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<\/a><\/center><\/p>\nAs everyone is reminding me in my email, tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of the battle at Midway Islands. C. Wade McClusky Jr. led that effort which turned the tide of the War in the Pacific against the Japanese. He was a squadron commander on the USS Enterprise which was at sea when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor so it escaped the destruction. 75 years ago, with coded Japanese radio traffic guiding them, the carrier steamed towards the islands to intercept a second invasion. McClusky’s squadron was tasked with finding the Japanese fleet. From the Associated Press;<\/p>\n
More time \u2014 and fuel \u2014 was wasted as McClusky\u2019s group circled while waiting for other carrier-based planes that didn\u2019t show up. About two hours into the search and running low on gas, McClusky was faced with a choice: return to the Enterprise or keep searching, with the realization that most of his planes would have to ditch in the ocean. He kept going.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Navy\u2019s official account of the battle, McClusky soon spotted a Japanese destroyer and correctly surmised it was headed toward the main Japanese fleet. Around 10:20 a.m., he led 30 other Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers into the attack against the Japanese aircraft carriers.<\/p>\n
When the day was over, the fliers from the Enterprise and Yorktown had sunk three carriers and mortally damaged a fourth. McClusky, wounded in the initial attack, made it back to his carrier with less than five gallons of fuel in his tank. Some of the other surviving two-man planes had even less. Ten planes in his squadron had to ditch in the sea and their crews were never found.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
For his actions, McClusky was awarded the Navy Cross. <\/p>\n
Now, in his hometown of Buffalo, New York, a statue of him in his flight suit will be erected in Buffalo’s new park to honor war heroes.<\/p>\n
According to his son, Phil, the Buffalo tribute is something the Navy hero would\u2019ve never sought for himself.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was a quiet guy. He was not a big talker,\u201d said the son, 63, who lives outside Baltimore and plans to attend Sunday\u2019s ceremony. \u201cHe was a professional naval officer.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"