I left Vietnam in 1971, discharged in 1972. About a month after I returned my family threw a party for me. While sitting outside my uncle started telling me about Tarawa. He was in the Navy and was transporting the Marines to the beach. His boat got shot up and was disabled and ended up going to shore with the Marines, he had no gear and no weapon. Since the tides were misjudged they couldn’t land as close as expected and they had to wade through water for some distance, they were sitting ducks for the Japanese machine guns dug in on the Island. He started grabbing gear, a rifle and ammunition from the dead Marines he had to wade through (1500 Marines were killed or wounded on that first day). He fought side by side with the Marines for several days.
I share this story with you because he only shared it with me and my father (US ARMY). When he passed away I was talking to his son who did not serve in the military. When I mentioned his fathers time in the Navy and the battle at Tarawa and he looked at me in disbelief. He never shared this story with his own son.
Great post, thank you for posting.
I understand this now, I got back from a year in Baghdad in 08. I was telling a long time friend some of my sea stories and all I got back was this look of someone who had no idea how to respond to what he had heard.
In addition, my dad was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart in Korea trying to help his platoon commander who was pinned down. I knew very little about this until I came back from Iraq. He saw me as a peer at that time and learned things that he had never told me. I was pushing 50 around that time.
May God bless you and yours.