Battle of Coral Sea Commemoration     Don Hatch, at left, was one of the first aircrew members of the 22nd Bomber Group deployed to Amberley Airfield, Ipswich, Australia following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The 19th Squadron's "A" flight, led by Lt. Walter Maiersperger, the Engineering Officer, had left Hicham Field, Hawaii on 16 March 1942 and touched down at Archer Aerodrome, Brisbane's municipal airport on the 22nd. Four days later, "A" Flight joined the Group's ground personnel at Amberley, a Royal Australian Air Force base, who had arrived by ship on 25 February before moving on to Garbutt Field at Townsend, several days later.     Returning to Amberley in May 1992 on the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Hatch carried with him a letter from US President George Bush and a personal letter from General Merrill McPeak, Chief of Staff, USAF to, on the right, the Commander of the Strike Reconnaissance Group, Air Commodore Dave Rogers: in the letter General Merrill McPeak said: "The men and women of the United States Air Force join me in thanking the RAAF for the support and dedication extended to them during World War II     For Australia, the commemoration of the sea battle was a National Holiday. Though marked as a tactical victory for Japan history saw it as a strategic loss. It marked the beginning of the end for Japan's drive for empire. It preserved the integrity of the Australian-American sea lanes and prevented the enemy from occupying the south shores of Papua, New Guinea.     If any reader has stories of their time at Amberley, base historian Tony Porter would love to hear from you. "T&K Porter" aporter1@iprimus.com.au