Widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of WWII, the United States Navy decisively defeated an Imperial Japanese Navy attack on the Midway Atoll, which began on this day in 1942.
The Battle of Midway was described by historian John Keegan as "the most stunning and decisive blow in the history of naval warfare." The Japanese sought to eliminate US strategy in the Pacific by luring aircraft carriers into a trap and to occupy Midway as part of a plan to extend their defensive perimeter. Unfortunately for them, American code-breakers determined the date and time of the attack and set up a counter-ambush, which sunk four Japanese aircraft carriers and a heavy cruiser. The US then out-produced Japan in shipbuilding and pilot training, signaling a significant turning point in ending the war.
It’s Monday, June 4
The MSU Town & Gown Community Band will give their first concert tomorrow night on the steps of Lovett Auditorium. The band has one hundred members and will perform patriotic songs, marches, classic band literature, and Broadway melodies. The free concert starts at 7. Bring lawn chairs or blankets.
Rabies vaccination and microchip clinics will be held this Wednesday and Thursday at 7PM at the Calloway County Health Department, located on Memory Lane off South 4th Street. The cost is $7 for a rabies vaccination or $10 for a microchip ID. For more information, contact your veterinarian or the Humane Society at 759-1884.
The Nature Station at Land Between the Lakes hosts a Woodland Walk tomorrow morning at 11. The one-mile guided hike will go through the woods, along a lakeshore, and by the edge of a field in search of native trees and signs of wildlife. The program is free to all LBL visitors.
See details at wkms.org. Thanks for listening.
