Saturday, April 11, 2009

Putting a Struggle Into Perspective



In the midst of personal struggles whether political, economic, religious, or physical we are well served to maintain perspective. Despite the perceived magnitude of the burden laid upon our shoulders, there are oftentimes stories that make our problems pale in comparison. If we choose to commiserate with those who have shared similar pains and anguish, something quite remarkable happens. We may feel our burdens to be a little more tolerable and their weight a bit lighter on our shoulders.

Among military members there is a unique bond formed out of mutual misery that manifests itself in an incredible fashion. The most terrifying struggles will hastily turn strangers into brothers. And as time goes on our stories of tragedy may bring about a solemn mood. But, other stories of personal struggle can bring about quite a different response, uncontrollable laughter. I can recall several instances of nearly losing all bowel and bladder control when reminiscing about the past with fellow soldiers as well as with family members who served in the military.

One family member’s stories, however, put all of my struggles into a new perspective. His were the stories that were seldom heard but never forgotten. My Grandfather served in WWII in the Navy. He served as a gunnery-mate on board LCS 84 (Landing Craft Support vessel) in the battle of Okinawa.

A detailed account is found here: http://www.navsource.org/archives/10/05/050084.htm

Per the account, theirs was a small, cramped naval vessel armed to the teeth. The Landing Craft Support was designed to assist with amphibious assaults and this would place them immediately off an unfriendly coastline. The group of vessels would later be known as “the Mighty Midgets” of the Okinawa campaign.

After several days of storm-tossed seas and sea-sick sailors the crew arrived in Pearl Harbor. After 10 days they shipped off and traveled further west and further from home than they had ever been. They joined up with the largest modern naval fleet ever assembled to seek out and defeat the remaining Japanese forces. After a brief stop in Saipan, they were given their mission and in the invasion of Okinawa. They were to stage a diversionary amphibious assault on the opposite side of the island where the main invasion force of 150,000 men were to land.

Just before dawn on Easter morning, anti-aircraft fire lit up the sky in response to the first waves of Japanese aircraft. One suicide bomber impacted a nearby vessel setting it aflame. The skies then grew calm while the main invasion was taking place elsewhere. Shortly after, the Battleships Maryland and Texas roared with their heavy weapons and pummeled the nearby coast for several hours. Then, from overhead came friendly aircraft that would lay a blanket of smoke to obscure the movements of the LCS vessels towards the shore. When they cleared the smoke screen, the gunboats expended the entirety of their forward-facing munitions and then turned back to form a protective ring around the island. Then commenced what was referred to as “the most bloody and hectic experiences in a man’s life.”

Four days into the invasion, low flying clouds settled into the area and provided the perfect screen to the low flying Kamikaze bombers. When other members of the fleet cam under attack several ships moved to their aid only to be attacked themselves. This was the case for LCS 84.

Upon arrival alongside a badly damaged destroyer, the crew assisted in taking onboard 226 survivors to include 7 men on stretchers. All available space aboard the already cramped ship was now occupied. In the darkness amidst rough seas the crew tried to transfer to another vessel but had to give up after a nearly disastrous attempt. Two of the injured men would later die when the vessel had to cross 20 miles of ocean during the battle to offload the men on an island west of Okinawa.

When they returned they commenced patrolling for suicide boats when they came under another air attack. The smoke screen designed to obscure the anchored vessels now fell upon the gunboat as an impenetrable fog. Meanwhile, several of the suicide boats were spotted in the area which caused the LCS vessel to set their engines at full speed to maneuver away from an attack that could arise from any direction among the limited visibility. Relying on radar reports, LCS 84 came upon one of the suicide boats unawares and quickly laid a hail of fire upon the ship and sinking it before it could return fire.

A second suicide boat spotted the LCS vessel first and closed the distance between the two and initially avoided being targeted by the American 40mm guns. With a quick maneuver by the Captain, the ship listed to one side where the guns were able to fix the target, riddle the enemy with fire, and destroy the craft just 20 feet away. As the battle continued, the LCS craft went on to the rescue of several survivors of other nearby sunken ships. While in the middle of rescuing members of a nearby crew an underwater explosion violently rocked the small ship.

On Friday, May 11 shortly after morning chow the crew was brought to General Quarters to initiate one of Okinawa's outstanding sea-air battles. One particular aircraft was caught in a crossfire and attempted a suicide attack upon their ship. The mighty gunship tried feverishly to take down enemy aircraft but before long it had sharply banked down upon them and came screaming towards them in a ball of flame.
In the words of Richard De Causemaker, "This was it! Coming straight down on us from our stern he suddenly barrel-rolled about 100 yards off, and by the grace of God just missed us, plunging into the water off our bow with a deafening explosion, spraying fire and debris over the ship.”

In a first-hand account of the event, my grandfather added further details of this explosion. He recalled that during the firefight several members of the crew to include himself and several survivors laying about the deck were suddenly inundated by a wave of fuel that had caught fire. A paralyzing horror overcame them as they became engulfed in flames. A secondary explosion of the aircraft’s armament then blasted another wave of water over top of them and immediately extinguished the flames. The coarse hairs that were once on my grandfather's unshaven face were now singed off entirely.

The ferocious battle raged on for several more days with more suicide aircraft streaking through the sky, being shot down, and some striking their targets. The LCS craft often found itself fighting fires on adjacent ships and endangering the crew's lives in the attempts to rescue their fellow sailors.

Causemaker, a gunner’s mate onboard the ship concluded "For each and every man in our crew and all the others out there that day, there will always remain the nightmare of that bloody battle. The ghastly sight of picking up wounded men, burned and marred for life, picking up cold, clammy, torn bodies of the dead and having to bury them at sea is an unimaginable torture on the human mind. It is sights as these that make or break the bravest of men."

Shortly thereafter, the sea and air battles calmed down and members of the fleet were sent to the Philippines in preparation for the occupation of Japan. While there, the devastation of the atomic bomb brought about Japan's surrender and the end of the second World War. The efforts of this mighty vessel and its valiant crew did not go unnoticed. For the outstanding bravery demonstrated on May 11, 1945 the members of LCS 84 were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

*

Trials and suffering can help to mold our character and redirect our sights to the items of greatest importance, i.e. family, faith, and our freedom. Suffering is an inescapable truth of life that should be viewed as a blessing. It hardens our resolve, it teaches us what we are capable of doing in times of great struggle, and it refines and purifies our very being.

May we never forget those of generations past who have taken these struggles upon themselves that we may live free.

In Memory of my Grandfather (1924 – 2008)

No comments:

Post a Comment