WWII In the Pacific. Why I collect- Family History.

[gtxc01]

I know that the reasons for collecting are as varied as can be. For me personally, it is about feeling a physical connection to the members of my family who have gone before. For those who are interested in grunts-eye view history, the war in the Pacific, and US and Japanese equipment, I offer the following:

My Grandfather, Gilbert Roberts graduated from High School in Michigan in 1943. Upon graduation, he entered the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). In the Spring/Summer of 1944, the Army determined that it needed infantryman more than specialized personnel, and accordingly large numbers (all?) of ASTP personnel were sent to flesh out divisions heading overseas. My grandfather was assigned to Company E, 383rd Infantry Regiment, 96th Infantry Division. He served as a rifleman with this company during the invasion of Leyte in the Philippines, and later transferred to the 796th Light Ordnance Maintenance Company (also 96th Division) prior to the invasion of Okinawa.

The attached photo and letter contains interesting (to me, at least) information regarding his service, and a few items that are unconnected but interesting nonetheless. In the letter he mentions the Company is badly mauled during an attack on San Vicente hill (northern tip of the larger Catmon Hill) 25 Oct, 1944. During this attack, the platoon commander, Lieutenant Richard H. Fitzgerald, was KIA. The musette bag in the photograph was his. Subsequently, my grandfather carried the musette bag for the rest of the campaign. Also in the letter, he mentions that three canteens were destroyed by a short round from what he assumes was a 75mm howitzer (early morning 24 Oct 1944). Two of the destroyed canteens were his. He spent most of the following day searching for the Quartermaster so that he could draw new canteens. After that he dug a shelf in his slit trench for his canteens. Unfortunately, in the early morning of 26 October, a Japanese infiltrator managed to land a grenade in his fighting hole, destroying the canteens. That morning, rather than seek out the Quartermaster again, my grandfather elected to take two Japanese canteens (in the picture), and carried them for the rest of the campaign. The canteen with the hole in the cover is actually a conglomerate of two canteens. The cover is from a canteen that had a bullet/frag hole in it that rendered it useless. The good canteen was in a cover that had the strap cut/damaged, so he managed a useable canteen my swapping covers.

Following this night infiltration/attack, in the confusion, my grandfather was thought to be the soldier killed in his slit trench by the grenade. I have seen (but do not have in my possession) the Western Union telegram dated 26 Oct 1944 that reports him as Killed in Action. The attached letter, dated 7 December 1944 was originally hand-written and was sent to family friends. They immediately sent it to my great-grandparents. It was the first indication they had that my grandfather was still alive. My great-grandmother typed the letter up, and submitted it to the local (Mt. Pleasant, MI) newspaper which published it, thus the typed copy that is attached.

The picture contains, from top to bottom, left to right:
1) Company photo of E Company, 383rd Inf Regiment, 96th Division, Camp Callan, CA 20 May 1944.
2) "Corrected" (all correct parts, restoration) 11-43 Springfield Armory Garand, ser no 21742xx, 11/43 barrel, SA GAW stock, etc. First five (and only so far) rounds out of it hit a 24"x24" plate at 600 yards from the prone w/sling. Grouping around 2MOA vertical, 1.5 MOA lateral. M1905 (type 2) Bayonet mfg by Union Fork and Hoe, 1942.
3)M1923 cartridge belt, mfg by ?????flich Co 1942, not carried by grandfather.
4) Sand from Iwo Jima, given to me by a Marine. Not related, but interesting I think.
5) Musette bag carried by Lt Fitzgerald, then my grandfather on Leyte. Mfg Langdon Tent & Awning Co, 1942.
6) Silver filled Combat Infantry Badge
7) 96th Infantry Division Patches worn by grandfather.
8) 48 star flag flown by my great-grandparents on national holidays and everyday my grandfather was in the Army. It is resting on top of my grandfather's copy of the 96th Infantry Division history, The Deadeyes: The Story of the 96th Infantry Division
9)Japanese helmet brought back by my grandfather. Note bullet strike at approximately 1-2 o'clock above star.
10) Type 99 Arisaka. 3 straight-blade (like flat-head screwdriver) strikes into Chrysanthemum. Dust cover and monopod missing, anti-aircraft leafs present on rear sight ladder. This rifle was a bring back from a Navy Gunner's Mate who was sent ashore to help with the collection/organization of captured war materials on multiple islands in the Pacific. It is unknown which island this rifle was picked up on.
11) Canteens picked up and carried by my grandfather on Leyte.
12) Japanese Naval Infantry hat/cap/cover. I believe this was also picked recovered on Leyte.
13) Perhaps the most controversial, and without a doubt my most prized, possession. This belt of a thousand stitches was recovered by my grandfather from the first soldier he killed. He related that the Japanese believe the belt would protect the wearer from harm. My grandmother remarked that it didn't work. I swear, the temperature instantly dropped 5 degrees in the room, my grandfather got a confused look on his face, and said, perfectly seriously, "Oh, but it did. He never felt anything." He shipped this home after Leyte and when he got home after the War he found that his mother had cut open the internal pocket that held Japanese writings on pieces of bamboo. He said that he almost killed his mother when he found out that she had done that. I believe that, at least eventually, my grandfather kept this belt out of respect/recognition/remembrance of the man that he had killed. It may be hard to believe given the general attitude toward the Japanese, but I know that by the time he gave it to me, it certainly wasn't a "trophy". My grandfather, in conversation with my grandmother once remarked "They didn't take prisoners, so neither did we". So, while I don't think he considered the belt something to be proud of, he certainly didn't consider the Japanese (at the time) to be anything but the enemy.

Good luck to all of you as you seek to complete your collections, whatever the reason. I hope that you have found my ramblings of interest.

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