5.+Admiral+Chester+Nimitz+and+the+Battle+of+Midway

= = == =** Carlisle **= = = Feb 23, 1912 - Oct 21, 1993 **- Interests / General Info -**   Carlisle was a torpedo plane pilot in World War II. Born in South Carolina he enjoyed horseback riding as a young boy and won several barrel racing championships. The below is the entry found on the only surviving page of his journal. It was found with a photograph (right) of his Admiral, Chester Nimitz, who was also a good friend of his.

June 3, 1942  We cracked the Japanese encryption today and learned that their next move was to be on the island of Midway, Northwest of Hawaii. Our scouts discovered the Japanese fleet quickly. Chester lead us to head them off before they could reach the island. Since Pearl Harbor he's been promoted to commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet (Nimitz 1). With a victory already announced at the Battle of the Coral Sea, he proudly added another to the list today (Nimitz 1). I don't think I'd ever been as excited to climb into the cockpit of my T.P. (that's what we call the torpedo planes). It felt like my chance to get back at the Japanese for what happened at Pearl Harbor. My wife and son were killed there and this was the perfect opportunity for revenge. When we arrived they still had all their planes sitting cozily on their carriers like ducks. They were caught completely by surprise, just like they'd done to us on December seventh. We destroyed them all! Taking out four aircraft carriers, a cruiser, and a whole two hundred fifty planes (Americans 579). I am proud to have taken part in ending the threat of further Japanese invasion in the Pacific (Midway 1).

=** Glossary **=
 * **Admiral Chester W. Nimitz -** Commander of American naval forces in the Pacific.
 * **Battle of Midway -** Turning point in the Pacific war.

"**Battle of Midway**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 Oct. 2008  . "**Chester W. Nimitz**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 20 Oct. 2008  . "**The Battle of Midway**" __The Americans__. McDougal Littell 2005. USA. 20 Oct. 2008
 * - Works Cited -**