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At 4:30 p.m., April 6, 1945, the United States Ship John C.
Colhoun II received a call for help from a ship under kamikaze
attack. When the Colhoun sailed toward the vessel in distress, the
kamikazes turned on the Colhoun, crashing into the bridge of the
ship and sinking it. Navy veteran Donald Irwin survived, but lost 34
shipmates that day, off the coast of Okinawa.
On the 72nd
anniversary of the Colhoun sinking, Donald returned.
“I
thought to myself, ‘Am I too old to have a bucket list?’” said
Irwin, a 93-year-old, San Jose, California, native. “I’ve always
wanted to return to Okinawa.”
As he laid a wreath on Toguchi
Beach, Okinawa, Japan, in commemoration of the 34 fallen service
members, he closed a chapter of his personal journey.
During their two weeks on Okinawa, Donald and his wife Geneva
toured the Battle of Okinawa Historical Display, the former Japanese
Naval Underground Headquarters, and visited active duty Marines and
Sailors to tell his story.
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April 7, 2017 - Donald Irwin, a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II,
shakes Lance Cpl. Hui Xue’s hand on Marine Corps Air Station
Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. Irwin, who served aboard a number of ships
during World War II, fought at Midway and Guadalcanal and survived
the sinking of the USS Colhoun during the Battle of Okinawa. Irwin
returned to Okinawa and exchanged stories with the Marines and
Sailors stationed on the island. Irwin is a San Jose, California
native, and Xue, a native of New York, is an aviation life support
system technician with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265, Marine
Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine
Expeditionary Force(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Amaia Unanue)
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The veteran's story reads like a timeline of the Pacific
campaign. When the bombs descended on Pearl Harbor, Donald heard
them explode. Afterward, the veteran participated in the Battle of
Midway, raids on the Marshall Islands, the invasion of the Solomon
Islands and the Doolittle raid in Japan. From the beginning of the
war until the end, Donald was fighting somewhere in the Pacific.
One of the Marines listening was Cpl. Dakota Ford, a field radio
operator with Marine Wing Communications Squadron 18, Marine Air
Control Group 18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, III Marine Expeditionary
Force. Ford, who met Donald Irwin at the Camp Foster United Services
Organization building, said he felt humbled to hear the veteran's
story.
“Sometimes we
complain about us working in a sweaty workshop, but he’s actually
been there, taking rounds and sending rounds down range, and
watching his buddies to his left and right die, so it’s definitely
humbling, and I’ll instill that in my Marines,” said Ford.
Donald and Geneva also toured Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265,
Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st MAW, where they got the chance to see
the MV-22B Osprey and ask questions about its development. Donald
said he walked in between two lines of Marines, shaking the hands of
over 200 service members. He described the moment as overwhelming.
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April 7, 2017 - Lt. Col. Bryan G. Swenson gives Donald Irwin, a
United States Navy World War II veteran, a tour of the MV-22 Osprey
on Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, Okinawa, Japan. Irwin took part
in battles for Midway, Guadalcanal, and survived the sinking of the
USS Colhoun during the battle for Okinawa. Irwin decided to return
to Okinawa and exchange stories with the Marines and Sailors
stationed on the island. Swenson, a Kansas City, Missouri, native,
is the commanding officer of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265,
Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Air Wing, III Marine
Expeditionary Force. Irwin is a native of San Jose, California.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joshua Pinkney)
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“Emotionally, seeing all those people standing in line to
meet me was absolutely amazing to me -- that those young
people went out of their way to meet me,” said Donald.
Throughout this trip, Donald and Geneva said they both
felt very honored and welcomed. Donald said his most
memorable experience was seeing what Okinawa looked like now
and comparing it to the last time he was here.
“The last
time I was here was, of course, in the dark, and the war was
still going on, and things looked messy,” said Donald. “All
of the city build-up through 72 years covered up the bad
parts. So that made an impression on me.”
Not only
did Okinawa leave a memorable impression on Donald, but he
also said he hopes that he left an impression on the service
members stationed in Okinawa. He said he believes the
service members here would still be the first to fight.
“I say to them, ‘When we were here, we were on the front
line,’” Donald said. “And then I tell them, ‘So are you.’”
By U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Amaia Unanue
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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