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VETERAN'S CORNER

November 10, 1998

Dear R.D.,

My initials are similar to yours, Ralph D. as I was known in any outfit. Thanks for your kind letter. I will try to answer your question as briefly as I can.

I was a Navy "GOB" part of 1943 through 1945. I was in the Seabees, a special part of the Navy.

Ours was a causeway amphibious outfit company formed to operate on enemy beaches with readymade steel bridges. They were called pontoons, LST, Landing Ship Tank, they were six (6) thousand tons flat bottom ships that have huge steel doors and if you see them now you would marvel.

As a matter of fact, when we first docked in Marseille, thousands of French people came over to look wide-eyed and mouth opened. As when a huge French longshoreman with awe said "unbelievable" that you Americans could have done so much.

When we beached our pontoon the LST would dock right behind us. The LST would open it's gigantic doors and tanks and all kinds of heavy equipment would roll off into the beach shooting furiously forward at the enemy.

We were bombarded daily by the Luftwaffe. During the first week there at the beach my duck (an amphibious vehicle) fully loaded with ammunition struck a land mine and up to this day I wonder why I am still alive.

Another close call during a Nazi bombing mission I hurried for cover under a bridge. There, I might have given GOD the wrong signal. I was thinking that if I got out alive I "might" join a monastery, become a monk, take the vow of poverty and help the indigent fellow man (well, I was under pressure).

So take it from me, I wish I could remember the name of the person who first said "war is hell" and from this old GOB, it is.

Your Comrade,

Ralph DeFlavis

 

To contact American Legion Post 372 email Don McDonough at donmac0412@yahoo.com.

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