Author: Dan Lamothe, The Washington Post The secrets and service of a World War II family, 76 years after Pearl Harbor
Lockheed During World War II: Operation Camouflage
During the afternoon of December 7, 1941, as word of the attack on Pearl Harbor reached California, some 53,000 Lockheed employees, spread across 150 Southern California communities, stepped outside their homes to watch as countless P-38 fighters and Hudson bombers streak across the sky.
In the wake of the attack, orders had been given to get every aircraft that could fly into the air. Some flew west to protect the nation against a potential Japanese attack on the coast. Others were guided inland to protect against feared strafing runs. And still others patrolled the skies to provide the nation a sense of security in a time of crisis.
Three days later, while company officials gathered at Lockheed’s Burbank plant to decide how best to ramp up production, the Army began setting up barricades around the facility and placed an urgent call to a Col. John F. Ohmer stationed at March Field, 70 miles away.
Ohmer’s mission? Find a way to disguise Lockheed’s plant—now one of the most strategic military facilities in the United States—to look like an ordinary California suburb.
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By Army Capt. Robert Taylor, Idaho Army National Guard: Face of Defense: Daughter Follows Father’s Path to National Guard
BOISE, Idaho, Dec. 6, 2017 — On Nov. 2, Army Lt. Col. Paul Boice raised his right hand and cited the oath of enlistment. It was the first time he had ever sworn someone into the Idaho Army National Guard.
The enlistee was Boice’s 17-year-old daughter, Army Pvt. Simmone Boice.
By Army Pfc. Calab Franklin, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division: Fort Stewart Soldiers Stand Together to Prevent Suicide
FORT STEWART, Ga., Dec. 6, 2017 — Soldiers and civilians assigned here and to Hunter Army Airfield gathered here Dec. 1 to promote awareness and offer resources to help prevent suicide.
Medical professionals from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team and embedded behavioral health specialists from Fort Stewart used the backdrop of a car show to engage participants in conversation surrounding suicide. The event included a guest speaker, personal testimonials, musical entertainment, food trucks and more.
The guest speaker was Jason Roncoroni, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and a mental health advocate. Roncoroni also once served as the garrison commander of Hunter Army Airfield. During his 2015 retirement speech he moved the audience by highlighting his struggle in coping with stress. Roncoroni now uses his story to help and inspire those who deal with similar challenges.
