have to honor them in life. And we to become aware of how much they lost, of how much they were not able to do. So one person reads the book or a million, i want them to keep the memories in, their heart of what they with us for us without question. Without running afterwards and writing a book like every navy seal does now. Which is true. Thats what i want. Before we all thank those one more time, i just want to remind you this, is just the beginning. There are 21 more stories. Not not as good as mine. Thats up. Thank you very much. It was a real pleasure. Thank you