16 years old. Can you imagine a 16 year old today who is ready for anything like that. I’m sure they weren’t ready then either, but that is a hell of a way to grow up fast.
With a profound sense of loss, the world remembers George Cattelona, a survivor of the history-making battle on Iwo Jima during WWII
He landed with his comrades under a hail of bullets, facing a formidable defense of bunkers and tunnels that made every meter of ground a costlybattleground
As part of the 5th Marine Division, he scaled the slopes of Mount Suribachi, where courage and sacrifice combined in one of the most powerful symbols in the history of war
He is now at rest, but his life story remains a moral legacy for future generations: that freedom is always born from the courage of those who dare to step forward in the face of danger. 🕊🫡⚓🇺🇸
A long time ago I worked with one of these guys. A veteran that saw them, those very guys, raise that flag.
He was in charge of maintenance at a golf course.
He kept the equipment running and the blades sharpened to perfection.
He was proud but ornery and lonely.
He told the supervisor of the golf course that he could use some help the day before a Thanksgiving and I was pressured into working with him on that holiday! I worked with him on the equipment.
He never mentioned the death or the battles to a kid like me but he did say that he ran into Audie Murphy during his journey.
He also told me about this young soldier that had the Medal of Honor on this base and he literally had the respect and clout of everyone there including the high ranking officers that were there.
The way he described the situation they might have well as hung a Generals rank on this young man he was talking about.
Not long after a massive storm flooded the valley including the golf course and on that day I drove to work and looking back I could have been killed that day.
I quit and that was the last of ever seeing that veteran again.
It's interesting that before that golf course and the surrounding homes were built a young John Wayne owned a ranch there before the war.
Over the years and today many celebrities have owned homes there.
16 years old. Can you imagine a 16 year old today who is ready for anything like that. I’m sure they weren’t ready then either, but that is a hell of a way to grow up fast.
Looks 30 by todays standards.
With a profound sense of loss, the world remembers George Cattelona, a survivor of the history-making battle on Iwo Jima during WWII
He landed with his comrades under a hail of bullets, facing a formidable defense of bunkers and tunnels that made every meter of ground a costlybattleground
As part of the 5th Marine Division, he scaled the slopes of Mount Suribachi, where courage and sacrifice combined in one of the most powerful symbols in the history of war
He is now at rest, but his life story remains a moral legacy for future generations: that freedom is always born from the courage of those who dare to step forward in the face of danger. 🕊🫡⚓🇺🇸
O7
A long time ago I worked with one of these guys. A veteran that saw them, those very guys, raise that flag.
He was in charge of maintenance at a golf course. He kept the equipment running and the blades sharpened to perfection.
He was proud but ornery and lonely.
He told the supervisor of the golf course that he could use some help the day before a Thanksgiving and I was pressured into working with him on that holiday! I worked with him on the equipment.
He never mentioned the death or the battles to a kid like me but he did say that he ran into Audie Murphy during his journey.
He also told me about this young soldier that had the Medal of Honor on this base and he literally had the respect and clout of everyone there including the high ranking officers that were there.
The way he described the situation they might have well as hung a Generals rank on this young man he was talking about.
Not long after a massive storm flooded the valley including the golf course and on that day I drove to work and looking back I could have been killed that day.
I quit and that was the last of ever seeing that veteran again.
It's interesting that before that golf course and the surrounding homes were built a young John Wayne owned a ranch there before the war.
Over the years and today many celebrities have owned homes there.
Please provide your sauce on this. There are still several Iwo Jima survivors alive and participating in ceremonies.
Also - This story has the guy you posted, and he joined when he was 18.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article80296402.html
There is also this:
https://www.operationmeatball.com/new-girlblog/tag/Marines
Oh - he died in 2017 at age 92. Here's his obituary:
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/newsobserver/name/george-cattelona-obituary?id=32353987
Damnit. It’s always the one-off memes that get shared without looking it up.
Twice.
Pretty much. If it tugs at the heart strings it will get spread around.
(GUILTY.)
🇺🇸
Amen.
RIP
https://coppellstudentmedia.com/11414/old-sidekick-categories/news-blogs/japan-renames-iwo-jima-in-hopes-of-eliminating-u-s-history/
Hand Salute, Marine...AND THANK YOU!!!!!!
Semper Fi, Marine!! o7