Wyomissing salutes, remembers the fallen at parade, ceremony
World War II veterans are honored during the Wyomissing Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)The Reading Buccaneer Alumni march during the Wyomissing Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)World War II veterans are honored during the Wyomissing Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)The Berks County Chapter of the Harley Owners Group rides during Wyomissing Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)Kaleb Kistler, 3, of Bernville waits to watch his dad Kevin march with the Sons of Liberty during the Wyomissing Memorial Day Parade and Remembrance Ceremony on Saturday, May 24, 2025. (BILL UHRICH/READING EAGLE)
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National Geographic
2 hours ago
- National Geographic
What everyone gets wrong about the deadliest shark attack in history
HISTORY & CULTURE SHARKFEST The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is widely known as a shark story—but the truth is much more horrifying. The U.S.S. Indianapolis at port in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, circa 1937. The sinking of the warship is considered one of the worst tragedies in U.S. Naval history: 879 men lost their lives while the survivors suffered for four days and five nights until they were rescued. Photograph By Navy History and Heritage Command "The shark comes to the nearest man and that man he'd start poundin' and hollerin' and screamin' and sometimes the shark go away. Sometimes he wouldn't go away." Robert Shaw's iconic monologue as shark hunter Quint in Jaws captured the horror of the day 80 years ago when sharks descended on the crew of the U.S.S. Indianapolis after the vessel was sunk by Japanese torpedoes during World War II. Thanks to the fame of the movie, that speech propelled the worst shark attack in history into public lore. (Martha's Vineyard locals reflect on the legacy of 'Jaws' 50 years later.) But his speech had some critical errors. Many retellings focus on the sharks mercilessly picking off the survivors, but the terror of that day in July 1945 was 'much more than just a shark story,' says Lynn Vincent, author of Indianapolis. It's a story of hundreds of men—some just 17 years old—who set off a great adventure and changed the face of history before experiencing unimaginable horrors, adds her co-author Sara Vladic. The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis is considered one of the worst tragedies in U.S. Naval history. What really happened? This is the true story of the disaster of the Indianapolis. The U.S.S. Indianapolis sets sail on a top-secret mission The U.S.S. Tranquility lands in Guam carrying the survivors of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Only 316 of the 1,195 crew members aboard the ship survived after being torpedoed by a Japanese submarine. Photograph By National Archives The U.S.S. Indianapolis was hit by torpedoes just after it had completed a top-secret mission: delivering components of the atomic bomb that the U.S. would later use on Hiroshima during World War II. Photograph By National Archives The Indianapolis—affectionately known as the Indy—was already well-known by the time she met her gruesome demise. She had 10 battle stars and was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ship of state. In March 1945, a few months earlier, the Indianapolis had been hit by a Japanese suicide pilot, or kamikaze, in Okinawa and was sent back to California for repairs. 'The Japanese plane not only hit her, but sent a bomb through her, literally through her,' says Paridon. 'It exploded underneath her keel.' By the time she was mended, the U.S. Navy needed a ship to transport components of the atomic bomb destined for Hiroshima to Tinian, a U.S.-controlled island south of Japan. 'That's why she's available… because she had taken that hit,' says Paridon. 'It's a twist of fate, really it is.' (Wreckage of WWII-era warship U.S.S. Indianapolis found after 72 years.) The Indy was loaded up with the priceless cargo and set out on her crucial journey on July 16. The mission was 'uber, uber, uber secret,' says Paridon. 'The sailors on board that ship had no earthly [idea] what they were carrying. Capt. Charles Butler McVay had an inkling. He was told 'every day you save on your transit is one less day we're gonna have to fight this war,' says Paridon. After racing to Tinian under radio silence, the Indy delivered the bomb on July 26 and the top-secret mission was over. But her hardships were about to begin. The U.S.S. Indianapolis at New York City about a decade before it was sunk by a Japanese submarine. The maritime disaster was made famous by Captain Quint's monologue in the movie Jaws. In terms of lives lost, it was the U.S. Navy's second worst catastrophe in history, trailing only the attack on Pearl Harbor. Photograph By Naval History and Heritage Command The U.S.S. Indianapolis was leaving Guam in the early hours of July 30 when a Japanese submarine spotted the ship glinting in the moonlight. Commander Mochitsura Hashimoto ordered his crew to fire and two torpedoes struck the ship. 'These are big kabooms, to put it very, very bluntly,' says Paridon. That was the first catastrophe. Many men were 'there one minute, literally gone the next,' he says. Others were hit by shrapnel and burned by hot metal as they tried to escape. The Indy sank in just 12 minutes. Those who found themselves in the water—concussed, burned, wounded, and covered in oil from the wreckage—were about to face a nightmare lasting five nights and four days. Joseph A. Jacouemot and Richard P. Thelen, two survivors of the U.S.S. Indianpolis, are shown in a hospital in the Philippines shortly after their rescue in August 1945. Hundreds of men struggled for five days to survive dehydration, hypothermia, shark attacks, and madness while floating in the South Pacific. Photograph By National Archives Likely attracted by the commotion and bodies in the water, sharks—likely oceanic whitetips and tiger sharks—started to arrive soon after the ship sank. Stories tell of over 150 men being killed by sharks in a feeding frenzy. But even though we don't know exact figures, the event is acknowledged as the worst shark attack in history. For context, the total number of unprovoked shark bites globally in all of 2024 was just 47. It's believed the sharks largely fed on corpses and the dying. 'Did they eat some of the corpses? Absolutely. Did they bite some of the survivors? For sure,' says Seth Paridon, a historian and deputy director of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum. 'But it wasn't to the degree that the myth makes it out to be.' (How to stay safe if you do find yourself swimming with sharks.) Some barely saw shark activity. In an oral history conducted by the Naval History and Heritage Command, senior medical officer Capt. Lewis Haynes 'saw only one shark' and didn't see anyone get bitten. McVay recalls merely 'getting a little annoyed' with the shark following his group because it was scaring away the fish that could have provided food. Spending days in the water with circling sharks was just one of countless horrors the men experienced. 'The human story is really what is missed amid all the focus on the sharks,' says Vladic, who spent a decade interviewing 107 of the surviving crew and their families. 'The survivors themselves don't appreciate the focus on the sharks, because there were a lot more men died of many more things.' The men had no food or fresh water and were exposed to the burning sun. Some died of their wounds from the explosion while others succumbed to exposure, exhaustion, thirst, violence, and even suicide. Desperately thirsty, some drank seawater, which caused salt poisoning and mass hallucinations. 'It was amazing how everyone would see the same thing,' said Haynes, who recounted in an oral history how a group of men all thought they saw a nearby island where they could get some sleep. 'Even I fought hallucinations off and on, but something always brought me back.' (Sharks aren't really mindless killers. So why are we so afraid of them?) Perhaps the most heartbreaking delusion was that the Indy was just under the surface. Some men tried to reach the galley to find food, 'and they would swim off down to their deaths,' says Vladic. A chance rescue In Jaws, Quint tells Chief Brody and Matt Hooper that the mission was 'so secret, no distress signal had been sent.' This is one of the speech's key errors. 'The mission was long over,' says Vincent. They had no more need for secrecy. The problem was that the distress signals weren't processed properly. No one was searching for survivors. Survivors of U.S.S. Indianapolis being brought ashore from U.S.S. Tranquility at Guam, on August 8, 1945. In this photograph, they are being placed in ambulances for immediate transfer to local hospitals. Photograph By PhoM1/c J.G. Mull., National Archives A landing craft takes a number of injured survivors ashore for hospitalization at Peleliu, an island in the Palau archipelago in Micronesia. The wreckage of the U.S.S. Indianapolis was discovered by chance—their distress signals hadn't been processed properly. Photograph By National Archives Lt. Wilbur Gwinn discovered them by chance during a routine air patrol on the morning of August 2. While fixing a broken antenna on his plane, he happened to look down and spot oil and flotsam in the water. At first, he thought it was an enemy submarine. Then he saw men floating in small groups and sent a message calling for help. In response, Lt. Adrian Marks was sent to help in an amphibious aircraft. Realizing that rescue ships were hours away, he performed an open sea landing—which are against naval regulations because they are so dangerous—and tried to get as many men out of the water and into the plane as possible. He even tied some onto the wings of his plane with parachute cord. Just after midnight on August 3, rescue ships arrived and the men were finally safe. Of the 1,195 men aboard the Indianapolis, 879 lost their lives. Just 316 survived. The final victim of the Indianapolis The Indy had one more victim. Despite the overwhelming support of his surviving crew, Captain McVay was court martialed by the U.S. Navy for negligence in December 1945. Naval vessels are supposed to zigzag in 'submarine-infested waters' to make it harder for torpedoes to hit them, says Paridon, but McVay hadn't done so—because, it turns out, he hadn't been told there were submarines nearby. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, commander of the Fifth Fleet, pins a Purple Heart on Clarence E. McElroy, a survivor of the U.S.S. Indianapolis. Many of the men who survived the disaster never spoke of the trauma they experienced. Photograph By National Archives Hashimoto was even called to testify. He said that nothing McVay did, including zigzagging, would have stopped him sinking that ship, but the captain was still found guilty. The verdict wasn't overturned until 1996. 'The survivors fought for 50 years to have their captain exonerated,' says Vincent. However, McVay, who took his own life on November 6, 1968, didn't live to see his pardon. 'That's the ultimate, final tragedy,' says Paridon. The legacy of the U.S.S. Indianapolis Many survivors never spoke of their trauma. 'They rarely talked about it to anyone, including their families,' says Vladic. 'There are quite a few cases where the children of survivors found out their dad was on the ship after watching Jaws.' The movie brought the ship's story into public awareness but the Indy's real legacy isn't her sinking, or the sharks, but her role in changing the course of World War II. 'These guys accomplished their mission, and they fought together to survive,' says Paridon. Just one living survivor remains: 98-year-old Harold Bray. But, says Vladic, the crew's families are determined 'to keep the story alive long after the last survivor is gone.' Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story premieres on National Geographic starting July 10 and streams on Disney+ and Hulu starting July 11. Check local listings.
American Press
20 hours ago
- American Press
PHOTO GALLERY: Local World War II veteran laid to rest
1/10 Swipe or click to see more U.S. Marines from Truck Company, 23D Marine Regiment in Baton Rouge remove the casket holding the remains of PFC Harry LeBert, who was killed in action during World War II in the Battle of Siapan. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 2/10 Swipe or click to see more Family, friends and community members watch as U.S. Marines from Truck Comany, 23D Marine Regiment carry the casket of PFC Harry LeBert, who was killed in action during the Battle of Saipan during World War II. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 3/10 Swipe or click to see more Family, friends and community members watch as U.S. Marines from Truck Comany, 23D Marine Regiment carry the casket of PFC Harry LeBert, who was killed in action during the Battle of Saipan during World War II. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 4/10 Swipe or click to see more U.S. Marines from Truck Company, 23D Marine Regiment in Baton Rouge carry the casket holding the remains of PFC Harry LeBert, who was killed in action during World War II in the Battle of Siapan, during funeral services on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Memorial Cemetary in Jennings. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 5/10 Swipe or click to see more Hundreds gathered at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Memorial Cemetary in Jennings on Wednesday, July 2025, to honor PFC Harry LeBert, who was killed in action during the Battle of Saipan in World War II. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 6/10 Swipe or click to see more Marines from Truck Company 23D Marine Regiment in Baton Rouge perform a 21-gun salute at the funeral of PFC Harry LeBert at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Memorial Cemetary in Jennings on Wednesday. LeBert was killed in the Battle of Saipan during World War II 80 years ago, but his remains were not identified until earlier this year. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 7/10 Swipe or click to see more U.S. Marines Capt. Chase Steffens (left) and 1st Sgt. Rakim Means prepare to fold the American flag that covered PFC Harry LeBert's casket during funeral services on Wednesday at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Memorial Cemetary. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 8/10 Swipe or click to see more U.S. Marines Capt. Chase Steffens (left) and 1st Sgt. Rakim Means fold the American flag that covered PFC Harry LeBert's casket during funeral services on Wednesday at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Memorial Cemetary. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 9/10 Swipe or click to see more U.S. Marines Capt. Chase Steffens (left) and 1st Sgt. Rakim Means fold the American flag that covered PFC Harry LeBert's casket during funeral services on Wednesday at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Memorial Cemetary. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) 10/10 Swipe or click to see more U.S. Marine Capt. Chase Steffens gives Ronald LeBert, grandson of PFC Harry LeBert, an American Flag during funeral services for PFC LeBert on Wednesday at the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Jennings. LeBert was killed during the Battle of Saipan in World War II. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press) U.S. Marine Harry LeBert, who was killed in World War II during the Battle of Saipan, was buried Wednesday in the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Jennings. (Photos By Rodrick Anderson)
Chicago Tribune
21 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Once lost to time and circumstance, Purple Heart is back with family of Decatur veteran
DECATUR — Nearly 81 years to the date after 20-year-old Army Pfc. John L. Moore was wounded while fighting to liberate Europe during WWII, the Purple Heart he earned that day is now in the hands of his only surviving sibling. Jerry Moore was little more than a toddler when his brother went off to war. Now 86, Moore held the heart-shaped medal for what he said was the first time after Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs presented it to him Wednesday at the World War II memorial in Decatur. The poignant ceremony, which included the Macon County Honor Guard, was held just days before the Independence Day holiday weekend. 'It means a lot to my heart,' said Jerry Moore, fighting back tears. 'I don't think there can be any higher honor than getting this back.' The Decatur man was joined by several family members, including a granddaughter of his late brother, who died in 2002. Angie Holliger flew in from Colorado for the occasion. 'My grandpa would be so happy about this and that it is back with our family,' she said. Frerichs launched 'Operation Purple Heart' in late 2021 to raise awareness about war medals that had ended up in the state's unclaimed property section after they were left in abandoned safe deposit boxes at banks. The state treasurer has returned 15 Purple Hearts, including Moore's, during his three terms in office. Last winter, the Tribune wrote about its own efforts to identify the veterans who had earned the Purple Hearts that at the time remained unclaimed. After months of researching public records, unearthing decades-old war documents and interviewing people linked to the safe deposit boxes, the Tribune succeeded in 10 of the 11 cases on the treasurer's public list — including that of John Moore. The treasurer's office has been working to verify the claims of relatives who have come forward so far following the Tribune's reporting, officials said. Frerichs pledged to continue his effort. 'These symbols of honor and heroism don't deserve to be in a cold vault,' he said Wednesday. 'I don't know what it was like for John's family here today but it's frequently a reminder of that person who was special in your life. The ability to reconnect is something that is really special.' The state had preserved Moore's medal in its Springfield vault since 2001, when a Peoria bank turned it over. John Moore died a year later at age 78 from a heart attack. The only other item in the safe deposit box was his last will and testament. The box was in the name of his second wife, Linda, whom he married in 1986. Their marriage ended in 1992, according to court records. Besides tracking down Moore's brother and granddaughter, the Tribune found his ex-wife, Linda, who had remarried and was living in Texas. She confirmed to the Tribune that the Purple Heart was her former husband's and said it belongs with his family, clearing the way for Wednesday's ceremony. Two of the four Moore brothers fought in WWII, and both made it home to Peoria. John Moore survived the D-Day invasion in 1944 only to be wounded shortly afterward by shrapnel in his right wrist, left knee and lower right leg while fighting in France that July 27, according to his military records. He returned to active duty that winter for several months, but persistent nerve damage affected the use of his hand and led to more hospitalizations. Moore was honorably discharged in early 1946 after three years of service that included battles in Normandy, the Rhineland and northern France, the records state. Jerry Moore, the youngest of the four boys, still recalls his parents' anguish while their sons were off fighting in the war. 'Johnny got shot pretty bad,' Jerry Moore said. 'He had a young lieutenant who led them into what turned out to be an ambush and that's how he got wounded. There were several in his outfit that got shot. Some of them didn't make it.' He said his brother's war injuries, including chronic pain in his legs, gave him trouble but John Moore persisted. He married his first wife, Grace, shortly after his return and had five children with her, including a boy who died a few months after birth, according to the family. Relatives said John Moore enjoyed hunting and fishing and worked in carpentry and roofing, having learned the trades along with his brothers while working with their dad, a World War I veteran. John Moore also worked as a truck driver, postal worker and hospital maintenance supervisor before retiring in 1986. Moore was a past commander for Veterans of Foreign Wars posts in Peoria Heights and East Peoria, active in the American Legion and among the many who joined an effort to build Illinois' WWII Illinois Veterans Memorial in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield. His name is among nearly 3,000 etched in the memorial's commemorative granite bricks. The bronze headstone of his grave in nearby Warrensburg also speaks to his proud military service. It reads: 'John Louis Moore Sr. PFC US Army WWII Purple Heart D-Day Invasion Survivor.' It was Holliger, whose mother was one of John Moore's daughters, who filed a claim with the treasurer's office for the return of her grandfather's Purple Heart after the Tribune contacted her last year. She said the Purple Heart belongs with her uncle, Jerry, who shared a close bond with John. After the ceremony, Jerry Moore went back to his Decatur home and placed the black box holding his brother's Purple Heart on the top shelf of a living room display case, next to the folded American flag bestowed upon the family at John Moore's funeral more than two decades ago. 'I'll keep this the rest of my life,' Jerry Moore said of the Purple Heart. 'We've always been a fairly close family and John, he was the rock. I appreciate all the time we had with him.'
