Officers’ Clothing Complicates Communication On USS Franklin

US Navy Carrier USS Franklin on fire 19 March 1945. Dense smoke rises from fires aft of the ship's island.

I have read many stories about the events of World War II. Still, I have only read one in which officers’ clothing contributed to a massive communications breakdown between captain and crew. Many other US Navy ships were damaged or sunk in the Pacific Theater during World War II. I can find no record of…

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Write a Letter To Your Mom!

USS Franklin May 4 1944

Like many of you, my wife and I often find ourselves in the familiar situation of our children not responding to our texts or voicemails. This, undoubtedly, triggers a wave of worry. It’s a shared experience, isn’t it? The worry that comes with uncommunicative children is not a new phenomenon. It’s a concern that has…

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Research Visit to the National Museum of the Pacific War

View of the George W. Bush Gallery at the National Museum of the Pacific War (Author's photo.)

Last week, I spent a morning in Fredericksburg, Texas, searching through the archives of the National Museum of the Pacific War. I was there to research my forthcoming book on the crew of USS Franklin, still today the most decorated in US Navy history. My first trip to the museum was strictly as a tourist…

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