[hstout1143]

When I was in the Navy I was stationed on the USS PELELIU LHA 5 for 5 years, 82-87. When we went to sea they would always play a documentary about the battle of Peleliu, they didn't hold back on the bloody parts either. It was a horrible battle that got very little recognition at the time. On our inaugural WestPac cruise we went to Peleliu, we took the troop boats ashore landing where the troops did on the invasion, there was still a lot of things left over from the battle. I saw a couple of burned out airplanes that the jungle had claimed, the airstrip is still there, though the jungle had claimed some of it. The island is so small that there would only be a few minutes between liftoff dropping the bombs and landing to rearm with more bombs. We were forbidden from leaving a well worn path from the beach to the village due to unexploded ordinance. Unfired rifle and handgun rounds were everywhere as well as spent brass. We did get to go in one of the many caves the Japanese had dug out of solid volcanic rock, they were small cramped and damp, it was a miserable place to be and there wasn't anyone shooting at us. We had a picnic with the King and the people of the village. They were very friendly and hospitable, they treated us like we were life long friends. I played soccer with the kids and then they wanted to play karate ( I think they had been watching Bruce Lee movies). I'll remember that trip for the rest of my live.