03-01-2016, 12:41 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-01-2016, 01:38 PM by wfmyers1207.)
@Everyone. Allow me to tell you a true story.
A dear and good friend of our family when I was a boy was a gentleman named James Cecere. (No harm using his real name. He's long past now.)
He joined the US Marines in 1939 at the age of 19. He was what Marines call "One of the Old Breed" and served in the Pacific from beginning to end. Started on Gaudalcanal and ended up on Okinawa. (1st Marine Division) Never got a scratch!
When he was on Okinanwa and they were gearing up for 'Operation Olympic', the code name for the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands, he experienced what those old school Jarheads described as "seeing the light". That is to say, he became convinced he had used up all his luck in this world, and the next time he went into battle he was going to die.
Then they dropped the A-Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan surrendered. Like most of the men and women who have been there he didn't like to talk about what he saw and did during the war. But, once when I was home on leave, he took me out for a couple of drinks and some guy time.
This is what he said to me:
"Billy, I didn't know what the bomb was. But, when they told us they had used it and the Japs had surrendered, I could have kissed every god damned Air Corps son of a bitch on that fucking island!"
Think about it.
I still love you like a father Jim!
Sgt. James Cecere, US Marine Corps, WWII Pacific Campaign (Bronze Star)
A dear and good friend of our family when I was a boy was a gentleman named James Cecere. (No harm using his real name. He's long past now.)
He joined the US Marines in 1939 at the age of 19. He was what Marines call "One of the Old Breed" and served in the Pacific from beginning to end. Started on Gaudalcanal and ended up on Okinawa. (1st Marine Division) Never got a scratch!
When he was on Okinanwa and they were gearing up for 'Operation Olympic', the code name for the invasion of the Japanese Home Islands, he experienced what those old school Jarheads described as "seeing the light". That is to say, he became convinced he had used up all his luck in this world, and the next time he went into battle he was going to die.
Then they dropped the A-Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Japan surrendered. Like most of the men and women who have been there he didn't like to talk about what he saw and did during the war. But, once when I was home on leave, he took me out for a couple of drinks and some guy time.
This is what he said to me:
"Billy, I didn't know what the bomb was. But, when they told us they had used it and the Japs had surrendered, I could have kissed every god damned Air Corps son of a bitch on that fucking island!"
Think about it.
I still love you like a father Jim!
Sgt. James Cecere, US Marine Corps, WWII Pacific Campaign (Bronze Star)
"Gad! I'm such a genius! - Wile E. Coyote