re: Whatever happened to (insert poster)?

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Re Edward Teach

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Another post of his about his time on the USS Pickens. I really wish we knew who he was so this board could honor him. He may no longer be with us.

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The sun dawned bright that Easter morning April 1, 1945. Every ship in the huge armada had been at battle stations since 5 a.m,when out of the sun came the kamikaze, planes flown by Japanese pilots on a mission to die attacking American ships.

I was in the radar shack trying to detect the planes as they came in skimming the top of the ocean. Out ship, the USS Pickens, APA 190, was second in line behind the USS Hinsdale, APA 120, in a column of transports carrrying the Second Marine Division. Suddenly, hell was was unleashed; Japanese planes attacked like flies on jam. At around 5:50 a.m. a plane hit the Hinsdale near the waterline, exploding and creating several holes. A plane headed for us but hit the mast of an LST, fell to the deck and exploded, setting off several explosions of ammunition, The Pickens put boats in the water and picked survivors off the Hindale and LSTs 724 and 884, Flag officers transferred from the Hinsdale to the Pickens.

That Easter Sunday was the beginning of the largest sea-land battle in history. Navy casualties exceeded those of the Army and Marines combined. In fact, one seventh of all Navy casualties of World War 11 were suffered at Okinawa.

Talk to a navy veteran who was at Okinawa and slated to invade Japan and he will say something like "Mr. Truman saved my life," or, "Dropping the atom bomb saved my life."

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That Easter Sunday 1945

And another from Iwo Jima

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When my thoughts turn to Iwo Jima 69 years ago, memories of three events stand out. Of course, one is observing the American flag go up on Mt. Suribachi, go down and be raised again. We had no idea at the time that Joseph Rosenthal's picture of the flag raising would become famous.

I will always remember a conversation I had with a young Marine who would see his first action. He told me "They (military leaders) have given us five days to take the island, but we are fired up and I think we'll take it in three days." I always wonder how he fared.

We were in the radar shack listening to the TBS when we heard a pilot screaming," I'm hit! I"m shot. I'm on the way down!"

The war became very real to us at that moment.

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Iwo Jima memories from 69 years ago