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Thread: Okinawa April 12 1945
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04-11-11, 06:24 AM #1
Okinawa April 12 1945
April 12, 1945 Franklin Delano Roosevelt died, just 83 days after he had taken office as President for the fourth time. Within four hours, Harry S. Truman became the 33rd President of the United States.
I was on Okinawa, having been in the Invasion Easter Sunday April 1st. I was with Weapons Co., 4th Marines, 6th Marine Division. We were there until July 6th, then back to Guam for more training! Invasion of Japan was to be next.
It was 1200 miles back to Guam and took ten days. We had lived on rations for three months.
Gung Ho,
Ray
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04-11-11, 06:55 AM #2
Ray
Operation Downfall, invasion of Japan, would have been extremely costly in terms of casualties
Can you recall how you and your buddies felt about the possibilities of conducting operations on the Japanese homeland?
I read something a day or two ago, there was a proposal on the table in D.C. to make MacArthur a General of the Armies, a six star General. He would have had operational authority over any five stars including Admirals. Then Roosevelt passed away and the idea was dropped, thank God!!
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04-11-11, 07:47 AM #3
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04-11-11, 08:15 AM #4
For some reason I keep getting logged out before I get my answer posted. Have to go now, will post later.
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04-11-11, 08:16 AM #5
Billy
Johnson (LBJ) was awarded the Silver Star by MacArthur in 1942 for being an observer in a bomber allegedly attacked by several Japanese planes.
No one else in the plane got a thing. Johnson wore the lapel pin his entire life. I would have been too ashamed to even acknowledge it.
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04-12-11, 04:28 AM #6
Mongoose, We didn't think too much about it, it would have just been more of the same. We were training but I was sure hoping for a ship to come home when the war ended, then we were sent to Japan. Okinawa was a preview of what Invasion of Japan would have been like.
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04-12-11, 06:47 AM #7
I realize there are pros and cons about the atomic bombs used in Japan. But in the long haul it saved uncountable lives. They would have fought to the death.
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04-16-11, 02:34 PM #8
WW II book for sale:
"My Three Years in the Marine Corps" by Ray Merrell
My personal memories from enlistment through returning home
three years later from the South Pacific. Written from diary entries
memories and letters home.
$15.00 each or 2 for $25.00 Autographed (includes postage)
Order from:
Ray Merrell
827 Dixie
Liberty, Mo. 64068
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