For those watching on zoom some housekeeping remarks. You are an attendee of our zoom event tonight, that means you do not have video or audio privileges but you can interact with our moderator and guest by writing your question in the q and a box. The moderator will be reviewing those during the question and answer session which will conclude tonights program and to introduce the moderator it is my pleasure to pass the program over to doctor robert citino. Doctor robert citino, Senior Historian at the National World War Ii Museum in louisiana, we have a special guest with us tonight. A friend of the museum. My friend and a wonderful writer and author, ian toll, one of those people who doesnt need an introduction as we like to say. The introduction, he is extremely accomplished scholar and writer. He is the author of the epic story of the founding of the u. S. Navy as well as a trilogy called the pacic war, the third volume of which has just been released called twilight twilight of th
About 10 years ago. He came and visited the museum, gave a presentation on his book, and we have not managed to get him back here. We tried. He was going to come in april of this year, but of course things got out of hand, and we had to postpone that event indefinitely to talk on one of his other books. But im sure most of our viewers here today know many of johns books. Hell from the heavens, for crew and country, and tin can titans, which one the elliott won the Elliott Morrison naval literacy award. It was awarded regarded naval history. So congratulations on that. Many years belated. As i mentioned, john was supposed to come in april, and thankfully we were able to work in the Distance Learning team to bring these programs to you all. This one, specifically, has to do with our theme of the end of the war, specifically the 75th anniversary of the end of the war. We will get right do it so we can try to get as many of the audience questions, asked and answered by john. But im going t
Postpone that event indefinitely to talk on one of his other books. But im sure most of our viewers here today know many of johns books. Hell from the heavens, for crew and country, and tin can titans, which won the Elliott Morrison naval literacy award. It was awarded regarded naval history. So congratulations on that. Many years belated. As i mentioned, john was supposed to come in april, and thankfully we were able to work with our colleagues in the Distance Learning team to bring these programs to you all. This one, specifically, has to do with our theme of the end of the war, specifically the 75th anniversary of the end of the war. We will get right to it so we can try to get as many of the audience questions, asked and answered by john. But im going to start with a handful of my own questions first. John, lets give the audience a brief summary for those of you that have not read the book. Give us a brief summary of dogfight over tokyo, please. John well, dogfight over tokyo expla
The Senior Historian at the National World War Ii Museum in beautiful new orleans, louisiana. We have a really superb guest with us tonight, a friend of the museum, my friend and a wonderful writer and ahor, ian toll. Ian, welcome. Thank you, rob. Ian probably is one of those people who with, you know, doesnt really need an introduction, as we like to say. You all know what that means, the introduction should be really long. Ians an extremely accomplished scholar and writer. Hes the author of six [inaudible] the founding of the u. S. Navy as well as a trilogy called the pacific war, the third volume of which has just been released called twilight of the gods. Hes won the Samuel Elliot morrisonward from the naval orr of the United States, hes won the william e. Colby militaryriters award, hes won the other morrison award given by the uss constitutio museum. If theres any more morrison awards out there, i fully expect to see you winning one in the not too distant future. But thanks so mu
He was deployed to vietnam in april of 1969 and on his second Southeast Asia tour, he participated in the saigon evacuation, flying the last 11 marines off the roof of the American Embassy on the morning of april 30, 1975, which, this evening, we will hear more about. He is a graduate of the Army War College in carlisle, pennsylvania. And the National War College in washington, d. C. He later served as the marine corps chair on the faculty of the Naval War College Teaching National military strategy. He moved to kansas city in 1993 and was assigned as the Commanding Officer and later retired from the corps in 1996. Please help me in welcoming colonel Thomas Holden to the stage. [applause] colonel holden thank you. [applause] colonel holden thank you very much. It is a pleasure to be here. To talk to you tonight about some of my experiences and as i start, i want first to say that i want to speak on behalf of all of the marine pilots that were involved in operation frequent wind when we