Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

We, Elta Wonder's family, would like to express our thanks to the community for so much kindness at her death, but more so in her life.

We have always received such warm compliments for our mother and grandmother. We are so happy that you loved her too.

Beverly Stamm and Joyce Wonder, daughters

Estel and Pat Elgan and Edgar and Lenice Elgan, brothers

Richard Stamm, son-in-law

Keith and Cindy Messick, Kevin and Brenda Sermersheim, Chris and Deborah Pruett, Nick and Madina Okruch, Julina Ellett, Mike and Kerrie Stamm, and Curtis and Malinda Tuttle, grandchildren

To the Editor:

We had 5,000 Marines killed on Iwo Jima, and all we gained was two emergency air fields that crippled B-29 air planes had an emergency air field.

Okinawa was a different, far different story. We had to have this island as a staging area for the invasion of Japan. We blasted them for two months with heavy naval guns, and it did very little good. The army units involved were the Army 96th Infantry Division. Two local men were killed -- John Stamm from Lyons and a man named Thomas from Marco. Danny Bland from Worthington was wounded while serving with 1st Marine Division. I have his two Purple Hearts in my display case.

The Japan military pulled out all stops -- this was the start of the Kamikaze or suicide bomber. A Linton man, Jack Wright, was killed while serving on the U.S.S. Bunker Hill. A close friend worked in a naval hospital, and he said no one wore rank insignia because the snipers were everywhere looking for a target, like a naval officer. We had one Army general killed by a sniper, his name was General Simon Boliver Buckner.

I had a friend who was in the Army 7th Infantry Division, he said they sent his Platoon, 31 men, up a hill and not one man made it to the top, all men were killed or wounded.

We ended having 15,000 men killed on this island. I am sure that President Truman took that into consideration in his decision to use the Atomic Bomb. As for me it has been 65 years but WWII is with me every day. I have a tremendous memory of what happened to me -- it comes in many forms.

Thank You.

Robert L. Moss

Lifetime Member of The Military Order of Purple Heart

Linton