“In the waters around Okinawa, the Japanese launched the largest kamikaze, or suicide, attack of the war. Japanese planes rammed into Allied ships, sinking 26 and severely damaging 168. Almost 40% of the U.S. casualties during the battle were sailors lost in these attacks. “
Dad was on the Maryland, trying to shoot down the kamikaze who flew low over his head to impact the top of the #3 turret, killing 12 Sailors and Marines.
Mine was an antitank gunner with the 27th ID. He was right on the front during the banzai attack on Saipan and was uninjured. On Okinawa, his sector was supposedly cleared when he was grazed in the head by a sniper. We were blessed with a generation of heroes, just when we needed them.
My Dad was there.
US Navy Ship USS DADE. Since he was a photographer, I grew up looking at pictures of the actual battle.