March 14, 2024 • 53 mins
As the golden sun dips below the horizon, we're reminded that darkness often begets the most extraordinary tales of courage and fortitude. Today's episode is no exception, as we sit with a Navy SEAL veteran who walks us through the haunting labyrinth of war, sharing his raw experiences from the jungles of New Guinea to the stealthy night missions in the Philippines. These stories are not just about the clash of armies, but a deeper look into the human spirit, the disciplined focus on the task at hand, and the sacrifices made in the name of duty.
Transitioning from the echoes of gunfire to the soothing silence of peace, our guest opens his heart about the aftermath of war. The intricate details of a World War II scouting mission set the stage for a broader narrative that unfolds the complexities of a soldier's life post-conflict, from witnessing historical moments like General MacArthur's treaty signing to the internal battle faced when the uniform comes off. It's a raw, unfiltered glimpse into the struggle of reintegrating into a world that has moved on without you, punctuated by the poignant story of returning to a family farm that was no longer there.
We wrap up with a tender recollection, a love story sparked by a chance meeting with a redhead named Rusty, proving that the most significant battles are often fought within the confines of our own hearts. As our guest, at an inspiring 97 years young, shares his life's joys and tribulations, we are reminded of the enduring power of faith, resilience, and the human connections that shape our journey. Each episode is an opportunity to forge those connections with you, our listeners, as we navigate the depths of life's narratives together. Join us and be moved by these powerful testaments to love, life, and the pursuit of a peace hard-won.
Thank you for listening to The Connection Podcast with Jay Miralles. Please subscribe and share!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Connecting the dots, Connecting his guests to the
world, Creating more connections.
Welcome to the connection.
Meet your host.
Author, coach, Air Forceveteran Jay Morales.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Did fear ever run through your veins?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
No.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Never Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
You were so well trained and so well acclimated.
That you had a job to do.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
And one other thing that they did tell us in Navy
Seals training was that theyasked us is your mother all
right?
Oh, I think so, why you have agirlfriend, a steady girlfriend
back home?
No, why?
(01:12):
Well, I'll tell you why.
We want your full, dividedattention, not worrying about
your girlfriend pulling out withyour buddy, or your mom back
home, or your mom being sick.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
We want your full attention all the time.
You live by what we say.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Yeah, that's discipline, that's discipline.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
And we were so well trained that they could almost
tell us when to put our feetdown.
Yeah, and so it took us, Ithink, 28 or nine days to get to
New Guinea.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
So you forged onto New Guinea while being attacked.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
No, we were attacked every day.
We were trying to get down intothe war zone, like the
Marshalls from the CarolinaIslands and that in New Guinea,
hollandia.
(02:24):
New Guinea was supposedlyalready been through the war and
was pretty much under controlof the Americans and the
Australians.
But we worked out of there withsupplies and ammunition.
(02:45):
But they had a big ammunitiondump there and that one picture
in that magazine.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah, I don't know if you're sure you got that
picture on there.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So they're going to the soldiers are going to leave
them the boat.
Yes, that was the way it was inthe Carolinas and the Marshall
Islands.
The water was deep, but itwasn't deep enough.
That's what the hedgehogs andall were.
(03:16):
Yeah, and it would just takethe water and run out of the
ship, you know.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Oh yeah, they're jagged and they're strong, right
, I mean, they're so sharp as arazor.
Yeah, I totally imagine I hadcut all over in these.
So when you traveled to NewGuinea, what was your assignment
there or what was?
Did you go further than that?
Or tell me where you're going?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
No, that was our kind of.
Our battleships were already inthe straits of the Philippine
straits.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So you got to spend time in the Philippines.
We talked about this a littlebit before.
We, too, won't have Philippines, so you know, in Filipino, and
we talked about this.
Right, like, I want to hear thestories because I think they're
good, but tell me about them.
Just tell me what we're talkingabout before we get on camera.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Well, after we left Hlandian again he, then it was
our job to the first time wewent to sea as the Navy Seals
left the big ship at night.
It was in the southern part ofthe Philippines, Zambuango.
(04:37):
You ever hear of that?
Maybe you can't give a name?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Sure, but I'm going to write that down and I'm going
to do some research on that.
So you went to the southernpart of the Philippines.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
And the first night out our crew.
They sent out probably 10, 15of the boats.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Oh, the smaller boats , the six cylinder boats.
Right, the speed boats, yeah,the Higgin's boats, the Higgin's
boats, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
And the first night out we was trained so well that
we were scared to death,absolutely scared to death.
Okay, the unexpected was wedidn't nobody know about what
they unexpected.
We made it through that, madeit back, got the boats refueled
(05:34):
and worked on this and did thataround the ship and got the
boats ready and we had the gunsmounted on the Higgin's boats.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
We have two 30-kilometer oh okay, fully,
automatic right.
Yeah, okay, machine guns,machine guns yeah.
Well, now chain Yep on the feed.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Well, in other words, yeah and that's it, we that's
it.
Even if we could have slept, wewouldn't have Right that first
night.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, I bet it was dark as you're traveling
Probably pitch black Always atnight?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Yeah, always.
Yeah, and the second night youwere scared, but not quite so
bad.
I mean, you performed yourduties and looking forward to
what was to come.
And then the third night itseemed like it was we'd kind of
(06:41):
passed the frightening stageRight, so we actually went
ashore.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Did, I thought I must did With the Higgin's boats,
and so I mean, just you justsandbarred it.
Yeah, right up to the beach,right yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Right and dropped the .
And dropped the right, yeah.
And then soldiers were overleans putting the other men out.
See we, we the dolphin couldcarry about 3,500 melines or
army on an invasion.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Now these islands see down the and the southern part
of the Philippines had alreadyhad.
All of them had been notsecured by a long ways, but they
had already been invaded.
Yeah, so I wasn't on the firstinvasion, sure, none of us were,
(07:40):
but we took supplies then, yeah, to the army.
Whichever they had, I had himdown.
The other thing was we keptmoving up north all the time.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
In a position so everybody would keep moving up
Ancient, ancient Taking money.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Thinks the Philippines is one long island.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Spousings.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Yes, it is All, all pieces and bits, right?
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
So at this time, correct me, is it because the
Philippines is still undersemi-control of the Chinese or
Japanese, the Japanese army?
The Japanese still had astronghold on the Philippines as
you're inching in to.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Push them north.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
And we also had, like , some of the islands off of the
Philippines, you know, in thestraits.
Yes, we had the big goals, yeah, and every island that, inch by
inch.
See they, they people did notknow that they'd been doing this
(08:51):
for 30, some years, right,japanese, and nobody paid any
attention to it.
Yeah, they didn't care.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
And so they.
Every island out there wasfiltered by 10 to 30 to 40,000
Japanese, and you can imaginewhat they done to the habits,
habits of the islands.
Yeah, they pillaged them.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
They absolutely.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
You can't imagine anything.
Mad enough happened to oh.
My heart still bleeds for theFilipinos.
I'm telling you they reallydoes.
Yeah, and, by the way, I don'tdrive a Japanese car.
He's okay, okay, never had with, never will.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I missed it, I missed it.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
My kids, you know, lived in Japan for years.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
He was an oil engineer in Jakarta in that area
.
Yeah, For some of the J Walshservices I'm three of her.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
I probably probably uh he logged on.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
well, it's all over the world.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
And so they lived there for years and they didn't
beg this, me and my wife, thecold.
I said I can't do it.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Understood you never sent for back there in that area
where you don't intend to meetand that.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
But anyway, we started to work on our way out
the islands and it got to thepoint that we were kind of in
the leading process of movingnorth into the bigger islands
and our job was as Navy Seals.
(10:40):
Now this is now around.
There's a seals, yes, that weleft that ship every night
around 10, 10, 30.
They'd come again.
You got a mission.
What am I warm?
Speaker 1 (10:56):
I called, and so we blackened up yep, and I saw the,
the outfits at, mr.
I mean, the holes weren't likeyour normal scuba outfits, right
, like they were the.
Again, this is the basicequipment.
Begin on to.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
You know, again, technology wasn't there yet, so
you blacken up, okay, and we andwe would come up on top side
and usually time we all gotdressed and everything, there's
probably 10, 30, yeah, andthey'd be a priest, a rabbi on a
(11:40):
regular Navy chaplain.
Sometimes one would be there,sometimes two, sometimes all
three of them yeah and theywould always say a prayer overs
yeah, and because it could havebeen your last time you could be
yeah than me the last time youever was and you got to the
(12:06):
point that then, over the side,go out the barcation that you
ended the powerboats yeah thepower boat was speed and they
would take us within.
If the wind was in your face,they could take you within two
miles.
If the wind was behind you,then drop you off at five miles
(12:34):
out.
Oh, because they could hear themotor see.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Japanese woman oh yeah, so if the wind is blowing
towards you, they can't hearmuch, because the world, oh wow,
that's a dip.
So if you were five months, solet me ask me, did you get
dropped five miles or two miles?
Speaker 3 (12:53):
now, both, both, then both tell me about a five-mile
swim oh well, we got a rubberrat, we blow that rocket, yeah,
and we put some more equipmentin yes and would you hang on to
the side to hang on to the sidebeen, and you're just paddling.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Push it in yeah there's no motor on there oh, no
, no it's quiet and you don'tget in it right, you're just.
You're literally hanging offthe side with what?
How many other people?
Four, six people, four, four ofit and equipment in there and
your cold water, always dark.
You can't see your hands,probably from your face, oh,
(13:32):
true, and and you're just you'rehoping what you're swimming or
other the stars you can tell by.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
You know right, exactly where you are and the
boat cruise.
You know exactly where we are.
We come time to pick us up.
We hit this island.
Okay, the water is here yesthis is the island.
Yes, this is the island.
We're well in that, yes, andthere's a garrison the Japanese.
(14:05):
You can see him.
Yeah, he can hear him yeah yousee the sentry, walk this way,
talk to this century on thebeach, on the beach, and there's
lots of them and the back herewill be the other one on the
beat.
Yeah, he will turn.
Go this way, the other mm-hmmthis room, walk back over to
(14:29):
this Senate and they'll meetwhat they'll turn back.
We count the steps.
You imagine whether they'retaking 30 inch steps.
Probably they're short peopleright so you figure out how long
it's gonna take this guy to getto that.
Christmas well, can we slip ininto the collie at Lee without
(14:55):
being heard or seen or leavingthe track or anything?
Can we do it?
We lay there in the water, butwe can figure out exactly no
word.
We're spoken everything withhands like you, off and you're
cold and freezing you don'tworry about that right, but I'm
right.
I get it.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Yes, it is cold try to do a calculation today in a
warm home, with a little bit ofpressure on you.
We'll talk it in the water.
If probably so, whathallucinating right because of
the pain and and what I meanthis year.
Just in the watering, how doyou stay?
How do you stay focused?
How do you stay sharp?
Speaker 3 (15:37):
any.
Yeah, best trained group andthat melt herring's ever had
yeah, there's no doubt, I meanand they tell you you lay your
life on the line every ten thatcover night.
You went out a lot of times itwould be six, seven times in a
row and the beach couple of daysoff while the ship move
(16:00):
different place yeah sometimeswe would go the same place time
two times in a row.
We, for instance, let's getahead a little bit, but not too
far, like open all, yes, pereven team, or let's go even team
okay there was not muchvegetation on even team right
(16:24):
rocky.
Yes, you could hide behind therocks that the beach was fairly
shallow and so you couldn't gettoo close to the rock.
It'd be a hundred yards atleast to the, for you can find
cover and you would getdetermined between the four over
(16:49):
here or six of you, you woulddetermine.
Is that a high heavy equipmentmilitary force?
There are they just now.
It's a regular rank and wedon't want to be scouting, and
(17:13):
so we determine this and we tryto determine whether it's a
heavy artillery or they've gotsmall tanks or what, and the
only way we're gonna know it,get in there and see.
So we make a run for it right,so you go back.
(17:37):
We go back into that like a divaJ.
Well, right, and try to get inbehind the rock.
Let's do it, then we wouldseparate mm-hmm, some of us and
we go like this right you would.
Everybody would never say aword to the one another.
(17:59):
Right, complete silence,complete silence.
And then he would hide andobserve what the Japanese were
doing.
They never suspected me, isthere never?
The adoption was close to doing, why aren't it?
(18:24):
we carried a knife yeah strap toyour hip yeah, yeah and the car
being on your back and, ofcourse, car being worthless
because all my one shot that'swhen you got.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
It was a name one.
Yeah, it was an army car blur.
Okay, yeah, yeah, so so oneshot then well, ours were all
waxed yeah amnesians all white,oh, okay but one shot and you're
dead.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
That brings the Japanese out like flies around
the last yeah, because you knoweverything was secret.
Surprise.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Yeah, that's how it works yeah, and we worked that
all the way up through thePhilippines from the southern
part.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Thorough lady was the last yeah that was the biggest
pile as they grew then game golf.
We called it then.
That's called so big bay sothat's where.
Macarthur.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Joe MacArthur said to the film I'll be back.
I'll be back right, if you eversee him.
Yeah, you did.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Wow, tell me about that, tell me about how I see
them when they had the peacetreaty oh really bad yeah,
truman was president and and youtold me you were fan of Truman
they wire and a president.
Truman cuz they dropped thebomb before we's going into
(20:09):
Tokyo okay we went into Tokyo.
You wouldn't see me here today,right, and we knew it yeah but
you were trained to do this, you.
You got so damn bitter at it andso crusted that after a main
battle in the first come firstwave, we only took first wave in
(20:38):
after we'd scouted the islandsbut we knew where to go see, and
then after that we'd take afirst load of soldiers in on
moving and Go back and getanother load 25 to 30 depend on
(20:59):
that.
The sea heavy sea can take 25,smooth sea, why you could take
30 and full combat year see, andWe'd take the first load in.
Go back to the mother ship wasabout five to seven miles out,
(21:19):
maybe more, and and we've comeback to the same location and
the chief statement oh, theBeach beach master would say you
(21:41):
can't go back yet Got a job foryou and he says I Called the
Corning, they'll bring in likesix live usage.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
You mean it wounded yeah?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Maybe that many dead men and we'd take them back to
the USS Comfort.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yes, it was about 10 12.
I Did that work.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Night and day.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
I mean, walk me through this.
They would six, four to six ata time.
You put them in a small little.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
In a on the Higgins boat.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Higgins boats and Ten miles in and you just do the
rough water bringing them back.
So some of them passed away, sothey're right.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
And they're nice comfort, would see us coming or
hear it, and they would open thehatch Just above the water line
.
Yes, yes and that steel beamand come out likely and then let
change down and hook on to theMascots mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Alvin, I want to shift gears here because,
because we could be here twoweeks, yes, and I would love to
spend the time with you, but I alittle.
I Want to share some thingspost military right.
We talked about this off-camerawhere, when you got out, it was
(23:25):
hard.
Definitely show what was it?
What was hard about getting out?
You think Al.
I didn't belong anywhere right,we talked about that would tell
people what you mean by you,didn't well?
Speaker 3 (23:36):
My parents had lived on the farm.
Yeah, we've a mountain of bigbut herdy cows.
Yeah, but I live yeah and they.
Two weeks after I left, dadsold the cows okay.
They sold the farm, yeah, theymoved to Melbourne.
Okay, the house month, the daybefore Christmas, and they
(24:01):
couldn't find another house, sothey moved to Glenwood.
So and I didn't know thisbecause we wouldn't get mail a
maybe Three months.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Yeah, cuz they had to travel and it sat on somebody's
.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
Our mail is on the island.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
We would just land okay, yeah, they held it for you
.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Well, that's how fast they were when they dropped the
mail.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Oh, I will that was where we had men.
Yeah, there was no contact withyour family at all except
through mail, and that was threemonths and delayed, so so Bring
me to when you got back, soback.
So when did you, where wereyour parents living when you
came back?
In Glenwood?
In Glenwood, yeah, in the newplace, hell, okay.
(24:48):
So how old were you when youcame back?
And I was 19 20 years so youtook train to Des Moines.
Des Moines, did you take a bus?
No, but how we?
Speaker 3 (25:05):
come back.
I took train right into councilone council of laughs.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Okay, so train into council bluffs.
So then you got to Glenwood.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Mm-hmm, and the cabs were waiting there, yeah say
where you are to go.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
So you had your dungarees on.
No, I had dress dress white,dress blues.
Okay, tell the kid you dressblues on and he says where do
you want to go?
Speaker 3 (25:28):
That's with the Glenwood.
Well, he said five dollars, I'mready to go.
Oh, I carried good way.
She even cream to fish.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
That's all you had in the broad.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah, I liked everything else, the big bag,
you know, cuz you didn't need itanymore.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
That's you, let me just let it be so.
You only had one set of uniformyour dress, blues and no
wearing and, and your cover andyour To paste in your shaving
kit.
So you're driving, you get outat Glenwood, what do you see?
What time was it?
Well, nighttime about what?
Label of cloth every night.
(26:08):
Okay, that was a five dollartower, I, that was expensive.
Yeah that was a lot of money.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
And it.
When he got in Glenwood he saidwhere do you want to go?
And I said I don't know.
So I found something that wasopen, so I called, went in and
used the phone and called them.
Well, hell broke me to thehouse, I guess when they called
on the phone.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Yeah, okay.
What was the reaction?
Who answered the phone?
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Probably one of my sisters, so they were all up and
waiting.
When I got there I was soStrung up, so high for two weeks
I couldn't set in chair lowenough to wrinkle my trousers.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Understand, because your stress, you're still,
you're still ready, you're stillcombat ready.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
I couldn't come down, I couldn't go up, but I just
plain I didn't belong in it.
I went to the farm with my dadthe next day or two the I
Enjoyed that, but I didn't blow.
Focus so well.
(27:26):
It was completely differentform one that.
So I Didn't know what to do.
And the big thing was I'd savesome money.
When I was in I always checkedher.
I'd sent her home to my mother,she got a little booze, so I
(27:57):
had saved some money.
And so about a couple of weeksafter I was home the chivalrider
in the mountain would call meand he said he knew I'd been to
service and I suppose dad hadtalked to him too.
And he told me he says wheneverI get a car that I think a
(28:21):
young person will like, I'llcall you.
And so I kind of forgot aboutit.
So I told him okay.
So one day I don't know whetherit's six weeks or so later he
called and told me.
He said I got in a sport coupe.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Sport coupe.
A Chevy sports coupe, Is thatright?
Chevrolet sports coupe whatyear?
46.
46.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
Okay, they look like the 42s.
Yeah, sure, that's that.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Pretty much the same.
But you went in there to 46sport coupe.
Did you go to the dealership?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
I went and looked at it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Yeah, and he says you can have it, and I said well,
all taken, I think it was $800.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
$800.
Did you?
I mean you obviously, just youhad the $800.
He said here you go.
No one that easy.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Okay, he told me I didn't need to pay for it yet
and you just like.
So I went to the bank and I hasone.
I told the bank or what I wasgoing to.
I was going to buy a car.
He says how much money you needBecause they wanted to lend you
(29:48):
the money right.
And he says, yeah, we'll takecare of it for you.
I said no, I want to withdrawthat, and so I finally talked
him into it and I told thedealer.
I said you better take itbefore you give it.
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
And can you do it when I owe anybody and no?
Speaker 3 (30:13):
So that, and then I met the redhead.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Let's talk about that .
So here you are.
Here you are in your 1946sports coupe.
You pay cash for it.
How much time passed by beforeyou meet this beautiful redhead?
Probably a month, okay.
So you're still 19.
Yeah, okay, where were you?
Speaker 3 (30:36):
In Omaha.
She was standing there on theby the corner of the Jocelyn
Memorial.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Wow, and 19 years old .
What's her name?
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Well, her given name was one thing, when everybody
called her right because she hadrare Rusty.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Okay, that's a picture of her.
Oh, wow, she just is pretty.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
She looked to one seat and the other part of it.
Was she just as nice as shelooked.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Yeah, Tell me.
Tell me back to that first day.
This is the part that is goingto interest.
Well, give it.
You seen her.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
I've seen her say, finally talked her into taking
her home that night.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
And they're going to have been two or three bucks.
Yeah, yeah, and so I asked herfor a date then, yeah, on Sunday
, that was Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
And so she finally can set his dick all with me.
You can clap with me.
Just turn an eye on.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
It was that training you had.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
That training.
Well, maybe I was a pretty fasttalker.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Could be.
Could be, you just send thissmart.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Just so Sailor had a way with him.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure, did she know you were in
the military?
No, you just, you just had thatsailor mentality, yeah.
So Rusty and you go on yourfirst date.
Yeah, where was that at?
Speaker 3 (32:14):
In Omaha to a movie.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Okay, yeah, to a movie.
Do you remember the movie?
No, but you do remember thedate, yeah, okay, so after the
movie.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Well, and then when I took her home, I took, I asked
her for another date.
Yes, and I remember it was on aWednesday, I'm not sure Sure,
and I had been working out onthe farm a little bit and so I
(32:47):
was making gas money maybe.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Yeah, and I was wasting up to get you around,
right.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
And so I started dead and natered At least once a
week, twice a week.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
And the more I got seen over, the more I wanted to
be with her.
Yeah, and we started doingdifferent things, like going to
dances.
Right, you told me about that.
We went to a lot of the bigdances.
They used to have a lot of goodones.
Yeah, all the main bands.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Yeah, yeah, like ballroom dancing.
Yeah, all that, yeah, yeah, andit was you were quite the
dancer right.
That's what you were telling meAt one time.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Yes, absolutely Sorry that the time ran out, but you
know, her and I went to danceone night and I done the doctor.
The best thing to do wasdancing.
Yeah, she wouldn't go no more.
She almost stumbled and fell.
Oh okay, I checked her forgoing down.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Yeah, she was like that's it.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
That's it, and sometimes we go to listen to
music afterwards.
But we had 75 years 75 years.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
I'll be 97.
98 in May.
Okay, let me make sure I getthat.
What's your, when's yourbirthday?
Speaker 3 (34:12):
May the 23rd.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
May 23rd.
Okay.
So, al, I want to talk aboutwe'll talk about Rusty here in a
bit but I want to talk aboutwhen you say you don't belong,
because there's a lot ofmilitary people right now,
veterans who get out of themilitary and they feel like they
(34:34):
just they just don't feel likethey're in their skin.
They just don't feel like theybelong, they just don't feel.
I know exactly what it's like.
What would you just say?
So I just had a friend theother day tell me hey, I got a
buddy right now that's introuble.
He wants to talk to somebody,but he doesn't want anybody to
(34:55):
know.
What would you be of youradvice for someone who was
feeling like that today?
Because I know they'll listento people like you.
Al, you've been through it.
You've been through it.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Well, the first thing is maybe I have something like
some of the Red Stugging byhaving to go to church and I
have felt, like you know, afterwhat they told us in boot camp
carrying the seal of training,that after they would always say
(35:32):
the 23rd song, who will walkthrough the valley of myth?
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Yep, we, yep.
Can I share something with you?
I read the same verse before wewalk from Lincoln to Omaha.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
Last year, you know and you know, unless the people
that may, who done he can't dothat.
He's doing their own, their own, ready to be.
Well, I'll tell you the.
I went on so many missions andI felt like we had a shield over
(36:12):
.
You Can't be.
Let's just put it this way youcan't be lucky on your life, you
just cannot be lucky.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
There's no way.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
So the good Lord is taking care of it, regardless of
what anybody says, I know whatis plain, as I know who I am.
I really feel it, I really do.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
You're 97 years old.
You're up at two o'clock in themorning doing your pedaling 30
minutes.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
You walk these halls for 30 minutes every day every
day and I don't cheat becauseI'm cheating myself.
That's right.
If I cheat on any of thisexercise, I'm cheating nobody,
not you, not you, you.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
You.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
So I make sure that I get in that late at time and I
walk fast.
I fast enough to bring thesweat out and you get ready
every day.
Every day.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Like there's no day, that's just a relaxed day.
Every day you get ready, so youdon't have to stay.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
I'll be waking up two o'clock anyway, because I've
been that way for so many years.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
You know, this has probably been one of my favorite
interviews because you're sucha good, you can share the story.
That pulls people in, becausemy job is to preserve the story.
I don't know how much I'm heresince I've been sitting here.
(37:46):
The things that we have on ourbacks nothing, nothing compared
to what you've been throughout,what you've done for our country
, how you've served this greatnation.
You continue to do it.
You're making me a betterperson today and you make me
want to work harder.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
I don't go to church like I should, but my daughter's
home.
She always comes and gets me.
She lives in Council Bluffs.
She comes down to church downhere and the boys go to their
church or something and mydaughter and I go to this heaven
(38:30):
.
Like I said, I've been toTosanri a guy when I was young
Is there any other kid?
Oh sure, okay, I have thisfeeling about myself.
I've been protected by Godhimself.
I really believe it, I reallydo, and I've had two heart
attacks.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Open heart surgery.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Yes, two of them, yeah, and I've had two kidney
surgeries.
I was almost 90 years old whenI had an excited fear and doubt.
I was 86 years old, 90.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Oh, 90.
That was a hard year.
Speaker 3 (39:11):
I couldn't believe it .
And Dr Iperager'd only fiveo'clock in the evening and he
says uh, it'll be all right,come by in the next morning and
look me up, says everythinglooks real good, you can go home
.
Same stuff next day, thanks.
(39:32):
And the doctors come in andthey say you're what?
Speaker 1 (39:38):
That's some of my conversation with you today.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
He said what he said, I could go home, and of course
I've been up walking aroundanyway.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
After the second heart surgery, I was just there
for days and didn't even stopthe heart.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
A couple of questions I want to ask and then we'll
wrap this up.
But, al, what would you say toall this rhetoric going on in
this world and you know thepatriotism there's do you think
it's missing in the generation?
I know it's missing.
What do you want to tell thisgeneration of 20, 30, 40 year
(40:18):
olds?
And it's okay, I want you tospeak your piece.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Well, you've got to have your faith.
You need your faith.
You need your country.
It's the best place in theworld there is.
Protect like it's yours.
You got to remember I'm no hero.
The heroes of the guys outthere under the white crosses.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Yeah, they're on the other side of the ground right
now.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Yes, they are.
I know a lot of them and I missthem terribly, I think that
over the years.
Well, here's another about Rudy.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
Oh, here's your competitor.
Speaker 3 (41:03):
Well, the shim and I were quite blood brothers.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
And we were in Norfolk, Virginia, my wife and I
.
My grandson was a stool outthere.
They said parents leave there,Little Creek, and so we went out
to see him graduate.
So when we got ready to leavewe thought we'd just drive down
(41:36):
to Gulfport, Mississippi, andsee them old buddies yeah.
Well, we got close to town and Icalled him and his wife entered
.
She was kind of interested.
She said, by the way, she sayswho is it?
I said Al Hayes.
He started crying and she saidRudy died three months ago.
(42:03):
The last thing he said to me,the last breath he took.
Be sure and tell Al Hayes I'mnot.
I felt like less than two cents.
It just took my breath away andI told him I'm sorry, I'll get
in contact with you later andyou know I haven't got over that
(42:29):
.
But here was another thing thatI I assume as many people as
I've seen carried dead ones anddid this and did that.
I got so damn crusted to itthat I could fall, I could take
anything till that lady died.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
That was in 2021.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
I'm down here, I'm done.
Here's Nan dying.
Three weeks later, one rainbow.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
But no, you get out of the woods.
Yep Rainbow, but you're up forBill.
Bill Hayes January 11.
She'd only sell them, please 97years on this earth, you can
still say life is short, is thatright?
Speaker 3 (43:17):
And it really is.
And you know, there's one thingthat people have got to learn
you can't be on the take, You'vegot to be on the give.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Yes, yes, I agree with that 100%.
There's too many takers todayand there's some people that
just can't get it out, can't getenough of it either, and I
don't regret one minute of mylife.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
My time in the military made more out of me
than if I went to college foryears and years and years.
I weren't more.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
Yeah, you sure did.
I have no college behind me,it's all in the military and it
served me very well.
Speaker 3 (44:08):
And I have no regrets at all.
I kind of live by the standard.
I love this world.
We've got the best, except it'snot.
This is not the case.
We are proud Americans, butthere's a lot of things.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Here's one of them's home of the free because of the
brave.
That's right.
You put that uniform on.
You serve this nation so thatother people today don't have to
.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
And I had this happen to me several different times.
I go to the Veterans Day downhere in Memorial.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
Day yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (44:56):
And, by the way, I belong to the Court of Honor
here in town.
Speaker 1 (44:59):
Oh, you do.
Speaker 3 (45:00):
Yeah, and these high school boys will come up and
talk to me afterwards, becausethey introduced me a lot of
times.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
Well, anyway, that you can say it if you want.
You can, I don't matter.
Listen, this is, this is good.
Speaker 3 (45:32):
These young kids will come up and they'll say you
know, I wouldn't mind being theNavy Seals, and she was.
What was it they got?
You know, stand the chance.
Well, what do you mean?
I'm just good as anybody.
I said the first place is yougot the wrong attitude.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
That's right.
It starts here.
Speaker 3 (45:53):
The second place is you got to take care of yourself
.
I was 100 percent perfect andhealth wise when I went.
You don't find that everywhere.
No, they told us to start with,and I don't want 100 percent
out of you, I want 125, andwe're going to get it or you're
(46:15):
not going to be here.
Speaker 1 (46:17):
You know how many people would fold today just
hearing that.
You know how soft these kidsare.
They're still good ones.
Speaker 3 (46:26):
Oh, this is the thing .
Oh yeah, yeah, I'll take thisaway.
I've known this the way youdon't know how many times I've
had.
I think we'll get it out in thetrash.
Well see that on the front ofit oh right there, yes, the
American Eagle.
Yeah, that's down in Florida.
Speaker 1 (46:46):
Wow.
It's taking a live big one Infront of a flag like that.
Speaker 3 (46:53):
He just polled.
Speaker 1 (46:53):
You just took it.
Yeah, oh, that's a great shot.
Yeah, well, al, I mean I canfeel your patriotism and I want
this to be.
I would like to invite you tosome of our events and I'd like
Chris to be able to pick you upand I want you to witness some
(47:14):
of the patriotism going on.
I want you to see what we'redoing for veterans and I would
like more people to hear yourstory.
I mean, if you're up for it,you don't have to feel obligated
at all.
But, al, I've learned so muchtoday.
I have just sitting here.
Speaker 3 (47:32):
Well, I could have took you right into Japan to see
the armistice was signed andeverything.
My gosh and they.
The day they are Mr for signed,the minute that Our boats and
whistle blew on, the ship saysScouts and Raiders, manual boats
(47:55):
, full combat gear, and my jobor not my job, my crew's job was
take every flag down, japaneseflag down in Tokyo Bay, and we
did.
Wow, and I've got one of themthat I've got one picture of it.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
The.
How many people stood up andvolunteer?
Oh, that's where you told uswhen you first.
Speaker 3 (48:26):
Oh, one of the things was that we were back in Manila
, yeah, and we were taking onsupplies.
We just left Okinawa Becausewe'd been there, so they did
pretty well, excuse me, 45.
Speaker 1 (48:48):
This was in 1945.
45.
Speaker 3 (48:52):
Okay, 46.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
46.
Okay.
46.
Okay.
Speaker 3 (48:54):
Yeah, when they are in the sea.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 3 (48:59):
And so our ship had already left After it was pretty
well secured in Okinawa was.
So when we got into Manila, ofcourse, there was no Manila left
.
Did you ever fly over for you?
Speaker 1 (49:20):
No, no, was it obliterated.
Speaker 3 (49:23):
You think that what you see on television, that the
Gaza's this is the Gaza'sstrengthen, all that.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
Israel lights over there yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:35):
What we do to get these out, those.
Speaker 1 (49:37):
Really.
Speaker 3 (49:38):
Who, in them building standing Japanese, took it away
from us.
Then we took it back, so youcan imagine how much is left.
Speaker 1 (49:48):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:50):
Well, anyway, he Come up that Five.
I would play the main officerthat took care of the seals.
Oh, by the way, they was about40 of us Navy Seals that was on
this ship.
I don't think it was 50 and 50people on that ship that knew
(50:15):
that we left every night.
It was that top secret.
Speaker 1 (50:20):
I can only imagine.
Well, I do want to concludetoday's interview, but I do want
to come back for more stories.
Would you have me back?
Sure, I, and I mean that,because what you have is history
.
Speaker 3 (50:37):
That's what they show me a lot of it.
Speaker 1 (50:39):
Yes and I don't.
I don't want people to forgetwhat your generation did for
this world.
We would not be here today.
It would have turned outdifferent and speaking.
Japanese it to this would be adifferent place without people
like yourself who serveselfishly.
Brave, courageous.
Speaker 3 (51:03):
I don't know if you got to the point in the Air
Force or not that you was neverscared anything.
Speaker 1 (51:11):
I won't say I was.
I was always scared.
I'm getting honest with youScared, scared to Of the unknown
, scared to lose my life, stareat what would happen.
That was in my veins, but italso helped me keep a level head
(51:32):
.
To say You're scared, youshould be.
It's too often where People gottoo comfortable and that's when
they lost their life.
But your training was a hundredtimes more regimented than mine
.
It, it, it's.
It was intense, but I, I wantto thank you for today.
(51:58):
I want to say I'm grateful andyou have no idea I've been, I've
been anticipating thisinterview for at least a couple
of months now, working withChris, and I just want you to
know when I leave this house ofyours, I want you to know that
you're going to honor the story.
You do it.
Just this I'd like to give yousome more sometime.
(52:21):
Oh, I'll be back Two to threeweeks if you don't mind.
If you don't mind, I'll be backwith Chris and we'll do more of
this Now.
Bless it.
Speaker 2 (52:32):
Thanks for tuning in to the connection.
It's been a fantastic journey,exploring stories, insights and
inspirations that bridge ourlives.
Remember every connection hasthe power to transform.
Please subscribe, rate andreview.
Your feedback keeps us going inthis connected world.
(52:53):
Let's make meaningfulconnections that enrich lives.
Now signing off until next time, the connection, keep
connecting and let's go.
Connecting the dots, Connecting his guests to the
world, Creating more connections.
Welcome to the connection.
Meet your host.
Author, coach, Air Forceveteran Jay Morales.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Did fear ever run through your veins?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
No.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Never Tell me about that.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
You were so well trained and so well acclimated.
That you had a job to do.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
And one other thing that they did tell us in Navy
Seals training was that theyasked us is your mother all
right?
Oh, I think so, why you have agirlfriend, a steady girlfriend
back home?
No, why?
(01:12):
Well, I'll tell you why.
We want your full, dividedattention, not worrying about
your girlfriend pulling out withyour buddy, or your mom back
home, or your mom being sick.
Speaker 1 (01:25):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
We want your full attention all the time.
You live by what we say.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
Yeah, that's discipline, that's discipline.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
And we were so well trained that they could almost
tell us when to put our feetdown.
Yeah, and so it took us, Ithink, 28 or nine days to get to
New Guinea.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
So you forged onto New Guinea while being attacked.
Speaker 3 (02:04):
No, we were attacked every day.
We were trying to get down intothe war zone, like the
Marshalls from the CarolinaIslands and that in New Guinea,
hollandia.
(02:24):
New Guinea was supposedlyalready been through the war and
was pretty much under controlof the Americans and the
Australians.
But we worked out of there withsupplies and ammunition.
(02:45):
But they had a big ammunitiondump there and that one picture
in that magazine.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah, I don't know if you're sure you got that
picture on there.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
So they're going to the soldiers are going to leave
them the boat.
Yes, that was the way it was inthe Carolinas and the Marshall
Islands.
The water was deep, but itwasn't deep enough.
That's what the hedgehogs andall were.
(03:16):
Yeah, and it would just takethe water and run out of the
ship, you know.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
Oh yeah, they're jagged and they're strong, right
, I mean, they're so sharp as arazor.
Yeah, I totally imagine I hadcut all over in these.
So when you traveled to NewGuinea, what was your assignment
there or what was?
Did you go further than that?
Or tell me where you're going?
Speaker 3 (03:43):
No, that was our kind of.
Our battleships were already inthe straits of the Philippine
straits.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
So you got to spend time in the Philippines.
We talked about this a littlebit before.
We, too, won't have Philippines, so you know, in Filipino, and
we talked about this.
Right, like, I want to hear thestories because I think they're
good, but tell me about them.
Just tell me what we're talkingabout before we get on camera.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Well, after we left Hlandian again he, then it was
our job to the first time wewent to sea as the Navy Seals
left the big ship at night.
It was in the southern part ofthe Philippines, Zambuango.
(04:37):
You ever hear of that?
Maybe you can't give a name?
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Sure, but I'm going to write that down and I'm going
to do some research on that.
So you went to the southernpart of the Philippines.
Speaker 3 (04:48):
And the first night out our crew.
They sent out probably 10, 15of the boats.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Oh, the smaller boats , the six cylinder boats.
Right, the speed boats, yeah,the Higgin's boats, the Higgin's
boats, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:07):
And the first night out we was trained so well that
we were scared to death,absolutely scared to death.
Okay, the unexpected was wedidn't nobody know about what
they unexpected.
We made it through that, madeit back, got the boats refueled
(05:34):
and worked on this and did thataround the ship and got the
boats ready and we had the gunsmounted on the Higgin's boats.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
We have two 30-kilometer oh okay, fully,
automatic right.
Yeah, okay, machine guns,machine guns yeah.
Well, now chain Yep on the feed.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
Well, in other words, yeah and that's it, we that's
it.
Even if we could have slept, wewouldn't have Right that first
night.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
Yeah, I bet it was dark as you're traveling
Probably pitch black Always atnight?
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Yeah, always.
Yeah, and the second night youwere scared, but not quite so
bad.
I mean, you performed yourduties and looking forward to
what was to come.
And then the third night itseemed like it was we'd kind of
(06:41):
passed the frightening stageRight, so we actually went
ashore.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Did, I thought I must did With the Higgin's boats,
and so I mean, just you justsandbarred it.
Yeah, right up to the beach,right yeah.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Right and dropped the .
And dropped the right, yeah.
And then soldiers were overleans putting the other men out.
See we, we the dolphin couldcarry about 3,500 melines or
army on an invasion.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:20):
Now these islands see down the and the southern part
of the Philippines had alreadyhad.
All of them had been notsecured by a long ways, but they
had already been invaded.
Yeah, so I wasn't on the firstinvasion, sure, none of us were,
(07:40):
but we took supplies then, yeah, to the army.
Whichever they had, I had himdown.
The other thing was we keptmoving up north all the time.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
In a position so everybody would keep moving up
Ancient, ancient Taking money.
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Thinks the Philippines is one long island.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Right.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Spousings.
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Yes, it is All, all pieces and bits, right?
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
So at this time, correct me, is it because the
Philippines is still undersemi-control of the Chinese or
Japanese, the Japanese army?
The Japanese still had astronghold on the Philippines as
you're inching in to.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Push them north.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
And we also had, like , some of the islands off of the
Philippines, you know, in thestraits.
Yes, we had the big goals, yeah, and every island that, inch by
inch.
See they, they people did notknow that they'd been doing this
(08:51):
for 30, some years, right,japanese, and nobody paid any
attention to it.
Yeah, they didn't care.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
And so they.
Every island out there wasfiltered by 10 to 30 to 40,000
Japanese, and you can imaginewhat they done to the habits,
habits of the islands.
Yeah, they pillaged them.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
They absolutely.
Speaker 3 (09:18):
You can't imagine anything.
Mad enough happened to oh.
My heart still bleeds for theFilipinos.
I'm telling you they reallydoes.
Yeah, and, by the way, I don'tdrive a Japanese car.
He's okay, okay, never had with, never will.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
I missed it, I missed it.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
My kids, you know, lived in Japan for years.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yes.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
He was an oil engineer in Jakarta in that area
.
Yeah, For some of the J Walshservices I'm three of her.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
I probably probably uh he logged on.
Speaker 3 (09:57):
well, it's all over the world.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
And so they lived there for years and they didn't
beg this, me and my wife, thecold.
I said I can't do it.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Understood you never sent for back there in that area
where you don't intend to meetand that.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
But anyway, we started to work on our way out
the islands and it got to thepoint that we were kind of in
the leading process of movingnorth into the bigger islands
and our job was as Navy Seals.
(10:40):
Now this is now around.
There's a seals, yes, that weleft that ship every night
around 10, 10, 30.
They'd come again.
You got a mission.
What am I warm?
Speaker 1 (10:56):
I called, and so we blackened up yep, and I saw the,
the outfits at, mr.
I mean, the holes weren't likeyour normal scuba outfits, right
, like they were the.
Again, this is the basicequipment.
Begin on to.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
You know, again, technology wasn't there yet, so
you blacken up, okay, and we andwe would come up on top side
and usually time we all gotdressed and everything, there's
probably 10, 30, yeah, andthey'd be a priest, a rabbi on a
(11:40):
regular Navy chaplain.
Sometimes one would be there,sometimes two, sometimes all
three of them yeah and theywould always say a prayer overs
yeah, and because it could havebeen your last time you could be
yeah than me the last time youever was and you got to the
(12:06):
point that then, over the side,go out the barcation that you
ended the powerboats yeah thepower boat was speed and they
would take us within.
If the wind was in your face,they could take you within two
miles.
If the wind was behind you,then drop you off at five miles
(12:34):
out.
Oh, because they could hear themotor see.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
Japanese woman oh yeah, so if the wind is blowing
towards you, they can't hearmuch, because the world, oh wow,
that's a dip.
So if you were five months, solet me ask me, did you get
dropped five miles or two miles?
Speaker 3 (12:53):
now, both, both, then both tell me about a five-mile
swim oh well, we got a rubberrat, we blow that rocket, yeah,
and we put some more equipmentin yes and would you hang on to
the side to hang on to the sidebeen, and you're just paddling.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Push it in yeah there's no motor on there oh, no
, no it's quiet and you don'tget in it right, you're just.
You're literally hanging offthe side with what?
How many other people?
Four, six people, four, four ofit and equipment in there and
your cold water, always dark.
You can't see your hands,probably from your face, oh,
(13:32):
true, and and you're just you'rehoping what you're swimming or
other the stars you can tell by.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
You know right, exactly where you are and the
boat cruise.
You know exactly where we are.
We come time to pick us up.
We hit this island.
Okay, the water is here yesthis is the island.
Yes, this is the island.
We're well in that, yes, andthere's a garrison the Japanese.
(14:05):
You can see him.
Yeah, he can hear him yeah yousee the sentry, walk this way,
talk to this century on thebeach, on the beach, and there's
lots of them and the back herewill be the other one on the
beat.
Yeah, he will turn.
Go this way, the other mm-hmmthis room, walk back over to
(14:29):
this Senate and they'll meetwhat they'll turn back.
We count the steps.
You imagine whether they'retaking 30 inch steps.
Probably they're short peopleright so you figure out how long
it's gonna take this guy to getto that.
Christmas well, can we slip ininto the collie at Lee without
(14:55):
being heard or seen or leavingthe track or anything?
Can we do it?
We lay there in the water, butwe can figure out exactly no
word.
We're spoken everything withhands like you, off and you're
cold and freezing you don'tworry about that right, but I'm
right.
I get it.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Yes, it is cold try to do a calculation today in a
warm home, with a little bit ofpressure on you.
We'll talk it in the water.
If probably so, whathallucinating right because of
the pain and and what I meanthis year.
Just in the watering, how doyou stay?
How do you stay focused?
How do you stay sharp?
Speaker 3 (15:37):
any.
Yeah, best trained group andthat melt herring's ever had
yeah, there's no doubt, I meanand they tell you you lay your
life on the line every ten thatcover night.
You went out a lot of times itwould be six, seven times in a
row and the beach couple of daysoff while the ship move
(16:00):
different place yeah sometimeswe would go the same place time
two times in a row.
We, for instance, let's getahead a little bit, but not too
far, like open all, yes, pereven team, or let's go even team
okay there was not muchvegetation on even team right
(16:24):
rocky.
Yes, you could hide behind therocks that the beach was fairly
shallow and so you couldn't gettoo close to the rock.
It'd be a hundred yards atleast to the, for you can find
cover and you would getdetermined between the four over
(16:49):
here or six of you, you woulddetermine.
Is that a high heavy equipmentmilitary force?
There are they just now.
It's a regular rank and wedon't want to be scouting, and
(17:13):
so we determine this and we tryto determine whether it's a
heavy artillery or they've gotsmall tanks or what, and the
only way we're gonna know it,get in there and see.
So we make a run for it right,so you go back.
(17:37):
We go back into that like a divaJ.
Well, right, and try to get inbehind the rock.
Let's do it, then we wouldseparate mm-hmm, some of us and
we go like this right you would.
Everybody would never say aword to the one another.
(17:59):
Right, complete silence,complete silence.
And then he would hide andobserve what the Japanese were
doing.
They never suspected me, isthere never?
The adoption was close to doing, why aren't it?
(18:24):
we carried a knife yeah strap toyour hip yeah, yeah and the car
being on your back and, ofcourse, car being worthless
because all my one shot that'swhen you got.
Speaker 1 (18:42):
It was a name one.
Yeah, it was an army car blur.
Okay, yeah, yeah, so so oneshot then well, ours were all
waxed yeah amnesians all white,oh, okay but one shot and you're
dead.
Speaker 3 (19:01):
That brings the Japanese out like flies around
the last yeah, because you knoweverything was secret.
Surprise.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Yeah, that's how it works yeah, and we worked that
all the way up through thePhilippines from the southern
part.
Speaker 3 (19:20):
Thorough lady was the last yeah that was the biggest
pile as they grew then game golf.
We called it then.
That's called so big bay sothat's where.
Macarthur.
Speaker 1 (19:38):
Joe MacArthur said to the film I'll be back.
I'll be back right, if you eversee him.
Yeah, you did.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Wow, tell me about that, tell me about how I see
them when they had the peacetreaty oh really bad yeah,
truman was president and and youtold me you were fan of Truman
they wire and a president.
Truman cuz they dropped thebomb before we's going into
(20:09):
Tokyo okay we went into Tokyo.
You wouldn't see me here today,right, and we knew it yeah but
you were trained to do this, you.
You got so damn bitter at it andso crusted that after a main
battle in the first come firstwave, we only took first wave in
(20:38):
after we'd scouted the islandsbut we knew where to go see, and
then after that we'd take afirst load of soldiers in on
moving and Go back and getanother load 25 to 30 depend on
(20:59):
that.
The sea heavy sea can take 25,smooth sea, why you could take
30 and full combat year see, andWe'd take the first load in.
Go back to the mother ship wasabout five to seven miles out,
(21:19):
maybe more, and and we've comeback to the same location and
the chief statement oh, theBeach beach master would say you
(21:41):
can't go back yet Got a job foryou and he says I Called the
Corning, they'll bring in likesix live usage.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
You mean it wounded yeah?
Speaker 3 (22:00):
Maybe that many dead men and we'd take them back to
the USS Comfort.
Speaker 1 (22:10):
Yes, it was about 10 12.
I Did that work.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Night and day.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
I mean, walk me through this.
They would six, four to six ata time.
You put them in a small little.
Speaker 3 (22:25):
In a on the Higgins boat.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Higgins boats and Ten miles in and you just do the
rough water bringing them back.
So some of them passed away, sothey're right.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
And they're nice comfort, would see us coming or
hear it, and they would open thehatch Just above the water line
.
Yes, yes and that steel beamand come out likely and then let
change down and hook on to theMascots mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
Alvin, I want to shift gears here because,
because we could be here twoweeks, yes, and I would love to
spend the time with you, but I alittle.
I Want to share some thingspost military right.
We talked about this off-camerawhere, when you got out, it was
(23:25):
hard.
Definitely show what was it?
What was hard about getting out?
You think Al.
I didn't belong anywhere right,we talked about that would tell
people what you mean by you,didn't well?
Speaker 3 (23:36):
My parents had lived on the farm.
Yeah, we've a mountain of bigbut herdy cows.
Yeah, but I live yeah and they.
Two weeks after I left, dadsold the cows okay.
They sold the farm, yeah, theymoved to Melbourne.
Okay, the house month, the daybefore Christmas, and they
(24:01):
couldn't find another house, sothey moved to Glenwood.
So and I didn't know thisbecause we wouldn't get mail a
maybe Three months.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Yeah, cuz they had to travel and it sat on somebody's
.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
Our mail is on the island.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
We would just land okay, yeah, they held it for you
.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Well, that's how fast they were when they dropped the
mail.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Oh, I will that was where we had men.
Yeah, there was no contact withyour family at all except
through mail, and that was threemonths and delayed, so so Bring
me to when you got back, soback.
So when did you, where wereyour parents living when you
came back?
In Glenwood?
In Glenwood, yeah, in the newplace, hell, okay.
(24:48):
So how old were you when youcame back?
And I was 19 20 years so youtook train to Des Moines.
Des Moines, did you take a bus?
No, but how we?
Speaker 3 (25:05):
come back.
I took train right into councilone council of laughs.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Okay, so train into council bluffs.
So then you got to Glenwood.
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Mm-hmm, and the cabs were waiting there, yeah say
where you are to go.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
So you had your dungarees on.
No, I had dress dress white,dress blues.
Okay, tell the kid you dressblues on and he says where do
you want to go?
Speaker 3 (25:28):
That's with the Glenwood.
Well, he said five dollars, I'mready to go.
Oh, I carried good way.
She even cream to fish.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
That's all you had in the broad.
Speaker 3 (25:42):
Yeah, I liked everything else, the big bag,
you know, cuz you didn't need itanymore.
Speaker 1 (25:47):
That's you, let me just let it be so.
You only had one set of uniformyour dress, blues and no
wearing and, and your cover andyour To paste in your shaving
kit.
So you're driving, you get outat Glenwood, what do you see?
What time was it?
Well, nighttime about what?
Label of cloth every night.
(26:08):
Okay, that was a five dollartower, I, that was expensive.
Yeah that was a lot of money.
Speaker 3 (26:14):
And it.
When he got in Glenwood he saidwhere do you want to go?
And I said I don't know.
So I found something that wasopen, so I called, went in and
used the phone and called them.
Well, hell broke me to thehouse, I guess when they called
on the phone.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
Yeah, okay.
What was the reaction?
Who answered the phone?
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Probably one of my sisters, so they were all up and
waiting.
When I got there I was soStrung up, so high for two weeks
I couldn't set in chair lowenough to wrinkle my trousers.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
Understand, because your stress, you're still,
you're still ready, you're stillcombat ready.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
I couldn't come down, I couldn't go up, but I just
plain I didn't belong in it.
I went to the farm with my dadthe next day or two the I
Enjoyed that, but I didn't blow.
Focus so well.
(27:26):
It was completely differentform one that.
So I Didn't know what to do.
And the big thing was I'd savesome money.
When I was in I always checkedher.
I'd sent her home to my mother,she got a little booze, so I
(27:57):
had saved some money.
And so about a couple of weeksafter I was home the chivalrider
in the mountain would call meand he said he knew I'd been to
service and I suppose dad hadtalked to him too.
And he told me he says wheneverI get a car that I think a
(28:21):
young person will like, I'llcall you.
And so I kind of forgot aboutit.
So I told him okay.
So one day I don't know whetherit's six weeks or so later he
called and told me.
He said I got in a sport coupe.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Sport coupe.
A Chevy sports coupe, Is thatright?
Chevrolet sports coupe whatyear?
46.
46.
Speaker 3 (28:50):
Okay, they look like the 42s.
Yeah, sure, that's that.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Pretty much the same.
But you went in there to 46sport coupe.
Did you go to the dealership?
Speaker 3 (29:01):
I went and looked at it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
Yeah, and he says you can have it, and I said well,
all taken, I think it was $800.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
$800.
Did you?
I mean you obviously, just youhad the $800.
He said here you go.
No one that easy.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Okay, he told me I didn't need to pay for it yet
and you just like.
So I went to the bank and I hasone.
I told the bank or what I wasgoing to.
I was going to buy a car.
He says how much money you needBecause they wanted to lend you
(29:48):
the money right.
And he says, yeah, we'll takecare of it for you.
I said no, I want to withdrawthat, and so I finally talked
him into it and I told thedealer.
I said you better take itbefore you give it.
No, no, no.
Speaker 1 (30:09):
And can you do it when I owe anybody and no?
Speaker 3 (30:13):
So that, and then I met the redhead.
Speaker 1 (30:16):
Let's talk about that .
So here you are.
Here you are in your 1946sports coupe.
You pay cash for it.
How much time passed by beforeyou meet this beautiful redhead?
Probably a month, okay.
So you're still 19.
Yeah, okay, where were you?
Speaker 3 (30:36):
In Omaha.
She was standing there on theby the corner of the Jocelyn
Memorial.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
Wow, and 19 years old .
What's her name?
Speaker 3 (30:51):
Well, her given name was one thing, when everybody
called her right because she hadrare Rusty.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
Okay, that's a picture of her.
Oh, wow, she just is pretty.
Speaker 3 (31:04):
She looked to one seat and the other part of it.
Was she just as nice as shelooked.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
Yeah, Tell me.
Tell me back to that first day.
This is the part that is goingto interest.
Well, give it.
You seen her.
Speaker 3 (31:19):
I've seen her say, finally talked her into taking
her home that night.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
And they're going to have been two or three bucks.
Yeah, yeah, and so I asked herfor a date then, yeah, on Sunday
, that was Saturday night.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:38):
And so she finally can set his dick all with me.
You can clap with me.
Just turn an eye on.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
It was that training you had.
Speaker 3 (31:50):
That training.
Well, maybe I was a pretty fasttalker.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Could be.
Could be, you just send thissmart.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Just so Sailor had a way with him.
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Oh, I'm sure, I'm sure, did she know you were in
the military?
No, you just, you just had thatsailor mentality, yeah.
So Rusty and you go on yourfirst date.
Yeah, where was that at?
Speaker 3 (32:14):
In Omaha to a movie.
Speaker 1 (32:15):
Okay, yeah, to a movie.
Do you remember the movie?
No, but you do remember thedate, yeah, okay, so after the
movie.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Well, and then when I took her home, I took, I asked
her for another date.
Yes, and I remember it was on aWednesday, I'm not sure Sure,
and I had been working out onthe farm a little bit and so I
(32:47):
was making gas money maybe.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
Yeah, and I was wasting up to get you around,
right.
Speaker 3 (32:52):
And so I started dead and natered At least once a
week, twice a week.
Speaker 1 (32:59):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
And the more I got seen over, the more I wanted to
be with her.
Yeah, and we started doingdifferent things, like going to
dances.
Right, you told me about that.
We went to a lot of the bigdances.
They used to have a lot of goodones.
Yeah, all the main bands.
Speaker 1 (33:19):
Yeah, yeah, like ballroom dancing.
Yeah, all that, yeah, yeah, andit was you were quite the
dancer right.
That's what you were telling meAt one time.
Speaker 3 (33:28):
Yes, absolutely Sorry that the time ran out, but you
know, her and I went to danceone night and I done the doctor.
The best thing to do wasdancing.
Yeah, she wouldn't go no more.
She almost stumbled and fell.
Oh okay, I checked her forgoing down.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
Yeah, she was like that's it.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
That's it, and sometimes we go to listen to
music afterwards.
But we had 75 years 75 years.
Speaker 1 (34:05):
I'll be 97.
98 in May.
Okay, let me make sure I getthat.
What's your, when's yourbirthday?
Speaker 3 (34:12):
May the 23rd.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
May 23rd.
Okay.
So, al, I want to talk aboutwe'll talk about Rusty here in a
bit but I want to talk aboutwhen you say you don't belong,
because there's a lot ofmilitary people right now,
veterans who get out of themilitary and they feel like they
(34:34):
just they just don't feel likethey're in their skin.
They just don't feel like theybelong, they just don't feel.
I know exactly what it's like.
What would you just say?
So I just had a friend theother day tell me hey, I got a
buddy right now that's introuble.
He wants to talk to somebody,but he doesn't want anybody to
(34:55):
know.
What would you be of youradvice for someone who was
feeling like that today?
Because I know they'll listento people like you.
Al, you've been through it.
You've been through it.
Speaker 3 (35:07):
Well, the first thing is maybe I have something like
some of the Red Stugging byhaving to go to church and I
have felt, like you know, afterwhat they told us in boot camp
carrying the seal of training,that after they would always say
(35:32):
the 23rd song, who will walkthrough the valley of myth?
Speaker 1 (35:38):
Yep, we, yep.
Can I share something with you?
I read the same verse before wewalk from Lincoln to Omaha.
Speaker 3 (35:48):
Last year, you know and you know, unless the people
that may, who done he can't dothat.
He's doing their own, their own, ready to be.
Well, I'll tell you the.
I went on so many missions andI felt like we had a shield over
(36:12):
.
You Can't be.
Let's just put it this way youcan't be lucky on your life, you
just cannot be lucky.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
There's no way.
Speaker 3 (36:24):
So the good Lord is taking care of it, regardless of
what anybody says, I know whatis plain, as I know who I am.
I really feel it, I really do.
Speaker 1 (36:36):
You're 97 years old.
You're up at two o'clock in themorning doing your pedaling 30
minutes.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
You walk these halls for 30 minutes every day every
day and I don't cheat becauseI'm cheating myself.
That's right.
If I cheat on any of thisexercise, I'm cheating nobody,
not you, not you, you.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
You.
Speaker 3 (37:00):
So I make sure that I get in that late at time and I
walk fast.
I fast enough to bring thesweat out and you get ready
every day.
Every day.
Speaker 1 (37:12):
Like there's no day, that's just a relaxed day.
Every day you get ready, so youdon't have to stay.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
I'll be waking up two o'clock anyway, because I've
been that way for so many years.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
You know, this has probably been one of my favorite
interviews because you're sucha good, you can share the story.
That pulls people in, becausemy job is to preserve the story.
I don't know how much I'm heresince I've been sitting here.
(37:46):
The things that we have on ourbacks nothing, nothing compared
to what you've been throughout,what you've done for our country
, how you've served this greatnation.
You continue to do it.
You're making me a betterperson today and you make me
want to work harder.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
I don't go to church like I should, but my daughter's
home.
She always comes and gets me.
She lives in Council Bluffs.
She comes down to church downhere and the boys go to their
church or something and mydaughter and I go to this heaven
(38:30):
.
Like I said, I've been toTosanri a guy when I was young
Is there any other kid?
Oh sure, okay, I have thisfeeling about myself.
I've been protected by Godhimself.
I really believe it, I reallydo, and I've had two heart
attacks.
Speaker 1 (38:50):
Open heart surgery.
Speaker 3 (38:52):
Yes, two of them, yeah, and I've had two kidney
surgeries.
I was almost 90 years old whenI had an excited fear and doubt.
I was 86 years old, 90.
Speaker 1 (39:08):
Oh, 90.
That was a hard year.
Speaker 3 (39:11):
I couldn't believe it .
And Dr Iperager'd only fiveo'clock in the evening and he
says uh, it'll be all right,come by in the next morning and
look me up, says everythinglooks real good, you can go home
.
Same stuff next day, thanks.
(39:32):
And the doctors come in andthey say you're what?
Speaker 1 (39:38):
That's some of my conversation with you today.
Speaker 3 (39:40):
He said what he said, I could go home, and of course
I've been up walking aroundanyway.
Speaker 1 (39:49):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (39:50):
After the second heart surgery, I was just there
for days and didn't even stopthe heart.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
A couple of questions I want to ask and then we'll
wrap this up.
But, al, what would you say toall this rhetoric going on in
this world and you know thepatriotism there's do you think
it's missing in the generation?
I know it's missing.
What do you want to tell thisgeneration of 20, 30, 40 year
(40:18):
olds?
And it's okay, I want you tospeak your piece.
Speaker 3 (40:23):
Well, you've got to have your faith.
You need your faith.
You need your country.
It's the best place in theworld there is.
Protect like it's yours.
You got to remember I'm no hero.
The heroes of the guys outthere under the white crosses.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Yeah, they're on the other side of the ground right
now.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Yes, they are.
I know a lot of them and I missthem terribly, I think that
over the years.
Well, here's another about Rudy.
Speaker 1 (41:00):
Oh, here's your competitor.
Speaker 3 (41:03):
Well, the shim and I were quite blood brothers.
Speaker 1 (41:06):
Yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
And we were in Norfolk, Virginia, my wife and I
.
My grandson was a stool outthere.
They said parents leave there,Little Creek, and so we went out
to see him graduate.
So when we got ready to leavewe thought we'd just drive down
(41:36):
to Gulfport, Mississippi, andsee them old buddies yeah.
Well, we got close to town and Icalled him and his wife entered
.
She was kind of interested.
She said, by the way, she sayswho is it?
I said Al Hayes.
He started crying and she saidRudy died three months ago.
(42:03):
The last thing he said to me,the last breath he took.
Be sure and tell Al Hayes I'mnot.
I felt like less than two cents.
It just took my breath away andI told him I'm sorry, I'll get
in contact with you later andyou know I haven't got over that
(42:29):
.
But here was another thing thatI I assume as many people as
I've seen carried dead ones anddid this and did that.
I got so damn crusted to itthat I could fall, I could take
anything till that lady died.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
That was in 2021.
Speaker 3 (42:51):
I'm down here, I'm done.
Here's Nan dying.
Three weeks later, one rainbow.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
But no, you get out of the woods.
Yep Rainbow, but you're up forBill.
Bill Hayes January 11.
She'd only sell them, please 97years on this earth, you can
still say life is short, is thatright?
Speaker 3 (43:17):
And it really is.
And you know, there's one thingthat people have got to learn
you can't be on the take, You'vegot to be on the give.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Yes, yes, I agree with that 100%.
There's too many takers todayand there's some people that
just can't get it out, can't getenough of it either, and I
don't regret one minute of mylife.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
My time in the military made more out of me
than if I went to college foryears and years and years.
I weren't more.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
Yeah, you sure did.
I have no college behind me,it's all in the military and it
served me very well.
Speaker 3 (44:08):
And I have no regrets at all.
I kind of live by the standard.
I love this world.
We've got the best, except it'snot.
This is not the case.
We are proud Americans, butthere's a lot of things.
Speaker 1 (44:32):
Here's one of them's home of the free because of the
brave.
That's right.
You put that uniform on.
You serve this nation so thatother people today don't have to
.
Speaker 3 (44:45):
And I had this happen to me several different times.
I go to the Veterans Day downhere in Memorial.
Speaker 1 (44:54):
Day yes, yes.
Speaker 3 (44:56):
And, by the way, I belong to the Court of Honor
here in town.
Speaker 1 (44:59):
Oh, you do.
Speaker 3 (45:00):
Yeah, and these high school boys will come up and
talk to me afterwards, becausethey introduced me a lot of
times.
Speaker 1 (45:23):
Well, anyway, that you can say it if you want.
You can, I don't matter.
Listen, this is, this is good.
Speaker 3 (45:32):
These young kids will come up and they'll say you
know, I wouldn't mind being theNavy Seals, and she was.
What was it they got?
You know, stand the chance.
Well, what do you mean?
I'm just good as anybody.
I said the first place is yougot the wrong attitude.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
That's right.
It starts here.
Speaker 3 (45:53):
The second place is you got to take care of yourself
.
I was 100 percent perfect andhealth wise when I went.
You don't find that everywhere.
No, they told us to start with,and I don't want 100 percent
out of you, I want 125, andwe're going to get it or you're
(46:15):
not going to be here.
Speaker 1 (46:17):
You know how many people would fold today just
hearing that.
You know how soft these kidsare.
They're still good ones.
Speaker 3 (46:26):
Oh, this is the thing .
Oh yeah, yeah, I'll take thisaway.
I've known this the way youdon't know how many times I've
had.
I think we'll get it out in thetrash.
Well see that on the front ofit oh right there, yes, the
American Eagle.
Yeah, that's down in Florida.
Speaker 1 (46:46):
Wow.
It's taking a live big one Infront of a flag like that.
Speaker 3 (46:53):
He just polled.
Speaker 1 (46:53):
You just took it.
Yeah, oh, that's a great shot.
Yeah, well, al, I mean I canfeel your patriotism and I want
this to be.
I would like to invite you tosome of our events and I'd like
Chris to be able to pick you upand I want you to witness some
(47:14):
of the patriotism going on.
I want you to see what we'redoing for veterans and I would
like more people to hear yourstory.
I mean, if you're up for it,you don't have to feel obligated
at all.
But, al, I've learned so muchtoday.
I have just sitting here.
Speaker 3 (47:32):
Well, I could have took you right into Japan to see
the armistice was signed andeverything.
My gosh and they.
The day they are Mr for signed,the minute that Our boats and
whistle blew on, the ship saysScouts and Raiders, manual boats
(47:55):
, full combat gear, and my jobor not my job, my crew's job was
take every flag down, japaneseflag down in Tokyo Bay, and we
did.
Wow, and I've got one of themthat I've got one picture of it.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
The.
How many people stood up andvolunteer?
Oh, that's where you told uswhen you first.
Speaker 3 (48:26):
Oh, one of the things was that we were back in Manila
, yeah, and we were taking onsupplies.
We just left Okinawa Becausewe'd been there, so they did
pretty well, excuse me, 45.
Speaker 1 (48:48):
This was in 1945.
45.
Speaker 3 (48:52):
Okay, 46.
Speaker 1 (48:52):
46.
Okay.
46.
Okay.
Speaker 3 (48:54):
Yeah, when they are in the sea.
Speaker 1 (48:56):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 3 (48:59):
And so our ship had already left After it was pretty
well secured in Okinawa was.
So when we got into Manila, ofcourse, there was no Manila left
.
Did you ever fly over for you?
Speaker 1 (49:20):
No, no, was it obliterated.
Speaker 3 (49:23):
You think that what you see on television, that the
Gaza's this is the Gaza'sstrengthen, all that.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
Israel lights over there yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:35):
What we do to get these out, those.
Speaker 1 (49:37):
Really.
Speaker 3 (49:38):
Who, in them building standing Japanese, took it away
from us.
Then we took it back, so youcan imagine how much is left.
Speaker 1 (49:48):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:50):
Well, anyway, he Come up that Five.
I would play the main officerthat took care of the seals.
Oh, by the way, they was about40 of us Navy Seals that was on
this ship.
I don't think it was 50 and 50people on that ship that knew
(50:15):
that we left every night.
It was that top secret.
Speaker 1 (50:20):
I can only imagine.
Well, I do want to concludetoday's interview, but I do want
to come back for more stories.
Would you have me back?
Sure, I, and I mean that,because what you have is history
.
Speaker 3 (50:37):
That's what they show me a lot of it.
Speaker 1 (50:39):
Yes and I don't.
I don't want people to forgetwhat your generation did for
this world.
We would not be here today.
It would have turned outdifferent and speaking.
Japanese it to this would be adifferent place without people
like yourself who serveselfishly.
Brave, courageous.
Speaker 3 (51:03):
I don't know if you got to the point in the Air
Force or not that you was neverscared anything.
Speaker 1 (51:11):
I won't say I was.
I was always scared.
I'm getting honest with youScared, scared to Of the unknown
, scared to lose my life, stareat what would happen.
That was in my veins, but italso helped me keep a level head
(51:32):
.
To say You're scared, youshould be.
It's too often where People gottoo comfortable and that's when
they lost their life.
But your training was a hundredtimes more regimented than mine
.
It, it, it's.
It was intense, but I, I wantto thank you for today.
(51:58):
I want to say I'm grateful andyou have no idea I've been, I've
been anticipating thisinterview for at least a couple
of months now, working withChris, and I just want you to
know when I leave this house ofyours, I want you to know that
you're going to honor the story.
You do it.
Just this I'd like to give yousome more sometime.
(52:21):
Oh, I'll be back Two to threeweeks if you don't mind.
If you don't mind, I'll be backwith Chris and we'll do more of
this Now.
Bless it.
Speaker 2 (52:32):
Thanks for tuning in to the connection.
It's been a fantastic journey,exploring stories, insights and
inspirations that bridge ourlives.
Remember every connection hasthe power to transform.
Please subscribe, rate andreview.
Your feedback keeps us going inthis connected world.
(52:53):
Let's make meaningfulconnections that enrich lives.
Now signing off until next time, the connection, keep
connecting and let's go.
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