YOU SAID:

among us that our offensive action had begun in the Pacific. I was impatient to be a part of it. “Fall out, now! You’ve got five minutes to get outta’ here. Turn loose your cot and grab your socks.” The bugler played a reveille. We fell in and proceeded to the mess hall. Following the blessing of the meal, we all stabbed a steak on a platter in the middle of the table. If you were slow, you got left out. This was our first lesson in quickness and survival training. Drill instructors interrogated us about our experience and I indicated my military school training. This disclosure put me in a position where I assisted in the drilling of recruits. “To the rear, march! To the rear, march!” At each command these fledgling Marines failed to perform even the simplest of drills. Men clumsily stumbled and bumped into each other. Marching first in one direction and then another, they looked more like Keystone Cops from Hollywood’s silent film era than soldiers. What a pitiful sight they were. Across the field, the drill instructor watched me perform my duties from the cool shade of a large oak tree. I was tough and executed my responsibilities well. The instructor and the recruits respected me for it. One can only imaginewhat their thoughts would have been had they known they were being instructed by a fourteen-year-old boy. I was in my element, performing the duty for which I was predestined. As long as I could remember, I had always wanted to be a Marine. When I was about nine, my uncle, John Frank Edwards, gave me a Marine dress hat, or “dress cover,” as the Marines call it. The hat was styled with a leather visor. I cherished it. I felt different when I placed it upon my head. When I wore it on the school bus, bigger boys would take it away from me, toss it around, and then pull my coattails over my head. I fought them until they tired of me. Possession of that cap planted the pride of the Corps in me very early in life. The whole theme of Marine Corps training is to create warriors. Basic training was rough and Parris Island lived up to its reputation of toughness, discipline, and thoroughness. The enforcing of these three factors is what makes Marines the best-trained fighting force in the world. Calisthenics, long marches, and drilling were performed in the hot August sun until someone passed out. That was a lesson in building stamina, and stamina would be needed when we hit the beaches. There was constant cursing and abuse from instructors and they had a tendency to use offensive language. As if questioning our parentage was not painful enough, the men would occasionally strike recruits that did not perform to their expectations. Sometimes they inflicted serious injuries. Once, a sergeant slammed a helmet on my head so hard, blood trickled down my nose. I blocked out the pain and never let it bother me. Not every recruit was Marine material. In addition to hard knocks received from instructors, some Marines faced assault from fellow Marines. We had one in our outfit who refused to bathe. I do not know how he could stand his own filth; I know we could not stand him. One day we jumped him and remedied the problem in short order. Parris Island gave extensive training on the rifle range, and once our rifle training began, we camped at the range. During this period, I learned a lesson that would prove invaluable during my career as a Marine. A drill instructor asked for a volunteer to drive a truck. I was quick to offer my services and was promptly issued a wheelbarrow with which to dispense ammunition along the firing line. In the future, I would never volunteer for anything.There was great jubilation upon graduating basic. We were now full-fledged Marines, having completed our first training hurdle. We had received a lot more than physical training and discipline; our spirits, as well, were forever changed. A bond had developed between us—a bond that would last a lifetime. We belonged to the world’s premier fighting force, an organization older than the country it served. To complete basic was to accomplish immortality. Anyone who was ever a Marine, even if he served in different wars, continues to live on in the Marines newly claiming the “Title.” Marines are men and women of character who have a deep love of country and the Corps, but more importantly, for each other. My next assignment was Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida. Before I returned to Yemassee to catch the southbound train to my new base, my buddies took me to the liquor store. They asked me what I wanted to drink. I had no idea what to request, and hesitated just long enough for someone to suggest corn liquor. That sounded good to me and I got a pint. It tasted nothing like the scuppernong wine we had during the holidays back home. I overdid it a little, and by the time I woke up, I was in Florida. It was October 2, 1942. By comparison, Jacksonville was a definite improvement over Parris Island. There were no Quonset huts and the camp had concrete barracks, much nicer than those to which we were accustomed. The nearby Roosevelt Hotel was a favorite to Marines on liberty. It had a first-rate bar and dining room. I saw a very attractive girl there one night and we started talking. She was from North Carolina and I became very interested in her. I spent half the money I had with me on a little bracelet for her. When the evening grew late, I walked her home and kissed her goodnight at her door. Her pretty face and shape remained fixed in my mind long after the evening ended. I could not wait until I got another opportunity to see her. When liberty rolled around again, I headed straight for the Roosevelt Hotel. I scanned the room anxiously. I spied her in the center of the lobby with some guy in a tuxedo. A mink coat was casually draped around her shoulders. Another lesson learned; I must acquire great wealth to get the “uptown ladies.” My stay in Jacksonville was brief and I was soon transferred thirty miles farther south to the Naval Air Station at Green Cove Springs on December 31, 1942. We got tougher while in Green Cove. I was assigned gate guard duty and given a shotgun and a jeep. The jeep had a manual transmission. I loved to change gears and patrol the camp perimeter. Could life get any better?

INTO JAPANESE

私たちの間では、私たちの攻撃的な行動が太平洋で始まったことを知っています。私はその一部になるのを待ちきれませんでした。 「今、落ちて！ここから出るのに5分あります。ベビーベッドを緩め、靴下をつかみます。」ラッパはリベールを演奏しました。私たちは落ちて、食堂に進みました。食事の祝福に続いて、私たちは皆、ステーキを大皿に刺しました

BACK INTO ENGLISH

We know that our aggressive behavior began in the Pacific. I couldn't wait to be a part of it. "Now, fall! Loosen the crib and grab your socks." Trumpet played Liber.

INTO JAPANESE

私たちの攻撃的な行動は太平洋で始まったことを私たちは知っています。その一部になるのが待ちきれませんでした。 「さあ、落ちなさい！ベビーベッドを緩めて靴下をつかみなさい。」トランペットはLiberを演奏しました。

BACK INTO ENGLISH

We know that our aggressive behavior began in the Pacific. I couldn't wait to be a part of it. "Come on, fall!" he said, "loosen your crib and grab your socks." The trumpet played Liber.

INTO JAPANESE

我々の攻撃的な行動は太平洋で始まったことを知っている。私はそれの一部になることを待つことができませんでした。「さあ、落ちなさい」と彼は言った。「ベビーベッドを緩めて靴下を履く」と言った。トランペットはリベルを演じた。

BACK INTO ENGLISH

We know that our aggressive behavior began in the Pacific. I couldn't wait to be a part of it. "Come on, fall," he said. I put my crib loose and put my socks on." The trumpet played Liber.

INTO JAPANESE

我々の攻撃的な行動は太平洋で始まったことを知っている。私はそれの一部になることを待つことができませんでした。「さあ、落ちなさい」と彼は言った。ベビーベッドを緩めて靴下を履いた。トランペットはリベルを演じた。

BACK INTO ENGLISH

We know that our aggressive behavior began in the Pacific. I couldn't wait to be a part of it. "Come on, fall," he said. I loosened my crib and put on my socks. The trumpet played Liber.

INTO JAPANESE

私たちの攻撃的な行動は太平洋で始まったことを私たちは知っています。その一部になるのが待ちきれませんでした。 「さあ、落ちる」と彼は言った。ベビーベッドを緩めて靴下を履きました。トランペットはLiberを演奏しました。

BACK INTO ENGLISH

We know that our aggressive behavior began in the Pacific. I couldn't wait to be a part of it. "Come on, fall," he said. I loosened my crib and put on socks. The trumpet played Liber.

INTO JAPANESE

私たちの攻撃的な行動は太平洋で始まったことを私たちは知っています。その一部になるのが待ちきれませんでした。 「さあ、落ちる」と彼は言った。ベビーベッドを緩めて靴下を履きました。トランペットはLiberを演奏しました。

BACK INTO ENGLISH

We know that our aggressive behavior began in the Pacific. I couldn't wait to be a part of it. "Come on, fall," he said. I loosened my crib and put on socks. The trumpet played Liber.