Memorial Day: A few months ago my great-grandnephew, who served in Afghanistan, asked me about my father, who served in the Pacific during WWII. This is what I wrote: I still think of Dad and his service a lot. Dad was not drafted. He had a child, Tim, born January 1942. He also worked for a defense industry in Pittsburgh. But our troops had a tough year in 1942, so in early 1943 the government put out a call for volunteers. I didnt want my grandchildren asking me what I did when the call went out he once told me. Only once, though. He never made a big deal out of his decision, even though he would not see home for almost three years. I still have his discharge papers. They say he joined on April 10, 1943. He was assigned to the 27th Division, a National Guard division based in New York. One of its three regiments, the 165th, was originally the Fighting 69th Irish Regiment from New York City. Formed in 1849, it got its nickname from Robert E. Lee, who had to fight it. One of its companies traces its origin to the Revolutionary War. So Dad was with his home division, so to speak. However, due to an accident in timing, the 27th became the only Army division to fight alongside the Marines as they island hopped across the Pacific. It had been stationed in San Francisco, doing coastal watch, when all hell broke loose. It was sent to guard Hawaii, then put into action early, part of the losses in 1942. For Dad, the first year of the war was all about training. In addition to Basic Training, he was trained as an Information Center Operator - the Signal Corps. He was in charge of the main communications link at division headquarters. I imagine that guys with wives and kids got headquarters assignments. Still dangerous. The equipment was in several pieces, so if we lost one guy on landing, we couldnt set up till a replacement piece arrived. Thats as close as he got to talking about losing his buddies. Served as crew chief on the AN/CPS radar. Filtered radar information. Supervised plotting of radar targets and computing of height, strength, and speed of approaching enemy aircraft. Controlled fighter planes by radio in intercepting enemy aircraft. Participated in two major campaigns in the Pacific Theatre. Sounds like a wee bit more than radio operator. The two campaigns were Saipan and Okinawa. Both were hell, but Saipan was so bad I cry even now. It was D-Day in the Pacific, June 15, a week after D-Day in Europe. The assault on Japans inner ring of islands that would put our bombers in range of Tokyo. If you read about it, there are two events that stand out. Well, three. The first was that the 27th was assigned to take the most difficult terrain, could not keep up with the Marines, and their general was sacked. The division was later exonerated. The second occurred on the night of July 7. The Emperor ordered all remaining troops to make the largest banzai attack of the war, against the 27th Division. The 105th Regiment was wiped out: three of its members were awarded the Medal of Honor, posthumously, including its commander, Colonel William J. OBrien (not related?). The Japanese would have broken through to the beaches and supply depots if not for the last stand put up by the cooks, clerks, and radio operators of the Headquarters Company. Including Dad. His only comment about fighting in the War was that night, and all he said was There was one night I was assigned to a machine gun position, and I shot so much the tracer bullets made the it look like the Fourth of July. They held. The next day, the division moved forward without resistance. But when they entered the Japanese town at the northern end of the island, the third thing happened. The civilians chose to commit suicide, throwing themselves off the northern cliff by the thousands. Death before surrender was the policy, and they did it believing it would make the fighting seem so horrible that the US would lose the will to continue. Indeed, the images would be withheld from the US public till after the War. But for the soldiers who were there . . . well, its no wonder that Dad woke up screaming from nightmares when he got back. As my brother Tim reports. The battle for Okinawa was similar, including the civilians at the end. After that, Dad and a million more troops got ready for the invasion of Japan, convinced that it would be even more difficult than what they had experienced, wondering when it would be their turn to die. But then the atomic bomb was dropped, and Dad and the others did not die. They came home and had kids. Dad was part of the Occupation, stationed in Fukushima province near present-day nuclear plant. He got his orders to come home on Christmas Eve, 1945, and was finally discharged on January 14, 1946. Final rank: S Sgt - staff sergeant? After Dad died, and Mom was very ill, I visited her for the last time. Strokes made it hard for her to move, even talk. But something nephew Tim Menoher had asked me (Did Pap go to college before or after the War?) got me thinking. So as I sat there, holding her hand, I asked her, Was Dad different after the War? She sighed deeply and said, Yes, he was. As though she was saying something she had held inside for a long time. But when I asked her How did it change him?, she just brought a trembling hand up to her mouth, as if to show that she could say no more. And I would never hear her voice again. I just held her hand for a while, told her how much I loved her, then kissed her goodbye. Dad experienced more than any human being should. Yet he was the most noble man I ever met, perhaps because of that. He always considered how his actions would affect the other guy, how each person needed encouragement. Its probably what made him a great coach. Did you know he coached Dick Groat when he played Pony League (high school level)? Groat was just honored by the Bucs for his MVP in 1960. He came to Dads funeral, when you were quite young. So thats the short version of Dad in World War II. If you get the chance, read about the Battle of Saipan. I hope to go there someday to film a documentary. Everyone knows about D-Day in Europe. Perhaps they should also know the Hell that was Saipan. You and I might not be here had a certain machine gun jammed one night in 1944. And without the atomic bomb, there might not be any Paula or Cheryl or any of the eastern clan. Heavy thoughts. I cannot resolve all the arguments over war. But I do know that every person who fights in one has given up a huge part of themselves so that I might live free. Which is why I will honor their service, and yours, forever. I hope this gives you some idea of what it was like for Dad. The Ken Burns film, The War, has a lot of good stuff in it. I am inspired by your interest, and am honored to tell the story of a man who gave so much. I see much of his nobility in you, and I pray that, like him, you will be spared the ultimate sacrifice. God bless you all.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 18:26:16 +0000
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