Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
1:56 | Jim Bailey goes into detail of how being in a combat situation affected his awareness and his senses while on the island of Okinawa.
Keywords : Okinawa Bailey infantry smell Japanese Army combat sound
Jim Bailey remembers being stuck in a vulnerable position during the invasion of Okinawa. Amid the chaos, the young Bailey witnessed older soldiers crying, heard broadcasts from "Tokyo Rose", and describes how the Japanese "had all the advantages" on the island.
Jim Bailey recounts a story of how desperate one starving Japanese soldier was for food on Okinawa.
After surviving the invasion of Okinawa, Jim Bailey describes the process of setting up alarms around their camp each night and going out on patrols in search of enemy camps.
While on watch one night on Okinawa, Jim Bailey describes the sensations he experienced as he was alerted to an incoming figure in the dark, and what led him to make the decision to fire on that person.
