SeaBees on Okinawa, April 1945
This eye witness account was contributed by John Ratomski.
AHEAD OF OKINAWA’S FRONT LINES WENT A FIVE MAN SEABEE SURVEYING TEAM TO LAY OUT THE SITE FOR A NEW AIRFIELD. CCM DOYLE L. CROWELL AND HIS MEN WORKING IN “NO MANS LAND” FOR TWO DAYS – SOMETIMES MORE THAN A HALF-MILE IN FRONT OF THE FIGHTING. THE MARINES DIDN’T CATCH UP WITH THE SURVEYORS UNTIL THE THIRD DAY.
April 1, 1945 – Easter Sunday arrived with a calm sea and a clear blue sky. The sun was two hours above the horizon. The serene South China Sea was fogged with the ghostly gray mist of the smudge pots. Behind the curtain of smoke, landing barges circled restlessly, waiting. In the distance boomed the heavy naval guns. At 0830 the barges flashed across the line to the beach. The battle for “Bloody Okinawa” was on.
This was the moment we had sweated out for thirty days aboard ship. Thirty days of playing cards and checkers and reading books, magazines and the news reports; thirty days of boredom and anxiety.
Aboard the USS Dickman we tried vainly to see what was going on. The wall of smoke obliterated everything outside a radius of two hundred yards. Scuttlebutt spread widely through the ship: The Japs are shelling! Someone had seen several unaccountable splashes near the next ship in line. On our bit of the U.S.A., isolated from the world and the news and in the midst of significant historical events, we depended on the latest developments from the coxswains passing by in landing barges. No one hit on the fourth wave. The sixth wave went in standing up! Our bird’s eye view of the battle was minute indeed.
D-Day for Seabees was April 2nd, and the first groups of the 71st Naval Construction Battalion stepped ashore at Blue Beach to the first nearly civilized country they had seen in eighteen months. There, not six yards from the beach, was part of a real house with the wreckage of some natives possessions strewn about.
From Blue Beach we marched five miles, carrying the equipage necessary to existence (a mere 60 to 100 pounds) on our backs, to a former Japanese airfield, Yontan, and prepared to bivouac. Within a few hundred yards of the camp were a number of Nip planes in all states of disrepair.
April 6th. No bombs were dropped in the camp vicinity, but old hands neatly hit holes dug for that purpose. Later in the day planes made a strafing run on the camp, setting fire to and completely destroying the Frank type Nip plane which was parked near the camp. The first casualty due to enemy action occurred, a slight shoulder wound caused by falling flak. The most severe cases were those individuals unfortunate enough to have been carrying open cans at the time of the raid.
On April 8th, grading started on Route 1 from Yamada to Onna, the main road which led north on the China Sea side of the island. This stretch of road formed the backbone of the battalion’s job on Okinawa. The next day the first part of the battalion moved to a more suitable position north, following the Marines of the 3rd Corps and keeping the roads open.
The month of April brought cold weather miseries to the men. Eighteen months in the torrid heat of the South Pacific had weakened the resistance of the men to the mild cold of Okinawa. Cloudy, rainy days and cold nights brought on the worst colds and grippe in two years. Nights were spent with all available clothing wrapped around the body, and baths from buckets and helmets were no longer cool and refreshing as they had been in the tropics, but ordeals to be endured only when the odor became overpowering.
Also in April came terrific hailstorms of steel to those remaining encamped beside Yontan. Shore installations and ships in the harbor threw up such a tremendous barrage in each raid that the harbor vicinity was prey to the never ending rain of metal. On 16 April mortar shells aimed at Yontan landed around the camp area. During the previous night the first and only death due to enemy action occurred. There were air raids too numerous to count, but usually the planes merely passed over on their way to more important targets. On several occasions bombs were dropped nearby, but they were just close enough to make a few more Christians.
By April 29th the battalion road responsibility extended from Yamada to Nago, a distance of more than 20 miles. Throughout the entire distance the road was widened sufficiently to accommodate the northward drive of the 3rd Corps. A Piper Cub strip at Onna was begun on April 16th. By April 20th enough of the strip had been completed to enable the first plane to land. At the village of Kise, a concrete bridge had been badly damaged by combat action and was repaired by cribbing along the broken span and back filling with rubble. Many of the bridges on Route 1 were damaged, seemingly beyond repair. Each bridge was repaired by crib and back fill or with shoring. These bridges were the only ones on the island made passable by using salvage material and drift wood.
Click on images to enlarge.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
James Adams Jr. – So. Windham, CT; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Aviation Engineer
John Beverly – Stone, KY; US Navy, WWII, Korea, Sr. Chief Radioman (Ret. 22y.)
Bob Dorough – AR; US Army, WWII, band, (Schoolhouse Rock)
Larry Harvey – Portland, OR; US Army, (Burning Man founder)
Douglas Jackson – Knoxville, TN; US Army, WWII, ETO, 1261st Combat Engineers Battalion
Kathleen Leach – Tauranga, NZ; WAAF # W2039, WWII, L.Cpl.
James Martin – Brookline, MA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, PTO, 11th Airborne Division, jumpmaster
Bill Nichols – OK; US Navy, WWII, PTO & CBI
Dennis Odom – St. Louis, IL; US Army, Vietnam
Joseph Varone – NYC, NY; US Army, WWII, Bronze Star & 2 Purple Hearts
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Posted on May 10, 2018, in First-hand Accounts, WWII and tagged Army, History, Marines, Military, Military History, Okinawa, Pacific War, SeaBees, veterans, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 94 Comments.
Hello do you know a place where I could find information on my grandpa in the Seabees. I know he was in okinawa and did landing strips
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Kate, it is wonderful that you are so interested in a veteran’s military life. I commend you.
The U.S. Archives (NARA) is where you locate the records. Due to the pandemic, your request for the forms, etc. will more and likely be delayed, but here is where you get started. (Even in the best of atmosphere’s the government takes quite a while to respond, so do not get discouraged!)
https://www.archives.gov/veterans
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These young men certainly had a variety of jobs they were to do while in the service. Enjoyed hearing of their building the air strip and all it involved.
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The list of jobs was endless, I can’t imagine what it would take to list them all! Thanks for dropping in, Bev!!
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It occurs to me that there’s one similarity between this look at the Seabees’ work and my time in West Africa. In both cases, just doing what had to be done was the point. Piling layers of bureaucracy on top wasn’t useful or necessary: it’s the reason everything today takes so long, or is impossible. It’s never occurred to me before, but it’s interesting: the regulations that were part of military life didn’t seem to impede their mission.
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That’s one thing in particular I love about that generation – red tape or not – necessity became the mother of invention to get the job done. Their ingenuity seems endless!!
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These first accounts are compelling reading gp, sadly I think its only the older generation who appreciate these words as they reflect on a momentous time in history.
We will never see first hand writings like these again mate.
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No, I don’t suppose we will. [for some reason, I now feel sad – is that weird?]
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Sad mate because we are actually watching history fade.
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Agreed.
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Joseph Varone – NYC, NY; US Army, WWII, Bronze Star & 2 Purple Hearts
there has to be an interesting story somewhere, behind this mans record.
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I’m afraid that’s all the information I have from the gentleman’s obituary.
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To get one Purple Heart is one thing to get back for a second shows a depth of courage
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Dedication and stamina. They were something else!!
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Thank you GP for continuing to follow. Wonderful post – these folks are miracle workers in the open theater. My nephew is a Seabee and quite a long in his career he’ll be retiring in a couple of years – he has loved his time serving.
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My pleasure, Mary – why ever would I NOT follow you?
Please do me a favor though. Kindly thank your nephew for me and shake his hand when he comes home? I thank you.
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Absolutely I will and thank you GP!
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I love these “Horse’s mouth” tales, telling us how it was from the guys there at the time. And it’s interesting that a lot of folks forget that ‘what goes up—comes down’ …
I read a biography from WW2 where the author was ordered by a sentry to “Put yer bloody tin ‘at on, Sir!”, did so, and was almost immediately nearly driven into the ground like a tent peg by a bloody great lump of ex-AA that severely dented his tin ‘at.
All part of the learning curve, I guess …
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Love the story, Argus!! Yes, I suppose yer right – learning thru experience is tough in a combat zone, eh?
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The story along with the photos are a good reminder of the men who put their lives in harms way for us. Thank you.
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Thank you for that. So many in these battles made that ultimate sacrifice.
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Indeed. We take those sacrifices for granted every day. I love your posts. Educational and keeps me mindful. Thank you.
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Happy to hear that!
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My first thoughts were of the surveyors, G, working out ahead of the forces with minimal protection. Every second had to be frightening. And then I read about the guys huffing along under 60-100 pound loads. I’ve done the 60 bit and have great empathy. Then I thought about the ultralight equipment I will be carrying this summer, where my gear weighs less than half of what it once did. (Good thing at 75!) Hopefully, today’s military is also taking advantage of ultralight gear. And finally, I once again marveled at the seabees ability to finish construction projects in a week that today would take a month, or several. –Curt
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haha, isn’t THAT the truth! We put in quite a bit of oak flooring, leaving just the TV area with carpet – jeez – it took weeks for the job to be complete, and we had moved most of the furniture!!! I can’t imagine how long it would take a Florida company to have carpeted the entire house!!!
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Months? 🙂
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That’s what I’m thinking!
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🙂 We are off on our conditioning trip, G. No Internet for the rest of the week.
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All the best, Curt. (hope you gave the Mrs. a good Mother’s Day before having her traipse around). Be safe and keep that camera handy!! 🙂
[I’ll keep the martinis cold!! 🍸 🍸 ]
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“There were air raids too numerous to count, but usually the planes merely passed over on their way to more important targets.”
Even though bombs weren’t usually dropped on the Seabees, it must have been nerve-wracking to watch those enemy planes fly by.
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It is unbelievable what these men had to endure. I had no idea it was cold in the Pacific!
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Strange, isn’t is? Glad you found this interesting.
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That had to be a very tough 30 days.
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It most certainly was and the kicker is – that wasn’t the end of it!!
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SeaBees — Can Do !!!!!!!!!!
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As a Marine – you know it first hand!!
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It was a great post , and it’s nice to see the NCF guys get some cred ! 🙂
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I have mentioned them in other posts, but I’m as guilty as anybody in my neglect.
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Naaah- -any mention is more than average- the guys know they had a thankless, almost anonymous job, and were proud to do it. 🙂 🙂
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That makes them all the more worthy!!
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Reblogged this on John Cowgill's Literature Site.
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Thank you very much, John.
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You are welcome very much.
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The SeaBees did a very important role during the war as much as the fighting men and they were in as much danger as them. We need more write-ups on them since without them, where would those planes land? Salute to them!
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Well said, Rose! The SeaBee Museum has a blog if you’re interesting.
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Thanks. I’ll check it out.
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I happened to see a TV program last night that said that Levitt, the guy who built post-war Levittown with his sons, was a Seabee who learned his construction techniques in the Navy.
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Interesting, I did not know that. There was a Levittown just east of where I grew up.
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I did not know that either.
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Interesting information about the Seabees, GP. Thanks.
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I thank you for reading it and for John R. for contributing it.
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Yes for sure.
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“…close enough to make a few more Christians” . What a wonderful phrase! It captures so well emotions I have never experienced, thank God!
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haha, sort of a play on “There are NO atheists in the foxholes!!”
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These eye witness accounts are always chilling to me, GP. A great post. Hugs.
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Well, you know you’re seeing through their eyes, not my interpretation or some historian’s conjecture. An honest eye-witness view into the events. I think they are the best!!
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The weather alone seems to have been as much an enemy as the Japanese.
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Weather is right, then there was disease, malfunctioning equipment (plane crashes) and just plain accidents – all contributors.
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Here’s a probably stupid question—why were they calls Seabees?
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They are Construction Battalions – CB’s
And – the only stupid question is the one NOT asked!!
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But I should have asked it LONG ago! Thanks, GP.
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You’ve been very busy with other things!
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🙂
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“thirty days of boredom and anxiety” was such a telling phrase
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haha, that old saying – “The military life is total boredom interrupted by moments of sheer terror.”
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The tension between boredom and anxiety during that waiting period would really get to me
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You and me both, Derrick. I have no patience having nothing to do.
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There are so many roles involved in these battles, that we never give much thought to. These guys are amazing.
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You do speak the truth, Dan. They seem quite amazing to me.
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Those guys who build the airfields–they make themselves a target and still simply do their job. amazing.
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I know – I can’t imagine!! Talk about bravery, eh?!
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Unsung heroes.
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Them and the Army’s Combat Engineers – always forgotten!
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Were they known as The Fighting SeaBees, I am sure I saw a War Film with that name once. They certainly deserve more credit.
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You did see the Fighting SeaBees, it was staring John Wane and Susan Haywood. They are quite a bunch, aren’t they?!!
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I thought I did, I must keep an eye out for it again. My two favourites John Wayne and Susan Heywood, who by the way I am sure you know that they both died of Cancers which they related to making the film Genghis Khan in the desert and there were army I think it was, testing of explosives, the set complained about the smoke that would fall all over the area they were filming. As for the Seabees, most certainly they were something, brave very very brave, should be remembered. We are all here because of Men/Boys like them.
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True on all counts!
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Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
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Thank you, Michael. Sharing these stories is always appreciated.
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This was put together really well, damn I felt The stress.
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People rarely realize what goes on outside of the combat soldier’s life. These guys had to be both. I heard it once said, “Military life is boredom interrupted by moments of terror.”
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I agree. I teach the morning military fitness and testing. Most are people of few words serious discipline hardened outlook, and
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It is all serious business and your job keeps they fit physically, which in turn helps mentally.
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Military work is tough. I have a lot of respect for our men serving 🙂
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Indeed!
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Obviously both frustrating and yet rewarding as a role, and brave.
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I think you nailed it!
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Those CB guys and engineers were in just as much danger, if not more sometimes, as the front line assault troops. Good to read this account of personal experiences on Okinawa, so close to the end of hostilities.
Funny cartoons too.
Best wishes, Pete.
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That’s why I often mention the SeaBees and Combat Engineers, people tend to ignore their all-important contributions.
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Good post…I saw the hardship the SeaBees had to deal with in Vietnam…..they deserve more credit than they received….chuq
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I think people expect them to just follow in behind the combat troops, but the hand-drawn cartoon even makes a joke about that NOT being the case.
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Illustrates the the public has little interest in out troops in most cases…only when they are needed….chuq
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Hats off to the SeaBees!
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A tough bunch! Thanks for stopping by!!
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