Descendants of John Ditmore

Honor Roll – Our Ditmore Veterans

While gathering information on the Ditmore family it became apparent that we were a patriotic bunch and that more than a few from our family had served in our military over the years. Included here is information on the service of family members of which I have been made aware. I am sure there are many, many more who have fought and maybe even given their lives in service to our country.

I’m sure if each soldier mentioned here had had the opportunity to tell their war stories, each one of their stories would have been fascinating to us all. At the end of this chapter is a first-hand account of one of our family members’ experiences at war.

We owe a special debt of gratitude to all of these relatives.

A special thank you to Joe Ditmore who suggested this tribute and who wrote an account of his own experiences serving in the military during World War II. Thanks also to those who assisted with information on the service records of their family members.

The Mansions of the Lord
To fallen soldiers let us sing
where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
Our broken brothers let us bring
to the mansions of the Lord

No more bleeding no more fight
No prayers pleading through the night
just divine embrace, eternal light
in the mansions of the Lord

Where no mothers cry and no children weep
We will stand and guard tho the angels sleep
All through the ages safely keep the mansions of the Lord

War of 1812

John Ditmore served as a matross in the South Carolina Militia with Captain Richard F. Howard’s Detachment from May 31, 1813 to June 13, 1813. He earned $2.94. Howard’s Detachment was a company with the South Carolina Artillery. A matross was one of the soldiers in a train of artillery who assisted the gunners in loading, firing and sponging the guns.

Cherokee Indian Removals

John Hendrickson Ditmore (son of John Ditmore) served as a private, and then as a corporeal in the Tennessee Militia, in Cunningham’s Company in Lindsay’s Regiment.

Caleb Starr Ditmore (son of John Ditmore) served as a private in Pearson’s Company of Lindsay’s Regiment of Tennessee Mounted Volunteers.

The War Between the States

As with other families at the time, the Civil War was truly a war between brothers in the Ditmore family. Though he didn’t live to see the day, John Ditmore had sons and grandsons fighting on both sides of the war. Four of his sons fought in this conflict. His sons and daughters had sons, brothers, husbands, and nephews fighting on both sides of the war. Unlike future wars, this battle was fought on the home front, and whether they supported the war or not, because they lived in the South, most of the Ditmores were affected by this terrible calamity one way or another. Our family suffered tremendously from this war…some died, some lost fathers, sons, brothers, or cousins. Some spent years as prisoners of war. Some were injured, and some simply lived in terrible depravation from which they never really recovered until the end of their days.

Civil War -- United States

Caleb Starr Ditmore (son of John Ditmore) would have been in his early forties during the Civil War. We know from pension papers filed by his children after his death that he served in Company L, 13^th Tennessee Cavalry of the U.S. Army, so he fought for the north, though he had three brothers that were fighting for the south. The 13^th Tennessee Cavalry was mustered into service at Strawberry Plans, Knox County, Tennessee between October 28 and November 8, 1863 and continued until it was mustered out of service at Knoxville on September 5, 1865. The regiment was commanded by Colonel John K. Miller. Company L, in which Caleb was a part, did not join the 13^th Cavalry until April 11, 1864 at Nashville. Caleb would have been one of eighty-one men in this company. Perhaps this company saw prior service with some other unit, however, we have no record of this. The 13^th Tennessee Cavalry saw limited action during the first year of its existence, but in late summer of 1864, the regiment was pressed into active field service. The regiment skirmished the Brigadier General John C. Vaughn's East Tennessee (Confederate) Brigade on several occasions, and participated in the abortive column sent to support General Stephen Burbridge's October 2, 1864 raid on Saltville, when the Confederates soundly defeated the Federals at Bull's Gap. Subsequent fighting in November also resulted in defeat for the Federals. In December 1864, however, General George Stoneman replace Burbridge in operational control of forces in the area. Stoneman was the more agreeable commander for most of the Federals, increasing their morale, supply situation, and overall espirit de corps. The Confederates, on the other hand, had moved many of the men defending the saltworks at Saltville to the Shenandoah Valley and Richmond in the interim. In mid December 1864, General Stoneman led a raid, including the 13th Tennessee Cavalry on the important mines and railroad in southwest Virginia, and succeeded in wrecking the Saltville saltworks, and destroying iron forges in Smyth County, and shops in Wytheville, and eventually the Lead mines in Wythe County, Virginia. The remainder of the winter of 1864-1865 was spent in quarters, and occasionally chasing the remnants of John Vaughn's Confederate Brigade. The next active campaign, the last of the war, as again with Stoneman through Watauga County, North Carolina, into Wilkes County, into Surry, and back into Southwest Virginia. At this point the war was basically over, and little military importance was accomplished on Stoneman's last raid. Curiously, we have also found a service index card for a C.S. Ditmore, who was a private in the Confederate Army, Company D, in the 15th Alabama Cavalry. We know of no other C.S. Ditmores that this could have been except for Caleb, and don’t know whether or not this indicates that perhaps Caleb fought first for the south, and then switched to the North later in the war, or whether this is an altogether different person or a mistake. It is altogether possible that Caleb first fought for the south, because his service in the U.S. Army seems to have had a late start in the war and there certainly would have been time for prior service for the other side, though this does seem strange. Another odd twist, is that there is similar confusion with his older brother John, for which we’ve found records that indicate that there could have been a similar switching of sides with him, yet the other way around – first serving for the North and then switching for the South. Further research might unravel this mystery.

John Hendrickson Ditmore (son of John Ditmore) may have served in the Union Army for a period of time. See information below.

Vincent Ditmore (son of Edward H. Ditmore) served in the Illinois Infantry.

Edwin James Ditmore, called James (son of Edward H. Ditmore) served in the Illinois Infantry.

George Washington Ditmore (son of Vincent Gary Ditmore) was mustered into service on November 25, 1864 as a private in Company F, 5th Regiment of the Mounted Infantry Tennessee Volunteers. He was mustered out at the end of the war on July 17, 1865, at Nashville, Tennessee.
Civil War -- Confederate

John Hendrickson Ditmore (son of John Ditmore). We have two records of the service of John H. Ditmore, one showing John H. Ditmore of Robbinsville as having served as a Union Army volunteer, as a private in Company C, 3^rd Tenessee Mounted Infantry, Union Army Volunteers; but then we also have information that indicates that John served as a private in the Confederate Army, in Company K, 5^th (McKenzie’s) Tennessee Cavalry. We know that later in life John filed a pension for this service, so this brings to question the correctness of the first record showing him as a Union volunteer. The information that shows him as having served in the Union Army was from a publication listing the service records of residents of Graham County, North Carolina. The information that shows him as a Confederate volunteer consists of index cards detailing the pension requests of both himself and his wife Amanda. I would tend to believe that the later records hold more chances of being true and correct, however, there is always the outside chance that he served on both sides of the conflict.

Francis Marion Ditmore (son of John Ditmore). Francis was in his thirties when the Civil War broke out and he went off to fight in the Confederate Army, serving as a private in Company I, 20^th Kentucky Infantry. He was killed at Rome, Georgia on October 29, 1864 and was buried at Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia.

Charles Willis Ditmore (son of John Ditmore). On July 5, 1862, Willis, who was then thirty-one years old, enlisted in Clay County, North Carolina, as a private in the 6^th Regiment of the North Carolina Cavalry of the Confederate States Army. Willis was thirty-four by the time the war was over

Henry McGarth Ditmore (son of John Hendrickson Ditmore). Have information showing that Henry joined the Confederate Army, as a soldier with the Tennessee 1st Cavalry of Monroe County; and also records showing a Henry M. Ditmore serving as a corporeal sergeant in Company H, 59^th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, known as Cooke’s Regiment, Eakin’s Battn’ Infantry. Later in life he collected a pension (pension claim # 8612).

Henry Alexander Ditmore (son of Vincent Gary Ditmore) served in the 25^th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry State Troops. The troop was referred to as George’s Guards. He served from the beginning of the war until the end, and was taken prisoner twice, once he was released and the second time he was sent to Camp Chase in Ohio before being permanently imprisoned at Ft. Delaware for the duration of the war. More information regarding Henry’s service is provided in his profile in Chapter 5.

Francis Marion Ditmore (son of Vincent Gary Ditmore) served in the 25^th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry State Troops along with his brother Henry. Frank, at sixteen, was really too young to join, but he lied about his age and joined anyway. He joined at the very outset of the war, but died in July 1862 at a military hospital in Petersburg, Virginia after contracting meningitis.

Spanish American War

John Augustus Ditmore (son of Vincent Gary Ditmore) was said to have served in the Spanish American War in the East Arkansas Infantry.

World War 1

Amos Creech Elliott (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in the Navy during World War I.

David Claude Ditmore (John Hendrickson Ditmore line) was said to have served as paymaster in Marine Corps in World War I.

Walter Scott Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line) served in the Navy during World War I. He was also in the reserves in World War II, serving as a mine layer in the North Sea.

Parker Vincent Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line) served in the armed forces from October 10, 1917 to May 20, 1919.

Herschel Houston Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Went to war on September 18, 1917, and didn’t return home until June 1919. He was in the battles of St. Mihiel and Meuse Argonne, and as a machine gun operator he saw war at its worst. According to hi s sister, Nora Ditmore Ligon, he described his experience as just "plain hell." After he came home he became a little bitter. He was a disabled veteran, and he saw war for what it was. He could not see that wars make the world a better place. War makes people kill people they don't know, don't want to kill, and why was it necessary to kill innocent people who are not to blame for wars? And who was to blame? He didn't believe this war would make the world safe for Democracy as it was supposed to do. In his words, "War breeds hate and hate breeds war. Which comes first hate or war?" These were his questions.

William Jesse Ditmore (Caleb Starr Ditmore Line) served in World War I.

Samuel Albert Bell (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). He served as a sergeant in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War I.

World War 11

Raymond Charles Wescott (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Lynn Ralph Wescott (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in the U.S. Army during WWII.

Edwin William Wescott (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Ivan Laurance Wescott (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in the U.S. Marines during World War II. After the war he continued his service in the Marines until his death.

Homer Nathaniel Dixon, called Jack , (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in the Marines during World War II.

James Robert Dixon, called Bob, (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in the Merchant Marines during World War II.

John Lemuel Elliott (Mary Ditmore Jack line) was killed in Italy in World War II. Branch of service unknown.

Curtis Jack (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in World War II and was a prisoner of war.

James Terry Sutton, Jr. (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in World War II.

Harry Elliott (Mary Ditmore Jack line) served in World War II; branch of service unknown.

Walter Scott Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line) served in the reserves in World War II, as a minelayer in the North Sea. He also served in the Navy during World War I.

Frank Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line) served in the Chemical Warfare Service, United States Army, 1^st Cavalry Division. Below is information on a commendation received by Frank:

The Commanding General First Cavalry Division Takes Pleasure in commending Staff Sergeant Frank Ditmore 38060840 Headquarters Detachment, 1st Cavalry Division upon receipt of the Bronze Star Medal. As announced in General Orders No. 138, Headquarters 1st Cavalry division, dated 5 August 1945, Staff Sergeant Frank Ditmore 38060840, Chemical Warfare Service, United States Army, for meritorious achievement in connection with military operations against the enemy at Leyte Province, the Luzon Island, Philippine Islands, from 20 October 1944 to 31 May 1945. Sergeant Ditmore rendered exceptionally outstanding and meritorious service, while serving units of a cavalry division as operations sergeant of a chemical section. Numerous times he was called upon under adverse conditions to supply forward troops with critically needed flame thrower equipment and chemical munitions. He often volunteered his services to travel many miles under very difficult conditions, over territory not entirely cleared of enemy. Movement of troops or vehicles between dumps and front lines often drew enemy artillery and mortar fire. Sergeant Ditmore's untiring efforts aided immeasurably in maintaining the steady operational efficiency of his fellow troopers, which enabled them to successfully complete their missions. His cheerfulness, voluntary willingness to serve, and spirit of self-sacrifice were instrumental in the efficient operation of the chemical section. William C. Chase, Major General, U.S. Army, Commanding.

Lloyd Carroll Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). In September, 1942, Lloyd went into the Navy. He was discharged in 1945.

Claude Oswald Ditmore, Jr., called June (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Claude was listed as missing over Leyton Island in the Philippines in November of 1944 and was listed as dead in November 1945.

John Henry Ditmore, Jr., (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1946. He served with Company M, 152nd Infantry in Luzon.

Howard Eugene Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Army Air Force from August 1943 until October 1945.

Durer Ditmore Hickey, called Curley, (Vincent Gary Ditmore line) served in the U.S. Army where he attained the rank of sergeant.

Lawrence Leroy Ditmore, called Bill. (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Bill left school at the outbreak of war in 1941 and joined the U.S. Navy. He served thru 1945 in the Pacific Theater. He was serving as a diver on the cruiser U.S.S. Chicago when it was sunk in the Solomons in 1942. He also served on the U.S.S. Oakland from its commissioning until the conclusion of the conflict. He had several citations and awards.

William Wesley Ditmore, called Bill (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Robert Junior Ditmore, called Junior (Caleb Starr Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Army and was killed July 12, 1944, Normandy, France.

Gerald Raymond Ditmore (Caleb Starr Ditmore line). Joined the U.S. Army in March 1945, just before the end of the war and served until November 1946.

Orval Glen Ditmore (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). Died in an airplane crash while serving in the U.S. Air Force in World War II, over Rangoon, India. He is buried at Ft. Gibson, Oklahoma.

Francis Marion Ditmore (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). Was a private in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Roy Young Ditmore (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). Roy enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served on active duty for 23 years. He served during World War II and the Korean War. After his active duty he served 7 years in the Tennessee National Guard. He was discharged a Chief Warrant Officer with a total of 30 years service.

Vernon Wayne Ditmore (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). Served in the Army Air Force during World War II until the end of the war with Japan.

Charles Henry Ditmore (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Navy.

Frankie Joe Ditmore (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Army and Army Air Force.

Korean War

Herbert Walker (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). According to Steve Pharis, Herbert was killed in the Korean War.

Roy Young Ditmore (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). See information under World War II.

Louis Steve Ditmore, called Steve (Francis Marion Ditmore line). Served in the U. S. Air Force.

Vietnam Conflict

David Lee Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Army at the end of the conflict.

James Douglas Howard, called Doug (Emaline Ditmore Brock line). Served in the Navy.

Jerry Ivens (Caleb Starr Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Marines from February 1969 until February 1971.

Howard Ricky Holmes, called Ricky (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). , Served in the Air Force from 1968 to 1972, serving time in Thailand.

Desert Storm Conflict

Michael Anthony Hodge (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Served in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Veterans serving in peacetime or unspecified dates

Kenneth Wayne Ditmore (John Hendrickson Ditmore line)

John Ditmore (John Hendrickson Ditmore line)

Steve Pharis (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Retired from the U.S. Army.

Carl Alexander Ditmore, Jr. (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Carl entered the Navy upon graduation from Texas A&M.

Francis Edward Ditmore, called Frank (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Frank was called to active duty with the 49th Armored Division of the U.S. Army.

Tommy Wayne Ditmore (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Tommy Wayne is part of a helicopter corps in the U.S. Army.

Fred Phillip Hodge (Vincent Gary Ditmore line). Served in Air Force.

John Ivens (Caleb Starr Ditmore line). Served in the Navy.

Robert Henry Ditmore (Henry McGarth Ditmore line). Served in the Navy.

Will Rogers Guthrie (Francies Marion Ditmore line). Served in the Navy.

One Cousin’s War Experience

The following story regarding his experiences in World War II was written by Joe Ditmore:

I had just turned 19 and found myself with the first squad of the first platoon of Company C, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Army Division of the 10th Army Corps, on the island of Leyte, Philippine Islands. I was a new replacement for someone that was a casualty of the battle of Leyte. The fighting was over now and they were preparing an invasion of an unknown island that was Japan's .

We loaded up on ships and made a mock invasion on the beaches of Leyte. It was as near to the real invasion as they could make it.

It was sometime in March 1945 when we loaded up on all descriptions of vessels and started enroute to our unknown destination. After we were at sea we were called in the briefing room, one squad at a time and saw a big rubber map of the island we were to invade. It showed in detail, every road, hill, and possible trouble spots. We were showed where we will be and our objective for the first day. I remember the Yuntan Air Strip was to be secured on that day.

April 1, 1945, a beautiful Easter Sunday, found us going to shore in Alligator troop transports. We couldn't\'t remember the name of Okinawa at that time. We had the Second Marine Division on our left flank and more of the 7th Division on our right flank. We were to cut the island in two and the Marines would go North as we went South. We landed without firing a shot. We pushed inland and our first incident was when we set a building on fire. It burned very easily, but then we discovered that there was an aircraft inside. We got the signal to hit the deck. I would estimate we were 50 or 60 feet from the building, virtually surrounding it. We were waiting or the aircraft to blow up.......waiting about 5 minutes now, with our heads pressing the ground. BOOM! it lifted us off the ground. It was a tremendous blast. One of the members of the first squad was a casualty, our first. He wasn't killed but something hit his shovel and curled the blade in his thigh, causing a terrible wound. As we continued we secured the strip and continued on.

Late in the day we dug individual foxholes for the night. We learned that if we dug more than about 8 inches down in that area, we would strike water, so we dug shallow and packed the dirt around the hole. At night we wouldn't move from the foxholes, so anything that moved was indeed an enemy. There was firing during the night, and the next morning we saw our enemy for the first time. These dead Japanese soldiers didn't seem to bother us emotionally. It was more like seeing a dead animal. I may add here that later as we saw our own soldiers bodies, it made us so sick inside, just knowing that it could as well have been us.

As the days passed we were losing our comrades pretty fast. The survivors were getting promotions and responsibilities. I went from assistant squad leader to squad leader in just a few days. I had no idea what my rank was. Promotions were coming fast, but there was no such thing as paperwork that I saw. I heard that I was a buck sergeant, but that didn't matter much under the circumstances.

It was so difficult to have a buddy die. Buddies didn't last long. Many times my best friends had no name, they came and went fast.

We had some weird thoughts at times. Every time I saw a rifle that a replacement had, I would latch on it, if they were hit, because I knew it was cleaner than mine. I saw a new boot on the ground, and I was wishing to find a mate to it. I didn't find it, nor did I remove the foot that was still in it. I was desperate for a drink at one time and started to fill my canteen from a pool of water, but then I saw two feet near the surface and I just wasn't thirsty after that. We always carried two canteens. One was for drinking and one was to be taken with sulfa pills when we were wounded. There was a Naval Officer with us frequently. He directed fire for the battleships. We always kept an eye on his binoculars, if he gets killed, there will be a stampede to see who gets to his binoculars first. Several of the men kept a lookout for a helmet that had a bullet hole through it. They took pride in wearing them, as if to say, "you shot through my head, but I am too tough to die!" We carried our toilet paper in the top of our helmet liners. It is almost funny to see the paper turn to "snow" when a bullet hit them. It falls down and over your shoulders.

It takes a good imagination to imagine how filthy we were. Our clothing was caked with mud. Our boots [and feet] were always wet. Those of us that had been in the Company from the invasion still had our same clothing on for the first 30 days. We had never taken our boots and sox off, washed our teeth, shaved or anything except to get dirtier and dirtier. We actually felt like animals. Our outlook was almost nil. A few went so far as to shoot themselves down the leg, through the foot, etc., just to get away from this mess. It crossed everyone's mind. I just wanted to get a good wound and survive to tell about it.

On one occasion we were on a knoll in the heat of battle and my BAR {Browning Automatic Rifle} man was flat as a pancake on this narrow trail, and from somewhere above, bullets came down the trail, demolishing the small pack he had on his back. It tore up a can of spaghetti and meatballs and the juice ran down his side. He felt of it and thought that he had been hit. He didn't get a scratch and we laughed over this as bullets were flying all over the place, from us and to us. There was a lot of humor mixed with our misery. On this same knoll, I tossed a hand grenade up the hill. Oh boy, here it came rolling back down toward me. It blew close to my head. Note: hand grenades in movies blow up buildings etc. They really aren’t very powerful.

On one occasion I got replacements to fill up my squad and one of the boys was such a nice looking guy, young and as handsome as the boy next door. He was with us for less than an hour when he crossed a small clearing to a designated area [latrine]. An incoming artillery shell came in and made a direct hit on him. Nothing could be found of him. We cried openly.

Another incident that made us so sad is another load of replacements came into our area. As they were unloading from the truck, a GI saw this Japanese in a GI uniform, jump off. He was shot several times on the spot. He was no Japanese, just an all-American boy from Hawaii or California, not a Japanese at all. It was so sad . . .[to this day].

On one occasion we were on an outpost. There was a little shack near the beach. We dug our foxholes, but some elected to stay in the shack. One decided to lay down next to the shack. During the night, the one that was lying outside the shack decided to turn over. The noise startled the guard and he thought that it was a Japanese creeping in. Needless to say, we were heartbroken again. So many accidents can happen when tension is so high.

Finally, our Company went in reserve for a few days. When we went back online, and as we were within yards of the company that we were to relieve, incoming artillery rounds came in like rain. We ran and dived in the foxholes of our online friends. Why I chose this foxhole, I don’t know, but I was greeted by an old basic training buddy. I don’t know how long he had been dead, but not long.

I did have a pretty good friend, since we had survived 45 or so days, we knew each other. We were isolated, along with my squad in a flat area. We were on a knoll and artillery was all over the place. He called for smoke, and as the area was filled with it, he followed me out. Then my squad followed, once we determined it was safe. About a half mile of no mans land. I often wondered what happened to him, Col, Fynn, the regimental commander.

We had a few officers in our company. We went through three Company Commanders . . .one was moved up to Battalion and another was killed. We had three Platoon leaders, two killed and the last one came so close to it. Lt. [name forgotten] came to our Platoon straight from Officer Candidate School. He was a big nice looking man that was really gung-ho for almost a full week. He knew more than all of us about fighting, but he lost it all. The last we saw him was when he deserted us, running toward the rear. The boys wanted to shoot him, even in the back, as he was screaming and running away. Fortunately, very fortunately for him, they listened to me, even with their rifles on their shoulders. I understood his situation because we had several old Sergeants that had been with the 7th Division on all their 5 campaigns, crack up [some called it shell shock] and took off for the rear. These were brave men I am talking about, but they were so stressed that they lost control of their minds and bodies. One reason for the extra stress, I heard, was that the Japanese had artillery on Okinawa that they didn't have on other campaigns. Every inch of Okinawa was zeroed in by their permanent artillery. It was somewhat of a Japanese Army Artillery Training Command. They were good artillerymen.

Dogs, everyone loves little white dogs. At first we thought they were cute. When we dug in for the night, it seemed that there was always a little dog, going from foxhole to foxhole as if to welcome us. It finally dawned on us that these little rascals were dogs of the Japanese that was sent to us to mark our spots to an observer. We treated the dogs as we would an enemy soldier after that.

My first wound [a small one] happened just before dark one evening. We were in the process of digging our foxholes on a flat area. Our artillery zeroed in on an area just in front of us each evening, so they could send in a barrage of shells if we were attacked at night. Well they didn't know how far it was to the zone they wanted to zero in on, soooo they would send in a round, and it seemed to always land behind us. Then another round, say that was closer to us, then another . . . right on us. Well this right on us round hit within a few feet of me, in the soft dirt. It knocked several of us on our face, covering us with mud. I didn't know I was hit. We got back up and continued to dig. Not long after that, the Japanese artillery started coming in. I got in my foxhole, on my back, and pulled my helmet up over my face. You could hear the shrapnel buzzing all over the place. I was horrified when a piece of buzzing shrapnel bounced off my helmet. It could have torn through my head like a buzz saw. I was wounded by our own artillery, but the piece of shrapnel was about the size of a broken pencil lead, in my buttock. [It remained there for several years until it worked to the surface of the skin, and I gouged it out.]

At night we were entertained by the Navy. Japanese planes would attack our ships at night, frequently. Our Navy fired at them so heavy that it looked like a 4th of July celebration on the Potomac River. It seemed impossible that a plane could fly through such a display, and they didn't. We were an unheard cheering section for the Navy. We envied them for having a place to sleep at night, but rest assured it was no picnic for them either. We have run across the CBs in front of the front line digging artillery implacements for the Army's artillery, with their bulldozers. You just can't get braver than that.

We carried a front line marker. It was about three feet wide and fifteen feet long. It was made of a bright cloth. On one side was red and the other side was silver. The purpose was to show our aircraft where the front was, so they wouldn't mistake us for the enemy. If we had a patrol out, in front of us, we would turn the silver side up, so our patrols would not be mistaken for the enemy. We had to be very careful with this banner that lay flat on the ground. We were dressed, typically, with muddy fatigues [with the pockets cut off] cartridge belt, with two canteens, bayonet, jungle kit [medicine] First aid kit, hand grenade pouch that could carry six grenades, suspenders, small pack [the pouch that the mess kit fit in from a larger pack], helmet and boots. In addition we could be carrying extra ammunition for the BAR and satchel charges [satchel charges were little flat packs that was filled with several pounds of nitro-starch and a 10 second fuse] Satchel charges were very explosive.

There were numerous knolls on Okinawa, as well as big mountains. The knolls, or small isolated hills, were like a honeycomb. The Japanese had tunnels all through them. Sometimes we were isolated on top and they would be all under us in tunnels. We could hear them at night yelling at each other. The satchel charges were activated and thrown in these tunnel entrances. It worked pretty well. In this same regard, we learned to keep our foxholes pretty shallow . . . after someone dug a deep one and an artillery shell collapsed it on him, with sad results.

We learned of the death of President Roosevelt. It didn't seem to be much of a loss to us. We had our own heroes all around us.

Memorial Day, 1945. It was a beautiful morning. We spent the night dug in near the village of Yanabarough. Early that morning my squad took the point. First squad, first platoon seemed to always have that honor. In front of me was my first scout, I had no second scout this day. Behind me was three riflemen and a BAR man, then the assistant squad leader and the "get-away" man [my designated "go get help quick" man]. We were to patrol up a certain hillside to the crest. It was steep and we went rather slow. We had no trouble enroute. On the top there was bushes about waist high or a little less. Still peaceful until all heck broke loose. The bushes were Japanese infested. I ran out of ammo in my rifle in short order and my scout was groping for a hand grenade. I turned left to seek cover and before I untracked, there was one big explosion [I thought]. I ran about three steps and fell on my face. I couldn't get up. My entire squad and the company commander was there in short order. I was hit bad by an enemy bullet. I was wondering if I was going to die. I knew my arm was hit. The medic got to me and started attending to my arm. The litter bearers were there in a few minutes. My insides were on fire it seemed. When the medic got through with my arm and giving me morphine, he started cutting off my pants. I looked down and saw what looked like a perch fish mouth just above my hip. It was a neat hole with a lip all around it, about the size of a quarter. I thought, O No! I knew from experience that stomach and intestinal wounds were almost always fatal, and I thought I had a good one.

The stretcher bearers started carrying me down the hill. An incoming artillery round forced them to drop me. OH that hurt. They got me to the aid station. By then I was very groggy, but I do remember opening my eyes and I saw a large can with a arm and hand in it. Yes, I thought it was mine for a brief instance. I was bandaged up again and put on the hood of a jeep for the ;long trip to the field hospital, somewhere back up the island. It was a rough ride. From time to time we would stop at an aid station and they would look at my wounds. Finally at about dark we got to an old school house. This was now a MASH hospital. I was taken to the operating room and they took the bullet out . I was placed in a tent with many other GIs.

I slept until about noon the next day. When I woke up, I was shocked to see so many soldiers with one arm, one leg, no legs etc.. It came home to me that I was so fortunate. I still had everything. My face wasn't even scratched.

I was flown to Guam to Fleet Hospital 111 {one-eleven}. I had never seen so much joy in the ward I was in. Kids with one leg etc., having a ball, cutting up, laughing etc. I couldn't help but feel better. I learned how to walk, and in a few days they loaded us on a big white hospital ship and took us to Letterman Hospital in the Precidio, San Francisco. While I was there I ran across one of my boys. He was my first scout at one time. One night I shook him to relieve me of sentry duty and he couldn't move. He was paralyzed. At Letterman he was learning to hobble around with crutches. His mother was with him. He and his girlfriend were professional dancers before he came into the service.

They kept treating my arm with silver nitrate, keeping the dead skin burned off, to get a better healing. I was then placed on a hospital train for William Beaumont Hospital in El Paso, Texas.

They were going to place me on convalescent leave for 90 days so I was called in to get paid. What is your rank, a clerk asked. I told him I thought I was a Sergeant. No that wasn't so. He checked the Corporal files, then the Pfc. files, Private files, still no record. He checked the Staff Sergeant files, and their I was. I had no idea when I was promoted. I received pay from the rank of Pvt. to S/Sgt. in one payday. We got no payday during combat.

My mind kept going back to my squad and platoon, and to the two sergeants that were the only ones left out of our original platoon that formed in Leyte. I have no idea how many soldiers came through our platoon during those 60 days. It was more than I like to think about, considering their present disposition. Not all of them died. Many were just wounded.

Now that I am on convalescent leave at my in-laws place in Bellview, New Mexico, I learned for the first time that brother Orval was killed the same day that I was wounded.

It was not a good war for me. – Joe Ditmore, 2000