WEBVTT

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august 26th

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1942 . And something has

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just happened at Montford Point that

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will forever change my life .

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Montford Point . A sun

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blasted expanse of black swamps and

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white sands on the southeastern coast

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of north Carolina . It was there

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that in response to President franklin

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D . Roosevelt's Executive Order , The

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Marine Corps began accepting a

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different type of recruits .

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Different because we were black

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men , black men that only wanted to

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serve our country during the dark days

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of World War Two . And since

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draft boards were requested to send

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only their most capable prospects ,

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men that arrived at mind for coins were

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college graduates ,

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specialized technicians , public

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school teachers , men who

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relinquished commissions in the army

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and other qualified professionals .

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The men that left there , we

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were marines . Mm Yeah .

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Mhm . The leaders chosen to teach us

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were old line drill instructors ,

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men who were to impress us with their

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bearing and firmness of manner .

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It seemed to me that discipline

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was their loan stock and trade as they

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applied it with a vengeance .

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But it was very

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much to our later benefit

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as we soon realized that we were merely

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sacrificing one moment in

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time for all that we

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and our core would become .

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And besides , it wouldn't be too

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long before exceptional recruits were

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singled out as acting jacks

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assistant drill instructors in our

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own platoons .

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Now , throughout the first six months

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that we served in our core , the focus

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of attention had been the 51st defense

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Battalion . It was initially a

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composite unit made up of 100 and 55

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millimeter artillery group , A 90

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millimeter anti aircraft group , a

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headquarters and service battery and a

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special weapons group . Men of the

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51st considered themselves to be the

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cats me out as they were

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thoroughly convinced that everybody in

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mind for point Wanted to be a part

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of the 51st . They were after we're

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all preparing to be the nation's

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Premier Black Combat unit . And

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prepared . They were

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on 11 february 1940

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for the 51st set sail aboard the

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merchant transport S . S Meteor and

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deployed to the Ellis Island . There ,

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they were destined to relieve the men

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of the seventh defense baton . Now

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the fellas in the seventh had been

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deployed for a little more than over a

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year and they were quite frankly ,

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never so happy to have seen black folk

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in their lives . Men of the

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51st would eventually cover down and

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provide air defense aboard the Ellis

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Naomi and Van Hoodie Isles .

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But what is now to consider to be a

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historical irony Is that although the

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51st was trained and equipped as the

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nation's Premier Black Combat Unit ,

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they would never see combat overseas .

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In fact , it would be the Labour

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troops , the supply and ammunition

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marines , the order lease and

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administrators that would be the basis

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for judgment on whether or not

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black marines could serve

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in combat .

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You know , why wrote my

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wife as we deployed

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deep into the pacific ,

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I wanted her to know that even as we

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prepared for combat overseas ,

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I understood and

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appreciated the sacrifices

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she was making at home . Yeah .

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They say that we had any

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good man . There's a great woman

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bear . Right . My wife

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wrote me a letter That had six

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words . Yeah , I love you

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make us proud

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combat . And the Mariana

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11 june

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1944 . The

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fear 17 ,

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18 , 19 and

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20th build depot companies as

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well as the 3rd and 4th ammunition

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companies would all see combat in the

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Mariana . My company ,

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the 20th field depot landed

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about two p.m. On D

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Day . We were

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Mhm . In the third way

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and all hell was breaking when

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we hit the shore . Yeah , it

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went touch and go for a

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while as it took some time to

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establish a foothold . They

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had previously told us

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we where the first

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troops ever to see combat in

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the marine corps . What we

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did with the situation that confronted

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us and how we performed

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would be the basis on which we

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and our race would be judged .

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We performed

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excellently among

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our casualties there . My

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best friend was killed

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and I can't even tell you how

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long we lived in

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them . Foxhole . Mhm .

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On callaloo . It was the

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7th ammunition And 11th

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field depot companies that joined the

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bloody battle for the island and

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whether it was unloading ships moving

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ammunition to the front lines or

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evacuating are wounded . Their

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performance warranted . The highest

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praise . Major General

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William . H Properties , Commanding

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general of the First Marine Division

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wrote Mhm . The race

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Can well be proud of the

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services of the 7th ammunition and

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11th field depot company

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as they have demonstrated in

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every regard that they

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appreciate the privilege of

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wearing a marine uniform and

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serving with marines in

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combat . Even

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Kojima , the

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largest all marine amphibious

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operation in the pacific and

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all four of the black marine companies

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would be assigned to fifth course Shore

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party . two of the companies ,

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The 8th ammunition and 36

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filled depot landed on D . Day

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19 February

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1945 . Now I don't need to

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tell anyone who wears this uniform

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about the salt clinging

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sand and the almost constant

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enemy bombardment that made

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their lives a living hell

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because black marines , like

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all marines simply

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persisted on . The

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island was officially declared secure

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on 26 , March 1945 .

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But the beleaguered Japanese had a

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painful surprise for the americans .

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A well armed column of some

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200 to 300

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Japanese soldiers using

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tunnels through the middle of the earth

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snuck past the marine infantry

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and attacked Fifth Corps Shore Party .

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And now for the first

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time in United States history

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black marines would join the

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close combat fighting . Yeah ,

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I'm told that the fighting was

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wild and furious that night

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and in the dark it was hard to

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tell friend from from

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but by morning the enemy

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had been defeated . Two

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black marines , Private James

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Davis and James Whitlock

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earned bronze star medals for

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their actions on Iwo Jima .

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Okay , now

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more Montford Point marines

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saw combat on Okinawa than

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at any other point in the war .

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Over to 1000 Montford

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Point marines joined what is now

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considered to be one of our cores most

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storied campaigns

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and when it was over ,

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when the last of the Japanese islands

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fell secure when a beleaguered

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Japanese government realized that

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now the threat of invasion

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was imminent

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when the atomic bomb failed

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and when the war was brought to a

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chilling conclusion ,

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one Montford Corner was quoted as

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saying , mm if I could do it

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all over again ,

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add , still be a black

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Marine . Thank you

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offered . Point .

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Mm hmm .

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Oh ,

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mm .

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Mhm . Uh huh .

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Only .

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Mm mm .

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Mhm

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Oh .