PT Boat Red

My father, George “Red” Stahley, hated the Nazis. And he REALLY hated the Nazi SS. And what he THOUROUGHLY HATED above it all was the NAZI Gestapo–Hitler’s secret police who did the dirtiest of the Nazi dirty work. In the above photo, a GESTAPO henchman is seen doing what the GESTAPO did best–executing innocent civilians at point blank range. Anything here sound familiar?

Red’s first posting as a young radioman was with PT Squadron (RON) 15 in the Mediterranean theater. In August of 1944, the PTs assisted in the invasion of Southern France–an operation that was overshadowed by the D-Day invasion of Normandy which occurred two months earlier. in June of that year, RON 15 utilized several bases, among them: Bizerte (Tunisia), Maddelana (Sardinia), and Basta (Corsica). I distinctly remember hearing those names from my father when I was a small boy–and they etched themselves into my memory.

As part of the Allied invasion of Southern France, Operation Dragoon, the PTs helped to maintain tight control of the coastline, harassed Nazi shore batteries, transported liaison officers, and engaged enemy vessels. The PTs relayed messages when radio silence was required. The frontline work of the PTs helped to make the operation what some WWll historians have described as a “nearly faultless amphibious operation.” The PTs also conducted search and rescue missions throughout the invasion.

While I know much more about my father’s service in the South Pacific in 1945, I know that one of his experiences in the Mediterranean involved a strafing run by Nazi fighter planes on one of those bases where he was stationed in the communications center. Coming under fire from enemy aircraft on one of those bases was a dramatic reminder for Red of how serious things could get in the blink of an eye. By the time he was transferred out of RON 15, he was very familiar with the enemy he was fighting, the goals of National Socialism, and the strategy they were using to achieve it. His intense hatred of Nazis only grew stronger from that point on.

In the years immediately after the war, Red learned of the horrors of the Nazi concentration camps, the hideous treatment of the Jewish people, and the evil infrastructure of the Third Reich. The workings of the SS and the Gestapo enraged him as did few other things. The very sight of a swastika set him off like a rocket leaving a launching pad.

My father hated the Nazis, their SS, and most especially their vile Gestapo. And I hate them all as much as he did. He stood against the cruel brutalities of fascism in WWII and I’m standing against it now.

How tragic to see an American version of the Nazi Gestapo – ICE – unleashed on our beloved nation. The recent murder of an unarmed civilian in Minneapolis clearly demonstrates that a favored technique of Hitler’s Gestapo — executing unarmed civilians at point blank range — is a method now employed by the homicidal, poorly-trained, and shameless storm troopers employed by our federal government. The crimes they are committing every day, in our name, are shocking reminders of what the Nazis did in Germany. Are we not better than this? How long will we endure the shoddy remake of the Third Reich being carried against us by a racist, violent, thuggish regime that worships at the altar of Adolph Hitler?

Tomorrow, I will be joining forces with millions of other American citizens who will rise up all across this nation to say ENOUGH. And we’ll say it like this: ICE OUT FOR GOOD. I would urge the current administration to pay attention–their behavior is intolerable, cruel, and deeply un-American. We beat the Nazis in 1945 and we’re going to beat them again.

And still we rise.

Just another day at work for Hitler’s Gestapo in WWII. Maybe ICE uses this as a training photo for their new recruits–why not learn from the best?