Editor’s Note: The Chestertown Spy has teamed up with the C.V. Starr Center for the American Experience at Washington College to share the stories of local residents who experienced World War II, either on the Home Front or as Veterans. Students and staff have already interviewed over a hundred people about their experiences during World War II. Each installment presented in The Spy includes an audio clip of an interview, along with the corresponding transcript. You can find more audio clips and interview transcripts at storyquestproject.com. If you have a story or artifact to share, please contact Deputy Director of Starr Center, Pat Nugent, at [email protected] or 410-810-7161.
Bill Nuttle: The Golden Rule of Beach Landings
Well, if you’re smart, you get up there first. The golden rule of any kind of landing is get the hell off the beach. This is where all the artillery and mortars are concentrated. Of course, on Iwo you started running up the beach, and it was almost impossible. No wheeled vehicle could maneuver on there. The tanks often got bogged down. Trying to run on that stuff was damn near impossible. You had an incentive to get the hell out of there. Tinian was the damndest landing I ever saw. We just came in in a column with nobody firing at us. I don’t know how they do it, but the Marine Corp and perhaps the Army, would psych you up so you were ready to go. A friend of mine said, “What keeps you going up the beach?” I would say, “You’ve got everybody behind you and the whole Pacific Ocean. Where you going to go?” Your best bet is up and as quick as possible.”
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