Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
4:45 | Bill Pontow was ready to go home after the Japanese surrendered, but there was one more job for him, ferrying Marines to occupy northern China. It wasn't as good as going home, but it was better than invading Japan.
Keywords : Bill Pontow occupation Japan China Communist Mao Zedong Chiang Kai-shek Japanese torture Philippines
Bill Pontow tried for the Marines but they declined to take him, so he joined the Navy. After his training, he was assigned to a Landing Ship, Medium, LSM for short. Then it was off to the Pacific.
When Bill Pontow's ship arrived at Pearl Harbor, there was still wreckage everywhere. Crews were working to clear passage through the capsized ships. After that sobering experience, he headed for the Philippines for the Battle of the Philippine Sea and the landing on Leyte.
Bill Pontow was a boatswain's mate on an LSM, responsible for all topside duties. At general quarters, he became a gunner on a 20 mm gun. A frequent target of that gun was the Japanese kamikazes that swarmed the American ships, beginning in the Philippines and increasing at Okinawa.
The landing area was choked with coral and Bill Pontow had to wait for a long, frightening time while it was cleared. The kamikazes had not started yet, but it wasn't long before they crowded the skies around Okinawa.
In the waters around Okinawa, ships were getting battered by kamikazes. His LSM had landed it's cargo, so Bill Pontow was assigned fire and rescue duty. He recalls an eerie incident aboard a stricken hospital ship as he searched below, unsuccessfully, for survivors.
The preparation for the Japan invasion was underway when the atomic bomb made it unnecessary. The crew on Bill Pontow's LSM was unsure about the news, but they were glad not to be invading the enemy's home. They knew that every Japanese would be fighting them with everything they had.
Bill Pontow knew how men could get spooked fighting in the Pacific, especially from kamikazes. He made it through the war without losing his cool, but he had a tough time adjusting when he returned home. Eventually, reunions with his Navy brothers proved to be a big help.
