Veteran 5 26 2016

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35 cents

VOL. 4/ISSUE 30

THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016

‘Momentous victory’ — WWII’s turning point

Military academy here I come

Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER

mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com

We’re coming up on the 74th anniversary of World War II’s Battle of Midway — June 3-6. There’s really no way to put words to what a “momentous victory” it was, to quote Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Chester Nimitz. But those are as good words as any. It was only 6 months after Pearl Harbor. Our country was caught flat-footed, and there’s no denying it. To stand up against Japan at that point was suicidal, thanks to the crippling loss of so many ships. We went into it anyway. We had to. We lost a lot of brave guys. In a way, it was our Battle of Britain. We won. The tide slowly, but surely, turned. It came at a terrible cost. In those days, when the Empire of Japan was about to take over half the world, we were desperate to beat these fanatical monsters back – even if we didn’t quite know what we were doing at first. But we learned fast, at Midway. It seems hard for those of us living amid so much high technology to imagine how things were in 1942. Without satellites, spotter planes were the only way to figure out where the enemy formations might be. There were a lot of fruitless searches over hundreds of miles, and only so much gas to take a plane so far. The design of some aircraft meant they were forced to deliberately fly into danger. The Amer-

See MIDWAY page 5

Mitch Kloorfain/chief photographer As graduates spread t heir wings and fly, some choose military academies. Here Treasure Coast High School graduate Maria Camilla Cornelio-Ruiz graduated with highest honors and will be attending the Citadel next semester. Cornelio-Ruiz cheers her classmates during the ceremonies Wednesday, May 18 at the St. Lucie County Fairgrounds.

Veterans organizations exempted from some sales taxes Patrick McCallister FOR VETERAN VOICE

pmccallister@veteranvoiceweekly.com

Grabbing a bite at a local post could get a bit cheaper. Earlier this month the Florida Department of Revenue started crafting language to implement HB 7099. Among its provisions was eliminating some taxes on foods and beverages sold

by and at various veterans organizations. “I love it,” Bruce Hudson, commander of AMVETS Post 92, Jensen Beach, said. His sentiment is common. “House Bill 7099 was one of the big favorites with Florida’s veteran community,” said Steve Murray, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Veterans’ Af-

See HB 7099 page 2


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