Vets remember WWII’s bloodiest Pacific battle

[Subdeacon Joe]

Vets remember WWII’s bloodiest Pacific battle

 

SAN DIEGO — To the other visitors on

the USS Midway Museum, the elderly men touring the ship with walkers and

canes may have seemed like any other tourists out for a Saturday

morning excursion.

Anyone who struck up a conversation with them, however, were treated to a rare firsthand account of history.

“Our baptism of fire was an artillery barrage by the Japanese on the 5th of

April,” said Dan Dencker of Wisconsin. “From then on, we were in almost

continuous combat on Okinawa.”

Dencker, 88, is author of “Love

Company,” which tells the story of Company L of the Army’s 96th Infantry

Division, known as the Deadeyes.

[Utah Bob #35998]

My father in law was with the 77th Div. He fought on Guam and Okinawa. Severly wounded by mortar fire on Oki and evacuated. Had to learn to bowl left handed. When he tells people he fought in the Pacific, they're confused. They think the Army was in Europe and only Marines were in the island campaign.

[DocWard]

The 37th Infantry Divsion, the "Buckeye Division," was also in the Pacific.

[Pay Dirt Norvelle #90056]

My Father-in-Law was in the Marines and was on Okinawa. He was lucky as he made it home.

[G #1840]

My father was in the Navy then. He gave marines rides to the beach in an LST.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Almost two and a third years on "The Rock" (early April, 1966-early August 1968) was a great education in the history of the War in the Pacific.

 

My supply operation was on the NE rim of Item Pocket (look it up) and we found unexploded ordnance...and tons of other military junk from both sides...almost every day. EOD was a very busy group all over the island the whole time we were there.

[Subdeacon Joe]

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

We were at the east end. Road went around to the west and turned north toward the sea. K-9 barracks and kennels were down on the coast road. depot was south of us up the hill.

 

When I became a Company Commander my company barracks were at the west end of Ryan Ridge, WSW of Item Pocket.

 

My daughter was born at Camp Kue Army Hospital west of Kadena AFB.

 

Several years later when I went back (after I joined the Marines) I was at the south end of Kue for two and a half months TAD from Iwakuni, but it had been turned over to the USMC and renamed. My Swiss cheese memory doesn't tell me what it was called then.

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

Haha, Camp Foster, so des' ka.