This is a book about the 1942 Battle of Midway, the turning point of the Pacific war against Japan. It was seeded at a 1989 reunion of the author's WW II dive bombing squadron. It begins with an idle curiosity and ends with an appeal. It is a story that has fascinated me as it evolved from necessary wartime secrecy to unnecessary secrecy today... 74 years later. It is the story of a scandal without evil that brings profit to no one. It is a story of misguided men traveling a path paved with good intentions. It is a book that challenges official history, naval institutions and historians. It is an appeal for a posthumous Medal of Honor for an underappreciated hero of the Battle of Midway, Lt. Cmdr. Wade McClusky, who led the dive bombers in a fiery charge that resulted in the sinking of all four Japanese aircraft carriers. The decision of this 40-year-old Annapolis trained pilot to risk his entire squadron of dive bombers by taking them beyond the 'point of no return' saved the day for our Navy, as well as the British at Suez, the Russians at Stalingrad, the State of Israel and China. It is an important book historically by a decorated 94-year-old dive bomber combat veteran whose only purpose is to bring out the truth and preserve the reputations of other important officers who have been maligned by 21st century creative historians who have published fiction as fact.
About the Author: As a dive bomber pilot flying the SB2C Helldiver, Lt. Cmdr. Walsh flew combat missions with Admiral Halsey's Task Force 38 from the carrier Ticonderoga, and later with Admiral Spruance's Task Force 58 from the Hancock. He flew against Japanese warships or targets in the Philippines, Indo China, Formosa, Hong Kong, Shanghai, China, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and the first carrier aircraft attacks on mainland Japan. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and several Air Medals. He survived four crash landings, Japanese anti-aircraft fire and fighter plane attacks, two typhoons, and two Kamikaze suicide bombers, including one that plunged into the Ticonderoga only 20 feet from the pilots' ready room, killing or wounding 6 of the squadron's 24 pilots. As a civilian Mr. Walsh founded and operated an advertising agency in New York City until it was acquired by a larger firm in 1984. He then registered with the SEC as an Investment Advisor and served clients in that capacity until 2010. He and his late wife have 4 children and 7 grandchildren. He is a member of the Tailhook Association, and has been a life member of both The Naval Institute and The Navy League for over 70 years. He is presently engaged in historical research and writing about World War II dive bombing and the Battle of Midway, reviewing these subjects from a veteran dive bomber pilot's perspective.