Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
1:52 | Cliff West describes his feelings of apprehension while journeying to Okinawa after witnessing the aftermath of the Kamikaze attack on the USS Bunker Hill. He also compares the landing at Pavuvu with the landing at Okinawa.
Keywords : kamikaze Okinanwa Bunker Hill attack fear Pavuvu
Cliff West describes the journey to Pavuvu and shares his input on the training regimen provided in preparation for the move to Peleliu Island.
Cliff West describes his initial fears and feelings of apprehension after witnessing the gruesome death of a Marine soon after arriving on Peleliu. He also discusses the complications he faced while being held up by Bloody Nose Ridge. He describes it as being an "actual jungle" which made it incredibly difficult to pick out targets.
Early one morning on Okinawa, out taking a sponge bath, Cliff West was shocked to see planes circle the sky. He identified them as American planes, and some troops on the ground waved to them when the entire squadron came down and bombed them.
Quoted as being " a complicated difficult process that never worked," Cliff West attempts to describes the process of calling in for fire support.
With little to no direction and limited experience, Cliff West describes how he handled the first calls that came in for airstrikes on Peleliu island. He also gives his input on his experience under the direction of General Puller.
