World War II 'Hero of Iwo Jima,' John Keith Wells, dies in Arvada

The Denver Channel ^ | 2/15/16 | Lance Hernandez

[Impala64ssa]

Another WWII vet was called home. RIP Lt. Wells and G-D bless you for your service.

[lodi90]

They were all heroes. Every last one. RIP to this Devil Dog.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Ave Atque Vale.

[laplata]

RIP and thank you, Sir.

[Jeff Head]

May you rest in peace, and may God in Heaven rest your soul.

My father was a combat vet of the PTO, but he came up through the Philippines with the MacArthur group.

He has been gone for over 12 years now.

I pray we stand up for our nation and not allow to be squandered what they all sacrificed so much to defend and then pass on to us.,

[exit82]

Where do we find such men?

Thank you Mr. Wells. Your sacrifice made the lives of untold millions better.

You have already been to Hell; welcome to Heaven!

[PGR88]

Wells, thinking the frontal assault order from higher up was pure suicide, refused to give his marines the order to assault. Without the supporting fire that had been promised, he simply rose from his shell hole, waived his rifle over his head and began running up the mountain. The rest of his Marines followed.

So he didn't follow the order but assaulted anyway? What the hell does that mean? What a poorly written article and sentence.

[stephenjohnbanker]

RIP my good man.

[Huskrrrr]

RIP. I can’t imagine the Hell those soldiers went through. A reminder of how precious our freedom is.

[dfwgator]

Also points out the difference between our armies and our enemies. Soldiers in the other armies could never improvise, they were strictly told to obey orders, our military encouraged improvising as conditions warranted.

[exnavy]

RIP marine, RIP. A true hero.

[mass55th]

Rest in peace Lieutenant, and thank you for your service.

[Huskrrrr]

Yes, a very good point.

[mrpotatohead]

They are having the funeral locally on Saturday and former Governor Perry will speak. Mr. Wells was highly respected here and I expect a huge turnout. They even plan a fly over for his funeral.

He was a true hero in every sense of the word.

[Responsibility2nd]

 

God To Hero: "At Ease, Marine!"

[Sasparilla]

..So he didn’t follow the order but assaulted anyway?...

Easy. Marines obey orders. And they do it in their own way when necessary. He led his men up the hill by unspoken example...

[Monterrosa-24]

Among our American dead on Iwo Jima was Billy Hamer who was the son of Frank Hamer the famed Texas Ranger who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde. The news of Billy’s death crushed Frank Hamer more than any of his 52 gunfights and multiple wounds.

[equaviator]

[Batman11]

RIP and thank you for your service, sir!

[oh8eleven]

From another source ...

Wells is still celebrated in the Marine Corps as the leader of what is believed to be the
"most decorated platoon to fight in a single engagement in the history of the Marine Corps."
He retired from the Marine Corps Reserves in 1959 with the rank of Major.

In the 1949 Academy Award Winning movie, Sands of Iwo Jima, John Wayne's character, Sergeant Stryker,
was an amalgamation of the 3rd platoon's Sgt. Ernest "Boots" Thomas and Wells.
In Clint Eastwood's recent movie, Flags of Our Fathers, Wells' was depicted as a fictional "Lt. Bell."

RIP sir and Semper Fi ...