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Lou Smith

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One morning the Marines got breakfast made to order, so they knew they would have to saddle up very soon. B-29 pilots had been telling them that where they were going, they could walk right in after the pounding they had delivered. Lou Smith and the rest of those men had a ring side seat, waiting just off shore at Iwo Jima and watching as that prediction was proven very wrong. On the fourth day, they joined the battle. (3:16)

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Heading inland on Iwo Jima, Marine Lou Smith dug in and waited for morning. Advancing across the air field, he got his first taste of machine gun fire and then an artillery barrage for good measure. The next day, as he crouched behind a knoll, a grenade trailing smoke landed right there. Part 1 of 2. (4:56)

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It took a while to find the aid station on Iwo Jima after a long night in a foxhole. Lou Smith's left side and hand were peppered with shrapnel and he set off on what turned out to be an epic search for the aid station. Comfortable at last on a hospital ship, he witnessed an emotional and stirring burial at sea. Part 2 of 2. (4:59)

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Lou Smith was evacuated from Iwo Jima to Saipan, then to a hospital in Hawaii. That was tough duty, recuperating with the swimming and the girls. One thing haunts his sleep, though, until this day. He had been throwing enemy grenades back the way they came when he was wounded, and this is key to his nightmares. (4:09)

Louie Clark

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Drafted in 1943, Louie Clark headed to Navy boot camp where he was a guinea pig in mustard gas experiments. Officially denied by the Navy for years, the tests, fortunately, did not seriously affect him and he went on to wondering why boot camp was so rough and repetitive. The reason became clear in battle. (4:13)

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Louie Clark joined the crew of the destroyer USS Haynsworth as a Storekeeper. In those days, a sailor carried his mattress on his back along with his seabag. The Haynsworth became part of the Pacific fleet, starting with the Formosa campaign. He says the ship had a "devil dog" Captain, a man angry with the world. Clark just wanted to get back home to his girlfriends. (4:02)

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After the USS Haynsworth sank a Japanese vessel, the survivors were reluctant to even grab the life rope. They finally did and were taken aboard. Louie Clark remembers his time with those men and their curious ways of strict hierarchy and constant bowing. (4:07)

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At first, Louie Clark's battle station on the destroyer was on a 20mm gun. He thought that was a little too dangerous so he moved to a 5 inch gun as a loader. He describes the many weapons carried by the ship and it's role in the fleet. One duty was picking up downed fliers, which earned the crew a tasty reward. (4:52)

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The pilot was ready to die. Louie Clark saw him after he crashed his kamikaze into the deck of the destroyer USS Haynsworth. There were many casualties, including a big pot of beans that caught a machine gun from the kamikaze after it crashed through the deck. Clark describes the bravery of men that day and the solemn ceremonies of the burials at sea. (9:36)

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Crippled by a kamikaze attack, the USS Haynsworth limped back to Pearl Harbor for repairs. The ship was sent on to California, where Ship Storekeeper Louie Clark was lucky to have a 10 day leave and he flew all the way home to Georgia. On the way back, he met some of the Iwo Jima flag raisers. By the time the ship was repaired, he had enough points to head home again. (2:54)