April 6, 2026, is the 81st anniversary of a memorable event in my long life. On April 6, 1945, Easter Sunday morning, my ship, the USS Catron, APA 71, landed 800 U.S. Marines of the Sixth Division on the beaches of Okinawa to fight the last battle of WWII against the Japanese Imperial Army. It was a bloody and costly battle in which 12,000 Americans, 100,000 Japanese and 100,000 Okinawan civilians were killed. I was 20 years old and relatively safe aboard ship.
Operation Olympic, the invasion of the Japanese home islands, was scheduled for November, but the atomic bombing of Hiroshima ended the the war. My proudest moment was sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge after returning to the States.
“My country tie of thee, of thee I sing.”
America is the last best hope of mankind. Treasure it as you would your life.
Walter J. Eno
Lt. Cdr., USNR (ret.)
Scarborough
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