Free Republic

The year is 1968. The sea breeze tousled the sod of an Okinawa golf course. Dick Johnson stood on the fairway, 9-iron in hand, eyeing the green. The outing was a break from his high intensity work in the back of a B-52 bomber, manning the electronic defense systems while his crew flew missions to Vietnam... Johnson gazed at the concrete mounds bordering the golf course, originally built to fortify the island from the Allied invasion decades earlier. He imagined his father, Richard W. Johnson, landing on these same beaches in 1945, taking part in the bloodiest battle of the...

Visitors to the Pacific island of Peleliu can't claim they weren't warned. The sign at the harbour says "Welcome to Peleliu -- Land of Enchantment," but as the boat approaches the quay, a second sign becomes visible. "Remember that WWII ordnance is still dangerous and can injure or kill!"The water glistens in varying shades of turquoise, the sand on the beaches is as fine as dust and a balmy breeze eases the tropical heat. But the beauty is deceptive. The "Land of Enchantment," which belongs to the island nation of Palau, was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles...

Jim Carney Akron Beacon Journal A mystery that was decades in the making ended with just one glance. The daughter of the World War II Marine took one look at her computer screen and recognized him. "Oh, my God, that is my dad," said Becky Thursby Cardarella of Afton, Minn. She knew right away that the man in the iconic black-and-white photo was her father, Marine Pfc. Gerald Paul Thursby Sr., crouching next to another Marine during the battle of Peleliu on Sept. 15, 1944.

But then just when you think that this series may have turned a corner and is now going to concentrate on what these brave men achieved, they have to show us another atrocity.

USS PELELIU, At Sea (NNS) -- Six ships and nearly 5,000 Sailors and Marines assigned to the USS Peleliu (LHA 5) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) concluded operations in the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet area of operations, July 9. Deployed Feb. 15 from San Diego and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Sailors and Marines assigned to Amphibious Squadron 3 and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Special Operations Capable (SOC), supported operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom, and conducted maritime security operations (MSO) throughout the region. MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well...

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Nearly 6,000 Sailors and Marines and six ships of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 3 departed San Diego Feb. 15 for a six-month deployment in support of the global war on terrorism. The strike group completed their last training work-up, Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX), Jan. 26 and its two other required exercises, ESG Integration Exercise (ESGINT) and Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), late last year. Collectively, these exercises prepared the group for the difficult challenges that a deployment presents. “The magnificent Sailors and Marines of ESG 3 will do their duty as a vital part of...

...Have we lost all sense of moral proportion? The al-Zarqawi TV network, also known as Al-Jazeera, has broadcast the tape to the Arab world, and U.S. media have also played it up. The point seems to be to conjure up images again of Abu Ghraib, further maligning the American purpose in Iraq. Never mind that the pictures don't come close to telling us about the context of the incident, much less what was on the mind of the soldier after days of combat. Put yourself in that Marine's boots. He and his mates have had to endure some of the...

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

The first name that Marine Pfc. William "Bill" Moore scratched on his canteen cup before his final battle of World War II was that of his dad, Earl Moore, a Marine in World War I. He was proud of his father, proud to follow in his footsteps and become a Marine himself. His sisters talked about their brother Monday as they held the rusted, battered canteen cup that became a family treasure last week. "Bill was still in high school; he didn't have to go," said Dorothy Saraga, one of his sisters, who now lives in Reseda. "He enlisted a...

The first name that Marine Pfc. William "Bill" Moore scratched on his canteen cup before his final battle of World War II was that of his dad, Earl Moore, a Marine in World War I. He was proud of his father, proud to follow in his footsteps and become a Marine himself. His sisters talked about their brother Monday as they held the rusted, battered canteen cup that became a family treasure last week. "Bill was still in high school; he didn't have to go," said Dorothy Saraga, one of his sisters, who now lives in Reseda. "He enlisted a...