[Kartographer]

WWII veteran Donald Fida of Syracuse fought in five battles including the invasion of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. The 91 year old member of the 184th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division will return to celebrate the 71st anniversary of Operation Flintlock, the Battle for Kwajalein Atoll. Stephen D. Cannerelli | scannerelli@syracse.com

[Kartographer]

We are losing this guys faster with every passing day and we will so much poor with their passing.

[Gamecock]

That picture brings tears to my eyes.

Well done Soldier. Well done.

[Tax-chick]

WW2 veteran.

[Tax-chick]

Fida said he stowed away enough memories to ruin a marriage.

It's sad how many that happened to.

[Jack Hydrazine]

US troops capture Roi-Namur island in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands during th...HD Stock Footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMoNh4wrEtY

WW2: Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands (31 Jan-4 Feb, 1944)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNmkF4MaVJU

HD Stock Footage WWII U.S. 7th Infantry Takes Kwajalein Island Color
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfue3L0p7DU

[PGR88]

He can picture the way a Japanese soldier crawled out of a bunker waving the underwear of a young American nurse who had been held

I am curious how a young American nurse would have ever been captured on Kwajelein in the first place. Female nurses certainly wouldn't have been at the front during the invasion. My limited knowledge of the history of the place indicates the Japanese took what was German administrative control of the Marshal Islands after WWI.

[sargon]

What is that blue medal with the musket?

[7thson]

Amazing. Back in 92, the ship I was serving on made a stop at Kwajalein. It reminded me of the island that the character Kirk Douglas played in the movie In Harm’s Way, was banished to and was rescued to John Waynes XO or Chief of Staff. 5000 Japanese? I didn’t think that little island could hold that many people.

[Perseverando]

"Fida said he was captured by Japanese soldiers, who held his arms and legs spread eagle, stabbed him in the left abdomen and partially castrated him."

Owwww! That had to hurt!!

[CodeToad]

I spent a few years on Kwaj and got to know some of the battles and the Jap bunkers they were entrenched in. It wasn’t an easy battle although some considered it lighter than others because of our overwhelming firepower.

One of the largest explosions ever seen came on the island of Roi, about 45 miles north of Kwaj, when a satchel charge was thrown into a torpedo bunker.

The diving on Kwaj was excellent since it is warm waters and there was lots to see from those battles.

Kwaj was a necessary stop in our efforts to push back the Jap out of the Pacific. It is fairly isolated being about 2,000 miles from Hawaii, Tokyo, and Sidney; smack dab in the middle of nowhere.

I can only imagine when a man like this asked, “What’s on this placed called Kwaj??”, and the answer was, “Well, you will be.” It would be like going to the moon. Kwaj is about 1.3 miles in total land area. You can practically throw a rock across the width of it. Roi was less than 1 square mile, and from those islands we launched the rest of the Pacific campaign.

WWII, when boys became men.