CA World War 2 Sites! Top 5 to See! History in plain sight!

Welcome to Pat Patterson's Best in California. Today, how California won World War II. Well, kind of. I'm here in Tustin at the Lighter Than Air Base. This is a giant blip hangar. We're going to show you Lake Norconian. We're going to go up to Camarillo and see our uniforms. We're going to go all over the place and see places that still remain that you can visit that show you the history of California in World War II. Let's get going. We're going to travel around Southern California and see these amazing World War II sites that show how California had a part in the World War II effort. And joining me today is Chris Cangilla, who has a podcast, Our World War II Dad, with his brother, Ken. Chris, thanks for being here. Pat, you're so generous to take me around all these World War II sites. It's a wonderful thing to see them, as well as we kind of share some World War II things ourselves, right? Tell people about that. Well, I have a World War II dad. Chris has a World War II dad. And I think your podcast helped me get inspired to look at the history here in Southern California. Thanks for saying so. You know, it's great that we had the opportunity to go look at all these things, because like you, I love history. And when my brother, Ken, decided to travel to Europe and retrace our dad's steps during the war, I knew that we had to put the story together visually. We dive into dad's locations with then and now photos. We interview our then 91-year-old mother about the war effort at home. And we just talk about the things that we learned during the process. So the podcast really strengthened my brother and I's bond, as well as that of our late father, our bond with him. So it was just a wonderful thing. And I just can't wait for you to take us all around. Where are we now? So this is Tustin. This is the giant blimp hangar that I've known since I was a kid here in Tustin. It was a lighter than air base. Blimps used to patrol the coast here. So the base was built in 1942 as the Santa Ana Naval Air Station. Most recently, it was called the Marine Corps Air Station, MCAS Tustin. It's where the blimps were housed that patrolled the coastline, keeping the west safe. The hangar is 17 stories high, over 1,000 feet long, and 300 feet wide. It is one of the largest wooden structures ever built. And I remember it as a kid. It is inspiring awe in me. The hangar has been featured in prominent television shows and films, including Jag, The X-Files, Austin Powers, Pearl Harbor, and Star Trek. So now we're going to go over around and see all the other places. Can't wait. Let's get going. You bet. So Chris, I got to set this up for you. I mean, we are in the middle of paradise. Oprah lives nearby. You got the Ritz-Carlton, one of the fanciest hotels in California, right here. But on February 23rd, 1942, this was the only attack on continental U.S. soil by the Japanese. Right here? Right here. There was a Japanese I-17 submarine right about where those structures were. And they opened fire on the Elwood oil field here. They got a pump house. They got a derrick. And it was mayhem. The people in Goleta were up on their roofs trying to see the submarine. And, you know, this wasn't that long after Pearl Harbor. A couple months. So they knew that something was coming. And here it came. And so it was amazing. And the fact that the Japanese strategy really was to bomb the West Coast somehow and spread fear on the West Coast. Well, it worked. I read about the Battle of Los Angeles. And what I learned about the Battle of Los Angeles, it was maybe I think it was a meteorological air balloon that was up in the air a day or so afterwards. And people thought it could have been an attack, right? Because they were scared. And they thought they might be invaded. And so the anti-aircraft batteries started firing. And then this one did. And then that one did. And it became chaos. And they were scared. And of course, think about the time we had after 9-11 and how nervous we all were thinking that something was going to happen. And so everybody here was scared. And it turned out nothing happened. There was it was just a rumor. Wow. Yeah. Well, they'd seen the headlines of this attack in the newspaper that day. And so I would be too. It makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Yeah. And then I read also that after the war, the United States discovered through Japanese paperwork that there was a planned attack on Christmas Eve, 1941. So just three weeks after Pearl Harbor on San Diego Bay. And so they realized that attack. They were 20 miles off the coast of San Diego Bay and they called it off. Japan called it off. Thank God they called it off. But how far is like 20 miles off the coast? That's like where most of the Channel Islands and Catalina is off our coast. You can see it. You can see it. You would have seen them. Yeah. So unbelievable that happened. Yeah. So there's not a lot about this attack here. I knew nothing about it. It's crazy. But there's one little marker. Let me show it to you. I'd love to see it. This is the marker for the Japanese attack. One of the mementos of the attack. But I can show you a real memento of the attack, which is some of the debris from the Derrick and the pump house. Actual debris. Amazing. So, Chris, I told you about the debris. Yeah. It's in this building. This is Timbers Road. This building? They took some of the timbers from the Derrick's and the explosion and they built this building. That's crazy. Yeah. Wow. And guess what? We can eat here too. Well, I like that part of it, of course. So the amazing thing about Timbers Road house is if you look up into the rafters, you can still see burn marks from the Japanese attack. Tex Blankenship and his wife saved some of the Derrick Timbers and built this amazing, amazing restaurant. So check out Timbers Road house when you're up here in the Goleta area. And thank you, Mr. Mrs. Blankenship for saving this part of World War Two history. So, Chris, what do you think? It is perfect. I cannot wait to dive into that. So this is the chicken club without bacon. So I don't know how clubby it is, but it looks really good. I'm trying to eat right. A little bit messy, but you can almost hear the crunch of it. That's the important part of the Timbers Road house experience is messy. It's delicious. Thank you, Roadhouse. So, Pat, where are we now? So this is incredible. This is one of my favorite hidden gems here in Camarillo. It's the CAF SoCal Wing World War Two Aviation Museum. These people all volunteer. They're keeping the legacy of World War Two alive, which is what we're here to do. That's so great to hear. It's what we try to do, right? And keeping the stories alive. And is this the same place that you got up in that World War Two trainer? I got into a Fairchild PT-19. They used to train new pilots with biplane aircraft, which are two wings, obviously, like the old wing walker planes. But this is a model plane, single wing trainer. Speeds were higher in that plane for training pilots for combat aircraft. And the PT-19 truly lived up to its nickname, the cradle of heroes. What an incredible experience that must have been just being up here in the air. I mean, they have all these vintage planes, these World War Two planes here that you can kind of get up close and personal with. What? That's so very cool. But we're here for another reason, right? Totally different reason. We are going to check out our uniforms of our two World War Two dads. We're going to meet with Jack Luder, who is the uniform curator. He can solve the riddle of all the insignias, like the hieroglyphs. That's important. And you've got your dad's uniform here, right? Yeah. Jack is going to be such a treasure to talk with and get all that stuff. I mean, you know, I know what some of this means, but a lot of it is totally... Same thing with our dad, you know, Ken and I's dad. We knew a lot of it, but it's just, it's hard to really make sure you got all the right information. Jack's going to break the code. Let's go see Jack. OK, good deal. You know, I think you should probably go first because your dad was an officer. Oh, that's military protocol. All right, sir. Enjoy. Hey, Pat. Jack. Welcome back. Oh, my gosh. It's so good to be here. You had a lot of fun in that PT-19. That was the best. That was the best. So here's my dad's uniform. Right. And and it's it's a mystery to me. So I know a bit, but you are going to maybe hopefully fill in some blanks. I know 96th Infantry Deadeye Division. Yes, I believe. Right. Infantry Division. Yes. Infantry Division. I know this is artillery. Field artillery. Well, now what does field artillery mean? In the field as opposed to the coastal artillery. Gotcha. Gotcha. I know he's a captain. Right. Double bars. He was in until 53. He retired. OK, but all of these these have always been a mystery. All right. What might you be able to tell me? Well, let's see. All right. This is the good conduct medal right there. OK, that is only awarded to enlisted men. That's for being a righteous dude, basically, and not getting in trouble. Exactly. But during peacetime, that would be three years. He'd have to have to wait for three years. OK. This is the American defense. This means he was on active duty for at least a year as of December 7, 1941. Oh, wow. OK, so he's pre what most of the people came. Right. OK. The arrowhead, no matter how many amphibious invasions he made, they only get one. So that one is designated as for Luzon, which is in the Philippines. Gotcha. That's invasion. That was the boats going in like in private Ryan and landing on the beach. Yes. Wow. They were on occupation duty in Japan, too. Oh, wow. I didn't know that they were there for a month. Then they got shipped back to the Philippines. So he was actually in Japan with MacArthur. Yes. Wow. That is the Philippine Liberation Ribbon. OK. With a battle star. Your dad is probably eligible for a second battle star, even for just the one battle. OK. And probably eligible for the Philippine president's presidential unit citation. Wow. Now, was there an emblem in there that's missing, maybe? Oh, I didn't see that. Yeah. So what does that mean? OK. He does one fall off, maybe. Yes, it did. They're very fragile, thin little prongs that bend behind the ribbon. And when it was attached to this piece of fabric, it might have fallen off or broken up. It would be an exact same bronze battle star. Let me ask you a question. Yes. If people are missing things, can we contact the army to get new ones? Is that allowed? eBay, eBay, eBay or Amazon, eBay army. I love it. Everything's on eBay. You can buy another star, but you're going to have to be very careful putting it in. I have to know. It's a 316 bronze star, 316. And it matches those combat stars from the Pacific Theater. Wow. You know anything about any of these, Jack? I mean, by the way, this is fascinating. OK. I mean, this is like this is like getting into the hieroglyphics of the pyramids. This is so cool. So good. So lead on, lead on. That's the Pacific Theater ribbon without the devices on it. That is the officer's collar brass. That, I think, is Navy, but I'm not sure. You told me is in the Navy earlier. And the arrowhead. Is that another amphibious landing? I've never seen one and I couldn't find it. OK. It's got that the triangle in the middle. I don't know. OK. Another one to look up. Yes, that would be the sixth. And they were in Europe and his dog tags. I've memorized the serial number 01170131. So, Jack, what is the red one? That's the 43rd Infantry Division. That was when he was on occupation duty in Japan. Oh, my God. Which matches that one there. Wow. So Philippines, Okinawa, Japan occupation. Jack Lutter, you have given me the key to my father's World War Two past. This is incredible. I knew none of this. So I'm always glad to thank you so much. Thank you so much. So, Jack, it's great that you're doing this for us. It was wonderful. I know you let an officer go first with Pat. Would you do some enlisted men things for me and tell me about my dad's uniform? Rank does have its privilege. There you go. OK. This is a 13 year old. He looks young for sure. He was 18. This is either at the end of basic or after basic training. He has nothing in the way of ribbons. Now, I thought this was his Eisenhower jacket, but it's something different. No. What is that? That's the basic enlisted man service coat. It's a cheaper coarser wool. So what do you know about his? Is that a beret? Is that what you'd call it? No. That's called an overseas cap or a garrison cap. I'm going to guess that this picture is hand tinted because your dad was not having color photographs taken in 1943. Yes, sir. So somebody hand tinted that piping very nicely. This is the way. That's the real one. That's the color of the hat. And that's the color of the infantry piping. That is incredible. Enlisted men all wore the piping that matched the color of their specialty. Yellow for cavalry, red for artillery. Yes. Blue for the infantry. Right. And his cap is probably this cut maybe a little different. So, Jack, what are these? These are private first class chevrons. Your dad in that training picture wouldn't have any rank. However, on this Ike jacket, when he's gone through the war, he should have one on each sleeve at about the position between the shoulder patch and the elbow. Is that right? One on each sleeve? Yes. So they should have been on there and maybe they were not ever given? Or do you think they might have taken them off? What do you know about it? Maybe he didn't care. You can see on your original, you can see stitch marks. It would have been hand stitched. All right. Well, you know what? My brother has dad's jacket. So we'll take a look at it and see if we see the outline of it at all. Right. That's amazing. All right. So let's move on to something else. What else do we have in here? So that's what I would know as his 99th Infantry Battalion separate patch. Is that right? That was the Viking Battalion. I think you called, mentioned. Yeah. They tried, there was a Greek American Battalion and well, of course the Niseis, the Japanese Americans. Right. They were supposed to be specialized in odd combat, where they'd be infiltrating and speaking like natives. Right. So that's for a possible conflict in Norway for the Norwegian American, the Viking Battalion. Let me ask you about this one. Yes. So tell me about what's on his left breast there. All right. At the top is the Combat Infantryman Badge. That's a Springfield 1795 musket. Blue is for the infantry, just like on his piping here. Got it. The oak leaf is for steadfastness, loyalty and that kind of stuff. Did it have any significance at all? The Combat Infantryman Badge only went to the trigger pullers. Combat medics had a different one. Expert shooters had a different one. And he wasn't carrying a carbine. He was carrying the M1 Garand, which weighs about eight pounds. I think we have a photo of that. Yes, you have the picture of him with his brother. Let's take a look at that. Is that it right there? Yes. This thing weighs eight pounds and it's very long. It's going down almost to pass his thigh there. I'm six feet tall. I got blessed with the height. He didn't get that. So he was a pretty tough guy. Well, yeah. You had to get used to swinging that weight around and there's no doubt that he shot at people. Maybe he killed people. He would never have told you whether he did. No, they never talked about that. No, they didn't. And there he is. Yeah. You can see the whole length of the M1, which we all call the Garand now, but it's the M1 rifle, which he had a sharpshooter medal for, which is the middle qualification. So he was in the thick of it. That says you were in the thick of it. Oh, yeah. Wow. And that goes along with the five campaign slash battle stars that he had on his ribbon. So, you know, looking at what you see, what kind of was he? What kind of guy was my dad? Was he tough? Is there a lot of stuff on his jacket? A little bit? You know, what was it? Your dad was a killer. He was a trigger puller. And you and Pat, both of your dads are missing a really significant ribbon. They don't have a purple heart. Well, thank God for that. Which means your dad never even got nicked. And Pat's dad didn't get nicked. And he was in at least five combat engagements. They decided in 1947 that if somebody had the qualifications to have the CIB, that they also would have earned a bronze star. Is that right? Which is a meritorious conduct. So dad should have a bronze star? After 47. After they ruled. And if you can contact the army, there will be a citation that says why he earns the bronze star and they will give you a bronze star, a ribbon and a little lapel pin. Wow. You know, Jack, this is incredible. We thought we knew a lot of this stuff, you know, but for you to do the research you did and try to love it, try to find these things. I can't thank you enough, my friend. It's my pleasure. This is wonderful. Thank you so much. How about Jack? Right. Gosh, good job. Thank you. So, Pat, where are we at now? So this is incredible. We're in Long Beach and we are at the Queen Mary, amazing British ship that played a pivotal role in World War Two. The Queen Mary sailed primarily on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 up until she came here to Long Beach in 1967. With the outbreak of World War Two, she was converted into a troop ship and ferried Allied soldiers during the conflict. Painted navy gray in a combination with her great speed, she became known as the Gray Ghost. Often traveling out of convoy and without escort, her high speed and zigzag courses made it virtually impossible for U-boats to sink her. On one voyage in 1943, she carried over 16,600 people, a standing record for the most people on one vessel at the time. She only accomplished this by having some of the passengers sleep on deck. The Queen Mary was brought here to Long Beach in 1967, repainted, and now it's an attraction that we love to enjoy. Here we are at Fort MacArthur. This little known military outpost here in Los Angeles is named not for General Douglas MacArthur, like most people think, but his father, Arthur MacArthur. It was used in World War Two to defend many of the large shipbuilding factories here in Los Angeles. Fort MacArthur was also a part of the Battle of Los Angeles, where these large guns fired into the air during that amazing night. And these gun batteries are a place you can still come up to the top of the hill in San Pedro, get an amazing view of the Korean Fellowship Temple, and see a big piece of World War Two history. Pat, this has been a wonderful experience. Thank you so much for showing me all these incredible sights. It's my pleasure, my pleasure, Chris. And remind me, where can people find you and your brother's podcast? Yes, thank you so much. Yeah, you can see all the episodes by searching Our World War Two Dad on YouTube, or by capturing the QR code you see right now. And if any of the viewers have a World War Two dad or mom or relative, please reach out to us at the address on the screen. I'd love to talk to you. And of course, we'd love to have you on the podcast because we share that World War Two dad thing. I love being on the air. I love being on there. So that's important. It's very important too that we save this World War Two history. I'm afraid it's being lost to the next generation. So thank you for being a part of that effort. Thanks to all the historians that are saving the Queen Mary, all the places we went and saw. For the next group of hidden gems, tune in Pat Patterson's Best of California. See you then. Keep your eye out for part two of World War Two California. The Naval Hospital out in Norco, Looney Tunes efforts for the war, and many other hidden treasures of our World War Two history here in California. Keep your eye out for part two. What's the best in your California city? Go to our website, bestofcal.tv and tell us about it. We'll come cover you.