Jack Dempsey at Okinawa in 1945

[sport historian]

I'm surprised that posters on this Forum are unaware that Jack Dempsey was with a Coast Guard unit that took part in the landing at Okinawa. Below is from pages 432-433 of Roger Kahn's 1999 Dempsey biography:





One of Dempsey's units was assigned to move in with the landing parties storming Okinawa. As the young warriors climbed into small boats for the assault on April 1, 1945, a line officer said, "You stay here with me, Jack, we can't afford to lose you."


Dempsey said, "Sir, I trained these boys and they look up to me. I go where they go." Which is how Jack Dempsey hit the beach at Okinawa when he was forty-nine years old.


"You know," he told me with great seriousness, "in World War I, they said I was a slacker. In World War II they said I was a hero." A hard look. "They were wrong both times."

 

[Guest]

I'm surprised that posters on this Forum are unaware that Jack Dempsey was with a Coast Guard unit that took part in the landing at Okinawa. Below is from pages 432-433 of Roger Kahn's 1999 Dempsey biography:





One of Dempsey's units was assigned to move in with the landing parties storming Okinawa. As the young warriors climbed into small boats for the assault on April 1, 1945, a line officer said, "You stay here with me, Jack, we can't afford to lose you."


Dempsey said, "Sir, I trained these boys and they look up to me. I go where they go." Which is how Jack Dempsey hit the beach at Okinawa when he was forty-nine years old.


"You know," he told me with great seriousness, "in World War I, they said I was a slacker. In World War II they said I was a hero." A hard look. "They were wrong both times."

Interesting info

 

[sport historian]

In Joe Louis's 1942 title defense against Buddy Baer, he gave his purse to the war effort. This act cemented his popularity and justifiably so.

 

[jaxvid]

Yeah I don't think Joe Louis should be criticized for his war record. He was a celebrity and the best thing he could have done was to support the war effort. What was the point of him being another grunt when he was capable of bringing in recruits and money?

Louis was a good man. He was not intellegent and squandered his money but not on woman and drugs. He counseled Ali to go into the service and not be a draft dodger.

He ended up being a "greeter" at casino's in Vegas (not a "bellhop") which is entirely legitimate for a famous ex-athlete.

Furthermore if black athletes behaved like Joe Louis did we would have a much better country and world.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Jaxvid, you are straight on right about that, man. I'd take 1,000 of those Joe Lewis's now, considering what most black males have turned into. I wish I could go back to the days when men were men and took care of their families like they should instead of walking out on them.

Even though it's a different subject, it kind of reminds me of an Andy Williams song from Where the Red Fern Grows, "If I could only go back again, to the places where I have been..."That's good music!

 

[Gary]

I remember they wanted to take a photo of Dempsey holding up two Japanese soldiers in each arm. Sports Historian do you know anything about that? Did they take the picture?

 

[Gary]

Jack Dempsey was given the rank of Lieutenant in the Coast Guard which is equal to Captian in the Army. He was director of the physical fitness program,his orders were "make 'em tough".Dempsey wrote a book at this time called 'How to fight tough". Very hard to find,but you can still purchase the book at Paladin Press. Joe Louis was a good fighter and much better man then the blacks around today,but I'd rather have a 1,000 more Jack Dempsey's or Gene Tunneys!!

 

[sport historian]

I have never heard of that picture you mention. I don't think Dempsey would have gone along with it. There is a photo of Dempsey in uniform at Okinawa in Randy Roberts's 1979 Dempsey biography.


Jack Dempsey was severely criticizedduring hisreign as Champion for not being in WWI, more than almost any famous athlete ever has been for not fighting in a war (including Ali, by the way). In 1918, Dempsey was the No.1 heavyweight contender and raised a lot of money for the war effort. He did a lot more in this area than Babe Ruth, for example.


Very patriotic, Jack was wounded by this criticism. It took his service in WWII to put his own mind at rest, according to his biographers.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Yeah Gary, me too. That was understood even when it went unsaid. It's just a shame our society has crashed so much. Both white and black culture. We have followed the decline of blacks as we became a fully integrated society in the 60's. Now, the differences between the two races behavior are getting blurry, to a large extent. I hope that something will change that will allow whites to become the dominant group again in the country, as far as setting trends and style and morality, but I do not see it happening on a large scale. Most of us have become wimps, and society treats us as such.

 

[Gary]

I'll do some looking into that photo-I seem to remember the C.O. wanted Dempsey to have the photo taken but Dempsey refused because both the Japanese soldiers looked to old. Dempsey ran a very successful restaurant in New York. I think Jack Dempsey was one of the greatest fighters who ever lived!!!

 

[Gary]

Dempsey was on the USS Arthur Middleton[attack transport] during the battle for Okinawa. Very interesting that Dempsey tryed to join the Army during WW1 but was refused-don't know why-do any of you know the reason? Also found out among others Humphrey Bogart,Arnold Palmer and Otto Graham were also in the Coast Guard. Graham was the Head Football Coach at Coast Guard for some years. Gene Tunney was a Marine in WW1 and made a Navy Officer in WW2.

 

[Gary]

Many who actually saw Dempsey fight say he was not only the Greatest Heavyweight of All-Time but the greatest pound for pound!! Look at these remarks!

Sam Langford, when asked how Harry Wills (whom he fought 18 times in his career) would do against Jack Dempsey, said in the June 5, 1922, Atlanta Constitution "Well if he ever fights Dempsey my money will be on the present champion. Dempsey is the greatest fighter I have ever seen. He hits twice as hard as Jim Jeffries and is as fast in the ring as James J. Corbett."

In 1950, the Associated Press conducted a poll of sportswriters to name the greatest fighter of all-time, pound-for-pound, and Dempsey was the runaway winner, collecting 251 votes. [Joe Louis finished a distant second with 109 votes; Henry Armstrong was third with 13.] The sportswriters of the first half of the century named Dempsey as the greatest fighter they had ever seen.

As late as 1962, in the Dec 1962 Ring Magazine, a panel of 40 boxing writers tabbed Dempsey as the greatest heavyweight of all time.

Bert Sugar rates Jack Dempsey as the # 1 all time pound for pound heavyweight.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Speaking of Jack Dempsey, my Great Grandfather was a sparring partner of his for quite a while, but I think it was after the 20's were over.

 

[sport historian]

This is a thread I started praising Jack Dempsey for his military service in World War II. A poster had claimed Dempsey was a draft dodger in World War I. He was not. In World War II, Dempsey went out of his way to serve and was in danger on the beach at Okinawa.

 

[white is right]

From what I read he was able to get out of the WWI draft by having to support a family. His critics called him a shirker. That and the poisonous divorce from his first wife were fairly big scandals for the time period.