The ink-stained wretches at Yank were well aware that their publication existed primarily to keep U.S. Army morale on the upward swing, but they never wished to patronize their readers by feeding them Army approved-malarkey either. They knew fully that they had to give the straight dope as often as possible or they, too, would be eating k-rations at the front. There are examples of articles that seriously downplayed the disappointing outcomes of major engagements (such as Kasserine Pass and Operation Market Garden) but, by enlarge, the sugar-coating was lighter than you might think. That is why this 1944 article concerning the Battle of Tarawa is important. YankK correspondent John Bushemi (1917 - 1944) made it clear to the Yank readers that the U.S. Marine losses were very heavy, and for that reason alone this 1943 battle is historically important.
In the subsequent weeks, bereaved parents would write the Marine Corps complaining that senior leadership was being flippant and wasteful with the lives of their sons.
Click here to read about a Kamikaze attack like no other...
CLICK HERE... to read one man's account of his struggle with shell shock...
Four years after the Pearl Harbor attack, a Japanese newspaper editorial expressed deep regret for Japan's aggressiveness in the Second World War, click here to read about it...
Click here to read about a popular all-girl band
that performed with the USO.
Click here to read about the truck driving WACS of the Second World War.
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