Though John Wayne was mortally wounded, he was considered too valuable to remain dead
John Wayne helped organize the Seabees and made them into a force that "Can build and fight with all our might". I believe they used 1903s but I could be wrong, something that occurred once before in my life.
I think William Bendix also participated but was killed by a Jap sniper in a Palm Tree. Then Wayne drove a dozer into a Jap tank farm and was killed by a sneaky Jap just before he could jump off. Luckily, his deadly wounds were not fatal but the unbearable pain caused him to grit his teeth once or twice.
He shrugged them off just in time for the invasion of Iwo Jima. All of this happened on a war-torn back lot in Hollywood, the scene of intense and bloody fighting throughout the war.
John Wayne could have sent my brother this V-Mail
During the war, my middle brother received this V-Mail; it could have come from John Wayne himself during his hitch with the Seabees, or maybe it came from our Uncle Carl, somewhere in the Pacific.
And Gunner, don't forget that Wayne was involved with the Normandy Invasion but was unable to get killed in that campaign due to a contract dispute with opposing German forces, including Der Wehrmacht und so weiter.
All I know is, we won, and that's what's important.
Regards,
Ludwig von Pennsylanien
P.S. Why don't our armed forces use these kinds of images to depict today's enemies?
Though John Wayne was mortally wounded, he was considered too valuable to remain dead
