THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 7, 1995 TAG: 9504070011
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 61 lines
As a veteran of the Okinawa campaign, I appreciate the recognition your paper gave to this last great air-land-sea battle of World War II. However, I noted some apparent inaccuracies and significant omissions in your report.
First, the Marine divisions in the actual assault landing were the 1st and 6th, not the 2nd, as your report stated. If my memory serves me correctly, two 10th Army divisions also participated in the actual assault landing. It should be noted that the 2nd Marine Division did conduct a demonstration landing, a tactical deception, at a different landing site; however, no Marines were put ashore in that event. Casualties were inflicted in this demonstration action by Japanese fire. As I recall, about one week before the official end of the campaign, one regiment of the 2nd Marine Division joined the campaign, relieving a virtually combat-exhausted and -decimated regiment of the 1st Marine Division.
I doubt that 7,000 ``ground troops were killed in the first three days,'' as your report states. The 6th Marine Division landed and turned north and did engage Japanese forces, incurring casualties that were comparatively light compared to what they suffered later.
The 1st Marine Division landed and assaulted directly across the island, securing its zone of action in about four days. It was allotted 16 days for this task; however, Japanese resistance was light to non-existent.
Army assault divisions swung south and a day or so after the initial landing encountered the forward edge of the main Japanese line of resistance that ran across the island. It was along this line that the onshore blood bath began. These Army divisions suffered heavy casualties and were ultimately reinforced and/or relieved at the end of April by the 1st and 6th Marine divisions. These Marine divisions ultimately ``cracked'' the Japanese line with the seizure of its main bastions, Sugar Loaf Hill and Shuri Castle.
I write this from Nags Head, N.C., where I do not have personal references at hand to check and cite. However, I think a further significant omission was in not mentioning the number of U.S. Navy casualties incurred at sea, possibly among the highest of any single air-sea battle of the war.
I am glad your writer saw fit to mention the 80,000 Okinawan casualties. In a subsequent tour on Okinawa, I lived among these gentle people in the far northern end of the island. I have seen the small village memorials honoring their men, who were taken by the Japanese to serve as labor troops, etc. Few, if any, returned.
In the southern portion of the island, the devastation of villages, towns and the city of Naka was complete. I can recall only a portion of a single wall, part of a bank building (?) rising no more than a half-story above ground in Naka. The medieval castle of Shuri was obliterated, something perhaps akin to doing the same to the Tower of London.
As I look back across 50 years, I can reflect only that those who never came home, the eternally young, are at peace, and I hope that we who did come home have found our peace.
GREGORY J. CIZCK
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.)
Springfield, April 2, 1995 by CNB