Sunday, May 20, 2018

Fleet Week Up Portland Way

Kith and Kin Everywhere on this May 20, 2018,

Time is getting short for you to visit a real, honest-to-gosh WW2 PT boat with a real, honest-to-gosh WW2 veteran of the Solomon Islands PT boat combat against the Imperial Japanese Navy on board to shake your hand.

Marlene and I will be traveling to Portland, OR, in a few days to act as docents aboard the PT658, the only fully restored and running PT boat left in the world.  Son Mike will drive us to the boat; we are getting too aged to make the trip alone.  I will be just days short of my 93rd birthday later in June, so that fact mandates this being a fini.

Our object is to publicize the boat, its volunteer crew and, hopefully, raise some serious money to keep her up and running for many years more as a memorial to we kids who manned these "plywood" 77-foot to 80-foot wooden combat vessels that stepped in to carry the fight to the enemy when the Navy's iron ships were sunk at Pearl Harbor.

Marlene and I will be giving our annual donation of $1,000, hoping our presence on the Higgins motor torpedo boat will bring in another $1,000, at least.  See her web site to determine how in case you can't visit her.  Send a tax-deductible donation or $5 or $5,000 or more.  Just Google "PT658" to find out how.

It will be Fleet Week of the Portland Rose Festival.  The boat will be moored at Waterfront Park in downtown Portland along with visiting Canadian, Navy and Coast Guard Fleet ships.  Come visit and bring a healthy donation in honor of all "mosquito boat veterans" of WW2.  See and tour one of the last two of the some-750 of these marvelous machines we kids used to fight the Japanese and Germans to keep America free.

Unlike other museum vessels, the PT658 has no major sponsor and depends on the  kind and generous donations of patriotic citizens to keep her afloat.  Her crew who maintain and operate the boat are all volunteers.

Marlene and I hope you will give until it hurts a little, then add a little bit more to show your appreciation of the sacrifices we kids made of our youthful days.  What might have been our glorious teen years were exhausted fighting in the fetid tropics in places of which you've never even heard.  Tulagi and Rendova come to mind as does Choiseul, Bougainville and Green Island.  Capisce?

Please?

Master Chief Gunner's Mate Jack Duncan, Navy retired
Lake Havasu City, Arizona
(928) 854-1438


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