I never saw a Marine that had any good to say for McArthur. He was known in this area as "Dug out Doug" because he slipped out at night by submarine and left them to face the Japs alone. One marine told me about when Doug came back they spent half a day searching the beach to find a spot he could wade ashore for the news people to take his picture and not get his knees wet. I think these boys were of the second marine division. They were a tough bunch. Anytime they were not eating or sleeping, they were cleaning guns and sharpening knives. you never saw a Marine without his weapon, but I can understand this because his weapon was all that stood between him and death, or worse if a Jap took him. One boy carried a bottle of gold fillings he said he stomped from dead Japs' mouths.

When Okinawa was invaded, the Marines and Army landed near the middle of the Island. The marines were to go one way, I think North, and the Army was to go the other. The marines took their end and came back to find the Army bogged down almost where they started. According to this boy, the Marine General told the Army to get out of their way and go home, that the Marines would get the job done. Which they did.

Well, I guess we are ready to set sail again. We left the canal and made a beeline for Pearl Harbor. Actually, we zig zagged. We were traveling by ourselves and I don't remember how many days it took us, but we averaged a little over eleven knots per hour and the top speed of our ship was supposed to be ten. I don't remember how long we stayed at Pearl Harbor. We topped off our fuel tanks and took on more ammunition. The gunners checked their guns every day and had spent several rounds. Someplace, I don't remember if it was in the states, at Pearl Harbor, or sometime latter that a small ship was loaded on our top deck. I don't remember when or where we picked it up or unloaded it....I must have been on liberty both times. It was unloaded by pumping ballast water from one side of the ship to the other causing it to tilt to one side. Their ship was cut loose and slid over the side into the water. At Pearl, we joined a convoy to Saipan. One could look in any direction and see a ship of some kind. After we got to Saipan, we began a shuttle service moving supplies, equipment, and Marines from Island to Island. I don't remember the sequence of our runs, but we made port at Pearl, Guam, Saipan, Eniwetok (the island that was blown out of the water after the war testing the A bomb), Okinawa and Inchon, Korea. We made several trips between Saipan and Okinawa taking supplies and equipment up and Marines back.