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Show Thursday. September 28, 2006 OREM TIMES Page 11 Life at Iwo Jima veterans! Editor's note: This is the sixth and final installment about Gunnery Sgt. Keith Renstrom of Orem. Ren-strom Ren-strom also landed on the beaches of Tinian and Saipan before D-day on Iwo Jima. Though only five miles long and three miles wide, the taking of Iwo Jima was of critical importance to crews of B-29's: if they experienced aircraft trouble on their return from Japan, they could land there rather than ditch in the sea. The 3rd Battalion of Marines Ma-rines were so badly crippled crip-pled on their first landing that the 2nd Battalion, still on the landing ships, was called to come ashore, swing to the right, get up on the ridge, and hold that line secure while fighting was going on at Suri-bachi Suri-bachi and between all the other oth-er high points of the islands. We'd been told we could take the island in three days, but I soon said to myself, "No way in this world are we going to take it in three days." There was so much fire power still hitting the beach, where supplies sup-plies were being brought in. Finally, between 9:30 and 10 a.m., the whistle was blown. That meant to get our gear on. The word was passed around that we were going ashore earlier ear-lier than we had anticipated. Passing other ships, toward the beach we went. You're just sitting there in the boat, and you are scared silly, no matter how many landings you've made. Your intestines are up on you. If you're a noncommissioned officer of-ficer or officer, you act braver than you really are. You have to talk to the guys. Every once in a while, someone some-one gets sick and you have to help liim, but you stay away from the smell, because it can make you sick. Then we told everybody, "Load your rifles." And everybody every-body was ready to go. As we came onto the beach, fortunate for us, the Japanese salvo was hitting the beach while we were still about 30 yards away in the water. Then we hit the beach. The boat ramps went down, and we ran in, fanning out like we were supposed to. We cleared the beach as far as we could inland. You run as hard as you can, you fall down, and then you make another dash to get away. Rosenthal, the man who took the famous picture of the raising of the flag on Mt. Suribachi, came ashore with our battalion. He was standing on the back of our boat, taking tak-ing pictures of our F Company as it came ashore. One of my men was his holding his legs so he didn't fall off in the water. I hadn't been on the beach 20 seconds when I looked up, and he was taking my picture just as I turned over. That picture, along with three others, was sent back to the States and widely printed. We started to move off, and there were dead and wounded Marines around us. Some of the wounded had been there two hours. It was safer for them to stay in the holes they were in rather than try to get back to the beach. If you could live through the first day and stay off the beach, you had a lot better chance of surviving. We tried to get corpsmen to help the wounded. We were now working our way back and forth, through the shell holes, to the right flank of the whole operation. I jumped in a hole with one of my corporals. He said, "Gunny, you know, a guy could get killed around here, couldn't he?" I said to him, "Well as long as it's not us." He laughed. There's always something funny to laugh at when things like that happen. Fierce fighting went on day after day after day. There were dead after dead after dead; wounded after wounded after wounded. One of the jobs I hated was to take the dog tags off the dead and give them to the first sergeant, so we knew who had actually died. We took our wounded back to the beach. All kinds of stories sto-ries could go on and on. At re- 6 5 unions, guys talk about things that happened to them, and how they all wondered how I was able to live through it. My wife says I moved so fast that the bullets didn't have time to stop me. Sergeant Renstrom's complete com-plete story will be posted on Orem.org, under Arts and Education, in a few weeks. These excerpts from local veterans are courtesy of the Orem Heritage Committee. Commit-tee. Complete stories of the veterans will eventually be put on the Orem City Web site, www.orem.org. Readers aware of any veterans who have written about their military service are asked to arrange to have these archives in the Veterans History Project, Library of Congress. Phone Don Norton (225-8050) on how to do this. ievvsl Orem I Hours The Orem Senior Friendship Center is located on 93 N. 400 East, Orem, and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The center phone number is 229-7111. 229-7111. I Trips and tours Seniors are allowed only to sign up for themselves and a spouse or a senior-aged friend. Current Orem Senior Friendship Center Cen-ter memberships are required for all participants on the tours. Sign-ups for October trips will be in September. I 'Footloose musical at Hale Theater Seniors will visit the Orem Hale Center Theater to see the musical "Footloose" on Oct. 9. Cost is $15 and the bus leaves at 7 p.m. I Wendover Turnaround A all-day trip to Wendover is scheduled for Oct. 11; the bus will leave at 8 a.m. Cost is $8. I Health fair The annual senior health fair at the South Towne Expo Center is Oct. 20. Cost is $2 for transportation, which leaves at 9 a.m. BYU production "Foreigner" "For-eigner" plays at the BYU Pardoe Theater on Oct. 21, and the bus leaves the center at 1:15 p.m. Cost is $7. I Free movie presented The Tahitian Noni International Interna-tional in Provo will host a free movie for seniors on Oct. 30. The bus leaves at 6 p.m. There is no charge. MENU I Friday Barbecue pork rib, baked potatosour cream, sliced carrots, car-rots, three bean salad, cherry pie, white rollmargarine. FALL SA STAR REWARD: EXTRA 15 OFF' most sale or reqular price purchases with your ST0REWIDE SAVINGS & VALUES NOW IN PROGRESS Macy'sardthroughMondaylTOoffinHomet) 50 OFF A. Entire stock designer suits from: Calvin Klein Kenneth Cole Reaction Alfani Ralph Lauren Tasso Elba Jones New York Reg. $475-5595, sale 237.50-297.50. (Macy's Card discount doesn't apply to all brands) V . 4 X ' y xf ' (, , I 1 O J o - I ii I w !) J A 'if 4. SALE 24.99-29.99 B. Only at Macy's. Misses Karen Scott cardigans. Popular shawl & zip-front styles. Reg. $36-$42. Also in Petites where normally sold. "- if h t r'V 'j l j! 1 ft V. ' 25 OFF C. Most Maidenform bras. Reg. 28.50-S33, sale 21.37-24.75. Shown: One Fabulous Fit Lace Demi, style 7909. Reg. 29.50, sale 22.12. V 1 SALE 69.99 twin D. Only at Macy's. Vail II down blanket by Charter Club. 300-thread count cotton sateen cover. Hypo-allergenic Hypo-allergenic white goose down. Reg. $110. FullQueen or King. Reg. $ 1 30 & $ 1 50, sale 79.99 & 89.99. . I ' . PLUS, LOOK FOR CLEARANCE EXTRA 40 OFF apparel & accessories for the whole family, already marked down 50" (Macy's Card discount doesn't apply to clearance.; ivmacys I, 1-800-45-MACYS alto shop macyi.com REGOIWG PRICES RtfiiCT OFFERING PRICES IN EFFECT DURING TOE 90 DAYS BEFORE OR AFTER THIS SAli EVENT, BUT NOT NECESSARILY DURING THE PAST 30 DAYS. SAVINGS MAY NOT Bf BASED ON ACTUAL SALES SOME ORIGINAL PRICES MAY NOT HAVE BEEN IN EFFECT DURING THE PAST 90 DAYS. INTERMEDIATE MARKDOWNS MAY HAVE BEEN TAKEN Appaitl shown n imported. Srtwtion vafw by vtw Prices, promoltom and vHtion differ or mac com TMdynotrwcomtrd wrthjny acKdrional drsmunt offw VaW only at Macy's stows in WA. OR. ID. LTT, MT and WY. Excludes New reductions; Clearance; hreryday Values. SpecialsSuper Buys. Cosmetics and rraqrjnces, Wo.f.alph Lauren Kenneth Cole. Tommy Bahama. Tommy HHficjet; CaMn KJem;The North Face; Lacoste; Levi'sDockers; DXNYDonna Katan; Kate Spade; Michael Kors; I.NC; Impulse; Charter Club Cashmere Sweaters. American Rag, iunior Denim. Men's Claiborne. Perry Ellis, Nautica, Joseph Anboud, Tasso Elba; Material London; Guess; Buffalo; Diesel; Mam; Burton; Via Spicja; Coach; Donney & Bourte; Wacoat I. Maqnm, Oscar and Jos Steepwear; Watches, Small Entries; Personal Care Electrics. Technoincry, Vera Wane,; Rosenthal Waterford Orrefors, Kosta Boda. Swarrw; Uadra Nambt; Baccarat; Lalique; JA Hencteh; Wusthof ; AH-Clad; FRANGO chocoatn: Wine: Fumrtuie: Mattresses; Area Ruqs, Special Events; Warehouses and f learance Centers; f.nc Jewelry Watches, Trunk Shows, Motssanite Bridal and Estate ColJectjons, Maternity, Lease, Service and rrforvMerchandis Deptt Bridal Kiosk; Special Orders; Macy's Gift CardsCmrScates and Online Purchases. Not valid on previous purchases "Clearance offer may not appry to all brands, rect!ons and driartmems. Fjctra savmgs taken crff already-reduced prices as marked or signed. Clearance items are available while supplies last and are not available by mail or phone order. We are unable to make price adiustments on previous clearance purchases. Sale offers may indude some items that have already been prrrmanenrjy reduced to a price that will remain m effect beyond the sale event 'Men's suits available at Downtown Seattle, Northcjate, tteHevue, Alderwood. BHIinqham SouThcenter, Tacoma. Crrympia, Vancouve. Kitsap, Columbia Center, Dmmtown Spokane, Spokane Valley, Salem Centei. Valley Rivet, Medfotd, Bone rowne Square, Downtown Salt Lake City. Cottonwood. Layton Hills, South lowne. Riverdale and IJrwersrty Mae Karen Scott not available at BeHevue, Bend or Fashion Place. "MaidenfcrTn sale encludes Everyday Values, strapless and longline bras Fall Sale ends Septembei 25, ?0Otj L a COPY |