thedrifter
01-21-06, 06:59 AM
Marine from Iwo Jima to be honored
By BECKY SHAY
Of The Billings Gazette Staff
A salute will be held in Billings today to honor the last member of the Marines' World War II-era Company E, 2nd Battalion - one of the groups of men who fought on Iwo Jima and took Mount Suribachi.
Grady Dyce died in Billings on Jan. 11, just three days after his 80th birthday and after months of failing health.
Dyce was a member of the famous 3rd Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines that scaled Mount Suribachi and raised the American flag. Dyce started and ended the battle to take the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, a pivotal fight that pushed up the end of the war.
Dyce's grandson, Joey Zahn, noted that the Marines were called "Easy Company."
"The irony of that," Zahn said. "It was the hardest battle."
The second-to-last Company E survivor, Dyce's friend Phil Ward, died on Dec. 28 out of state. Ward and Dyce were in different hospitals at the same time last fall. Dyce's son Mike said they were "going through another battle together."
The men were able to have a last phone call. Dyce's wife, Anna Mae, said that although Ward could not talk, his wife told her that Ward blinked and smiled at the sound of Dyce's voice.
'Flags of our Fathers'
Among the men in Dyce's platoon was John Bradley, whose son, James, wrote "Flags of our Fathers" chronicling the men who raised the second flag on the mountain. That flag-raising was caught by photographer Joe Rosenthal and has become one of the most recognizable war images.
Dyce and other members of his platoon are shown posed with the flag in another portion of Rosenthal's film.
Bradley's book is being made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Eastwood and Steven Spielberg.
Like many World War II veterans, Dyce was silent about his service for decades.
It wasn't until after his company's 49th anniversary reunion that Dyce began to open up about his experiences, Anna Mae said.
"That's when those fellas started talking," she said.
Dyce told The Billings Gazette in a 2001 interview that, when Iwo Jima veterans gathered, they talked "about families, our jobs or what we did, and how everybody is doing. We don't talk about the bad times."
In the 36 days they were on Iwo Jima, Dyce's company suffered 85 percent casualties, meaning Marines killed or seriously wounded. Dyce's rifle and canteen were hit, and he carried scars from bullets and shrapnel that hit his left arm and the bridge of his nose.
War stories are not the things first came mind when Dyce's family recalled him earlier this week. The Dyce children and grandchildren talked about fishing trips to Two Dot. They said Grady and Anna Mae were always supportive - whether it was "rescuing" one of their kids with car trouble, going to 47 games one summer to see all of their grandchildren's competitions or taking in teens who had troubles with their own families. Children gravitated to Dyce, who loved to tease the little ones.
Family photos
Dyce family photos include black-and-white images of Dyce posing with fish, geese and deer. Those pictures of family activities belie what Grady Dyce endured.
Mike Dyce recalled that, when he was young, his dad's naps on the couch would be punctuated by nightmares. Little was said about his father's personal or service battles until the 1990s.
"He wanted his grandkids and us to understand what he went through," Mike Dyce said.
There was a time, however, when Dyce cut loose about his feelings. It was in 1968, when Iwo Jima was returned to the Japanese.
"He was pretty hot when we gave it back," Mike Dyce said. "He lost a lot of buddies, and he did open up on that one - he had a right to."
Dyce would spend hours telling his family stories.
"You could bring up any subject, and Grandpa would just start - whether it was the war or when he was growing up," Mike's son, Nick Dyce, said.
All of Dyce's grandchildren interviewed him for school papers about World War II, Mike's wife, Marj, said.
Zahn recalled asking Dyce if he would change anything in his life.
"He said he wouldn't change a thing. He didn't have any regrets," Zahn said. "He was not for any glory. He said if it wasn't him, it would've been someone else."
Grady married Anna Mae Gunnare in 1947. They were a close couple right up until Dyce's death, but she always respected Dyce's reluctance to talk about the war. She recalled one of her husband's statements about Mount Suribachi.
"He said, when he climbed that mountain, he thought it was the last mountain he'd climb," she said, adding that Dyce told her it was his mother's prayers that kept him alive.
Anna Mae Dyce said her husband was in the second group to step foot on the mountain and he walked down with three others - Ward and men whose last names were Keller and Michaels. The family has those names etched in their memories, but Mike Dyce said, "The details and names went with him."
Marj Dyce said several times she wanted to go through photos with Dyce to identify the people and places. The time wasn't right or Dyce was not in the mood for the project, she said. Tears welled in her eyes as Marj Dyce said she had sticky notes ready to put with each photo.
"He had a story about every picture," Marj Dyce said.
The family recalled Dyce telling about a Japanese soldier who accidentally jumped into his foxhole - which was actually more of a low spot surrounded by rock - and then realized he was surrounded by Marines.
" 'He bailed out as soon as he got in!' " Mike Dyce recalled his dad saying.
"He had a lot of humorous stories, but he also had a lot of horrible stories," Marj Dyce said.
"And in such detail," Zahn said. "You would just be in awe of these stories he could tell."
Those details, Anna Mae Dyce said, were rooted in the feelings that Dyce and other servicemen had for one another.
"They were like brothers," she said. "He loved them all; that's all they had was each other."
Dyce was never one for seeking glory from his wartime service. In the 2001 interview, Dyce told The Gazette that he turned down interviews with Hollywood but that he would gladly talk to people who wanted learn about the war.
"You hope young children don't have to go through that," he said. "Nobody should have to go through that."
Dyce was so adamant about avoiding war that he told his son and grandsons that it was fine if they were drafted, but that if they voluntarily signed up, "he'd save them (the enemy) the bullet and get to me first," Mike Dyce said.
The men laugh about Dyce's style of hard-edged humor, but none of them enlisted.
Contact Becky Shay at bshay@billingsgazette.com or 657-1231.
If you go
Grady Dyce once teased his family that "the only way anyone will come to my funeral is if I give away Green Stamps."
In reality, dozens of family members are expected at his memorial service today, and the military honor guard is anticipating a large turnout of other friends and associates.
Grady Dyce's memorial service, with full military honors, is at 1 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church, 2420 13th St. W. A reception will follow at the church.
Ellie
Rest In Peace
By BECKY SHAY
Of The Billings Gazette Staff
A salute will be held in Billings today to honor the last member of the Marines' World War II-era Company E, 2nd Battalion - one of the groups of men who fought on Iwo Jima and took Mount Suribachi.
Grady Dyce died in Billings on Jan. 11, just three days after his 80th birthday and after months of failing health.
Dyce was a member of the famous 3rd Platoon, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines that scaled Mount Suribachi and raised the American flag. Dyce started and ended the battle to take the Japanese island of Iwo Jima, a pivotal fight that pushed up the end of the war.
Dyce's grandson, Joey Zahn, noted that the Marines were called "Easy Company."
"The irony of that," Zahn said. "It was the hardest battle."
The second-to-last Company E survivor, Dyce's friend Phil Ward, died on Dec. 28 out of state. Ward and Dyce were in different hospitals at the same time last fall. Dyce's son Mike said they were "going through another battle together."
The men were able to have a last phone call. Dyce's wife, Anna Mae, said that although Ward could not talk, his wife told her that Ward blinked and smiled at the sound of Dyce's voice.
'Flags of our Fathers'
Among the men in Dyce's platoon was John Bradley, whose son, James, wrote "Flags of our Fathers" chronicling the men who raised the second flag on the mountain. That flag-raising was caught by photographer Joe Rosenthal and has become one of the most recognizable war images.
Dyce and other members of his platoon are shown posed with the flag in another portion of Rosenthal's film.
Bradley's book is being made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood and produced by Eastwood and Steven Spielberg.
Like many World War II veterans, Dyce was silent about his service for decades.
It wasn't until after his company's 49th anniversary reunion that Dyce began to open up about his experiences, Anna Mae said.
"That's when those fellas started talking," she said.
Dyce told The Billings Gazette in a 2001 interview that, when Iwo Jima veterans gathered, they talked "about families, our jobs or what we did, and how everybody is doing. We don't talk about the bad times."
In the 36 days they were on Iwo Jima, Dyce's company suffered 85 percent casualties, meaning Marines killed or seriously wounded. Dyce's rifle and canteen were hit, and he carried scars from bullets and shrapnel that hit his left arm and the bridge of his nose.
War stories are not the things first came mind when Dyce's family recalled him earlier this week. The Dyce children and grandchildren talked about fishing trips to Two Dot. They said Grady and Anna Mae were always supportive - whether it was "rescuing" one of their kids with car trouble, going to 47 games one summer to see all of their grandchildren's competitions or taking in teens who had troubles with their own families. Children gravitated to Dyce, who loved to tease the little ones.
Family photos
Dyce family photos include black-and-white images of Dyce posing with fish, geese and deer. Those pictures of family activities belie what Grady Dyce endured.
Mike Dyce recalled that, when he was young, his dad's naps on the couch would be punctuated by nightmares. Little was said about his father's personal or service battles until the 1990s.
"He wanted his grandkids and us to understand what he went through," Mike Dyce said.
There was a time, however, when Dyce cut loose about his feelings. It was in 1968, when Iwo Jima was returned to the Japanese.
"He was pretty hot when we gave it back," Mike Dyce said. "He lost a lot of buddies, and he did open up on that one - he had a right to."
Dyce would spend hours telling his family stories.
"You could bring up any subject, and Grandpa would just start - whether it was the war or when he was growing up," Mike's son, Nick Dyce, said.
All of Dyce's grandchildren interviewed him for school papers about World War II, Mike's wife, Marj, said.
Zahn recalled asking Dyce if he would change anything in his life.
"He said he wouldn't change a thing. He didn't have any regrets," Zahn said. "He was not for any glory. He said if it wasn't him, it would've been someone else."
Grady married Anna Mae Gunnare in 1947. They were a close couple right up until Dyce's death, but she always respected Dyce's reluctance to talk about the war. She recalled one of her husband's statements about Mount Suribachi.
"He said, when he climbed that mountain, he thought it was the last mountain he'd climb," she said, adding that Dyce told her it was his mother's prayers that kept him alive.
Anna Mae Dyce said her husband was in the second group to step foot on the mountain and he walked down with three others - Ward and men whose last names were Keller and Michaels. The family has those names etched in their memories, but Mike Dyce said, "The details and names went with him."
Marj Dyce said several times she wanted to go through photos with Dyce to identify the people and places. The time wasn't right or Dyce was not in the mood for the project, she said. Tears welled in her eyes as Marj Dyce said she had sticky notes ready to put with each photo.
"He had a story about every picture," Marj Dyce said.
The family recalled Dyce telling about a Japanese soldier who accidentally jumped into his foxhole - which was actually more of a low spot surrounded by rock - and then realized he was surrounded by Marines.
" 'He bailed out as soon as he got in!' " Mike Dyce recalled his dad saying.
"He had a lot of humorous stories, but he also had a lot of horrible stories," Marj Dyce said.
"And in such detail," Zahn said. "You would just be in awe of these stories he could tell."
Those details, Anna Mae Dyce said, were rooted in the feelings that Dyce and other servicemen had for one another.
"They were like brothers," she said. "He loved them all; that's all they had was each other."
Dyce was never one for seeking glory from his wartime service. In the 2001 interview, Dyce told The Gazette that he turned down interviews with Hollywood but that he would gladly talk to people who wanted learn about the war.
"You hope young children don't have to go through that," he said. "Nobody should have to go through that."
Dyce was so adamant about avoiding war that he told his son and grandsons that it was fine if they were drafted, but that if they voluntarily signed up, "he'd save them (the enemy) the bullet and get to me first," Mike Dyce said.
The men laugh about Dyce's style of hard-edged humor, but none of them enlisted.
Contact Becky Shay at bshay@billingsgazette.com or 657-1231.
If you go
Grady Dyce once teased his family that "the only way anyone will come to my funeral is if I give away Green Stamps."
In reality, dozens of family members are expected at his memorial service today, and the military honor guard is anticipating a large turnout of other friends and associates.
Grady Dyce's memorial service, with full military honors, is at 1 p.m. today at First Presbyterian Church, 2420 13th St. W. A reception will follow at the church.
Ellie
Rest In Peace