James; THAT WAS SOMETHING ELSE.
Ive watched war movies and they almost come across as adventures that I missed out on.------- only I know better. This letter from Jim tells us what really goes on in their minds. The movie Battle Ground gives us an inkling more than the rest, but still falls short. If they would ever showed it like it really was, maybe the big shots would stop having wars. I keep thanking God that the war ended before I was to be shipped over. But not by much. You know, I have an email from my nephew out in California that talls me of something i never heard. My brother never talked of his time in the Marines. I didn't even know what rank he held till way after he came home. Ok, here it is, part anyway.
I remember when I was about 17, we had a19ft inboard/ouyboard, and my dad and I were fishing in the mouth of S.F. bay warers, when ihooked and brought along side after a struggle, a good5,,,,,ah maybe 4ft tiger shark. Well I wanted that puppyfor a picture, but it triggered something in my dad. We started to argue and he pissed me off by cutting the line while I was struggling to gaff it abopard. Wasn’t till later talking to John Mangini(my godfather) and his Marine buddy that how on a beach invasion,I forget the island, they would take guys in on their amphib tank and bring back wounded. They did it for about 10 hours that day and it got to the point they were picking up and dropping off in red water with bodies banging off the hull as they went in and out,,,but the kicker was when the sharks showed up.,,,I guess it left an affect on him.
when will we ever learn.