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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Pearl Harbor:1893

1. For All The Dead Sailors - 1994, page 1

Wreath ceremony. A battle for freedom. Illuminating darkness. Memories of men who were there.

2. On A Collision Course - 1920-41, page 10

America's destiny:War with Japan. A collision course to war. Rivalry with a Japanese piano student. USS OKLAHOMA. Japan's Navy:Most powerful in the World.

3.Four Happy Years - 1937-41,page 17
Bach to Benny Goodman. The Old Bachelor's Club and Mabel. Guard to quarterback to guard. Boopsy replaces Mabel:1940. The last year of innocence.

4. A College Freshman - 1940-41,page 34
Decision for a career. Summer: 1941.

5. College Freshman-The Second Time 1941-42,
page 46
U-Boats attack US destroyers. "Japan will not attack Hawaii." Decision to enlist.

6.USNR Inactive 1942-43,page 60
Practice teaching. Orders: Report for active duty.

7. From V-12 to Boot Camp 1943 Penalty of Leadership, page 63

8. To a Destroyer Escort 1943,page 68

USS KEPHART. Single up all lines.

9. On Convoy Assignment -March 1944,page 68

USS COOPER on shakedown. Escort Division 52. In the convoy screen. Washrag...this is Bootblack. No Diaries. KEPHART's experienced sailors. Convoy GUS-35. Convoy UGS-42. Sonar contact. A perilous area. A startling message

10. First DEs Converted to APDs - July 1944,page 86

Advanced training and ship's party. Deck changes and Camouflage.

11. Transport Division 103 - October 1944,page 90

Balboa. USS COOPER Joins the fleet.

12. The Seventh Amphibious Force - 1942-44,
page 96

V/Adm Daniel E. Barbey. Lack of amphibious ships. New amphibious vessels. Green sailors and officers. New command ships. Teamwork on amphibious ships. Landings:Seventh Fleet

13.Invasion at Leyte Gulf - October 1944,page 103

A Landing in rough seas. Japanese "Sho-Go" (Victory) plan.

14. Battle For Leyte Gulf - October 1944,page 106

A quartet of battles. US losses. Suicide attacks. Rescue mission. Casualties.

15.The Ghost of Ormoc Bay - November 1944,page 113

Rest and replenishment needed. The Ghost of Ormoc Bay. Final mission. Canopy release fails. A Jap DD closes. Filipino "Guerras." Two Jap DDs sunk in Ormoc Bay. PT Boat rescue.

16. To the Seventh Fleet - November 1944,page 120

Torpedo planes attack. Leyte to Palau. Conditions at Leyte. Mindoro operation moved back.

17. Destroyer Sweeps and PT Boat Attacks in Ormoc Bay: Nov./Dec. 1944,page 125

18.The Battle of Ormoc Bay - December 1944,
page 128

SUMMER, MOALE and Cooper enter Ormoc Bay. All five inch guns fired. COOPER torpedoed. Survivors in the water. Honored dead. Sail With Us.

19. The Battle of Ormoc Bay II - December 1944,
page 155

Action of 5 December. Landing on western Leyte. Ormoc attack group. Evasion tactics for crash dives. Transport landing force. Task force 78.3.

20.The Battle of Ormoc Bay III - December 1944,page 157

Assault Landing: 7 Dec. 1944. First Jap flight spotted attacks
Kamikaze attacks on TG 78.3. MAHAN, WARD, and LIDDLE hit.
Terror and valor on LIDDLE. Continuous suicidal attacks. Ormoc Map. Convoy- TG 78.3.8. Ormoc IV. Resupply convoy - TG 78.3 Ormoc IV. Seven planes sink REID, page 204.
TG 78.3. Casualties: 3 Dec. through 11. 1944, page 207

Mindoro Landing - December 1944,page 211

Jap plane crashes NASHVILLE CL 43. LST
Explosions damages MOALE DD 693.

Lingayen Gulf Landing - January 1945, page 217

Sound contact. Kamikaze crashes SUMNER DD 692. LLOYD destroys shore battery. Jap suicide boats. Kamikaze crashes BELKNAP APD 34. US Forces: "Mike 1." Chief Kirby's log.

Assault Landings: Liberation of Philippine Islands and Borneo, page 228

Assaults on Luzon.
Assaults on Panay, Cebu, Mindanao.
Assaults on Borneo.
Map of Philippines and Borneo.page 232

Training Exercises for Operation "Olympic"- Invasion of Japan, page 233

Invasion preparations at Legaspi. Invasion training cancelled. Japan's plans for defense. Japanese special weapons.

Unanswered Questions,page 240

Die like a true Samurai. A pattern for suicide attacks. Nobuko, age twelve. "US Airmen shoot everybody."

Victory and Destination USA.page 248

Initial Korean occupation. Destination USA. Captain Parson's farewell message.

A Bird in The Hand," from "The Character" page 258
Map of Leyte and Ormoc Bay page 203
Map of Philippine Islands and Borneo page 232
Photo Sections 16,33,59,74,95,148,203,231,232,261-267

Appendix
Abbreviations of Naval Terms - page 268
Eye witness accounts - page 271
Bibliography - page 274
Index - 276