Posted on 11/06/2013 2:07:24 PM PST by Bodleian_Girl
My uncle was in the battle for Okinawa. To this day he has never spoken of it that I know of. And he despises the Japanese.
The Iwo medic I used to know (he passed a few years ago) was US Navy, but assigned to the Marines.
My nephew said Iwo was surreal. He said that no one chatted. Everyone remained quiet and toured the beaches, Surabachi, and a few other areas. The only thing heard was the howling of the wind, which caused strange sounds as it whistled in an out of the volcanic rock. No seabirds were seen or heard. He said it was a little spooky. To this very day there are areas deemed unsafe because of unexploded ordinance. As my nephew took in the silence he couldn’t help but think of how loud the place was in Feb/Mar of 1945.
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