On This Day In History The Imperial Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor

As History.com notes, on this day in 1941 the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into World War II. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link: 

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pearl-harbor-bombed 

Note: It was on December 7, 1976, that my late father, Edward M. Davis, died. 

He was a proud veteran who enlisted in the U.S. Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor and fought in the Pacific as a Navy chief and UDT frogman. (He is seen in the center of his UDT 5 team in the above photo). 

Influenced greatly by my father, I too joined the Navy when I was 17 and served on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War. 

Above is a photo of my old ship, circa 1970, as she passes the USS Arizona Memorial at the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii.

Veterans Day 2024: Honoring And Remembering All Who Served

On this Veterans Day, 2024, I'm thinking about my late older brother Ed Davis (seen in the below photo), who served as a soldier in Chu Lai, South Vietnam in 1968-1969.

I'm also thinking of my late father, Edward Miller Davis (seen in the center of the below photo), who was a chief petty officer and a UDT frogman in WWII.

I'm proud to say that I'm also a veteran, having served on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, CVA 63, during the Vietnam War in 1970-1971.  

I also served on a U.S. Navy harbor tugboat, the USS Saugus, YTB 780, at the U.S. nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland in 1974-1975. 

I salute and honor all of my fellow veterans.

Pearl Harbor Day: Remebering My Late Father, Edward M. Davis

Every December 7^th, Pearl Harbor Day, I think of my late father, Edward Miller Davis, who died on this day in 1976. He was 57. 

My late brother Eddie and I noted at the time that he would have liked to have passed on December 7^th, as he was a proud World War II Navy veteran.  

He was a Navy chief and an Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogman. He fought in the Pacific battles on Tinian, Saipan and the Philippines.  

Below is a photo of my father (in the center) with his team, UDT 5:

After the war, he came home to Philadelphia, raised his family, and worked as a lineman and electrician. 

Below is a photo of my late father and my late mother, Claire Wardino Davis:

And below is a photo of me and my father when I came home from Navy Boot Camp in 1970:

Happy Birthday To The U.S. Navy: 245 Years Of Protecting America

 Happy 245th birthday to the United States Navy.

Born in Philadelphia in 1775, the U.S. Navy has protected America throughout our history.

As the son of a WWII U.S. Navy chief and UDT frogman, and a former U.S. Navy enlisted sailor who served on an aircraft carrier, the USS Kitty Hawk, during the Vietnam War, I'm proud of our U.S. Navy history.

I'm also thankful for the diligence and sacrifice of our current U.S. Navy sailors who are "on watch" around the world.

Note: Above is a photo of me and below in the center of the photo of UDT 5 is my late father, Edward M. Davis.

Remembering My Late Father On Father's Day

Today on Father’s Day I’ve been thinking about my late father, Edward Miller Davis.

My father is seen in the above photo with me when I was 17 years old and had just returned home in May of 1970 after completing Navy Boot Camp.   

My father, a Navy veteran of WWII who served as an Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogman, was proud and happy that I had joined the Navy. He was also proud that I had received orders to the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and would go on to serve on the carrier during the Vietnam War. 

(My father is the chief in the center of the UDT 5 team photo below).  

My father died in 1976 at the age of 57. 

Veterans Day 2019

Veterans Day is a Davis family affair. The below photo is of three veterans.

On the left is my late father, Edward M. Davis, who served as a Chief Petty Officer and UDT frogman in WWII. In the middle is my older brother, Edward R. Davis, who served in the U.S. Army in South Vietnam. And on the right is me. I served on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War.

Happy Veterans Day to all who served.

Pearl Harbor Day: Remembering My Late Father, Edward Miller Davis

Every December 7^th, Pearl Harbor Day, I think of my late father, Edward Miller Davis, who died on this day in 1976. He was 57.

My brother Eddie and I noted at the time that he would have liked to have passed on December 7^th, as he was a proud World War II Navy veteran.

He was a chief Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogman and fought in the Pacific battles on Tinian, Saipan and the Philippines.

Below is a photo of my father (in the center) with his team, UDT 5:  

Below is a statue of a UDT frogman in front of the UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida:  

Below is a photo of my father and my late mother, Claire Wardino Davis:

Below is a photo of my father, me and my older brother Eddie:

And below is a photo of me and my father when I came home from Navy Boot Camp in 1970:

Happy Father's Day To My Late Father

On this Fathers Day I'm thinking of my late father, Edward M. Davis, who died in 1976.

In the above photo my father is on the right as he welcomed me home from U.S. Navy Boot Camp when I was 17-years-old in 1970. 

My father was a proud Navy veteran and an Underwater Demolitions Team (UDT) frogman and chief during World War Two (he appears in the center of the below photo). 

Wounded and medically discharged after the war, he became a lineman and an electrician. And he was a good father.

Happy Father's Day to my late father and all dads.

Note: I wrote briefly about my father in a piece on the WWII UDT and how they developed into the Navy SEALs  for Counterterrorism magazine. 

You can read the piece via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2013/06/a-look-back-at-world-war-ii-us-navy.html

A Salute To My Late Father On Veterans Day 2014

 

I'm a proud U.S. Navy veteran, having served on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War, but on this and every Veteran's Day, I think of my late father.

My father, Edward M. Davis (seen in the center of the above photo), was a Navy chief and Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogman who fought in the Pacific during WWII.

Armed with only a knife and a satchel of explosives, he and his teammates hit the beaches of Saipan, Tinian, Leyte and the other Japanese-held islands and helped clear the way for the Marine landings.

He was a hell of a man.

My father was mentioned briefly in Francis Douglas Fane's The Naked Warriors and I mentioned my father in a piece on the WWII frogmen and how they influenced today's Navy SEALs in The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security. 

You can read the piece via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg
 

   

My older brother is also a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

Happy Veterans Day To All Of America's Veterans

 

Happy Veterans Day to all of America's veterans.

I'm a proud U.S. Navy veteran, having served on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War, but on this and every Veteran's Day, I think of my late father.

My father, Edward M. Davis (seen in the center of the above photo), was a Navy chief and UDT frogman who fought in the Pacific during WWII.

Armed with only a knife and a satchel of explosives, he hit the beaches of Saipan, Tinian, Leyte and other Japanese-held islands just prior to the Marine landings.

He was a hell of a man.

My older brother is also a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

A Look Back At The World War II U.S. Navy Frogmen: My Piece On The Underwater Demolition Teams, Forerunners of Today's Navy SEALs

A while back I wrote a piece for Counterterrorism magazine on the World War II U.S. Navy Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogmen and how those brave and resourceful men influenced today's U.S. Navy SEALs.

You can read the piece below:

Note: The top photo of UDT frogmen ashore in the Philippines was taken by my late father, UDT 5 Chief Edward M. Davis. My father is shown in the middle of his team in the above photo.   

Note: You can click on the above to enlarge.

Happy Father's Day To An Old U.S. Navy Frogman

 

On Father's Day my thoughts are of my late father, Edward M. Davis, who died of cancer in 1976. He was only 57.

I'm proud of my father, who served as a U.S. Navy frogman in World War II.

My father (seen in the below photos) was a Chief Petty Officer with Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) 5.

UDT 5 saw fierce combat against the Imperial Japanese on Tinian, Saipan and Letye Gulf in the Pacific.

To honor my father and his teammates, I wrote a magazine piece that looked back at the World War II frogmen, who were the forerunners of the modern day U.S. Navy SEALs.

I wrote briefly about my father and I interviewed several former UDT frogmen, including my father's former team leader, Commander Robert Marshall, USN (Ret).

 You can read the Counterterrorism magazine piece via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg

Happy Father's Day to all dads.   

Honoring And Remembering America's Military Veterans Today On Veteran's Day

Today is a day to honor and remember America's military veterans.

My late father is the Navy chief petty officer in the center of the old, cracked photo above. Chief Edward M. Davis, USNR, was a member of Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) 5. He was one of the Navy's first frogmen in World War II and he saw action in the South Pacific.

Today's Navy SEALs evolved from the UDT frogmen and other elite special operations groups in World War II.

My brother is also a veteran, having served in the U.S. Army in South Vietnam in 1968 and 1969.

I too am a veteran, having served on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War.

I later served two years on the USS Saugus, a Navy harbor tugboat at the nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland.

Many, many more proud and brave Americans answered the call and served with valor during America's wars throughout her history.

Today is the day that all Americans should honor and remember the military veterans,

A Salute To A World War II Veteran On Pearl Harbor Day

On this day in 1976, my father, Edward Miller Davis, died of cancer.

My older brother and I noted that my father would have liked the idea of his passing away on December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day, as he was most proud of having served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

My father (seen in his Navy uniform in the above photo) was a chief petty officer and an Underwater Demolition Team (UDT 5) frogman and he fought against the Japanese in the Pacific War Theater.

He was wounded in the war but he survived and came home to my mother (Claire) and their two children. My older brother and I were post-World War II additions to the family.

On this Pearl Harbor Day I salute my father and the many other men who went on after December 7th, 1941 to fight and defeat the Imperial Japanese and the Nazi Germans in World War II.

I wrote about my father briefly in a piece on the influence of the WWII frogmen on today's Navy SEALs in Counterterrorism magazine. You can read the piece via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg

Veteran's Day Is A Davis Family Affair

On this Veteran's Day my thoughts focus on my late father, Edward Miller Davis, who was a Chief Petty Officer and Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogman who fought in the Pacific during World War II.

My father (seen in the middle of his team in the above photo) was briefly mentioned in Francis Douglas Fane's The Naked Warriors and I briefly mentioned my father in a piece on the WWII frogmen and how they influenced today's Navy SEALs.

You can read the Counterterrorism magazine piece via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg

My older brother, Edward R. Davis, is also a veteran. He served in the U.S. Army in 1968-69 in Chu Lai, South Vietnam.

I'm a veteran as well, having served in the U.S. Navy on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War.

You can read an earlier post on my service to the country via the below link:

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2010/05/look-back-at-aircraft-carrier-uss-kitty.html

I'd like to salute all veterans and their families today.

92-Year-Old WWII Frogman Gets Grand Honor During Visit To National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum

TCPalm.com reports that Norval Nelson, a 92-year-old World War II veteran, was recently honored at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Nelson appears in the center of the above photo by Eric Hasert

Nelson was being honored as one the graduates of the Underwater Demolition Team School at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Station at Fort Pierce during World War II. He arrived under the auspices of Charity Stripe, an Illinois not-for-profit group that tries to fulfill final wishes, similar to the Make a Wish Foundation.

You can read more about Nelson's visit to the UDT-SEAL Museum via the below link:

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/apr/05/wwii-frogman-gets-grand-honor-during-visit-to-in/

My late father, Edward M. Davis, was also a graduate of the Underwater Demolition Team School during WWII and he went on to fight in the Pacific as a Chief in UDT 5. He passed away in 1976.

I wrote an article for Counterterrorism magazine about the WWII UDT frogmen and how the combat swimmers were the forerunners of today's Navy SEALs.

You can read the article via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg

You can also visit the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum's web site via the below link:

http://www.navysealmuseum.com/

See the Declassified History of the U.S. Navy Frogmen at the UDT-SEAL Museum

The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida offers the declassified history of the World War II Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogmen and the modern Navy SEALs.

You can watch a good video about the UDT frogmen, the SEALs and the museum via the below link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLQU2jhk7YM&feature=related

My late father, Edward M. Davis (seen in the center of the above photo), was a World War II UDT frogman and he trained at Fort Pierce prior to seeing combat in the Pacific.

You can read my piece on the UDT frogmen and Navy SEALs that appeared in Counterterrorism magazine via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg