This from an interesting read. Members might want to open the link provided.

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While the Americans struggled to send enough men and arms to protect Australia, the Japanese rapidly consolidated their gains in the South Pacific. The Imperial Japanese Navy exercised theater control in the South Pacific through its Southeastern Fleet, headquartered at Rabaul. The Imperial Japanese Army organized its troops in the area into the Seventeenth Army, commanded by Lt. Gen. Harukichi Hyakutake. Imperial forces built naval port facilities, leveled land for airfields, and fortified jungled hill masses to hold the islands they had taken and to support subsequent operations on the march to Australia. Each island group had at least one strongpoint; some had several. Large bases were built in the Palaus and the Carolines and at Rabaul in the Bismarcks. Smaller bases held the Marshalls and the Gilberts, in addition to New Britain and New Ireland in the Bismarcks and Buka, Bougainville, and Guadalcanal in the Solomons. By the middle of 1942 the American Joint Chiefs faced options of dubious merit: they could find the Japanese in almost any direction they turned.

Story here: http://www.history.a...s/72-8/72-8.htm

Your article is written,

From:

U.S. ARMY CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY

http://www.history.army.mil/

...every country writes it's own history books and every school has it's own, country written, history books; NEVER books written by another country or historians

The same as the Japanese never taught their school children the truth about WWII, only their own vision.

We have to read those articles with clear-glass spectacles not the colored ones we are forced upon by our respective governments

LaoPo

Please point out any mistakes you have found. I am certain the Department of Defense would appreciate any corrections.

You missed my point; it's not about mistakes, it's about the style of writing.."While the Americans struggled....".I had to smile about

It's like all movies about wars; the bad guys were always gangsters, communists, infiltrators, traitors, murderers and the good guys were always the heroes, allowed to kiss their darling upon return...

Oh, didn't we just love all those heroes....weren't we excited about John Rambo, the super hero when his first film came out almost 30 years ago ?

The difference is that I never noticed Rambo kissing his lover in the end...did he?

Of course not; he was a real tough guy and the ultimate American hero, many men liked to personify with, even the late Ronald Reagan.

LaoPo

You might have been excited about John Rambo. I never was.

The real heroes in war are those that don't come home and the families that await them.

The real heroes in war are those that don't come home and the families that await them.

That is true, but they wouldn't be heroes if their governments' armies would have staid home, instead fighting so many unnecessary wars and wars, created because of lies and just in favor of the all mighty weapons' industries.

In that case, their families could have been proud of their young sons and daughters able to create a family, having grandchildren and a prosperous life. Now they don't.

Or are you telling me that those fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters are so proud because their son/daughter died in some far away country in a stupid war, unexplainable to them?

You tell me or ask those families.

LaoPo

The real heroes in war are those that don't come home and the families that await them.

That is true, but they wouldn't be heroes if their governments' armies would have staid home, instead fighting so many unnecessary wars and wars, created because of lies and just in favor of the all mighty weapons' industries.

In that case, their families could have been proud of their young sons and daughters able to create a family, having grandchildren and a prosperous life. Now they don't.

Or are you telling me that those fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters are so proud because their son/daughter died in some far away country in a stupid war, unexplainable to them?

You tell me or ask those families.

LaoPo

Now you are with me.

I am not against the two world wars of the last century, but the subsequent actions are mostly deplorable.

Korea - had to prevent the North from occupying the South - otherwise Japan would have become a Chinese province (or we would have fought the invasion of Japan - and that would have involved China as well). However, since then there has been intransigence on both sides, maybe because of the Korean character. Neither side will give an inch to the other, even though it would benefit both sides to have peace and harmony.

Vietnam - a serious mistake and millions of wasted lives. I'll not discuss this further.

Falklands - just a Maggie T flag-waving exercise to assert her power. Criminal.

Gulf War 1 - we needed to get Saddam out of Kuwait, which we did.

Gulf War II - brought about by the arms manufacturers, with no justification whatsoever. 'Facts' fabricated for Tony Bliar, legal opinions concealed from his cabinet, lies from the start. The man is a war criminal and should be tried and hung.

Afghanistan - again no justification. If the US wanted to eliminate ObL, then send in a special forces unit to do the job. If they want to eliminate poppy production, give them agricultural aid. If they want to overthrow a legitimate government, tough. Not the US's place to do so.

The three Arab / Israeli wars should never have been allowed to happen. After 1948 a cordon sanitaire around the Israeli borders - neither side allowed to enter it - and some form of efficient peacekeeping force should have kept things on a lower profile.

West African civil / invasive wars - too many to recall, but not much involvement of 'Western' troops, more like local tribal gangs with too much weaponry. No one should be allowed to sell arms to any of these people.

There will be more wars, however. There are far too many people on this planet, too little food and water, too little room to develop a societal structure for 2525, without reducing the population. (sterilise every woman after two children?) / (sterilise half the men in the world?).

Personally, I cannot see why the UK has such an involvement in these wars, nor Australia. In the first case we are far removed from the areas of conflict and they are not necessary for our survival. In the case of Australia, their most likely threat is from China. They should just surrender gracefully, or sell the place to the Chinese.

The real heroes in war are those that don't come home and the families that await them.

That is true, but they wouldn't be heroes if their governments' armies would have staid home, instead fighting so many unnecessary wars and wars, created because of lies and just in favor of the all mighty weapons' industries.

In that case, their families could have been proud of their young sons and daughters able to create a family, having grandchildren and a prosperous life. Now they don't.

Or are you telling me that those fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters are so proud because their son/daughter died in some far away country in a stupid war, unexplainable to them?

You tell me or ask those families.

LaoPo

The US Military is an all volunteer force. If one disagrees with the government's policies, he or she simply chooses another career field.

They often do it because of a sense of loyalty to their country and with the support of their families.

As a European, you probably wouldn't understand.

The US Military is an all volunteer force. If one disagrees with the government's policies, he or she simply chooses another career field.

They often do it because of a sense of loyalty to their country and with the support of their families.

As a European, you probably wouldn't understand.

True to some extent.....

It is volunteer with few exceptions

But,

If one volunteers based on belief/loyalty then hopefully he/she is being told the truth about that which they are basing that loyalty on.

Support of families on the other hand would fall under the category of necessity. That category will have no shortage anytime soon with the way things are going.

But again....faith/loyalty/belief in policies is the foundation that may be in question in LaoPo's post & many Americans minds...

If that foundation is built on un-truths then it will not be sturdy in the long run. Anything built or lost on it may be perceived as having been a waste for all involved.

I am sure LaoPo will clarify if I am mistaken.

The population of the north-western chunk of Australia by Indonesia is under one million. It's there practically free for the taking if Indonesia ever decides they want it.

Northern Territory population 230,000

Western Australia population 2.3 million (1.6 million of that down south in Perth)

What an incredibly stupid post!

So, if Indo decided to invade, the battle would be decided because they would have 300,000 troops sitting in Northern Australia fighting the local residents?

I never said anything about 300,000 troops.

An the post is not incredibly stupid, but maybe incredibly naive on your part.

The ONLY reason it hasn't already happened - and long ago - is because the USA wouldn't allow it. Australia could not repel a major invasion force.

In short Oz would wipe the skys and seas clean of any invading Indo force before they could occupy any large part of Australia. And that's without calling on our secret weapon!

We've backed the US in every war they've started from Vietnam to Afganistan. They would be obligated to come to our assistance in this very unlikely scenario.

I think Oz is the only country to fight alongside the USA in every war of the 20th century, not only since Vietnam. While there might be plenty of anti-American Aussies (& their cousin Kiwis) around here who would probably prefer to be forced to speak Mandarin rather than have the USA raise a finger to help, I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of Americans have a very positive attitude towards Australia and would be more than happy to help out in the event of war. In fact, I'd bet that Australia is at the top of the list of countries the American public would be in favour of fighting for. In short, we like you more than you like us and that's OK.

The US Military is an all volunteer force. If one disagrees with the government's policies, he or she simply chooses another career field.

They often do it because of a sense of loyalty to their country and with the support of their families.

As a European, you probably wouldn't understand.

True to some extent.....

It is volunteer with few exceptions

But,

If one volunteers based on belief/loyalty then hopefully he/she is being told the truth about that which they are basing that loyalty on.

Support of families on the other hand would fall under the category of necessity. That category will have no shortage anytime soon with the way things are going.

But again....faith/loyalty/belief in policies is the foundation that may be in question in LaoPo's post & many Americans minds...

If that foundation is built on un-truths then it will not be sturdy in the long run. Anything built or lost on it may be perceived as having been a waste for all involved.

I am sure LaoPo will clarify if I am mistaken.

You left out that the "don't ask, don't tell" segment of society join the military for only the most noble reasons and that it is the rest who "volunteer" because they are tricked or forced to out of economic hardship.

The US Military is an all volunteer force. If one disagrees with the government's policies, he or she simply chooses another career field.

They often do it because of a sense of loyalty to their country and with the support of their families.

As a European, you probably wouldn't understand.

True to some extent.....

It is volunteer with few exceptions

But,

If one volunteers based on belief/loyalty then hopefully he/she is being told the truth about that which they are basing that loyalty on.

Support of families on the other hand would fall under the category of necessity. That category will have no shortage anytime soon with the way things are going.

But again....faith/loyalty/belief in policies is the foundation that may be in question in LaoPo's post & many Americans minds...

If that foundation is built on un-truths then it will not be sturdy in the long run. Anything built or lost on it may be perceived as having been a waste for all involved.

I am sure LaoPo will clarify if I am mistaken.

Why would family support be out of necessity? Many young Americans join the military branch out of family tradition. I was drafted but my son-in-law joined the US Coast Guard because it was a good career move for him. He is now a full Commander with a Masters in Hospital Administration. I would say he has made the right choice.

The lack of faith/loyalty/belief in the minds of Europeans and many Americans do not bother me in the least. It is likely none of them will serve in the volunteer force anyway. In short, their opinions mean exactly nothing to me and probably to those serving their country...whichever country it is.

Only those that have served can determine if it was a waste. Certainly not anybody on ThaiVisa.

I am nearly 100% certain LaoPo will contribute further to this thread.

I think Oz is the only country to fight alongside the USA in every war of the 20th century, not only since Vietnam. While there might be plenty of anti-American Aussies (& their cousin Kiwis) around here who would probably prefer to be forced to speak Mandarin rather than have the USA raise a finger to help, I'm pretty sure that the vast majority of Americans have a very positive attitude towards Australia and would be more than happy to help out in the event of war. In fact, I'd bet that Australia is at the top of the list of countries the American public would be in favour of fighting for. In short, we like you more than you like us and that's OK.

You know Koheesti, you belong to a minor group of members who always bring up the word "Anti-American" and I wish you and the others would stop writing such nonsense.

I NEVER see other members complain about being "Anti country X" if they write something about that particular country, only you and a few others about America.

I don't why that is but you chaps seem to have very long toes when it comes to America.

I've witnessed a few American members, bitching upon several facts in/about their own country, but nobody says anything when they do but if an outsider, (read: non-American) writes something about a certain American issue, we are suddenly "Anti-American".

I suggest you think a little about this as it is pure fantasy, nonsense and incorrect.

In fact, it's childish calling anyone anti American when the content of a certain poster doesn't suit you.

LaoPo

The US Military is an all volunteer force. If one disagrees with the government's policies, he or she simply chooses another career field.

They often do it because of a sense of loyalty to their country and with the support of their families.

As a European, you probably wouldn't understand.

True to some extent.....

It is volunteer with few exceptions

But,

If one volunteers based on belief/loyalty then hopefully he/she is being told the truth about that which they are basing that loyalty on.

Support of families on the other hand would fall under the category of necessity. That category will have no shortage anytime soon with the way things are going.

But again....faith/loyalty/belief in policies is the foundation that may be in question in LaoPo's post & many Americans minds...

If that foundation is built on un-truths then it will not be sturdy in the long run. Anything built or lost on it may be perceived as having been a waste for all involved.

I am sure LaoPo will clarify if I am mistaken.

I agree Flying!

Volunteer....?

"On February 20, 1970, the President's Commission on an All-Volunteer Armed Force unanimously agreed that the United States would be best served by an all-volunteer military. In supporting this recommendation, the committee noted that recruitment efforts would have to be intensified, as new enlistees would need to be convinced rather than conscripted. Much like the post-World War II era, these new campaigns put a stronger emphasis on job opportunity. As such, the committee recommended “improved basic compensation and conditions of service, proficiency pay, and accelerated promotions for the highly skilled to make military career opportunities more attractive.” These new directives were to be combined with “an intensive recruiting effort.” ^[4]" "

From: Wartime Recruitment Stategies in hte US:

http://en.wikipedia....egies_in_the_US

In Europe we call those young men and women, fighting in a far away country (they know <deleted> about) in dangerous circumstances and about which in many cases they were not properly informed......"Food for Canons"

Volunteer..... ?

LaoPo

The lack of faith/loyalty/belief in the minds of Europeans and many Americans do not bother me in the least. It is likely none of them will serve in the volunteer force anyway. In short, their opinions mean exactly nothing to me and probably to those serving their country...whichever country it is.

Only those that have served can determine if it was a waste. Certainly not anybody on ThaiVisa.

I am nearly 100% certain LaoPo will contribute further to this thread.

The subtle difference in the bold sentence says where you stand Chuckd....

It's remarkable intelligence that you're able to judge about a population-number far beyond the USA.

The EU alone represents more than 500 million people and Europe as such has more than 800 million.

But YOU are able to judge about all Europeans and "many Americans" ?; very clever.

But, you were absolutely correct that I would be back.

Maybe we should return on topic:

War! Australia Invaded!

LaoPo

The lack of faith/loyalty/belief in the minds of Europeans and many Americans do not bother me in the least. It is likely none of them will serve in the volunteer force anyway. In short, their opinions mean exactly nothing to me and probably to those serving their country...whichever country it is.

Only those that have served can determine if it was a waste. Certainly not anybody on ThaiVisa.

I am nearly 100% certain LaoPo will contribute further to this thread.

The subtle difference in the bold sentence says where you stand Chuckd....

It's remarkable intelligence that you're able to judge about a population-number far beyond the USA.

The EU alone represents more than 500 million people and Europe as such has more than 800 million.

But YOU are able to judge about all Europeans and "many Americans" ?; very clever.

But, you were absolutely correct that I would be back.

Maybe we should return on topic:

War! Australia Invaded!

LaoPo

Care to point out where I said "all Europeans"?

By the way, isn't changing my post with a highlight against forum rule number 30?

The lack of faith/loyalty/belief in the minds of Europeans and many Americans do not bother me in the least. It is likely none of them will serve in the volunteer force anyway. In short, their opinions mean exactly nothing to me and probably to those serving their country...whichever country it is.

Only those that have served can determine if it was a waste. Certainly not anybody on ThaiVisa.

I am nearly 100% certain LaoPo will contribute further to this thread.

The subtle difference in the bold sentence says where you stand Chuckd....

It's remarkable intelligence that you're able to judge about a population-number far beyond the USA.

The EU alone represents more than 500 million people and Europe as such has more than 800 million.

But YOU are able to judge about all Europeans and "many Americans" ?; very clever.

But, you were absolutely correct that I would be back.

Maybe we should return on topic:

War! Australia Invaded!

LaoPo

Care to point out where I said "all Europeans"?

By the way, isn't changing my post with a highlight against forum rule number 30?

Weak argument and you know it. The way you wrote it was meant for (all) Europeans and many Americans.

LaoPo

The lack of faith/loyalty/belief in the minds of Europeans and many Americans do not bother me in the least. It is likely none of them will serve in the volunteer force anyway. In short, their opinions mean exactly nothing to me and probably to those serving their country...whichever country it is.

Only those that have served can determine if it was a waste. Certainly not anybody on ThaiVisa.

I am nearly 100% certain LaoPo will contribute further to this thread.

The subtle difference in the bold sentence says where you stand Chuckd....

It's remarkable intelligence that you're able to judge about a population-number far beyond the USA.

The EU alone represents more than 500 million people and Europe as such has more than 800 million.

But YOU are able to judge about all Europeans and "many Americans" ?; very clever.

But, you were absolutely correct that I would be back.

Maybe we should return on topic:

War! Australia Invaded!

LaoPo

Care to point out where I said "all Europeans"?

By the way, isn't changing my post with a highlight against forum rule number 30?

Weak argument and you know it. The way you wrote it was meant for (all) Europeans and many Americans.

LaoPo

When did you get your crystal ball repaired. If I had intended to say "all Europeans". I would have said "all Europeans".

You are the one that said "all Europeans", not me.

Please stop putting words in my mouth...and changing my posts when you quote them.

Thank you for your future acts of courtesy.

LaoPo, you're being overly sensitive.

I never called any specific poster here anti-America. I wrote "while there might be...". I'm sure you don't believe that none of the thousands of TV posters are anti-American. I've seen plenty of anti-this and anti-that people on this forum, I don't see any reason that anti-American should be the exception.

When did you get your crystal ball repaired. If I had intended to say "all Europeans". I would have said "all Europeans".

You are the one that said "all Europeans", not me.

Please stop putting words in my mouth...and changing my posts when you quote them.

Thank you for your future acts of courtesy.

..sure...."acts of courtesy"....coming from you..... ?

Why did you write ""Europeans" and not "some or many" like you did with "many" Americans?

Oh for heavens sake, forget it because you won't admit you were generalizing Europeans.

LaoPo

When did you get your crystal ball repaired. If I had intended to say "all Europeans". I would have said "all Europeans".

You are the one that said "all Europeans", not me.

Please stop putting words in my mouth...and changing my posts when you quote them.

Thank you for your future acts of courtesy.

..sure...."acts of courtesy"....coming from you..... ?

Why did you write ""Europeans" and not "some or many" like you did with "many" Americans?

Oh for heavens sake, forget it because you won' admit you were generalizing Europeans.

LaoPo

So, you had a bad hair day?

Why would family support be out of necessity?

The lack of faith/loyalty/belief in the minds of Europeans and many Americans do not bother me in the least. It is likely none of them will serve in the volunteer force anyway.

Only those that have served can determine if it was a waste. Certainly not anybody on ThaiVisa.

I think you may be confused or thinking of a different support.

The support out of necessity I mentioned is due to lack of growth in the US these days.

The support I spoke of was financial

Many join the military as a employer of last resort. Same in many countries that have financial problems.

Of course some also join to further their education on GI bills etc etc etc.

As for your reply regarding loyalty/belief...again I have to guess you misunderstood my reply.....Yes of course it would not bother you...it was not meant too.

I am referring to folks who do join out of loyalty only to later find they have been betrayed & served a lie.

Lastly as to only those who serve can decide if it was a waste....Again I beg to differ.

Many families feel the loss of a loved one was in fact a waste in hindsight...ask most Vietnam vet families that loss someone.

Ask parents of those dead in Afghanistan....on both sides

Of course your on Thaivisa so we need not ask you?

So, you had a bad hair day?

..........my hair is fine and I have a lot of it.

LaoPo

Oh for heavens sake, forget it because you won't admit you were generalizing Europeans.

He never denied "generalizing Europeans". He said that he never said "all Europeans" and he didn't. He was generalizing about many or most Europeans and he certainly has a point.

Oh for heavens sake, forget it because you won't admit you were generalizing Europeans.

He never denied "generalizing Europeans". He said that he never said "all Europeans" and he didn't. He was generalizing about many or most Europeans and he certainly has a point.

Another specialist, knowing about the feelings and brains of "many or most" 500 Million EU Europeans and/or 800+ million Europeans in total.

How clever.

Tell me UG, how many European languages do you speak, other than English?

I'm not that clever about 310 million Americans but maybe you read more books than I do.

LaoPo

You are trying to change the subject. Why don't you just admit that your accusation was incorrect and apologize to chuckd?

You are trying to change the subject. Why don't you just admit that your accusation was incorrect and apologize to chuckd?

Me, changing the subject whilst YOU step in and speak for someone else? The way he wrote his sentence was "generalizing Europeans" and you admit it as well, claiming "......he certainly has a point."

When I ask you something about Europe you don't answer, but that's nothing new to me since you can't; simple.

Apologize ?...get real..

I asked it before: is this Kinder Garden or Fool's Paradise?

It looks like the last option.

LaoPo

You are still trying to evade admitting that your accusation was not correct. Why am I not surprised?

UG:

It's pretty hard to get any logic past all that hair.

I said what I said. Nothing more or less.

AT LEAST ONE EUROPEAN has a hard time reconciling that simple fact of life.

Whew. Hope that doesn't start another fire storm of "he said, she said".

I think the off-topic arguments can calm down now. Generalizations are invariably false, but the topic is about the logic of generalizations. The topic also isn't about the US, and it's not about posters to claim not to be anti anything. Some posters just don't miss an opportunity to make an 'anti' remark about something, even if it is off-topic and will only get the poop stirred up.

Australia considers itself a Western country, but is uniquely located far from other Western countries. There seems to be a nervousness about foreigners getting to their shores. It may well be justified given their location.

They have land and easily accessible resources. They have a prosperous economy. A little like living in a mansion in a slum. Paranoid or cautious?

IAustralia considers itself a Western country, but is uniquely located far from other Western countries. There seems to be a nervousness about foreigners getting to their shores. It may well be justified given their location.

If it ever came to fisticuffs, there's always New Zealand to protect them.

I am getting silly in my old age. I forgot about New Zealand. I guess there is nothing to fear anymore.

No need for war ... I believe Australia is selling itself from right under our own noses- food, power, land, water - total privatisation sold out to foreign corporate interests.

Not much left to sell now - therefore no real argument is there?

No need for war ... I believe Australia is selling itself from right under our own noses- food, power, land, water - total privatisation sold out to foreign corporate interests.

Not much left to sell now - therefore no real argument is there?

Forgot to mention the newest of new Coal-seam-gas projects in the guise of LNG (Liquid Natural Gas) - the latest BOOM project in Queensland - which allows mining/ exploration companies to enter farmers land without permission and sink bores looking for gas supplies.

Any bounty found pays the farmer a miniscule $250 / yr per bore - while the exploration company reaps millions..... meanwhile the land is contaminated, water tables are spoiled ..... is this dictatorship in disguise of economic development - or what????? What else can you call it?