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Show Feature I The day after Japan bombed By Barbara Pyles On February 19, the battle of Pearl Harbor, Travers tried to Iwo Jima will be fifty years into enlist. He wanted to be a fighter history. Who hasnt seen the pilot. The Navy took my brother photograph of the American flag and not me. I had bad eyes and it being raised on top of Iwos just fractured me, said Travers. Mount Suribachi? That moment As the war went on the stanin history will be alive forever. dards were lowered. Travers enThe battle for Iwo Jima was listed at March Field in order to one of the bloodiest conflicts in be in the Army Air Corps. After the war. Admiral Nimitz said: his basic training, he worked on The United States Marines, by the flight line at the San Bernartheir individual and collective dino Army Air Depot and later as courage, have conquered a base the crew chief on the Commandwhich is as necessary to us on ing Generals airplane. When the our continuing forward move- 490th Air Service Group went ment toward final victory as it overseas, he went with them. was vital to the enemy in stavAfter Travers docked at Pearl ing off defeat... The Marines paid a horrible price for a tiny strip of volcanic ash and rock. Day and night, they fought the Japanese on an island only five miles long and 2 12 miles wide. Over 60,000 Marines landed on Iwo and over 23,000 were killed or wounded. There is no doubt in anyones minds that the Marines were heros in every sense of the word. Yet, the taking of Iwo Jima took teamwork from all of the United States Forces; the Marines, Navy, Seabees and the Army Air Corps. They were all part of the fightingmachine that helped blast the enemy off the island. Kanab resident, Staff Sergeant Jim Travers flew as an and like othengineer on a ers, he risked his life to deliver supplies to Iwo Jima and other Islands. No matter where they flew or what they carried, the loaded their crews of the planes until they couldnt get any more supplies aboard. C-4- 7, C-4- 7s STATK Harbor, he was based on Oahu and assigned as an engineer on a Later, the crew received orders to fly to Saipan. There was little action at Saipan, it was pretty well secured. We saw a few airplanes falling out of the sky, and we were aware that we could sometimes too. Then word came, Iwo Jima. flew and flew. The The 7 plane headed towards Chichi Island. Jima, a Japanese-hel- d When the pilot realized they had their destination, he turned around. Someone spotted a tiny narrow island out in the middle of nowhere. It was Iwo Jima. As the plane circled, the crew saw an unbelievable sight. Big ships were firing thousand of tons of hot steel. Marine artillery ripped into the black earth. Bombers plastered the hills. It seemed as if the whole island was being swallowed by smoke and fire. The crew of the 7 looked at each other and said, My God, are we going to land there? They received their landing instructions. Land as short as you can. There is still a war going on at the end of the runway. After he helped unload the supplies, Travers took a ride with a buddy. And what he saw stayed with him the rest of his life. We drove down to where they were bringing in dead Marines. All those young guys shot to hell. I looked and until this'day...two C-4- 7. C-4- by-pass- ed C-4- b Marines were washing the face of their dead friend, and I thought were playing for keeps here. I will never forget that as long as I live. As he watched, trucks kept bringing bodies and parts of bodies. Men, who were unaccustomed to the ghoulish work, were burning litters saturated with blood. And as Travers told this story, he had to stop because of the lump in his throat. Travers returned to the airfield. The crew had to get out, the plane was a target if left on the field. As Travers refueled the Marine artillery buzzed by. He was sitting on 700 gallons of aviation fuel. I sure hope those guys know what theyre doing, he said to himself. The crew flew supplies back and forth from Saipan to Iwo until the Number one airfield at Iwo Jima was secured. Then, Iwo became their home base. The plane was armed with Thompson machine guns in gun ports in the windows, plus the men carried 45s. If they fell prey to Japanese fighters... g The dramatic still stands out in his memory. The orders the Marines received were simple. Take the platoon up the hill, and put this (flag) on top. On February 23, 1945, 10:3 1 a. m. , a Marine on the base of Suribachi shouted: There goes the flag! The Stars and Stripes snapped in the wind. A larger flag was raised several hours later and Associated Press photographer Rosenthal shot the most publicized picture of World War II. It was a thrill to fly over Iwo Jima and see our flag flying, said Travers. But he knew that flag cost a price. I saw so much heroism and so many dead men... it sticks with you forever. The place was volcanic and there was steam and heat coming up all of the time and the smell of death... it was as close to hell as you could get. It was the grimiest place of all. The 7 crew also pulled extra duty. They sprayed DDT over C-4- 7, flag-raisin- C-4- Kanab Utah Guaranteed low priced propane. COAST GAS has an optional price agreement that will keep you protected from unethical price increases. One of the fastest grow3 or ing companies in southern Utah. Call local All our employees are certified by the state and trained and experienced in the propane industry. 800-439-05- 52. State Farm Insurance Companies Home Offices: Bloomington, Illinois II. Photo by insect infested Iwo Jima every heard the dull thud of a hand two weeks, and the grenade. Let me tell you, your whole island. With 53 gallon heart stops, said Travers. He drums, the crew flew only 50 never did get a samurai sword, feet off the ground. but he did get another souvenir, While based on Iwo Jima, shell fragments in his arm. Travers said he never gave a After the invasion of Okinawa, about We so lost said they started flying Travers dying. thought many guys. It broke your heart to supplies there. It was on lose your friend, but it was just Okinawa that he had his first part of the game. When we left to meeting with poisonous snakes. go to Iwo, they issued us brand Travers says he was near a bomb new mattress covers. I wondered shelter when the Japanese flew what they were for. I soon found over the island. The antiaircraft out. When you got killed, they fired and steel came down like slipped you into the mattress metallic rain. He wondered what cover and that was your coffin. was worse getting into the shelEvery night was an ter with the poisonous snakes or eternity.said Travers, You staying with the metallic rain. would lie there in your hole with He chose thejaoisonous snakes. Then, at last, the war was over. your .45 automatic, but you couldnt sleep. You worried the He hauled supplies for a while enemy would jump in with you. before it was his turn to go home. A guy named Gillmore took my This was night after night. Travers deliberately courted place, says Travers. One day, the 7 death by poking around in caves was on a flight going from for Japanese souvenirs. There is a Saipan to Iwo and caught fire. The saying: The Japanese fought for wing melted off and thoy went in. their emperor, the British for glory, Only the navigatorescaped. Someand the Americans for souvenirs. times youre destined to make it, On Iwo, the Japanese used or destined not to make it. About being in World War II, many of the caves as a place to of There dead. were Travers said: I wanted to go. I dispose their many twistingpassageways, and wanted to see those things and I one night Travers was in one of always felt inadequate that I them. He entered a room and never did what I wanted to do. I from the glare of his flashlight wanted to be a fighter pilot. he saw enemy bodies in clusters, But there is one thing for sure, all face up. Then he spotted a Travers will never forget the man face down. As he was thinkSands of Iwo Jima or the men ing the soldier must be alive, he who died there. de-bugg- ed C-4- dmKCsIKDSUaxiI) Utah & Arizona Licensed 644-208- 644-26- 83 Veteran Jim Travers with gun he brought home from World War Barbara Pyles. (0lQ) INSURANCI 310 S 100 E . Now serving your general contracting needs FARM Lorin Tonks Agent 10 WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 15, 1995 md 111 U SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS 'Give us a call - We do it all" |