11-9-13
Monday is Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day is a day of remembrance that is tied to Armistice Day, which marked the end of WWI, when hostilities ceased on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month (1918). In 1954, the remembrance of veterans of WWI was expanded by Congress and President Eisenhower to include all veterans who served their country, thus changing it from “Armistice Day” to “Veterans Day.”
At this website, we honor the men who served aboard the heavy cruiser USS Boston through the harrowing War in the Pacific. But the Boston was one warship of the 97 that made up Fast Carrier Task Force 58. The carrier groups, sometimes four, sometimes five, were defended by circling heavy warships – cruisers and battleships. Each task group was ringed by a “picket” of 15 to 20 destroyers. Over 100,000 men were aboard these ships.
The task groups usually were “attack forces,” launching hundreds of bombers off the decks of the carriers. They were also “bombardment forces,” bringing to bear the heavy guns of the cruisers and battleships against enemy targets. Sometimes, they were “support forces,” providing air and heavy gun cover to amphibious landings of Marines and Army troops.
So, by extension, as we focus on the men who served aboard the Boston, we honor all military personnel involved in the Pacific War, and by further extension, everyone who has served this country.
Hats off to our Veterans!