Over There, Over There.....Part II
In my previous Post on the subject of World War II and family histories, I put up the telegram that was received by Leah's maternal great-grandmother, Sybil, about her son Jim Dixon being shot down and M.I.A. That story ultimately had good news and a happy ending, so you'll have to read that one to know what happened. But for so many of the mothers in the War, the telegrams they recieved wasn't good news and there were boys who didn't live, "happily ever after". For Grandma Sybil, (whom our daughter, Ellawyn Sybil, was named) there was two telegrams, for two of her boys, and one brought the worse news a mother can hear....
So that telegram, that horrible news, is a special piece of family memorabilia. We have both it and the envelope, and they hold a special significance for me. I have come to really respect Sybil Dixon, although I never knew her. And to imagine a mother holding this. Hard tears falling on the paper. Well, it's a real part of the story.
So Joel died. As lots of boys did. Each death was important. Each one a loss felt somewhere. One thing about Joel's death stands out for me. Plenty of men die during war under "simple" circumstances. Truck wrecks, plane crashes, heart attacks, infections. Accidents and traumas not directly related to combat. It doesn't make their deaths any less significant.
Some of the deaths, if not many, well they might deserve a bit of telling. And sometimes they occur during events and actions, that men, whom in our utmost folly start ALL the wars, will talk about them for generations. Such was the case of Joel's death.
He was sailor aboard the USS Johnston DD557 in the South Pacific. Here is Joel Dixon, Sea Men 3rd Class. We think he is about 18 in this picture. A child really....
Funny picture that. It looks almost contrived. Like a parody of boyish good looks in a sailor outfit. Only it's too real. Joel was really that young when he went in. One of the most poignant and gut wrenching pieces of paper we have about him, (aside from that telegram above...) is the letter of permission from his mother. He was underage, only 17, when he enlisted. Shocking isn't it, that for centuries, men start the wars, and their sons fight it. So there is Joel, a navy signalman, you'll note the crossed flags symbol on his sleeve. And I think that tells alot about him. A signalman is, by his very nature, intelligent, and extremely quick on his feet and between the ears. He must be completely fluent in flag semaphore, Morse code, and the use of a "Adlais Lamp". Additionally, he had to learn and know the complex series of naval codes used to convey messages. You can't just say something in Morse, as your enemy can read it to, you must first encode it. So all of this, and doing it while under rather extreme stress. Like being shot at. So a real bright fella it takes. We have his last high school record, so we know that he did pretty good actually. In one of his letters he is telling about how he and his buddy were promoted to Instructors, teaching all the new "kids" how to signal. He brags about getting a new badge to wear and how good it looks. He also mentions that he sent another picture and we think this is it.
So Joel was aboard the USS Johnston, a Fletcher Class destroyer. The Johnston had seen alot of action. They had fought across the Pacific, seeing action at the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, the Solomon Islands, and The Battle of Gaum. When the USS Johnston was commissioned, their commander, Ernest E. Evans made a speech to the crew: "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now."
The last battle they took part in was to liberate the Philippines. The Battle of Leytewas one of the largest naval battles that has ever occurred, however, the scale was so vast and the story so big, that apparently it doesn't make a good movie, and is not commonly known. However, one very famous image of the War came out of it. That of General Douglas MacArthur wading ashore.
Now perhaps the most telling conflict of this epic battle was the Battle Off Somar. This one engagement has had numerous books, articles, and documentaries written about it. The above link is a website by one author. So rather than recite the whole battle to you I will quote the Johnston's actions as I summed them up for our family genealogy records. I still get a little choked up reading this. It was a difficult task to take such an important event and summarize it for the family.
On the morning of October 25, 1944 the crew of the Johnston showed exceptional bravery under the Command of Ernest E. Evans. During the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Phillipines/Battle off Samar, the carrier group, Taffy III was set upon by a vastly superior force of Japanes battleships and destroyers. The Johnston immediately set about laying a smoke screen between the two forces and then set a course directly towards the Japanese ships. The Johnston's 5 inch guns were no match for the larger weapons of their enemy, however the CMDR was not to be dismayed. After inflicting serious damage upon several cruisers, the Johnston launched its full compliment of 10 torpedoes, crippling the Japanese heavy cruiser, Kumano. Shortly thereafter, Johnston took three 14-inch shell hits from a battleship followed closely by three 6-inch shells from a light cruiser. R.C. Hagen, senior surviving officer said, "It was like a puppy being smacked by a truck. The hits resulted in the loss of all power to the steering engine, all power to the three 5-inch guns in the after part of the ship, and rendered our gyro compass useless."
(This first hit to the ship killed Joel instantly. As I said, there have been a couple of the documentaries done. The most recent was the History Channel's Dogfights show. The episode focuses on the actions of the crew of the Johnston. I found it on YouTube in 5 parts. This is part 3 and at 2:44 is the hit that killed Joel.)
The men of the Johnston continued to fight valiantly knowing they were sacrificing themselves to buy the carriers time. After inflicting several more blows to the enemy force and crippling and driving off several larger ships, the Johnston was fully disabled. CMDR Evans, wounded with part of his left hand missing, finally gave the order to abandond ship. A Japanese cruiser was seen approaching the dying ship and firing a final salvo into it make sure it went down. Several survivors stated they observed the Japanese captain step out onto the bridge and salute the sinking Johnston as an act respect for an amazing enemy. Although CMDR Evans was seen in the water with his men, he was never rescued and recieved the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.
The Johnston lost 186 men that day. They inflicted a greater blow than their loss, turning back the Japanese Centre Force and perhaps turning the tide of the battle to liberate the Phillipines. The ship received five Battle Stars for her service in World War II, a Presidential Unit Citation for her actions that day, and each man shares in the Honor of CMDR Evans and his Medal of Honor.
So that's it. Joel died, the Philippines were liberated, MacArthur got his pants wet, and Sybil Dixon got her telegram. Some lady that. It seems that she was "overpaid" by the Navy for both Joel's back pay and his death. They asked for it back. She apparently said no and we have a stack of letters between her and the War Departmen debating it. Right up into 1946, until the government finally gave in. Here is picture of Sybil.
You'll note that she is wearing a pair of flight wings. These are sometimes called "Sweetheart Wings" as they are the smaller set sent home by the boys. As the guys always called her "honey" when writing home, I think she was their favorite sweetheart. And when I was editing this picture, I noticed the smaller pin on her label. It's a three Blue Star Pin. The Blue Star Mothers is the organization that supports moms with children in active military duty during war time. When you see a banner in a home window, red border, white field, blue star, that is a kid away from home.
If the star is gold...well, that mother is special. Her child died in service. Sybil is wearing three stars because the third Dixon boy was in as well. Joel and Jim's brother, Bill Dixon was also in the in the Army Air Corp and served for several years. He came home, lived a good life, and unfortunately passed away before I could do all this research and work. I hope I have honored his memory as well as that of his brothers.
So thanks especially to Sybilla Matilda Cecilia Dixon. Not only for your sacrifice and tears you must of shed for your boys, but for the family who went on to form. Your strength and determination was passed on as well. And I know that your great-great granddaughter, my little Ellawyn will benefit from it.
In parting, I would like to quote part of a poem that came to mind while thinking about Joel. The poem is called For the Fallen, By Laurence Binyon and although the complete text was written for England's War Dead, it is this section that sums up the loss of youth best.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
-Keep'Em Flying-
So that telegram, that horrible news, is a special piece of family memorabilia. We have both it and the envelope, and they hold a special significance for me. I have come to really respect Sybil Dixon, although I never knew her. And to imagine a mother holding this. Hard tears falling on the paper. Well, it's a real part of the story.
So Joel died. As lots of boys did. Each death was important. Each one a loss felt somewhere. One thing about Joel's death stands out for me. Plenty of men die during war under "simple" circumstances. Truck wrecks, plane crashes, heart attacks, infections. Accidents and traumas not directly related to combat. It doesn't make their deaths any less significant.
Some of the deaths, if not many, well they might deserve a bit of telling. And sometimes they occur during events and actions, that men, whom in our utmost folly start ALL the wars, will talk about them for generations. Such was the case of Joel's death.
He was sailor aboard the USS Johnston DD557 in the South Pacific. Here is Joel Dixon, Sea Men 3rd Class. We think he is about 18 in this picture. A child really....
Funny picture that. It looks almost contrived. Like a parody of boyish good looks in a sailor outfit. Only it's too real. Joel was really that young when he went in. One of the most poignant and gut wrenching pieces of paper we have about him, (aside from that telegram above...) is the letter of permission from his mother. He was underage, only 17, when he enlisted. Shocking isn't it, that for centuries, men start the wars, and their sons fight it. So there is Joel, a navy signalman, you'll note the crossed flags symbol on his sleeve. And I think that tells alot about him. A signalman is, by his very nature, intelligent, and extremely quick on his feet and between the ears. He must be completely fluent in flag semaphore, Morse code, and the use of a "Adlais Lamp". Additionally, he had to learn and know the complex series of naval codes used to convey messages. You can't just say something in Morse, as your enemy can read it to, you must first encode it. So all of this, and doing it while under rather extreme stress. Like being shot at. So a real bright fella it takes. We have his last high school record, so we know that he did pretty good actually. In one of his letters he is telling about how he and his buddy were promoted to Instructors, teaching all the new "kids" how to signal. He brags about getting a new badge to wear and how good it looks. He also mentions that he sent another picture and we think this is it.
So Joel was aboard the USS Johnston, a Fletcher Class destroyer. The Johnston had seen alot of action. They had fought across the Pacific, seeing action at the Marshall Islands, the Caroline Islands, the Solomon Islands, and The Battle of Gaum. When the USS Johnston was commissioned, their commander, Ernest E. Evans made a speech to the crew: "This is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in harm's way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now."
The last battle they took part in was to liberate the Philippines. The Battle of Leytewas one of the largest naval battles that has ever occurred, however, the scale was so vast and the story so big, that apparently it doesn't make a good movie, and is not commonly known. However, one very famous image of the War came out of it. That of General Douglas MacArthur wading ashore.
Now perhaps the most telling conflict of this epic battle was the Battle Off Somar. This one engagement has had numerous books, articles, and documentaries written about it. The above link is a website by one author. So rather than recite the whole battle to you I will quote the Johnston's actions as I summed them up for our family genealogy records. I still get a little choked up reading this. It was a difficult task to take such an important event and summarize it for the family.
On the morning of October 25, 1944 the crew of the Johnston showed exceptional bravery under the Command of Ernest E. Evans. During the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Phillipines/Battle off Samar, the carrier group, Taffy III was set upon by a vastly superior force of Japanes battleships and destroyers. The Johnston immediately set about laying a smoke screen between the two forces and then set a course directly towards the Japanese ships. The Johnston's 5 inch guns were no match for the larger weapons of their enemy, however the CMDR was not to be dismayed. After inflicting serious damage upon several cruisers, the Johnston launched its full compliment of 10 torpedoes, crippling the Japanese heavy cruiser, Kumano. Shortly thereafter, Johnston took three 14-inch shell hits from a battleship followed closely by three 6-inch shells from a light cruiser. R.C. Hagen, senior surviving officer said, "It was like a puppy being smacked by a truck. The hits resulted in the loss of all power to the steering engine, all power to the three 5-inch guns in the after part of the ship, and rendered our gyro compass useless."
(This first hit to the ship killed Joel instantly. As I said, there have been a couple of the documentaries done. The most recent was the History Channel's Dogfights show. The episode focuses on the actions of the crew of the Johnston. I found it on YouTube in 5 parts. This is part 3 and at 2:44 is the hit that killed Joel.)
Click to viewThe men of the Johnston continued to fight valiantly knowing they were sacrificing themselves to buy the carriers time. After inflicting several more blows to the enemy force and crippling and driving off several larger ships, the Johnston was fully disabled. CMDR Evans, wounded with part of his left hand missing, finally gave the order to abandond ship. A Japanese cruiser was seen approaching the dying ship and firing a final salvo into it make sure it went down. Several survivors stated they observed the Japanese captain step out onto the bridge and salute the sinking Johnston as an act respect for an amazing enemy. Although CMDR Evans was seen in the water with his men, he was never rescued and recieved the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously.
The Johnston lost 186 men that day. They inflicted a greater blow than their loss, turning back the Japanese Centre Force and perhaps turning the tide of the battle to liberate the Phillipines. The ship received five Battle Stars for her service in World War II, a Presidential Unit Citation for her actions that day, and each man shares in the Honor of CMDR Evans and his Medal of Honor.
So that's it. Joel died, the Philippines were liberated, MacArthur got his pants wet, and Sybil Dixon got her telegram. Some lady that. It seems that she was "overpaid" by the Navy for both Joel's back pay and his death. They asked for it back. She apparently said no and we have a stack of letters between her and the War Departmen debating it. Right up into 1946, until the government finally gave in. Here is picture of Sybil.
You'll note that she is wearing a pair of flight wings. These are sometimes called "Sweetheart Wings" as they are the smaller set sent home by the boys. As the guys always called her "honey" when writing home, I think she was their favorite sweetheart. And when I was editing this picture, I noticed the smaller pin on her label. It's a three Blue Star Pin. The Blue Star Mothers is the organization that supports moms with children in active military duty during war time. When you see a banner in a home window, red border, white field, blue star, that is a kid away from home.
If the star is gold...well, that mother is special. Her child died in service. Sybil is wearing three stars because the third Dixon boy was in as well. Joel and Jim's brother, Bill Dixon was also in the in the Army Air Corp and served for several years. He came home, lived a good life, and unfortunately passed away before I could do all this research and work. I hope I have honored his memory as well as that of his brothers.
So thanks especially to Sybilla Matilda Cecilia Dixon. Not only for your sacrifice and tears you must of shed for your boys, but for the family who went on to form. Your strength and determination was passed on as well. And I know that your great-great granddaughter, my little Ellawyn will benefit from it.
In parting, I would like to quote part of a poem that came to mind while thinking about Joel. The poem is called For the Fallen, By Laurence Binyon and although the complete text was written for England's War Dead, it is this section that sums up the loss of youth best.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
-Keep'Em Flying-