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Jack Thurman

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Being a veteran of Iwo Jima, Jack Thurman has been asked to speak to many groups over the years. Young Marines especially are interested in hearing his perspective on war, and despite a generational gap they still have something very important in common. (This interview made possible with the support of COL ROBERT W. RUST, USMCR (ret.) in honor of LtGen Lawrence Snowden & LtGen George Christmas.) (3:30)

Jack Toole

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With only a few enemy stragglers on Guam, Intelligence Corpsman Jack Toole could concentrate on the task at hand. One radio intercept led to the targeting of an enemy admiral. And there was a tense moment when Jack was sure he heard a grenade land. (8:09)

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Jack Toole finally learned the destination of his Pacific journey, it was Guam. His job was to operate a radio listening post and intercept coded messages. First Problem? They need the high ground where the enemy fled. (8:35)

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Moving from from high school to Navy radio school, that is where 17 year old Jack Toole found himself. Then on to Military Intelligence at Cheltenham where he was trained to record enemy Morse code communications. (6:07)

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Naval Intelligence Corpsman Jack Toole trained with Marines while at Pearl Harbor, then shipped out on the USS Cape Johnson in the largest convoy of the war, all steaming toward the enemy. (6:36)

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From his outpost on Guam, Jack Toole could watch bombers return from long missions, the damaged ones leading the way with special lights. Then, thankfully, the war ended and the dreaded invasion of the Japanese homeland was averted. (8:49)

Jack Tragis

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He wanted to join the Army from as far back as he could remember. As a small child, Jack Tragis experienced some of the drama of the home front in World War II. Both his parents served and, when he was eighteen, it was his turn. First up, a year in the infantry on the Korean DMZ. (4:59)

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After a year on the Korean DMZ, Jack Tragis became a Drill Instructor. He was now a sergeant and he got it in his head that he would like to be an officer. He put in for OCS but his company commander said he wasn't going to approve that. He had a better idea. (5:25)

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Jack Tragis had tangled with anti-war protestors while he was finishing his degree. It only hardened his resolve to get his commission as an Army officer. When he found out that it was as a Medical Service officer, he was stunned. Determined to get it changed, a chance encounter made him decide to take it. (4:49)

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It was a struggle for Jack Tragis to pass the flight physical but with a waiver and a little help from a friend, he managed. Then, it was a year of moving his family to various flight schools which he knew was leading up to a tour in Vietnam. (3:44)