Military Officer - December 2007 - (Page 67) The original Midway command post is one of the few remaining buildings that shows World War II battle damage. This photo (bottom), probably taken from the powerplant roof, shows damage on Sand Island. The bombed-out building in the foreground is the laundry. Oil tanks burn in the distance. As I walked around Sand Island, the only inhabited island in the atoll, it was easy to envision antiaircraft batteries of the Marine 6th Defense Battalion firing away at the Japanese planes that attacked June 4, 1942. We were fortunate to have three veterans of the fight for Midway in our group. Each had compelling stories of that day. Taking in the history of Midway and reflecting on the events leading up to the battle, I believe the reason we won was pure audacity. Many American servicemembers made bold and pivotal decisions, not the least of which was Admiral Nimitz’s order to have the USS Yorktown repaired and at sea in just 72 hours after she suffered severe damage only days earlier at the Battle of Coral Sea. Many historians have said America didn’t deserve to win against such lopsided odds, but I disagree. We couldn’t have deserved it more. PHOTOS: ABOVE, NAVAL HISTORICAL FOUNDATION; TOP, MAJ. DALE ROBINSON, USMC-RET. DECEMBER 2007 MILITARY OFFICER 67
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