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Show ' " With Our BoysIn BoysIn Boys * In theUS the US U S .r r . " ' Armed ForcesGives Forces ForcesGives Gives Graphic Account AccountOf AccountOf Of Iwo Jima Jlma Battle BattleIn In a letter to The Times Inde Indeendent Indeendent Indeendent endent received this week Pfc Plc PlcRuel PfcRuel ' Ruel P F ( Pat ) Dalton US U S mar marine marme 1 me ine corps gives a very mterest interest mterestI mterestmg interesting interestmg I mg ing account of the battle for Iwo IwoJlma IwoJima IwoJima Jlma Jima during durmg which he was waswounded waswounded waswounded wounded His letter followsMaul followsMaui follows followsMaul followsI I Maul Maui T H Sept 17 17Dear 17Dear 17Dear Dear BlshIt BishIt Bish Blsh BishIt It s been a long time hme between betweenletters betweenletters betweenletters letters hasn hasp t it 1t " ? Well I ve ye al always always always ways got a good excuse for thatno thatno that thatno -no no - no news . or censorship-but censorship but censorshipbutcensorship censorshipbutcensorship censorship - butcensorship censorship has lifted now so I 111try 11 11try 11try try to give you a few details of ofwhere ofwhere ofwhere where I ve ye been since smce I ve ye been beenover beenover beenover over hereWe here hereWe I We left the good god old USA U S A on onNov onNov onNov Nov 7 and after five days of ofsallmg ofsailing ofsailing sallmg sailing dropped anchor in m Pearl PearlHarbor PearlHarbor PearlHarbor Harbor We were there for three threedays threedays threedays days and were permitted to go goashore goashore goashore ashore for about an hour tor for ex exerClse exercise exercise erClse ercise one day We left there thereand thereand thereand and crossed the mternatIonal international mternatIonaldate internationaldate internationaldate date line Ime on Thanksgiving ThanksglVmg day dayWhen dayWhen dayWhen ( When you cross the line Ime you youeIther youeither youeither eIther lose or gain a day ) We Wegamed Wegained Wegained gamed gained a day there so we didn dldn t thave thave thave have a thanksgiving day in m 1944 1944After 1944After 1944After After 10 days from Pearl Har Harbar Harbor Harbor bar bor we dropped anchor at the theMarshall theMarshall theMarshall Marshall islands We were there therefor therefor for five days and I was one thereI of ofthe ofthe ofthe I the few that were allowed to go goo gooashore goashore goashore ashore on Perry island for one oneday oneday oneday day We left there and ne'Ct neCt next ne'Ctdropped nextdropped nextdropped ' dropped anchor in Tanapey har harbor harbor harbor bor at Saipan Salpan Sampan on the ! 10th of De December Deember December cember ember We were alerted sever several several several al times between the Marshalls Marshallsand Marshallsand Marshallsand and Saipan Salpan Sampan I was m in the llth 11th re replacement replacement replacement placement draft and was put Irl Irlthe in inthe inthe the 2nd armored amphibious ba batallIon batallion batallion tallIon at Saipan Salpan Sampan and after two off off on- on onthe on - the the f 10th t . of of F-ebruary F ebruary February - for formaneuvers formaneuvers formaneuvers maneuvers before going gomg to Iwo IwoJlma IwoJima IwoJima Jlma Jima We held our maneuvers maneuversat at Tinian TIman and the tank I was on onsank onsank onsank sank about 5000 yards off shore shoreso shoreso shoreso so we hada had a good cold bath bathNone bathNone bathNone None of our crew was injured mJured In Inany inany inany any way though but we had to togo togo togo go back to Saipan Salpan Sampan for another anothertank anothertank anothertank tank tankWe We were the first wave ashore ashoreon ashoreon on Iwo Jima Jlma on the 19th of Feb February February February ruary Hour was 0800 When Whenthe Whenthe Whenthe the control boat lowered the flag flagwe flagwe flagwe we headed for shore but the thedeep thedeep thedeep deep ash sand from the 1he volcano volcanoheld volcanoheld volcanoheld held us back from gaining gammg our ourfull ourfull ourfull full objective but we did make makeIt makeit It possible for the infantry mfantry to get getashore getashore ashore hore without the loss of a asingle asingle single man There were an estI estImated estimated estimated mated 20 000 Japs there and af of ofter after ter the infantry mfantry passed us the theJaps theJaps theJaps Japs opened fire with every everythmg everything everything thmg thing they had and I thought thoughtthat thoughtthat thoughtthat that they were all shooting shootmg at atour atour atour our tank but we never scored a adIrect adirect adirect dIrect hit from the enemy Our Ourmfantrymen Ourinfantrymen Ourinfantrymen [ mfantrymen infantrymen were sure catchmghell catchinghell catching catchmg | hell After that first day our ourJob ourjob ourjob Job was beach defense and we wehad wehad wehad had three conditions black ( en enemy enemy enemy emy re invasion mvaslOn ) but the navy navyheld navyheld navyheld held them off before they could couldget couldget couldget get to us It was hell all the wa wathrough > ; } through It wasn wash t too bad for forour forour forour our own batalion batahon but the 5th dl dm dlvIsion dmvision division vIsion we were working workll1g w1th with w1thwas withwas withwas was pretty badly shot upOn upOn up On the 24th of February Februarywhen Februarywhen Februarywhen when I was wonded one of ofmy ofmy ofmy my buddies stepped on a land landmme landmine landmine mme mine and it blew both his legs legsoff legsoff legsoff off and part of his face kIllmg killing kIllmghIm killinghim killinghim hIm instantly It was from that thatsame thatsame thatsame same mine mme that I . } was J.vas Jvas vas hItAfter hitAfter hit After Iwo was secured on th the17th i i17th 17th of March we were ordere ordered orderedto to a rear area for fer a rest so we wewent wewent wewent went aboard ship on the 18th 18thand 18thand 18thand and we only made two stopsContmued stopsContinued stops | ( Continued Contmued on last page ) With Our Boys in the theI theArmed theArmed I Armed Forces ForcesContinued ( ( Continued Contm1led , from first pare page ) I : from there to onel Pearl Harhoi Harbol Harbor one onestop onestop stop at Guam for fuel and more moreorders moreorders : orders and another stop at the - theMarshalls Marshalls for fuel When we wecrossed wecrossed = crossed the international mternahonal date = dateline tchit lIne that time hme we ue \ e managed tt ti : ' ' = hit it on Easter so we had two = Easter twoEaster onlyone Sundays instead mstead of only : one We came to Maul Maui ( third : thirdlargest thirdllargest thirdl I largest Hawaiian Hawallan island ) ) on the = the10th 10th of April and have been : beenhere beenheie been thel hel here e ever since SlDce sinceI = 1m I m looking lookmg for that one way = tIcket wayticket home now Sure hope waYI It itl = ; I\efound I efound Itefound comes soon now because I Ite \ e = found out that there isn t any ; = place AT like llke . the good old U USA S A anYI = - AI T , _ . _ _ I rt/ rt rt4 / 4 + U- U U1 - ? - - - 1 i get the paper regularly andits and = It its s only about a month late so = I soI get some pretty good news I Ireally Ireally = really enjoy enjo : } the men and wo women women = men in m uniform ul1lform section andalso and andalso = also the local news In fact I en enjoy enjos = JO joy thatlittle : } the paper all the a \ way \ ay ( ( that = roughin lIttle baby is getting gettmg sorta rough = in lD Sparky Watts though don t tyou tyou = you tlunk think think9) think9 think9)Well ? ' ) = Well I ve ye gotta go now so tell tellall tellall = all the Moab peope hello for me meand meand E Eand and I hope I can get to see ee them themall themall = all soon Moab will a1\\ a1 always a1ays \ \ ays be bemy bemy = my home no matter where I go = goOh Oh yes I saw a pro football footballgame footballgamp = gamp game here and 111 III I11 bet any foot = football , ball at'GCHS atGCHS team we ever turned out at ' = GCHS could beat either side sideAs sideAs atl = As ever everPAT everPAT = PAT DALION DALrON | |
