From: Eugene Pantano (truks@cs.quik.com)
Date: Thu Feb 27 2003 - 08:38:57 PST
I could go on for days on things that happened in the Military ..both in
personal endeavors and with Military Vehicles..but - the best one ever was
with my friend Ken Bird..
His dad was a Marine that made some of the landings in WW2..he had to live
by the skin of his teeth..killing "many" Japanese soldiers that were willing
to die for their Emperor..... When WW2 ended, Captain Bird, USMC, was
stationed on Guam..for a cleanup and salvage job. His family was shipped
there...Ken and his brother spent all their time hauling out Japanese
Machine guns..climbing in and out of Japanese tanks and vehicles....bodies
were still found everywhere. There was a mass grave of Japanese soldiers
that Ken and his brother fell into once...took 5 MP's and a Chaplain with a
hose to clean the kids and settle them down...But, the best is yet to
come....Ken and his brother climbed the hills and found a cave..in it, there
were cases of munitions and machine guns...and --dead Japanese soldiers..
They dragged one outside and took picture of each other sitting alongside
this half decomposed soldier..with a small Japanese flag..
This was when Ken was about 14 years old..his brother a year older.. When
Ken was 17, he joined the Navy..and of all places to make a cruise to -- it
was Japan. While paying his bill in a bar on "Thieves Alley"..he opened his
wallet for money..inside was the picture of the dead soldier and him.. The
bar girl he had on his arm saw the picture and went ballistic.!!! There was
a very big commotion..and Japanese Police and some very angry civilians
showed up...Ken thought he was going to be lynched on the spot. The Police
made him tear up the picture and told him to not return to this area...He
narrowly escaped with his butt intact...
What happened to the weapons and stuff on Guam you ask......they are still
enclosed in the tunnel where his father sent a Company of Marines to seal it
up....I have a map.!! Have a good one..Gene
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