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PT Boats of WWII
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PT Boats - General
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[StartQuote] All this talk about PT-109 has once again gotten the fur on my back standing up. I can fully understand that some folks ( Dick included) that just do not like Kennedy, and can not stomach the fact that so much attention was given to one PT BOAT during the entire Pacific campaign. I sit back and often wonder how many people during WWII even knew what a PT Boat was, even some 70 years ago. When they did, the press took full advantage of building up this boat to be something like the weapon of the war that was going to win it all. Tale tales of the boats doing 70 knots were thrown around the Newspapers often, and the David and Goliath story was born. It was at a time when we were getting spanked by the Germans, and the Japanese early in the war. The PT Boats were just what was needed to build faith in our Navy, and show the folks back home that we could win with this type of craft. Tall tales were often thrown around by the PT BOATERS during and after the war. Claims of torpedoes destroying the Japanese Navy were proven false, and it wasn't until the boats became gun boats that they were really doing a monumental job at there. I don't think anyone loves these boats and the men who served on them more than I do, and I can fully understand the dislike by PT Boat men, when it came to Kennedy and PT-109. Over the past 35 years, I have listen to these men, some hating the PT-109 story, and some having no problem with it. Like it or not you guys, PT-109 did happen, and men were killed on that patrol. Men did swim to the Islands, they did become shipwrecked, and they did suffer during the ordeal. It was brought to light mostly because of Kennedy's Father, who had a pretty good hold on the press in those days. These stories surfaced, not because of JFK, but because of the father, who felt it would be great for Jack when he returned home, and the whole political Kennedy machine. In fact, one has to admire Kennedy for staying in the Pacific, and getting another boat, when by all the Navy rules, he could have been sent home. In having several conversations with crew members of PT-109, I mean they really loved this guy, had nothing but praise for him, although I do think that Mr. Thom should have gotten more applause then he did. I have talked to many crew members over the years that had the same admiration for their Skippers, so this is something that was not uncommon, if you were good to your men, which Kennedy was. They just happened to be on a boat where their Skipper would become President of the United States, and PT-109 would be thrust into the spot-light many times over the coming years. As a young boy of ten years old, I too was brought face to face with a boat I knew nothing about, by watching PT-109 on TV. The boats, to me at least were bigger than life, and I wanted one so bad, I could taste it. It was because of Kennedy and this famous boat that my whole life changed, and I would dedicate my life to these men and their wooden boats. As a middle aged guy, I am still just as excited to see these boats as I was 46 years ago. PT-109 like it or not was one of the most singe reasons why anyone even knew what a PT Boat was, and it was Kennedy and his crew that did that. The Kennedy Exhibit I will be doing in January, will mark the first time ever that i have done a full and complete Kennedy exhibit, and I hope that when people see it, they too might walk away with the same feeling I had years ago, and will fully enjoy the PT BOAT section of that exhibit. Trust me guys, I know there is more to the PT BOATS then just PT-109, but it just happens to be a big part of PT BOAT HISTORY. [EndQuote]
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