http://exposureroom.com/members/G8RB8R/Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:12:55 GMTExposureRoom RSS Feed Generator v1.0enMon, 05 Dec 2011 16:08:18 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/d2c6113d14e040d1a00b7511021bb8e9/http://exposureroom.com/d2c6113d14e040d1a00b7511021bb8e9/aircraft carrierAmericandocumentaryguadalcanalherohistoryiow jimaLeyte GulfmemoriesPacificPhilippine IslandsPhilippinessolomon islandssouthernerUS NavywarWWIISat, 13 Feb 2010 20:23:48 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/6ad0f334148b4a62903a0c78878c1af8/http://exposureroom.com/6ad0f334148b4a62903a0c78878c1af8/
John Basilone was one of a family of ten children. Born in Buffalo, New York, on November 4, 1916, to Italian parents, he went to St. Bernard Parochial School in Raritan, New Jersey and enlisted in the United States Army at the age of 18. After completing his three-year enlistment in the Philippines, where he was a champion boxer, he came home and went to work as a truck driver in Reisterstown, Maryland. In July 1940, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in Baltimore, Maryland, believing that he could return to Manila quicker with the Marines than with the Army. Before going to the Solomon Islands he saw service at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in addition to training at the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island and Camp Lejeune, then called New River. Gunnery Sergeant Basilone's buddies on Guadalcanal called him "Manila John" because he had served with the Army in The Philippines before enlisting in the Marine Corps. Private First Class Nash W. Phillips, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, recalled him from the battle for Guadalcanal: "Basilone had a machine gun on the go for three days & nights without sleep, rest or food". "He was in a good emplacement, & causing the Japs lots of trouble, not only firing his machine gun but also using his pistol." Basilone was returned to the States & participated in a War Bond Tour. After the tour, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton where he met Lena Mae Riggi, who was a Sergeant in the Marine Corps Women's Reserve. They were married at St. Mary's Church in Oceanside, July 10, 1944, with a reception at the Carlsbad Hotel. They honeymooned at her parents' onion farm in Portland. Medal of Honor recipients are generally not allowed to return to combat. However, Basilone requested a return to the fighting in the Pacific theatre. Basilone was serving with the 27th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division during the invasion of Iwo Jima. On Red Beach II, he & his platoon were pinned down by enemy gunfire. He single-handedly destroyed an enemy blockhouse, allowing his unit to capture an airfield. Minutes later he was killed by an enemy artillery round. John Basilone is buried in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

His grave can be found in Section 12, Grave 384, grid Y/Z 23.5.

Basilone's bravery at Guadalcanal, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, is legendary. His Medal of Honor citation, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, reads:

The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pride in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to SERGEANT JOHN BASILONE, UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

"For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action against enemy Japanese forces, above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Lunga Area. Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 and 25 October 1942. While the enemy was hammering at the Marines' defensive positions, Sgt. Basilone, in charge of 2 sections of heavy machine guns, fought valiantly to check the savage and determined assault. In a fierce frontal attack with the Japanese blasting his guns with grenades & mortar fire, one of Sgt. Basilone's sections, with its guncrews, was put out of action, leaving only 2 men able to carry on. Moving an extra gun into position, he placed it in action, then, under continual fire, repaired another & personally manned it, gallantly holding his line until replacements arrived. A little later, with ammunition critically low & the supply lines cut off, Sgt. Basilone, at great risk of his life & in the face of continued enemy attack, battled his way through hostile lines with urgently needed shells for his gunners, thereby contributing in large measure to the virtual annihilation of a Japanese regiment. His great personal valor & courageous initiative were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US NAVAL SERVICE."
]]>Americanbanzaibasilonebloody ridgedocumentaryguadalcanalhendersonherohistoryiow jimajon basilonejungleManilamanila johnmarine corpsMEDAL OF HONORmohPacificPhilippine IslandsPhilippinessemper fisolomon islandstour of dutyU.S. ArmyUS NavyusncwarWWIIMon, 01 Mar 2010 22:24:18 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/38d73a8006914ba785281b7fb00e3762/http://exposureroom.com/38d73a8006914ba785281b7fb00e3762/
Historical note: Not to be confused with Easy Company, 506th PIR, 101st AB Division, "Band of Brothers" as seen on HBO TV. This was the 506's sister regiment, and both outfits fought side by side in the same battles and air drops. The 502nd trained at Foprt Benning, Georgia in early 1942, while the 506th trained at]]>America's TeamAmericandocumentaryfatherFranceGermanyGrimmeherohistorymissionsouthernertour of dutyU.S. ArmywarWWIITue, 23 Mar 2010 15:16:40 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/4003ddb1ded54f72b7cdad15b7b43c97/http://exposureroom.com/4003ddb1ded54f72b7cdad15b7b43c97/
The second part of the video is a memorial to 2 of the men from VT-8 who died on 4 June, Ensign William Evans and his rear gunner, ARM3c R.E. Bibb, with commentary about Bill by his college roommate from Wesleyan College, class of 1940.]]>aircraft carrierAmericanbanzaidocumentaryherohistorymissionPacificscholarsunrisewarWWIITue, 20 Apr 2010 17:44:01 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/1e9ba60c9c6e462e9a40554e22c87d95/http://exposureroom.com/1e9ba60c9c6e462e9a40554e22c87d95/101st502ndAmericanarnhemartillerybridgecleavesdaddocumentaryfatherFranceGermanyGrimmeherohistoryhollandLorientMEDAL OF HONORmissionparatrooperPIRrocketsouthernertour of dutyU.S. ArmywarWWIITue, 09 Mar 2010 16:55:08 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/1167524d8d1548d38ab622807d8167b5/http://exposureroom.com/1167524d8d1548d38ab622807d8167b5/101st502ndAmericanarnhemartilleryback roadbridgecleavesdocumentaryFranceGermanyGrimmeherohistoryhollandMEDAL OF HONORmemoriesmohparatrooperPIRsouthernertour of dutyU.S. ArmywarWWIIThu, 17 Dec 2009 02:40:04 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/2990ef76d381416ba38d01492aeaf599/http://exposureroom.com/2990ef76d381416ba38d01492aeaf599/7th CavalryAmericanartillerydocumentaryfatherherohistoryManilamissionPhilippine IslandsPhilippine ScoutsPhilippinesPresidioSan FranciscosouthernerTexasU.S. ArmywarMon, 16 Nov 2009 16:35:16 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/fe4d6bb2929b4b0a910ecdb549629256/http://exposureroom.com/fe4d6bb2929b4b0a910ecdb549629256/]]>19067th Cavalryaircraft carrierAmericanartilleryBrooks GrimmeBrooks H. GrimmeCVL23documentaryearthquakeFloridaFranceGermanyGrimmehistoryIraqjungleLeyte GulfManilamissionMorosPacificPhilippine IslandsSan AntonioSan FranciscoSeabeessouthernerTexasUS NavyUSS PrincetonWWIIWed, 28 Oct 2009 16:50:29 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/d98fc1a951794fc59ea82162c0884f5d/http://exposureroom.com/d98fc1a951794fc59ea82162c0884f5d/FloridaGrimmenighttimeOrlandoweddingsSun, 25 Oct 2009 17:54:43 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/5ecf5f29eb7c4872b1b0adf7a303ebee/http://exposureroom.com/5ecf5f29eb7c4872b1b0adf7a303ebee/America's TeamAmericancollege footballFloridaGainesvilleGATORSGrimmeheroTebowTim TebowTitle TownUFUniversity of FloridaFri, 21 Aug 2009 10:37:08 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/e0a81a321cf5424da00ea80d2c9dc3d8/http://exposureroom.com/e0a81a321cf5424da00ea80d2c9dc3d8/"Crusher Claw"AmericanCrusherheroLisowskimemoriesMilwaukeewrestlerWed, 22 Apr 2009 01:35:32 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/d6cbd8f39c9a4190bd837809f2f216a1/http://exposureroom.com/d6cbd8f39c9a4190bd837809f2f216a1/Americancollege footballFloridafootballGainesvilleGATORSGrimmeheromemoriesscholarsouthernerTebowthe SWAMPTim TebowTitle TownUFUniversity of FloridaTue, 14 Apr 2009 20:06:15 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/3539a8db0e5449f6b3c9e86700b5ddb1/http://exposureroom.com/3539a8db0e5449f6b3c9e86700b5ddb1/EasterfaceFloridaGrimmememoriesskylersouthernerTrinitySun, 05 Apr 2009 21:58:23 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/a07ab857ca6c4520bf1ca7d58986a4b9/http://exposureroom.com/a07ab857ca6c4520bf1ca7d58986a4b9/Adam DueerconvoyIraqmissionSeabeestour of dutyThu, 26 Mar 2009 01:28:11 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/517cacd643f8418e9f5f970d62e3f947/http://exposureroom.com/517cacd643f8418e9f5f970d62e3f947/Amanda Leigh HillFloridanieceOrlandoWed, 18 Mar 2009 09:31:43 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/093b5f1b63f3486a84ef3bce0bd0a9c5/http://exposureroom.com/093b5f1b63f3486a84ef3bce0bd0a9c5/FloridaOrlandoMon, 16 Mar 2009 10:46:50 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/ff0a09fba0734dc29d33b7457a75723e/http://exposureroom.com/ff0a09fba0734dc29d33b7457a75723e/Americancollege footballFloridafootballGainesvilleGATORSGrimmeTitle TownUFUniversity of FloridaWed, 28 Jan 2009 22:16:23 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/ec3d6406f64943c3a134b09090c675c4/http://exposureroom.com/ec3d6406f64943c3a134b09090c675c4/
Like it, or not, the Florida GATORS are AMERICA'S TEAM.
]]>America's TeamAmericancollege footballfireworksFloridafootballGainesvilleGATORSGrimmeheromemoriessouthernerTebowthe SWAMPTim TebowTitle TownUFUniversity of FloridaSat, 24 Jan 2009 09:04:19 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/5f0508bd3e8c419db5f203f764a33c43/http://exposureroom.com/5f0508bd3e8c419db5f203f764a33c43/
The best consecutive 3 game stretch by any GATOR football team, at any time, ever. The GATORS smashed FSU in Tallahassee, 45-15, then crushed Alabama in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, 31-20, and then earned a #2 ranking and the opportunity to play #1 Oklahoma in the FedEx BCS National Championship Game played in Dolphin Stadium, Miami, Florida. The mighty GATORS stuffed the record setting Sonner offense and held them to just 14 points, winning the game and the National Champions Crown, 24-14, for the 2008 season. The GATORS now have 3 National Championships - 1996, 2006, & 2008 - to match their 3 HEISMAN trophy winners - Steve Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel, & Tim Tebow.

This is my most ambitious project to date. It's not the content that is important, but that I am learning how to use other software programs that allow cropping and editting of mp3's, cutting & editing various pices of video, and attempting to put evrything together in a cohesive manner. Of course, it's not perfect, and I did not expect this effort to be. But, I am getting better with each new project!]]>Americancollege footballdocumentaryFloridafootballGainesvilleGATORSheromemoriessouthernerTebowthe SWAMPTim TebowTitle TownUFUniversity of FloridaThu, 26 Feb 2009 02:49:48 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/faf17ed41fa2402f9ffbd74d673a4509/http://exposureroom.com/faf17ed41fa2402f9ffbd74d673a4509/AmericanBrooks GrimmeBrooks H. GrimmedaddocumentaryengineerfatherFloridaGainesvilleGATORSGrimmeherohistoryinventorManilamemoriesNASAOrlandoPacificPhilippine IslandsPhilippinesscholarscientistsouthernerUFUniversity of FloridaUS NavySat, 17 Jan 2009 20:37:36 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/c966e96298c44f498a834abb2c87f094/http://exposureroom.com/c966e96298c44f498a834abb2c87f094/
You could tell all week that Urban Meyer was being careful.

The master motivator knew he didn't need to do too much to get his team ready to play in the national title game. These Gators were already peeved at the Sooners. They knew what was on the line.

Meyer waited until late in the week to start the process. You don't want to play the game on Tuesday when it's scheduled for Thursday.

And then on game day, he turned to the guy he calls "my right hand man."

Charlie Strong.

"The last couple of days were real intense," Meyer said Friday morning. "I had Coach Strong address the team. I'm very cautious about who I let talk to our team. Those guys were ready to play. The good thing is, guys listen.

"The discussion we had before we got on the bus was this is not good fortune, how the ball bounced your way and the stars aligned. This has been a work in process for many years. You might not get a chance to play with guys like this again. Make it count. And they certainly did."

They listened and they read. They kept hearing about Oklahoma's offense and took it personally.

"SportsCenter got us fired up," cornerback Joe Haden said. "Everybody talking about how many points they were going to score. We like to play teams like this.

"And then, USA Today. They gave the advantage to their offensive and defensive lines. Coach Meyer told us that was a toughness thing."

And in the end, the tougher team won.

It started early, when Major Wright clocked Oklahoma wide receiver Manny Johnson on a deep route just over a minute into the game.

"That set the tone for us," Wright said. "Everybody fed off it."

How did these guys get so tough? Some of it goes back to their quarterback, the toughest player in sports. A lot of it goes to their strength coach Mickey Marotti, who pushed them so hard during the offseason.

But in the end, it's up to every player individually to man up.

Man up, Ahmad Black.

"I saw the ball in the air and when the ball is in the air it's my ball," he said of his huge fourth-quarter interception when he ripped the ball away from Joaquin Inglesias. "I guess he wasn't strong enough."

Man up, Brandon Spikes.

"I felt like we should have held them to three points," he said. "I'm not surprised at all."

Man up, Timmy Tebow.

"They were doing a good job of getting to me and trying to get some licks but I felt my body was able to withstand it," he said.

Nobody manned up more than Percy Harvin. He came back from a hairline fracture in his ankle and a setback Tuesday in practice. Even when Oklahoma defender Nic Harris twisted the ankle after a tackle, Harvin kept coming.

"Everybody wondered about how tough we were," he said. "I think we answered that question. We were the tougher team, and that's why we're national champions."

Motivated, tough teams are tough to beat. When they are well-coached and disciplined and faster than a scared rabbit, they are champions. They get up on that wall.

The way this thing is going, they may run out of room there. Championships are starting to roll in like waves crashing on the beach.

"Every once in awhile, when I'm having a bad day, I'll walk in and stare at that wall," Meyer said. "It's got to be one of the great walls in college football."

It gets a lot better today when another year is unveiled.

This one shouldn't be shiny and new. Put 2008 up there with some dirt and mud and grass and maybe a little of that garnet paint Tebow picked up in Tallahassee. It should be chipped and scuffed and scratched, maybe even spit on.

This one was earned the hard way.

The tough way.

Which in itself is amazing considering the lack of toughness on last year's team.

"We weren't too good," Haden said. "If you told me after the Michigan game we'd be here, I'd have told you we had to come a long way. But we came a long way."

All the way to the wall.
]]>Americancollege footballdocumentaryFloridafootballGainesvilleGATORSheromemoriesTebowthe SWAMPTim TebowTitle TownUFUniversity of FloridaWed, 17 Dec 2008 01:03:12 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/0bd2d27f03ea486590dd23651add6ee4/http://exposureroom.com/0bd2d27f03ea486590dd23651add6ee4/Americancollege footballdocumentaryFloridafootballGainesvilleGATORSTebowTim TebowUFUniversity of FloridaWed, 24 Dec 2008 01:23:10 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/eca8853d717c44258147dcfa38412525/http://exposureroom.com/eca8853d717c44258147dcfa38412525/college footballFloridafootballGainesvilleGATORSheroTebowTim TebowUFUniversity of FloridaMon, 08 Dec 2008 23:31:20 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/3e1895cc338f4f2e9e07e4657b43473e/http://exposureroom.com/3e1895cc338f4f2e9e07e4657b43473e/
Photos courtesy of GatorSports.com & GatorCountry.com

Music form the movie soundtrack "Last of the Mohicans" by Trevor Jones]]>Americancollege footballFloridafootballGATORSherohistorymemoriesTebowthe SWAMPTim TebowUFUniversity of FloridaThu, 06 Nov 2008 17:07:32 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/21a19795964b40b2b9fef172578acf7a/http://exposureroom.com/21a19795964b40b2b9fef172578acf7a/DisneyDisney WorldMagic KingdomMickeyMickey MousemouseketeerOrlandoWalt Disney WorldThu, 06 Nov 2008 16:42:21 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/0abc733ae2a44db88da01a7b74155d76/http://exposureroom.com/0abc733ae2a44db88da01a7b74155d76/
I was allowed a special visit in September, 1971, as was everyone else who had worked in the construction of the park. All of us were permitted to visit the park on one designated day, to enjoy everything free of charge as a thank you ofr our work.

By Spetember, 1971, I had already left my construction job with Buena Vista Construction, and was now working directly as an employee for Walt Disney Productions, as a Lodging Host in the Guest Services Division of the Contemporary Resort Hotel.]]>DisneyDisney WorldFloridaMagic KingdomMickey MousemouseketeerOrlandoWalt Disney WorldThu, 06 Nov 2008 16:31:29 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/519cba92f7394edabb7c6d06c54627b4/http://exposureroom.com/519cba92f7394edabb7c6d06c54627b4/DisneyDisney WorlddocumentaryFloridaMagic KingdomMickeyMickey MousemouseketeerOrlandoWalt Disney WorldFri, 31 Oct 2008 13:18:37 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/1c62cc115f274e64a762ff66ad748ae2/http://exposureroom.com/1c62cc115f274e64a762ff66ad748ae2/DisneyDisney WorldFloridaMagic KingdomMickeyMickey MousemouseketeerOrlandoTrinityWalt Disney WorldThu, 16 Oct 2008 00:55:02 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/fb1ef4af1b564bebab45fe68264be38e/http://exposureroom.com/fb1ef4af1b564bebab45fe68264be38e/aircraft carrierdocumentaryhistoryPacificUS NavywarWWIITue, 14 Apr 2009 03:49:13 GMThttp://exposureroom.com/c3666ade386240cd8841517f27b2ebdd/http://exposureroom.com/c3666ade386240cd8841517f27b2ebdd/The Battle of Leyte Gulf ...
October 24, 1944 ...
This video is a tribute to my uncle, William K. Taylor, and all those who served aboard the USS Princeton during World War II. On October 24, 1944, the carrier was part of Task Force 38.3, commanded by Admiral Bull Halsey, supporting General Douglas MacArthur's landing force on Leyte Island in the Philippine Islands. On the morning of the 24th, the Princeton was attacked by Japanese land based bombers and was hit by one 500 pound bomb on the flight deck. My uncle was one of many of the crew that was topside at their stations when this happened. As a result of the one bomb hit, the carrier was damaged beyond repair and late that same afternoon, was sunk by torpedoes fired from the USS Reno. This is my tribute to my uncle and all of his shipmates that served aboard the Princeton with him, and to those veterans that are still with us today and are men who I am glad to call my friends. Special thanks to Eugene Mitchell, whose contributions from his own personal files helped make this video possible.

My uncle's station on the carrier was as an F6F Hellcat Fighter 'Plane Captain', and was topside when the ship was attacked by a land-based Japanese 'Betty' bomber. He watched as the plane attacked and then watched as the bomb the Betty dropped hit on the flight deck, penetrated and exploded below decks.

To my knowledge, all of the photos I used in this montage are of and from the Princeton archives in the NARA, or came directly from the files of one of my uncle's former shipmates, Eugene V. Mitchell, who was kind enough to loan me his own photos for me to scan. The 'Crossing The Equator' ceremonial photos were also in his collection, of which I had never seen before. The majority of color photos are from a 1945 edition of the National Geographic entitled the "Saga of the Princeton" which chronicles the carrier's action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The photos at the end of the film are courtesy of my uncle's daughter, taken at his military funeral last September at the National Cemetary, Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas.]]>aircraft carrierCVL23documentaryhistoryLeyte GulfPacificPhilippinesUS NavyUSS PrincetonwarWWII