Interesting conversation with WW2 Paramarine

[Black Tom 0]

I just returned from N.E. Oregon where I met with an 86 yr. old former Paramarine who I had first met about 10 yrs ago at a USFS smokejumper reunion.

He had dropped out of high school at age 17 to join the USMC, completed boot camp at San Diego and after A.I.T. volunteered for parachute training (add'l $50/mo. jump pay) and was ISSUED a '41 JSAR at Camp Elliot. Only used the Johnson during training but liked it due to ease of barrel removal.

He was issued a Garand when he went overseas, however his company commander did not turn in his JSAR and the man I was talking to saw his c.o. with the Johnson on Iwo Jima.

Fought on Iwo for a little over a month--always under enemy fire--and then evacuated due to illness. Seldom saw a live Jap soldier but does does recall killing one with a 200 yd. shot. Got some others when they came out of caves/bunkers under flamethrower attack.

Served with occupation forces in Japan after the surrender.

Never got his h.s. diploma but talked his way into college. Did not graduate from college but got into law school--he says he was a "good liar".

Finished law school, passed the bar, was in private practice for a couple of years then ran for Dist. Atty and was elected. Served as D.A. for 10 yrs then appointed to the Superior Court bench and served as a Sr. S.C. judge for over 30 yrs.

Fascinating man and sharp as a tack and I am honored to have been able to have spent some time with him.

I recorded our conversation and I hope I can get some of the local high school kids to listen to his story--if I can get them off their cell phones and i pods.

It really was America's Greatest Generation.

Semper Fi

B.T.

[M48TANKER 0]

What a great story! We had all better listen to our elders and get all the information from them that we can. I regret very much that I didn't discuss my Father's service with the US Navy Seabees. He spent three years in the South Pacific and I have no idea where he was, except I believe he was on Trinidad once. I remember two stories that he told me. One about the Seabees cooling their beer. They buried it under the beach sand, poured fuel on top of it and then lit off the fuel. It seems that the burning fuel pulled the cooler air from under the sand and the heat of the fire just rose up. This cooled the beer to almost freezing. The other story was about when the war was over and they headed home on the troop ships. The guys were just so happy to be going home that they threw overboard their uniforms, guns, helmets, duffle bags and most everything having to do with the military. They were DONE! Done with the war, done with the military, done with the heat of the tropics, and they survived and were going HOME. I wish I could talk to him now! M48TANKER

[Guest 19pm42]

I just returned from N.E. Oregon where I met with an 86 yr. old former Paramarine who I had first met about 10 yrs ago at a USFS smokejumper reunion.

He had dropped out of high school at age 17 to join the USMC, completed boot camp at San Diego and after A.I.T. volunteered for parachute training (add'l $50/mo. jump pay) and was ISSUED a '41 JSAR at Camp Elliot. Only used the Johnson during training but liked it due to ease of barrel removal.

He was issued a Garand when he went overseas, however his company commander did not turn in his JSAR and the man I was talking to saw his c.o. with the Johnson on Iwo Jima.

Fought on Iwo for a little over a month--always under enemy fire--and then evacuated due to illness. Seldom saw a live Jap soldier but does does recall killing one with a 200 yd. shot. Got some others when they came out of caves/bunkers under flamethrower attack.

Served with occupation forces in Japan after the surrender.

Never got his h.s. diploma but talked his way into college. Did not graduate from college but got into law school--he says he was a "good liar".

Finished law school, passed the bar, was in private practice for a couple of years then ran for Dist. Atty and was elected. Served as D.A. for 10 yrs then appointed to the Superior Court bench and served as a Sr. S.C. judge for over 30 yrs.

Fascinating man and sharp as a tack and I am honored to have been able to have spent some time with him.

I recorded our conversation and I hope I can get some of the local high school kids to listen to his story--if I can get them off their cell phones and i pods.

It really was America's Greatest Generation.

Semper Fi

B.T.

i have had the privilige to speak with one also,he fought with my uncle who was also a PARAMARINE . they both fouht on guadalcanal together.

also i speak to a gentlman who was a RAIDER on guadalcanal,his brother and my uncle where best of friends.they have told me stories of my uncle,

he wa.s later kia on IWO JIMA the first day.

my uncle also carried a johnson rifle as i have a picture of him with it.

read the book BATTALION OF THE DAMNED by JAMES F. CHRIST as these great men have their stories in it.

if anyone ever wants to hear about what i have learned form them drop me an email,i would be very greatful to tell you what i have learned.

[ryche_me 0]

I talk to my father who was in Viet Nam. He tells me stories every once in a while. I listen very closely when he or his friends talk. To learn the real history you have to talk to the guys who were there. I grew up listening to Germans who were in "THE WAR" My father is a military historian and i grew up listening to interviews for various guys writing books, a good chunk of my young life. Talk to the guys who were there!!!!! It is the best way to learn what happened. Plus you get some really good stories that will never be written. They are getting few and far between anymore, listen to what they have to say. Alot won't talk about it, listen to those who do!!!Some will understand that you really want to know and give you the time. Others never will get over it and will tell you to go away. There is not much you can do with them, but listen to the one's who will talk to you. I spoke with a B-17 pilot Recently He was"TO OLD TO DRINK BEER" But i bought him 4 COKES during our time together. I heard alot about the way things were done back then. It was 4.00 well invested. Yet i ramble RYCHE.

[Gonzo 0]

Great story! Thanks for sharing these pieces of history! I live 5 mins away from Camp Elliott. It is actually very small. I drive by it every single day being it is right off one of the main freeways. Some of the old buildings still stand and certain sections are still in use...most being unused land, due to it was once a bombing/firing range back in the WWII days. My brother was actually stationed there back in the mid 90s and some buildings(new and old) are haunted by old Marines. Interesting and great to know the Johnson rifles were tested there by Marines. Also at the MCRD here in San Diego they have a museum with a JSAR on display....been meaning to go there to check out some Marine Corp history and the JSAR. Maybe it was a leftover from Camp Elliott.

Maybe your paramarine is one of the guys in one of these photos.

[cozmo 0]

On 5/18/2010 at 10:57 AM, Black Tom said:

I just returned from N.E. Oregon where I met with an 86 yr. old former Paramarine who I had first met about 10 yrs ago at a USFS smokejumper reunion.

 

He had dropped out of high school at age 17 to join the USMC, completed boot camp at San Diego and after A.I.T. volunteered for parachute training (add'l $50/mo. jump pay) and was ISSUED a '41 JSAR at Camp Elliot. Only used the Johnson during training but liked it due to ease of barrel removal.

He was issued a Garand when he went overseas, however his company commander did not turn in his JSAR and the man I was talking to saw his c.o. with the Johnson on Iwo Jima.

 

Fought on Iwo for a little over a month--always under enemy fire--and then evacuated due to illness. Seldom saw a live Jap soldier but does does recall killing one with a 200 yd. shot. Got some others when they came out of caves/bunkers under flamethrower attack.

 

Served with occupation forces in Japan after the surrender.

 

Never got his h.s. diploma but talked his way into college. Did not graduate from college but got into law school--he says he was a "good liar".

Finished law school, passed the bar, was in private practice for a couple of years then ran for Dist. Atty and was elected. Served as D.A. for 10 yrs then appointed to the Superior Court bench and served as a Sr. S.C. judge for over 30 yrs.

 

Fascinating man and sharp as a tack and I am honored to have been able to have spent some time with him.

 

I recorded our conversation and I hope I can get some of the local high school kids to listen to his story--if I can get them off their cell phones and i pods.

 

It really was America's Greatest Generation.

 

Semper Fi

B.T.

Awesome! I'd love to hear his story if possible, I spoke to paramarine t Fred Harvey a few times and read his book, I'm a big paramarine collector 

[Joseph Scott 0]

  The old vet's memory must have his age /dates wrong.  If he is 86, he would have been born in 1935 and age 17  old in 1950's.

[JEM 0]

Original post by Black Tom is dated 18 May 2010.

[ArtR 0]

4 hours ago, JEM said:

Original post by Black Tom is dated 18 May 2010.

Dates and ages are a few of the  many hazards that can occur when resurrecting older threads

[Bruce Canfield 0]

It's very important to record any recollections that WWII veterans have regarding their experiences during the war to help preserve history. My late father was a decorated WWII U.S. Army combat veteran I have the utmost respect for "The Greatest Generation."   That being said, seventy- or eighty-year-old memories can be very fragile, and we cannot take everything that is said as gospel.  This is not to suggest that the gentlemen are lying but it is not uncommon for some to remember things that never happened.  As a case point, when I was researching my first book on U.S. Military Combat Shotguns, I interviewed a member of our church who was a WWII Marine Raider and saw combat in several Pacific campaigns.  When I asked him about the use of shotguns by the Marines during the war, he flatly stated that "the Marines never used shotguns."  I had reams of USMC memos, after-action reports and other documentation as well as numerous vintage photos refuting his assertion. He was a fine gentleman and I certainly wasn't going to argue with him so I politely thanked him for his time.  There was another instance at a gun show years ago when a young man came to my table and asked if I'd like to see the M1 Carbine that his father carried ashore on D-Day. I said "sure," and he departed and came back with a gun case and took out a Universal Carbine made in the 1980s by a firm in Florida.  I tried to gently tell him that this was certainly similar to the carbine his father had but it definitely wasn't around in 1944. He became quite upset and said that his dad would never have lied to him and I didn't know what I was talking about.  After giving it some thought, I am sure that years before his father probably purchased the gun and remarked to his young son that "that this was the gun I carried ashore on D-Day," meaning simply it was a carbine and didn't intend to convey that this was the exact carbine he had.  The same is true with a number of Vietnam vets who insist they had a M16 rifle made by the Mattel Toy Company even though Mattel never made guns or even parts for guns. Psychologists are very familiar with the "False Memory Syndrome" where people vividly remember things that didn't, or couldn't, happen.  When dealing with recollections, remember Ronald Reagan's admonition of "Trust but Verify."

[Ed Johnson 0]

As we get older, we really do become more vulnerable to making mistakes and remembering things differently from their actual reality. I'm 82 now, and periodically have to remind myself that I'm slowly getting "fuzzier" in the head.

I'm frequently surprised to watch an older film (I have many on tape) and realize that I don't remember it as accurately as I thought I did.

But on the plus side, it saves me money renting movies...I can just keep watching my old ones and enjoying them...   

Indeed...."Trust but Verify."  ej

[camstuff 0]

This thread has some interesting history, I for one like to read this,  thanks for sharing everyone.  I’ve heard a few stories as well and there are some people who like to share and talk about their experiences.  It was definitely a life changing experience for them and some willing to share and some who don’t want to talk about it, and some who just simply have BS degrees. No matter the accuracy for the true stories, I like to just let them talk and remember what they can, I want them to be content with the memories they can hold on to.  My old boss use to say “The older I get, the better I was”.  

[Ed Johnson 0]

And....it is a very good reason to write books...and keep them safe. I'm so glad we did.

 

[matconcrete 0]

Matthew A Rozell put together a set of books 10 plus I believe, they are basically transcribed interviews of accounts of ww2 veterans. He was a history teacher who sent his class out to find and interview veterans about year 2000, it turned into such a wealth of stories that he started putting them into books. “ The things our fathers saw.” I highly recommend them.

Phil

[ArtR 0]

I see Volumes 1-8 are on Amazon

[matconcrete 0]

Dying for freedom isn’t the worst thing that could happen, being forgotten is.

-quote often repeated by the author 

[eb in oregon 0]

17 hours ago, matconcrete said:

Dying for freedom isn’t the worst thing that could happen, being forgotten is.

-quote often repeated by the author 

The problem is how many have already been forgotten. I grew up with veterans of WWI (my grand father was wounded in the Argonne), WWII (my father served in the pacific with the Army Air Corps), Korea, and came of age myself during Vietnam. I enlisted in 1970, but due to silly decisions made at the age of 18 and an Army recruiter with an excellent line of bull crap, I spent my four years active duty in the states. 1970 to 1974. And another 20 years in the National Guard and spending some time in a real hot place. Along with a whole bunch more people. No history will ever detail the life of those who fought (with exceptions). However the issue need be that why, where, and who they fought needs to be remembered. Most people fade away, but what they did with others is remembered for a long time. Unless of course a segment of society works to alter history for silly reasons.