Well this upcoming Easter Sunday marks 64 years (1945) since I was hit on Okinawa. Actually the first U.S. troops landed on April 1, 1945 which was a beautiful Easter Sunday. (My group landed on April 4.) I can still see, in my mind's eye, the flashes of the cannons of the battle ships as the guns were fired incessantly. The roar was unbelievable, and it was also unbelievable that all hell was being unleashed on an Easter Sunday in a place that no one had ever heard of, Okinawa.
But feelings of camaraderie and awe as we spoke of "our turn" will never be replaced. Jews, Catholics, Gays (Yeah we had Gays in our outfit and absolutely no one gave a fiddler's fuck), Straights, Blacks, Whites, Episcopalians...we were all one. It stayed that way for the remainder of the war. I never thought that I would look at those days nostalgicly, but I do in the twilight of my years.
As Joe Gruss would say, "Goodbye, good luck, so long."
1 comment:
I recently lost my dad who served in the Navy during the WWII (Pacific and Aleutian Islands). There is no doubt you are the greatest generation. We're forever grateful for your sacrifices and your courage.
I somehow found your blog and couldn't stop reading it. You're a helluva writer!
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