My dad joined the Navy after a call for doctors in 1944. He served with the 3rd Marines as a Battalion Surgeon, and set up the first medical aid station on the island of Iwo Jima. It was at the airport in the middle of the island, right at the “front.” He never talked about his experiences, except in generalities. He did say that he lost his first 50 corpsmen to snipers.
I was blessed to spend his last 4.5 years with him. He died at 97 in February 2009. We often watched movies, especially old ones he had never seen because he worked so many hours a week. He asked to see both “Letters from Iwo Jima” and “Flags of our Fathers.” After seeing “Letters,” he said it was an accurate depiction and commented on the irony of experiencing the battles from the “other side.”
His family, all 5 children, 12 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren as well as his thousands of friends (he had a family medical practice for almost 50 years and was active in Conservative causes) all feel honored to have known him. He loved his family, his Church, and his country. He was a great American!
The GREATEST generation, thanks for sharing!!
Dad joined up in May 1945 one mission in B-24, he saw the bomb being loaded. His brother was a crew chief in anti-submarine unit on Eniwetok ( he met Nimitz twice if he is to be believed).
They had two cousins killed in the Ardennes two weeks and about two miles apart. One was in the 110th infantry and was part of the sharpshooters of Munshausen. The other was in the 134th infantry and was killed in Belgium in January.