thedrifter
01-03-08, 08:27 PM
SOUTH COUNTY NEWS
‘Jarhead’ relives his forgotten life
By Bettina Adragna/Staff Writer
Like many World War II veterans, Ralph Walker Willis of Arroyo Grande didn’t want to talk about his wartime experiences.
But when his grandson pressed him for details, he found he could write them down.
The grandson’s persistence and the receipt of a typewriter one Christmas resulted in a book, “My Life As A Jarhead,” which is now in its third printing.
It was 50 years after the battle of Iwo Jima when he started writing the book.
“I had to go back through all that stuff again,” said Willis. “I kind of hated to, but I did … I knocked out one page, and I just kept going.”
The book chronicles his experiences in the Marine Corps, which he enlisted in 10 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He became an assistant platoon sergeant before heading off to Hawaii, where he received a court-martial for being absent while in the company of a “wahine” or woman. After that, he was sent to Iwo Jima.
“The battle of Iwo Jima was the highlight,” said Willis. “That’s something you’ll never forget.”
Willis said he didn’t go into as much detail as he could have about the battle.
“It gets to a point where I smoothed it out,” he said. “There was just too much damned blood and guts in the whole thing.”
He does describe the lack of sleep, helping the injured with shots of morphine, and trying to avoid being shot on the cliffs and in a ravine that eventually was cleared out by someone with a flame-thrower.
One of his favorite homecoming memories was seeing the lights on the shore as he rode on the cruiser home.
“That was great, because we didn’t see any lights for four years,” he said. “Nights were all blacked out during the war.”
He remembered shows that were performed for the Marines, including one performed at a Marine base when he was recovering from an infection contracted during a tonsillitis operation. The show featured Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore and the “Kollege of Musical Knowledge.”
Fighting in the war matured him, said Willis.
“I used to bum around the beaches,” he said. “I grew up. I was just a kid.
“World War II was different (from the war in Iraq),” he said. “We were attacked, and everybody was mad about it … Now we’re all divided on this Iraq thing.”
He sees more diversity in today’s troops than during his time, although one of the top NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) was a Latino.
Willis was born in Redondo Beach, and spent 23 years in Richmond, Calif., as a firefighter after his service. He married his wife, Helen, shortly after the war, and they were married for 60 years, until she died last year.
He moved to Arroyo Grande in February.
His great-nephew is training in the Army as an infantry platoon leader. Willis said he gave him some advice, even though his great-nephew
didn’t need it.
“Make sure you have top-notch NCOs,” he said. “They’ll see to it that the men get shaped up.”
badragna@theadobepress.com
Ellie
‘Jarhead’ relives his forgotten life
By Bettina Adragna/Staff Writer
Like many World War II veterans, Ralph Walker Willis of Arroyo Grande didn’t want to talk about his wartime experiences.
But when his grandson pressed him for details, he found he could write them down.
The grandson’s persistence and the receipt of a typewriter one Christmas resulted in a book, “My Life As A Jarhead,” which is now in its third printing.
It was 50 years after the battle of Iwo Jima when he started writing the book.
“I had to go back through all that stuff again,” said Willis. “I kind of hated to, but I did … I knocked out one page, and I just kept going.”
The book chronicles his experiences in the Marine Corps, which he enlisted in 10 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. He became an assistant platoon sergeant before heading off to Hawaii, where he received a court-martial for being absent while in the company of a “wahine” or woman. After that, he was sent to Iwo Jima.
“The battle of Iwo Jima was the highlight,” said Willis. “That’s something you’ll never forget.”
Willis said he didn’t go into as much detail as he could have about the battle.
“It gets to a point where I smoothed it out,” he said. “There was just too much damned blood and guts in the whole thing.”
He does describe the lack of sleep, helping the injured with shots of morphine, and trying to avoid being shot on the cliffs and in a ravine that eventually was cleared out by someone with a flame-thrower.
One of his favorite homecoming memories was seeing the lights on the shore as he rode on the cruiser home.
“That was great, because we didn’t see any lights for four years,” he said. “Nights were all blacked out during the war.”
He remembered shows that were performed for the Marines, including one performed at a Marine base when he was recovering from an infection contracted during a tonsillitis operation. The show featured Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore and the “Kollege of Musical Knowledge.”
Fighting in the war matured him, said Willis.
“I used to bum around the beaches,” he said. “I grew up. I was just a kid.
“World War II was different (from the war in Iraq),” he said. “We were attacked, and everybody was mad about it … Now we’re all divided on this Iraq thing.”
He sees more diversity in today’s troops than during his time, although one of the top NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) was a Latino.
Willis was born in Redondo Beach, and spent 23 years in Richmond, Calif., as a firefighter after his service. He married his wife, Helen, shortly after the war, and they were married for 60 years, until she died last year.
He moved to Arroyo Grande in February.
His great-nephew is training in the Army as an infantry platoon leader. Willis said he gave him some advice, even though his great-nephew
didn’t need it.
“Make sure you have top-notch NCOs,” he said. “They’ll see to it that the men get shaped up.”
badragna@theadobepress.com
Ellie