Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:08 | Roy Beck describes what it was like to land on Iwo Jima and fight in that unbelievable battle, revealing the secret to how he survived. (This interview made possible with the support of ROSEMARY HIGGINSON.)
Keywords : Roy Beck Iwo Jima landing craft flare
He didn't really want the deferments, so after two years when his boss at the lumber yard couldn't get him any more, Roy Beck went to enlist in the Navy. Somehow he wound up in the Marines and there was an island out there in the Pacific named Iwo Jima waiting for him. (This interview made possible with the support of ROSEMARY HIGGINSON.)
After a long trip on a slow LST, Marine Roy Beck hit the beach at 10 AM on Iwo Jima. As soon as the company cleared the landing craft, a Japanese mortar shell came screaming in. This was only his first close call. When the flag went up, he thought that it must be over with, but it was only getting started. (This interview made possible with the support of ROSEMARY HIGGINSON.)
Marine Roy Beck remembers what a hard time they had with a tank in the volcanic ash sand of Iwo Jima. It wasn't much help against the array of tiny hiding holes and miles of tunnels where the enemy could hide and attack at will. When a corporal was wounded, he carried the man out of the battle and was promoted on the spot. (This interview made possible with the support of ROSEMARY HIGGINSON.)
The job was simple, but dangerous. Roy Beck had to wait near a tunnel entrance and, when the Japanese emerged at night to cause mayhem, he would have a clear shot. An enemy soldier with a grenade had a different idea, but it would pay off, eventually. As the Marines neared the north end of Iwo Jima, a lack of communications caused some artillery targeting that would end in tragedy. (This interview made possible with the support of ROSEMARY HIGGINSON.)
