Source: Washington Monthly
by Garrett Epps
“On the night of June 21, 1942, a Japanese submarine surfaced near the mouth of the Columbia River at the border between Oregon and Washington. The vessel, I-25, fired 17 shells from its 5.5-inch deck gun at Fort Stevens, an Army artillery post, then slunk away, having done no damage to its target. The following month, I-25 returned to the attack, launching its floatplane, flown by Warrant Flying Officer Nobuo Fujita, on September 9 and September 29. The aircraft dropped four incendiary bombs on wooded areas, hoping to set fire to Oregon’s vast forests. That mission failed, too. In response to the Japanese attack, in September 2025, President Donald Trump federalized the Oregon National Guard. Does that make sense? The claim that the National Guard must be federalized in 2025 to repel Japanese bombardment in 1942 makes as much sense as the government’s actual explanation of why, on September 29, the administration ordered the Oregon Guard placed under federal control.” (10/21/25)
https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/10/21/court-greenlights-trumps-portland-troop-surge/