WEBVTT 1 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.440 Welcome to Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in 2 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:20.160 this edition is Frank Wright. He's a US Marine Corps 3 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:22.719 veteran of World War Two and is one of the 4 00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:27.719 last remaining veterans of the original Marine Raiders. Frank Wright 5 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:31.640 started his overseas service at Guadalcanal and took part in 6 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:35.200 multiple landings in the Pacific. A few weeks ago we 7 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:38.880 highlighted his actions on Guam, how he engaged in hand 8 00:00:38.880 --> 00:00:43.560 to hand fighting with the Japanese and survived multiple bayonet stabbings. 9 00:00:44.119 --> 00:00:46.679 In fact, he stayed in the fight until the very 10 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:49.719 end of that battle. After the fight for Guam in 11 00:00:49.759 --> 00:00:52.479 the summer of nineteen forty four, Wright and the other 12 00:00:52.560 --> 00:00:56.000 Marines in the twenty first Regiment stayed on Guam and 13 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:59.840 trained intensely for the next fight. They didn't know immediately 14 00:01:00.159 --> 00:01:03.479 where that would be. It would come in February nineteen 15 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:08.040 forty five at Ewojima. In this edition of Veterans' Chronicles, 16 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:11.560 Frank Wright will tell us about the battle plan for Ewojima, 17 00:01:12.319 --> 00:01:15.280 how his landing on the beach has got delayed, the 18 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:19.120 flag raising atop mountster Abaci, and the shrapnel wound to 19 00:01:19.159 --> 00:01:22.719 the head that other marines thought had killed him. Later 20 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:25.120 on we'll hear about the fighting he did on Hisll's 21 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:29.120 two sixty two A and two sixty two B and 22 00:01:29.480 --> 00:01:34.200 Hill three eighty two where he was severely wounded. All 23 00:01:34.239 --> 00:01:37.400 of that is straight ahead, but we begin as right 24 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:40.079 tells us what the plan was for the Marines heading 25 00:01:40.120 --> 00:01:41.599 into the Battle of Ewojima. 26 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:49.640 The twenty first Marines were reserved for the fifth and 27 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:57.799 fourth division. When reattacked, the fifth Divisions was susposed to 28 00:01:57.879 --> 00:02:03.200 go on Mount Serbacci, and their objective was to go 29 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:06.439 to the top and clear out all of the heavy 30 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:12.080 sights there that they were using because it was the 31 00:02:12.159 --> 00:02:15.360 highest peak in the island and they had to go 32 00:02:15.479 --> 00:02:17.759 up to the top of it. Well, it turned out 33 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:21.439 that the twenty eighth Marines were the one that was 34 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:24.120 going all the way up to the top, and they 35 00:02:24.240 --> 00:02:28.759 twenty eighth turned out to be the people that raised 36 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:33.879 the flags of the two flags on Ijima. But that 37 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:39.599 was their objective, and the fourth divisions objective was to 38 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:45.879 go into Airfield Number one, which is the airfield that 39 00:02:47.159 --> 00:02:52.120 we needed to protect the B twenty nine's that were 40 00:02:52.159 --> 00:02:57.360 going and to bomb Tokyo. Anyway, that was their position, 41 00:02:57.520 --> 00:03:01.840 and that was their objective for the fourth division, and 42 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:05.120 the fifth division was to go right straight on up 43 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:10.919 Mount Sierabacci. That was full of little hills, and that's 44 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:14.680 what those roads were used for with the skirt around 45 00:03:14.840 --> 00:03:20.759 some of those areas as they were approaching up over Serabaci. 46 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:25.199 So that was the fifth and the fourth. Now it 47 00:03:25.280 --> 00:03:31.000 was the twenty first Marines of the third division. The 48 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:35.919 twenty first Marines objective was to go in to be 49 00:03:36.159 --> 00:03:43.000 a reserve for the fourth Division as they cleaned up 50 00:03:43.719 --> 00:03:48.439 the first airfield. Then they were supposed to go on 51 00:03:49.919 --> 00:03:56.520 from the first airfield over toward the second airfield and 52 00:03:56.919 --> 00:04:02.199 stop and they would wait for the twenty first Marines 53 00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:09.560 to get ashore and meet with them, because now the 54 00:04:09.639 --> 00:04:15.759 fourth Division had been fighting from the nineteenth that's when 55 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:21.040 d Day was to meet us on the twenty first 56 00:04:21.319 --> 00:04:25.839 and wait on the second airfield for us. Because we 57 00:04:25.839 --> 00:04:30.639 were the relief outfit, so we were charged with coming 58 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:37.000 in on the twenty first February and then at ten 59 00:04:37.040 --> 00:04:40.160 o'clock that was our objective to land. 60 00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:43.160 But the plan to come ashore on February twenty first 61 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:47.040 had to be postponed and Write's explanation of why that 62 00:04:47.199 --> 00:04:50.920 happened gives us a chilling reminder of the cost of 63 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:52.399 taking Ewojima. 64 00:04:52.720 --> 00:04:57.720 When our ship, the ussis Jackson pulled into the East 65 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:03.839 Harbor and started raining, and we were supposed to land 66 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:08.279 for I pull off over it, get off the ship 67 00:05:08.800 --> 00:05:12.639 of the USS Jackson and get into the Higgins boat 68 00:05:13.160 --> 00:05:20.319 and circle to Jackson to get our attack completed. It 69 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:25.000 was raining and the surf was up, and we did 70 00:05:25.079 --> 00:05:30.160 that for going round and round and round for six hours, 71 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:35.439 and we were all sick and it was really bad. 72 00:05:35.839 --> 00:05:40.079 But the beachmaster would not let us ashore at that 73 00:05:40.319 --> 00:05:45.399 time because he said there was too many dead bodies 74 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:50.759 on the beach where we had originally been slated to land. 75 00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:55.600 The beachmaster would not let us in. So the beachmaster 76 00:05:56.120 --> 00:06:00.560 told us that we'd have to go back long the 77 00:06:00.600 --> 00:06:04.079 area that we had just come from, and you go 78 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:08.959 back there into our ships and stay there until further orders. 79 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:12.879 So that's what we did. After we were circling around, 80 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:17.680 which went back into our ship, the Jackson went back 81 00:06:17.720 --> 00:06:21.680 aboard the ship, putting all of our equipment into our 82 00:06:21.720 --> 00:06:26.560 own bugs Higgins boats went back into the ship. We 83 00:06:26.560 --> 00:06:30.639 were out of the battle. At that particular time, the 84 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:38.800 commander of our unit, the twenty first, was told to 85 00:06:38.839 --> 00:06:45.519 put all the flamethrowers equipment and the heavy machine gun 86 00:06:45.600 --> 00:06:50.000 and a light machine guns in with the headquarters company 87 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:56.439 because they were having problems with the heavier equipment to 88 00:06:56.560 --> 00:07:00.399 come to crawl over the side of the ship into 89 00:07:00.439 --> 00:07:04.000 those rope ladders he come down. So when they came 90 00:07:04.079 --> 00:07:09.600 down heavy machine guns like machine guns and flame through fuel, 91 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:13.720 et cetera. Were in with their headquarters company. They not 92 00:07:13.839 --> 00:07:17.639 only had their own protection, which was their grand inland. 93 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:21.480 We stayed there in our own bunks board ship on 94 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:27.240 the Jackson until at eight o'clock eight hundred we were 95 00:07:27.279 --> 00:07:31.879 whistled above board to prepare for landing, climbed down our 96 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:37.879 rope ladders again and got onto the Higgins boats and 97 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:41.800 went out to form a circle around to get coordinated again. 98 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:45.639 And they had come in. Well. We had already missed 99 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:49.399 our ten o'clock meeting with the fourth Division as they 100 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:53.279 fought through them Airfield number one, so we were day 101 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:54.319 late already. 102 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:57.680 Right and his fellow marines in the twenty first had 103 00:07:57.720 --> 00:08:00.600 to wait a day to get on Ewojima. They did 104 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:02.920 not have to wait any longer for their turn at 105 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:07.519 combat and Write's first very close call on the island. 106 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:11.759 We came in under fire. I lost I think it 107 00:08:11.879 --> 00:08:15.480 was two men out of our squad. We just left 108 00:08:15.519 --> 00:08:19.160 them there and had a corm and treeing in. We 109 00:08:19.160 --> 00:08:22.120 went a little further at this time that we went 110 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:25.519 a little bit further. I got up into a little 111 00:08:25.560 --> 00:08:30.000 protected area and we were still fighting hard. I got 112 00:08:30.519 --> 00:08:35.759 hit in the head with is either shrapnel or bullet 113 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:41.159 into my steel helmet and knocked me out. I went 114 00:08:41.200 --> 00:08:44.879 out and went down. All my scout and my bare 115 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:48.159 men both saw me, and they thought me I was 116 00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:51.240 dead or really because they so I went down. I 117 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:56.080 heard a bunch of screaming and yelling and howering, and 118 00:08:56.200 --> 00:09:00.840 the horns were blowing and out there and East Harbor 119 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:04.440 and kind of woke me up. And then somebody was 120 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:08.600 munking around with the knife I had on my back. 121 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:12.559 Finally found out that was one of our guys, ninth Marins, 122 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:16.639 I think it was. Finally the Jacks thought that all 123 00:09:16.679 --> 00:09:21.120 that yelling and everything that and everybody was looking towards 124 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:27.679 Mounts Verboci. They started hollering about that and yelling, and 125 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:33.000 I didn't know what was going on. I borrowed the 126 00:09:33.039 --> 00:09:37.399 big ship binoculars that my scout had picked up on 127 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:41.360 board ship, and so I hollered at him. He said 128 00:09:41.399 --> 00:09:44.399 that he thought I was dead already because he saw 129 00:09:44.519 --> 00:09:49.039 my helmet go. And I looked up over the burm 130 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:52.799 that we were had there and we were stuck in, 131 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:57.200 and I could see that it was something that was 132 00:09:57.240 --> 00:10:02.000 going on up on top of the bounce Zarabachi. I said, hell, 133 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:05.120 that looks like a flag. And so then I started 134 00:10:05.240 --> 00:10:08.240 yelling and hollering and all that kind of stuff on it, 135 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:12.240 and with all that noise was going on, I thought 136 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:15.519 sure that we had won the fight. Sarah Bashi was 137 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:19.919 secure and it was ours, and the Japanese thought it 138 00:10:19.960 --> 00:10:23.759 was that they had won because all the people out 139 00:10:23.799 --> 00:10:27.440 there were hollering and yelling too. They came out of 140 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:31.519 their pill boxes and we got active and we started 141 00:10:31.559 --> 00:10:34.200 fighting with those people. That was a hell of a 142 00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:38.000 big fight there. But because both of us thought we 143 00:10:38.039 --> 00:10:40.960 won the fight. So when they kind of cleared up 144 00:10:41.000 --> 00:10:44.080 a little bit they found out that the Americans were 145 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:47.200 just raising a flag, they all ran back to the 146 00:10:47.480 --> 00:10:51.840 pill box. They got interested. We were fighting again. Both 147 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:56.639 sides thought that they had won and didn't anyway, we 148 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:00.360 got going there on that fight, and we wrought with 149 00:11:00.519 --> 00:11:05.840 him for several hours. Meanwhile, the twenty eighth had raised 150 00:11:05.879 --> 00:11:09.919 their flag, that small flag on Mount Serribaci, and some 151 00:11:10.120 --> 00:11:14.000 officer said, I think we should have a bigger flag 152 00:11:14.440 --> 00:11:17.960 because other people can't see it on the other end 153 00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:21.639 of the island. So they elected to have someone from 154 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:25.879 the twenty eighth fought his way back down to his 155 00:11:26.279 --> 00:11:30.759 landing area on boards on the ship, went back on 156 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:34.840 the ship and he got a larger flag from some place. 157 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:39.159 Then he came back out and went back on the beach, 158 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:43.840 and then they started climbing Mount Serrabacci again, so he 159 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.039 had to fight his way back up to the top. 160 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:49.440 That took a lot of guts to go down to say, 161 00:11:49.639 --> 00:11:53.000 and then fight the same ones coming back. He got 162 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:58.120 up there, and probably about two hours later, they found 163 00:11:58.159 --> 00:12:02.799 a taller piece the pipe. They wrapped a larger flag 164 00:12:02.919 --> 00:12:06.159 on the tip of it, and then a group of 165 00:12:06.200 --> 00:12:10.480 the tony eighth started poking it down into the lava, 166 00:12:11.159 --> 00:12:15.159 and then they raised that second flag up. And I 167 00:12:15.240 --> 00:12:18.399 heard later that one of the reasons they wanted that 168 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:23.159 too was because the people in the West Harbor on 169 00:12:23.240 --> 00:12:25.879 the other side of the island could see the flag 170 00:12:26.159 --> 00:12:29.519 up there. Now now they've got a one that they 171 00:12:29.519 --> 00:12:33.279 could see, they could and so therefore the ships started 172 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:37.759 hollering and tooting their arms and stuff. So they got 173 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:42.440 into the same situation on their side of the island. 174 00:12:42.960 --> 00:12:47.320 They thought that the Japs had won, and the Japs 175 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:51.080 thought the Americans had one, so they started fighting in 176 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.679 So we had another fight, a big fight going on 177 00:12:54.679 --> 00:12:57.840 on the west side of that tip of the island, 178 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:02.399 which was above the the sulfur pits. Then I could 179 00:13:02.399 --> 00:13:06.519 see that bigger flag a lot better. Also, about that time, 180 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:09.440 we heard a plane that came in. It had our 181 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:12.840 colors on it, and it came in low. And I 182 00:13:12.919 --> 00:13:16.600 heard later that that low flight was bringing in some 183 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:20.360 sea rashing and mail. And they picked up some mail 184 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:26.000 and some sea rashing and landed it on Airfield number two, 185 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:31.000 which was now holding the twenty first Marines and the 186 00:13:31.120 --> 00:13:34.679 Force Division. That was one of the planes that was 187 00:13:35.039 --> 00:13:39.960 seeking to land on Airfield number two, but it was 188 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:43.799 still hot with all the firing that was going on, 189 00:13:44.320 --> 00:13:50.159 so it started looking back over to airfield number one. Now, 190 00:13:50.200 --> 00:13:54.399 Airfield number one had been secured because the Force Division 191 00:13:54.440 --> 00:13:57.399 had moved off of it, but they were getting it 192 00:13:57.559 --> 00:14:02.399 prepared because they needed the airfield number one cleared and 193 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:07.440 ready to protect to be twenty nine as they came over. 194 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:13.000 The B twenty nines came over Airfield number two and 195 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:20.279 headed for Tokyo and and the airfield number one. I guess, 196 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:22.840 I guess he just went right home after him and 197 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:29.240 to protect him and did their assignment. When the B 198 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:32.240 twenty nines came back, they led it if they could, 199 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:38.000 and the fighters red tails mostly I take were signed 200 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:39.080 to protect them. 201 00:14:39.519 --> 00:14:42.759 That's Frank Wright, a US Marine Corps veteran and one 202 00:14:42.759 --> 00:14:45.720 of the last of the original Marine Raiders. He's a 203 00:14:45.799 --> 00:14:49.480 veteran of Gualcanal and the Battles of Guam and Iwo Jima, 204 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:54.039 among many other operations. When we come back right takes 205 00:14:54.120 --> 00:14:56.960 us into the fighting on Hill three eighty two that 206 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:01.639 nearly took his life. I'm Greg Krumba and this is 207 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:03.399 Veterans Chronicles. 208 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:07.000 Sixty Seconds of Service. This sixty Seconds of Service is 209 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:10.360 presented by T Mobile. T Mobile offers exclusive discounts for 210 00:15:10.360 --> 00:15:13.360 a veteran and military families and are proud supporters of 211 00:15:13.399 --> 00:15:16.720 the National Defense Network. Visit T mobile Dot com slash 212 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:19.840 Military to learn more about how they support our military 213 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:23.120 community from Kuratuck, North Carolina. More help is now available 214 00:15:23.159 --> 00:15:26.440 for veterans in northeast North Carolina. Donald Austin is a 215 00:15:26.519 --> 00:15:28.799 Navy veteran. He said he's had a problem with his 216 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:32.080 left knee for years. He said, can't get it taken 217 00:15:32.120 --> 00:15:34.279 care of. The Navy doesn't want to touch it, said Austin. 218 00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:37.960 That could change though, thanks to Robert Kane. Cain is 219 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:40.440 a Coast Guard veteran and now the Veteran Services Officer 220 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:44.039 for Camden and Kuratuk County. He said, no better way 221 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:46.960 to continue my second career after military retirement, to serve 222 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:50.480 the community and help vets deal with the VA. Today's 223 00:15:50.480 --> 00:15:53.120 sixty Seconds of Service is brought to you by Prevagen. 224 00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:56.919 Prevagen is the number one pharmacist recommended memory support brand. 225 00:15:57.240 --> 00:16:00.840 You can find Prevagen and the Vitamin Aisle in stores everywhere. 226 00:16:01.039 --> 00:16:04.960 This is Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in 227 00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:08.399 this edition is Frank Wright. He's a US Marine Corps 228 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:11.799 veteran of World War Two and the Battle of Ewojima 229 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:14.799 and a lot of other combat in the Pacific theater. 230 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:18.320 We now pick up the story as Wright explains how 231 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:21.480 he and other Marines in his unit were ordered away 232 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:25.240 from the airfields and into what might be the largest 233 00:16:25.279 --> 00:16:29.039 fight during the Battle of Ewojima, a fight that nearly 234 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:30.320 cost him his life. 235 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:36.320 After that, the scout and the ba Arbon and myself 236 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:41.639 met up at the sulfur pits. We stayed there until 237 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:47.679 we were cohorsd by some colonel or general along of 238 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:51.679 the two that needed some help. They said, you're in 239 00:16:51.720 --> 00:16:55.039 the fourth division now. I said, well, we're part of 240 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:58.399 the third division. They said, well, the third division is 241 00:16:58.559 --> 00:17:03.320 just coming in on the landing. The rest of the 242 00:17:03.320 --> 00:17:06.000 third Division, I should say so. I said, you're in 243 00:17:06.039 --> 00:17:09.039 the fourth division. Now said we need all the help 244 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:12.160 we get. We're on attack. And that brought us up 245 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:18.079 into the area of hill number two sixty two A, 246 00:17:18.519 --> 00:17:26.039 two sixty two B, also into Odiyama Radio station and 247 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:31.599 the Oriyama village. We went through two sixty two B 248 00:17:32.920 --> 00:17:36.200 and cleaned out that one. When we went to uh 249 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:42.319 to sixty two A, we went around that, cleaned out 250 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:47.319 those of pillboxes and a lot of hand and stuff 251 00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.839 in that. By that time, some of the third Marin's 252 00:17:51.240 --> 00:17:54.839 third Division they've had fought their way up to that 253 00:17:55.480 --> 00:18:00.200 three eighty two as well as the fourth division. They 254 00:18:00.240 --> 00:18:04.079 were in on it as well, and the ninth I 255 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:08.359 think they ninth came in and then we attacked three 256 00:18:08.400 --> 00:18:13.400 eighty two. They repelled us. We went up to the 257 00:18:13.440 --> 00:18:18.039 top or near the top one of the two and 258 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:22.599 they chased us down with the mortars and hang grenades. 259 00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:28.720 Went on back down below the three eighty two. We 260 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:33.000 did that about four times trying to get up over 261 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:37.160 that damn hill, and they still took us with the 262 00:18:37.200 --> 00:18:42.119 hand grenades and bannetts and all that stuff. They threw 263 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.319 out us all they could on it, and it was 264 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:50.160 one of the biggest fights on Evio records say that 265 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:55.000 it was the largest single piece of work done out there. 266 00:18:55.240 --> 00:18:58.039 That evening of March the second, they told us to 267 00:18:59.039 --> 00:19:03.160 go back down to the lower part of the three 268 00:19:03.200 --> 00:19:07.039 eighty two, and we're going to have some more people 269 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:12.000 come in to give us a hand on it tomorrow morning, 270 00:19:12.279 --> 00:19:15.440 which would have been on the third. On March the third, 271 00:19:16.240 --> 00:19:21.799 our order was to take it, and so we started 272 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:26.240 to take it during that time. That night they got 273 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:30.720 reinforced again and we started up over the hill. I 274 00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:37.000 had my scout ba Arman and myself, a corman and 275 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:41.480 guy from the fourth Sport Division. We started up over 276 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:45.160 the hill and my scout got up on the top 277 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:47.119 of the hill. We could see the other side of 278 00:19:47.160 --> 00:19:50.960 the three eighty two, which was a kind of a 279 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:57.799 big deep cave and had two or three pill boxes. 280 00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:03.480 A scout I didn't see anybody working in those two 281 00:20:03.559 --> 00:20:08.920 pill boxes, and he lived by Baar and followed and 282 00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:12.680 he went over the hill. Then I followed that. The 283 00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:16.160 corbin was right behind me, and just as I went 284 00:20:16.200 --> 00:20:20.680 over the hill, one of the Japs went in back 285 00:20:20.759 --> 00:20:25.039 into his pill box or was chased back in there, 286 00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:30.480 and he picked up his position with the twenty five 287 00:20:30.640 --> 00:20:35.079 Namboo Japanese machine gun, and as I went up over 288 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:39.599 the hill, they sprayed me. The first two shots went 289 00:20:39.720 --> 00:20:45.480 into my right chestle a little smaller holes on as 290 00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:49.240 an entry hole. It came out, and a big hole 291 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:53.640 went through my clavicle or chipped off of my part 292 00:20:53.799 --> 00:20:58.519 went out and went into my lungs. Both sales came 293 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:04.640 out and they went through that. I left arm bustle 294 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:11.519 destroyed my muscle and I went down. Of course, Carmen 295 00:21:11.640 --> 00:21:15.000 behind me. He went up to the top and he 296 00:21:15.640 --> 00:21:18.480 got a hole in my blouse neck and the jacket 297 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:23.079 pulled me bottled line of fire down into a shell hole. 298 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:28.799 And I stayed there for a little while and pretty 299 00:21:28.839 --> 00:21:35.839 and they put me on a stretcher and two carmen 300 00:21:35.920 --> 00:21:40.559 started working on me. They worked on my arm and 301 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:46.720 worked on my entry roounds, but they didn't see the 302 00:21:46.839 --> 00:21:52.640 hole that it left in my chest. When the ROMs 303 00:21:53.440 --> 00:21:57.400 came out, they didn't see that hole because it was 304 00:21:57.440 --> 00:22:00.200 behind my blouse on it, and I did and he 305 00:22:00.279 --> 00:22:02.799 complained about that one or they. I just thought it 306 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:05.839 was my arm. It was the main part because it 307 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:09.640 was I couldn't move my arm at all after that 308 00:22:09.759 --> 00:22:11.240 because muscle was shot out. 309 00:22:11.720 --> 00:22:14.559 You were then evacuated, correct. 310 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:21.240 Well, yes and no. My ba arman came walking back 311 00:22:21.279 --> 00:22:24.599 down into the shell hole that they had laid me 312 00:22:25.400 --> 00:22:29.680 anger and they had blown up right behind him, and yeah, 313 00:22:29.759 --> 00:22:33.640 all kinds of small holes. God see, I hunted the 314 00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:38.039 holes in his jacket. There was little holes all over 315 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:40.519 the place on it. So he came in. He was 316 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:44.400 kind of walking wounded. So he came in and they 317 00:22:44.519 --> 00:22:47.319 rolled him down by me, and so I asked him, 318 00:22:47.359 --> 00:22:49.640 I say, you do you see our scout And he 319 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:54.440 said no, he didn't see him anymore. She said, I 320 00:22:54.480 --> 00:22:57.759 don't know what happened to him. So we stayed there, 321 00:22:58.039 --> 00:23:01.000 and then the shells started coming in and the shell 322 00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:05.000 hold that we were laid at, and they were getting 323 00:23:05.119 --> 00:23:10.200 pretty fears in there. So ba Arman says, he said, 324 00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:13.599 can you walk right? Yeah? I said, I have to 325 00:23:13.640 --> 00:23:17.200 have help. He says, just get the hell out of here. Said, 326 00:23:17.400 --> 00:23:20.680 it's getting dangerous down and a guy could get killed. 327 00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:24.119 I said, align with you, said you give me a hand. 328 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:29.599 So we waited a little while, and then he got 329 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:34.400 fixed and I got wrapped up again. So I grabbed 330 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:39.480 a hold of his his left arm with my right hand, 331 00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:43.359 and we started walking out of the shellhold, walking back 332 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:47.640 toward the field medical unit that was way back down 333 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:52.039 there by Airfield number one. He put me on the 334 00:23:52.960 --> 00:23:58.200 field there for the walking wounded, and I laid on 335 00:23:58.279 --> 00:24:03.240 my back and the v arman would put it on 336 00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:07.680 his stomach and we talked and visited. Both of us 337 00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:11.880 started feeling the pain coming back on it. Then he 338 00:24:12.000 --> 00:24:16.759 came down until the barman his turn to get back 339 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:20.079 on the ship. So they put him on the LST 340 00:24:20.240 --> 00:24:25.039 and he walked back to LST. He got back there 341 00:24:25.200 --> 00:24:27.200 and I could see the top part of his head. 342 00:24:27.880 --> 00:24:31.400 Then they got me. They put me on a stretcher, 343 00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:34.880 and our state went backward. On my stretcher, they took 344 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:37.599 me back to the ship, and I think it was 345 00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:43.359 the soul of Hospital ship. And I'm not for sure 346 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:47.319 how they put me aboard ship. If he put me 347 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:52.440 by a slain or up the gang plank or crane 348 00:24:52.559 --> 00:24:55.759 or whoever, I don't know, but anyway, I do remember 349 00:24:56.359 --> 00:25:01.079 waking up and stuff, and they put me into on 350 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:04.559 a bunch of guys your own stretchers. I did a 351 00:25:04.599 --> 00:25:08.319 lot of moaning that day. It was my turn to 352 00:25:08.359 --> 00:25:12.079 go into the operating room. They carried me in there 353 00:25:12.119 --> 00:25:15.440 and put me on a stretcher and I was out 354 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:18.759 when I first went in in there, and they in 355 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:21.920 the meantime. When I got back to the hot Field Hospital, 356 00:25:22.599 --> 00:25:27.480 they saw what they had tagged me already that I 357 00:25:27.480 --> 00:25:30.839 had two wounds, was my left arm. A woman was 358 00:25:30.880 --> 00:25:33.680 in my entry room on it. They didn't say anything 359 00:25:33.720 --> 00:25:37.599 about the center, but they found out that I was 360 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:41.400 really bleeding from the one that went through my lungs 361 00:25:41.400 --> 00:25:47.200 and stuff. Then they focused on my left arm and 362 00:25:47.240 --> 00:25:50.160 I woke up just about the time they were saying, Well, 363 00:25:50.200 --> 00:25:53.079 I says, what we'll do with the cuddy his left 364 00:25:53.200 --> 00:25:57.960 arm off? Well, I was woke up quick, told they're 365 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:00.799 not going to cut anything off of me, and I 366 00:26:00.960 --> 00:26:04.799 slung my arm around and I popped him down with 367 00:26:05.039 --> 00:26:10.319 my right arm, knocked him across the room over the 368 00:26:10.480 --> 00:26:15.880 surgical tree, fell up against the wall, off my caught. 369 00:26:16.680 --> 00:26:19.960 I said, you're not going to cut anything off of me. Well, 370 00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.039 I kind of convinced them that they were, so they said, 371 00:26:24.359 --> 00:26:27.680 we're not going to cut anything off of you. He 372 00:26:28.359 --> 00:26:33.799 calmed down. So two guys came in there and put 373 00:26:33.880 --> 00:26:36.960 me off, got me off the floor and put me 374 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:41.599 back on his sturgical cot and they worked on me. 375 00:26:43.240 --> 00:26:48.039 And then they took my tag at the field hospital 376 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:52.319 had put it on there because what they do is 377 00:26:52.839 --> 00:26:58.440 when you get wounded, the first corman that gets to 378 00:26:58.559 --> 00:27:02.799 you does he work and he gives you shots. He 379 00:27:02.920 --> 00:27:06.559 puts on that tag what he had done, and there's 380 00:27:06.599 --> 00:27:11.359 a protection I guess to keep another corman for coming 381 00:27:11.440 --> 00:27:15.279 down there in giving you a double shot or something. 382 00:27:15.640 --> 00:27:19.359 But anyway, he grabbed my tag and put what he 383 00:27:19.440 --> 00:27:25.200 had done and then throw it back on and then 384 00:27:26.079 --> 00:27:31.279 I went outside on laid back on the ship's dead. 385 00:27:32.160 --> 00:27:35.960 So I looked at the tag, and the tag said 386 00:27:37.079 --> 00:27:44.440 combat fatigue and for four hostels. After that, they're down 387 00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:49.839 to Pearl Harbor. I had gone through the ship's medical 388 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:55.599 and everything now was putting the wrong lord four different places. 389 00:27:55.960 --> 00:27:59.880 I still had my left arm all bandaged up, my 390 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:05.319 chest was all bandaged up on and I couldn't move 391 00:28:05.440 --> 00:28:09.680 my arm yet, so my wounds had not been dressed 392 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:16.240 or anything. After that, they and then starts stinking, and 393 00:28:16.279 --> 00:28:18.759 I told him about it like that, Oh, we don't 394 00:28:18.799 --> 00:28:21.079 do that in this wards is. We have to put 395 00:28:21.160 --> 00:28:24.640 you over in this other place. So they put me 396 00:28:24.680 --> 00:28:29.480 in and finally put me into one army doctor. He said, well, 397 00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:32.799 we'll do it over here. So he took me over there. 398 00:28:33.519 --> 00:28:37.519 He pulled it banished back and listened to my heart. 399 00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:41.400 He says, I can't do it right now, but clean 400 00:28:41.480 --> 00:28:45.240 him up and we'll give him a tap tomorrow morning. 401 00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:49.440