by Norman G. Casteel
I want to give you the story of my 36 days and nights on Iwo Jima, in June of 1944.
I took my Boot Camp at San Diego. The hardest thing was to qualify at swimming. On the rifle range, I got seven out of eight at the 500 yard line. The rest of bootcamp I took in stride, then a 10-day leave to go home, back to Clarinda, Iowa.
used with permission by D. J. Richter ©2013
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The wheels hit the steaming tarmac on my island – Iwo To, they now call it. Outside of the scratched Plexiglas, a line of Japanese officers stand in the sun. Eyes wide, I steal a glance across the aisle, seeing him lost in thought as he views my island.
On his island, the sheets of rain obscure the view - Iwo Jima, they were told. The boat to starboard collapses under strain, as he watches friends sucked under, not yet paralyzed by fear nor numb to the pain. His knuckles whiten on his rifle as he turns back, staring towards the men and officers hidden in the mountain.
Phil Angelo815-937-3382Dec 22, 2016 Charles "Chuck" Vaughn, of Kankakee, Illinois, never got to see the famous flag-raising on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima.He was too busy trying to stay alive.Later a successful auctioneer and business owner, he was wounded twice during the battle of Iwo Jima while serving with the 5th Marine Division. The brutal battle required three Marine divisions to subdue the Japanese-held island, which was considered vital because of its airfield....
DALLAS - John Franklin Huffhines passed away peacefully on Friday, November 18, 2016 in Weatherford, TX, where he had lived since December 2015. MEMORIAL SERVICE: A memorial Service will be held on Saturday, December 10, 2016, at 2:00PM at Spring Valley United Methodist Church located at 7700 Spring Valley Road, Dallas, Texas. MEMORIAL: In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made for wounded Marines to Semper Fi Fund 825 College Blvd, Suite 102 PMB 609 Oceanside, CA 92057...