PANAMA CITY — One vet is doing his part to preserve precious bits of history, as the opportunities to capture memories swirling beneath those signature World War II veteran caps dwindle by the day.
In a handwritten letter to The News Herald, 88-year-old Holly Rees of Bryan, Texas, shared an anecdote that went through his mind Memorial Day weekend as he stood in front of the granite wall at Bay Memorial Park in Panama City.
Rees was in search of the name of a soldier who died beside him in May 1945 during the Battle of Okinawa. The men served in the 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Division together.
“The only thing I knew about him was that his last name was Rich and he was from Panama City,” Rees said in a phone interview.
Rees’ letter described a fateful moment as his infantry trudged through the mud on Chinen Peninsula en route to their next assignment after taking the village of Karadera, Okinawa.
“As we were slogging along in the mud, I saw a piece of wood and almost stepped on it to get one dry step,” Rees wrote.
In a split decision that saved his life, Rees wondered, “What the heck? What good will one dry step do?” and walked around. However, the soldier walking 15 feet behind him did step on the wooden scrap.
“It was a Japanese landmine and it blew him to smithereens,” Rees wrote. “The explosion blew me forward face-first into the mud, but I was not wounded.”
Though Rees did not know him well, he felt horrible for Rich. Rees realized Rich would never get to do the things he talked about with his division buddies. They kept morale up by talking about what they would do after returning home.
Rees escaped the landmine incident, but a shot to the foot by a Japanese sniper on June 21, the day Okinawa was declared secure, earned him a ticket home and three months in the hospital. Rees moved on with his life in the form of college, marrying the wife he had for 63 years, and having three children.
The moment of Rich’s death — one that could have been his own — is a memory that’s stayed with Rees the most over the past 69 years. He finally received a small consolation when he discovered the name of John W. Rich Jr. on the wall at Bay Memorial Park.
He then decided to send a letter to The News Herald, hoping a reader might be related to Rich.
By the end of the bloody ordeal on Okinawa, Rees had seen enough of his infantrymen and innocent Okinawan civilians die.
“It was a horrific experience for a 19-year-old,” Rees said.
CAN YOU HELP?
Holly Rees is hoping a News Herald reader might have known the soldier whose last name was Rich, who died in May 1945. If you think you knew him or might be related to him, you can contact Jennifer Harwood at JHarwood@pcnh.com or 747-5073.