Tuesday, April 17, 2018
FIVE THINGS YOU DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY
10:30am | PATRICK WEADON CUR ATOR OF THE NAT IONAL CRY P TOLOGIC MUSEUM
The Battle of Midway was the turning point in the Pacific War. It is true that superb cryptolo gic work and effective
performance in the battle space served as the foundation of the victory, but it is easy to forget that much of what
happened was due to the decisions and actions of ordinary human beings at critical moments, who met and overcame
immense challenges in extraordinary ways. Patrick Weadon will focus on some of the amazing events and personalities
that were part of the incredible victory and provide insights into why at the Battle of Midway, uncommon valor was a
common virtue.
THE FLEET AT FLOOD TIDE: AMERICA AT TOTAL WAR IN THE PACIFIC
2:00pm | JAMES D. HORNFISCHER NE W YORK T IMES BEST-SELL ING AU THOR
James D. Hornfischer is the author of four highly acclaimed books on the U.S. Navy during World War II.
His Book, The Fleet at Flood Tide, is an unprecedented account of the extraordinary World War II air, land
and sea campaign that brought the U.S. Navy to the apex of its strength and marked the rise of the United
States as a global superpower. Drawing on new primary sources and personal accounts by Americans and
Japanese alike, Hornfischer tells the story of the invasion of Mariana Island and the momentous events it
produced.
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN RICH FRANK AND JIM HORNFISCHER ON
“WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE ADMIRALS.”
7:30pm
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
THE LEPER SPY: THE STORY OF AN UNLIKELY HERO OF WORLD WAR II
10:30am | BEN MONTGOMERY NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR & TAMPA BAY TIMES REPORTER
Ben Montgomery is an award-winning staff writer at the Tampa Bay Times, and was a finalist for a Pulitzer
Prize in 2010. His book, The Leper Spy, tells of a tiny Filipina woman who was one of the top spies for the
Allies during World War II. As the Battle of Manila raged, young Josefina Guerrero walked through gunfire
to bandage wounds and close the eyes of the dead. Her valor earned her the Medal of Freedom, but the
thing that made her an effective spy was a disease that was destroying her.
AMERICA, MACARTHUR AND THE OCCUPATION OF JAPAN: THE CRITICAL FIRST YEAR
2:00pm | RICHARD FRANK MIL ITA RY HISTORI AN AND AU THOR
The rich academic and popular narratives of the American occupation of Japan strangely neglect or underplay the towering crisis in the first
year of the occupation, when the fate of the enterprise dangled in the balance as disease and famine threatened to kill millions of Japanese.
How the U.S. and MacArthur responded to these perils proved fundamental to the success of the occupation and the foundation for the
enduring alliance between the two prior foes. This is an account of the American efforts that saved at least as many Japanese lives as were
lost in the entire Asia-Pacific War from 1937 to 1945.
"FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE PACIFIC" - A LIVE PERFORMANCE
7:30pm | Auditorium
During World War II, live musical broadcasts and mass distribution of music had a unifying, patriotic effect by raising the morale of the
troops and motivating the Americans at home to fully support all aspects of the war effort. This uniquely American music served as a
defiant hope for liberation and freedom, and in many ways served as the soundtrack for the war. Spend an evening pretending you're one
of the troops in the Pacific Theater. You'll be transported to a radio show featuring the music of the Pacific Theater. The songs, the sounds,
the laughs will entertain you and help you understand what it felt like to be a member of our Armed Forces in World War II.
"Entertainment is always a national asset. Invaluable in time of peace, it is indispensable in wartime." — Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1943
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