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thedrifter
02-28-03, 01:01 PM
Grizzled veterans recount life in 'a hellhole'
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification Number: 200322720049
Story by Cpl. Veronika Tuskowski



1ST MARINE DIVISION CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.(February 27, 2003) -- A dwindling number of former Marines who fought in World War II's bloodiest Pacific battle are still around to tell about it - and dozens of them were here last week, hosted by local Marines and sailors, to share memories and remember comrades who died amid the inhospitable island's notorious carnage 58 years ago.


It was that many years ago this week when U.S. Marines first hit the volcanic ash shores of the tiny island known as Iwo Jima -where a photo of a flag-raising became an icon that still defines the Marine Corps today.


But the triumph implied by the image doesn't begin to capture the misery of those who served there.


"It was a hellhole," said Robert C. Meuller, rifleman and corporal at the time for D Company, 5th Marine Division. "It was the most undesirable conditions ever. We lived on volcanic ash."


Meuller was one of about 100,000 men who fought a bloody yet victorious battle along the beaches of the island - less than one-third the size of Manhattan. For 36 days, Iwo Jima was one of the most-populated - and hostile - 7.5-mile stretches on earth.


Each year, hundreds of Iwo Jima veterans reunite around the country to commemorate the battle's anniversary. But it's more than a reunion - it's a salute to fallen comrades who died for a cause that begs regular reflection.


Some visitors were more than happy to share their stories about serving in Japan. Others declined to rehash a painful past.


Most of the service members described Iwo Jima as a miserable place. One former sailor described his experience.


"The living conditions were primitive. We lived in tents on black ash and we slept in cots," said 89-year-old retired Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class John V. Kroll, who served as an electrician. "We took saltwater baths, and when it rained, 30,000 men ran outside to get a fresh shower."


The food was nothing to crow about, either.
"We ate K-rations and had powdered eggs and milk. We ate pineapple three times a day, seven days a week, because there was nothing else," Kroll said.


Kroll and his unit were ordered to build three airfields while in Japan.


"Two crews working 10-hour days crushed rock from the mountain to make the airfields," said Kroll.


All of the retirees' felt proud of their accomplishments, but were still haunted by painful memories.


"Two friends from my hometown were killed in the war," said retired Master Sgt. William A. Behana, who served as a telephone lineman.


During the battle of Iwo Jima, 6,821 Americans were killed and 21,865 were injured.


As years pass, fewer and fewer Iwo Jima veterans are around to tell their story.
"From (the) 12,000 men in my unit, less than 30 are still alive," said Kroll, who still keeps in contact with many of the remaining men.


Marines and sailors here took the grizzled visitors and their families on a guided tour aboard two buses. A memorial service and a banquet rounded out the day.


Many marveled at how the base and Corps have evolved over the past 50 years.


Questions like, "Do you still use your helmets to cook your food in the field?" and "What is the basic pay for Marines?" were common among the aged Marines and sailors.

Sempers,

Roger

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/image1.nsf/Lookup/2003227205834/$file/iwo-jima-vetlow.jpg
Lance Cpl. Michael D. Archdeacon, 3rd Platoon, G Company, Marine Combat Training Battalion, shows James C. MacLaren, a former machine gunner and Iwo Jima veteran, the M16A2 service rifle
Photo by: Cpl. Jose L. Garcia