[Annotator's Note: This clip begins with Samuel Ukrop mid-sentence, expressing his opinion on women in combat.] While in action in the Marine Corps, he was gung-ho [Annotator's Note: slang term meaning unthinkingly enthusiastic and eager, especially about taking part in fighting or warfare] and always found himself pushing forward. En route to Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands] for the 50th anniversary of the battle [Annotator's Note: Second Battle of Guam, 21 July to 10 August 1944; Guam, Mariana Islands], he met a friend and fellow Marine named Bill Simmons [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to identify] while in flight to the event. The recapture of Guam came after the securing of Attu earlier [Annotator's Note: Battle of Attu, 11 to 30 May 1943; Attu Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska]. The Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] were very brutal to the inhabitants of the island. They looked upon the Americans as saviors from the enemy. The initial landings in the battle for Guam for Ukrop was at Agat [Annotator's Note: now Ho̊gat, Guam]. Navy frogmen had cleared mines. Defensive artillery was heavy. Ukrop was point on the advanced skirmishes. Simmons knocked out a machine gun. Ukrop heard the enemy and dispatched several of them. A Navy destroyer provided offshore firepower in support of the landing troops. Ukrop may have caught a fragment in his palm from it. He did not declare the wound but merely treated it with sulfa powder [[Annotator's Note: group of synthetic drugs used to treat bacterial infections]. If he would have known then that he would have gotten five points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home] for the wound, he might have had it treated even though it was minor. He had not had enough fighting at that point and did not want to go to the rear for first aid. The rest of the day was relatively quiet. That night, things got bad as the Marines tried to dig into the hard-coral based terrain. The action was light for the 22nd [Annotator's Note: 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division] but the 4th Regiment [Annotator's Note: 4th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division] had it bad. There were screams in the night generating uncertainty. A man named Stokes [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity] from Virginia was Ukrop's assistant BAR [Annotator's Note: Browning Automatic Rifle] man. The next day was uneventful with only sniper fire. Sergeant Albert Patch [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity] was hustling through the sniper fire telling his people to raise their heads once in a while so they could see what was happening. Patch and John Brumitt [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity] were good Marines. Rain came every night. The men tried to dig in, but the ground was too hard. The enemy fired on the Marines to get them to fire back and reveal their positions. Instead, Ukrop and the others kept grenades, extra magazines, and their Ka-Bar [Annotator's Note: USMC Mark 2 combat knife, or 1219C2 Knife, Fighting Utility] handy. On the third morning, a Navy airplane bombed the mortar section. There were 81 mortars [Annotator's Note: 81mm mortar] in the headquarters company and the section was all killed. Many of the dead were disembodied by the friendly fire. Ukrop was disturbed by the incident although he had seen 400 dead Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] before. Another American plane almost repeated the same mistake. When Ukrop's squad returned, they were ordered across a rice paddy or bog. As soon as they advanced, the team leader, Johnny Orlando [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity] of Philadelphia [Annotator's Note: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania], was shot and began to scream. Ukrop hurriedly advanced and saw multiple dead bodies. The enemy machine gun fire was tracking just behind Ukrop as he ran. When he reached the 1st and 2nd squads, Ukrop saw more dead Marines. Expecting a counterattack, he told Leno Gallardo [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity] and Carlisle Evans to grab the BAR and the ammunition off the dead Marines if they wanted to survive. There was no mass counterattack. The water off the dead Marines was needed in the equatorial heat. Another squad leader, a veteran of Eniwetok [Annotator's Note: Battle of Eniwetok, 17 to 23 February 1944; Eniwetok Atoll, Marshall Islands], was decorated for actions organizing his men in a similar fashion as Ukrop did. Ukrop lost his lieutenant and consequently did not receive a similar recognition. The squad pulled back feeling nothing was accomplished. The next day, they circled around the area they had previously advanced on. That was the worst day in Ukrop's tenure in the Marines. Seeing all those dead Marines being chopped up was gruesome.

Samuel Ukrop's outfit [Annotator's Note: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division] was not on the front line when a counterattack occurred [Annotator's Note: during the Second Battle of Guam, 21 July to 10 August 1944, Guam, Mariana Islands]. Ukrop did return fire against some small arms fire. While traversing a mangrove swamp, the men were given the word to be aware of highly poisonous snakes. They came across a Japanese quartermaster location with food, clothes, and sake [Annotator's Note: alcoholic beverage made from rice]. The issued K-rations [Annotator's Note: individual daily combat food ration consisting of three boxed meals] were not nearly as good as the Mandarin oranges they discovered. The Marines did not have anything large enough to destroy the amount of ammunition and explosives they found. They progressed to the Orote Peninsula and moved on the barracks without any large engagements. The enemy was using knee mortars [Annotator's Note: Type 89 Grenade Discharger, Japanese light mortar]. There was sporadic incoming fire. The island was considered secured at that time. Dengue fever was spreading amongst the Marines. Mopping up operations were then underway with Ukrop participating even though he had been involved in the initial fighting. He came upon Japanese letters and other items he found in caves. He wanted to donate them to someone. Japanese souvenirs were prized, especially flags and wristwatches. A patrol moved on a Japanese POW [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] camp on the other side of the mountain. While in an amtrack [Annotator's Note: Landing Vehicle, Tracked or LVT; also referred to as amtrack or alligator] with a gook or Chamorri [Annotator's Note: gook was a period derogatory term for native Chamorro of Guam] aboard, Ukrop told a buddy to kill the man if he so much as looked at him. When they entered the POW camp, there were no prisoners there. Ukrop had a fever of 104 degrees. He walked to sickbay and ended up losing 40 pounds as a result. He had to go up and down a cargo net on the ship which he doubts females could do. The outfit got a new lieutenant who was said to be a mustang [Annotator's Note: an individual who has been promoted through the enlisted and non-commissioned ranks to reach his officer leadership rank]. He was bad news and was eventually removed. Ukrop was detached to train Navy Seabees [Annotator's Note: members of US naval construction battalions]. Ukrop's squad advanced from Agat [Annotator's Note: Agat, Guam, Mariana Islands] through a mangrove swamp reaching the Orote Peninsula. The objectives of capturing the Orote airstrip and the barracks were achieved. Ukrop's outfit headed back to the Canal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] for the next operation. The airstrip was in good shape but arranged in the wrong wind direction for efficient landings. The 4th Marine Regiment [Annotator's Note: 4th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division] was given credit for capturing the barracks. Little contact with the local population occurred. The natives had to be fed since their island had been destroyed. Ukrop made corporal during his detachment with the Seabees. He gained weight back as he volunteered for KP [Annotator's Note: kitchen patrol or kitchen police] and ate lots of fruit. Although the 22nd did minimal fighting up the Orote Peninsula compared to the 4th, it seemed like a lot since it involved Ukrop personally.

Samuel Ukrop experienced a lot of intense training for Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April 1945 to 22 June 1945; Okinawa, Japan]. It was the first house to house tactics training he was introduced to. There were mountains, towns, and buildings that had to be overcome. The landings on 1 April [Annotator's Note: 1 April 1945] were uneventful. The Japanese let the Americans enter the island. The first day's progress was better than expected. There were two airstrips that had to be captured. They were Yontan [Annotator's Note: Yontan Airfield, known as Kita Airfield to the Japanese, at Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan] and Makinato [Annotator's Note: Moshinawa Airfield, Okinawa, Japan]. The 6th Marine Division advanced north and the Army and other Marine elements went south. Ukrop did not meet any sizeable organized Japanese units. Small detachments of the enemy attacked them. During the advance, the 22nd [Annotator's Note: Ukrop was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division] found food supplies for the 4th [Annotator's Note: 4th Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division]. Ukrop and his buddies helped themselves but soon decided to carry more ammunition and less of the confiscated food. A typical day involved a lot of unopposed walking. All bridges were blown by the Navy and Marine Corps flyers to prevent enemy tank attacks. Logistics was not a problem for the Marines. They had hot bread from a field kitchen. Because of the mud and sloppy ground, Ukrop sat on a dead Jap [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] to eat his bread. Bread was served to the men in lieu of hot food, so they did not have to use their mess kits. The kits would have had to have been washed afterward in dirty, disease infested water with huge amounts of flies. The fighting Ukrop was involved in was against squads as opposed to higher organizations. The young were either working in forced labor groups or the military.

Samuel Ukrop was at Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] with John Cleveland [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity], a machine gun sergeant, who was said to be the tallest man in the Marine Corps. Those two, plus Paul Ballow [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity], were playing hopscotch [Annotator's Note: children's game] when General Shepard [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps General Lemuel Cornick Shepherd, Junior] drove up and shook his head at the three well-built men. Ukrop and Cleveland roasted a pig they killed on Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Okinawa, Japan]. After the roast, the rains started. The inclement weather was continuous. Later in life, Ukrop would walk miles for exercise even in the rain because he knew he could shower afterward. On Okinawa, he had no chance to dry out until the rain stopped. The enemy never attacked the Marines on Okinawa. They stayed in the mountains. The Americans always picked positions that were easily defended. Ukrop never participated in any heavy actions on Okinawa. He did experience that on Guam [Annotator's Note: during the Second Battle of Guam, 21 July to 10 August 1944; Guam, Mariana Islands] when tanks and troops counterattacked the Americans while he was in reserve. He was in a firefight with enemy at that time. He did have some hand to hand fighting above Naha [Annotator's Note: Naha, Okinawa, Japan] where he used his knife on a Jap [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] soldier. The attacker might have already been dead prior to that. Attacks in other sectors did not involve banzai charges [Annotator's Note: Banzai charge; Japanese human wave attacks]. The next day, the 12th [Annotator's Note: 12 April 1945 on Okinawa], a Japanese soldier was hit repeatedly by fire from Ukrop and his buddy. Further on during the patrol, Ukrop encountered a cave with a rifle sticking out. He fired his BAR [Annotator's Note: Browning Automatic Rifle] into the enclosure and then threw a grenade inside. He did not know who was inside, he only knew that they could not be left behind them. That same night, the enemy shelled the Americans with a heavy barrage. The next morning, a new platoon leader had to be selected because the previous platoon leader had battle fatigue [Annotator's Note: military term for an acute reaction to the stress of combat]. The platoon was offered the opportunity to choose who they wanted. The unusual situation of peer selection resulted in Ukrop being chosen. He did not last long until another platoon leader was named. He never received the rank for it. Ukrop and his outfit [Annotator's Note: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division] crossed a river at low tide and approached a disabled sugar mill where the Japs had previously had an observation post. That river was so muddy that it had to be crossed at a certain time during low tide. The Japs could zero in their artillery on the location if they knew the Americans were coming. After crossing, the resistance became more organized. The Marines pulled back, leaving some of their dead. They had suffered a number of casualties. While Ukrop was firing on the enemy, his friend John [Annotator's Note: John Cleveland, a machine gun sergeant] pulled him down just prior to an enemy burst of fire cut up the foliage where Ukrop had stood. John was a good man. He did not make it. [Annotator's Note: Ukrop pauses momentarily.] After crossing the river, the platoon advanced on Naha. They may have traversed Sugar Loaf Hill [Annotator's Note: site of The Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill, 12 May to 20 May 1945, Okinawa, Japan]. There were buildings that looked like a college in the sizeable town. There was no resistance, but they saw figures at the top of the hill that Ukrop and the others figured for Japs. The Marines opened fire on those figures. The next morning, two replacements joined the platoon. They were killed before lunch. Ukrop never got to know them. Ukrop was behind a masonry wall when he was hit by two rounds. One went through him, but the other was lodged in his body where he could extract it. He removed and discarded the spent round but now wishes he would have saved it. Two of his men, Huggins [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity] and Hanson [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity] took Ukrop across an open area when the enemy opened fire on them. Ukrop cursed them until he remembered that he had done the same thing to an enemy soldier the day before. [Annotator's Note: Ukrop laughs.] He made it to an aid station. The Japs lightened up on their bombing. Ukrop was flown to Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands] for treatment. The pain grew in intensity. That was when he was given morphine. It felt wonderful. It was like he was floating.

Samuel Ukrop was flown to an Army hospital on Guam [Annotator's Note: Guam, Mariana Islands]. He was the only Marine in the hospital. Some said he would have received a battlefield commission for his actions if he was in the Army. He did not even get an additional stripe when he returned to his unit [Annotator's Note: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division]. He cannot understand why he loved the Marine Corps so much. He and another Marine, [Annotator's Note: name inaudible], would go on patrol and ambush the ambushers. The other man had a high level of intelligence and Ukrop could sense danger and make quick decisions that were usually right. They ran into some Japs [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese]. Ukrop and his buddy wiped out the ambushers. Ukrop sent a man around to see if an enemy machine gun nest was set up. It was and the Marine was killed. He was a big guy and was difficult to return to the lines. One of the reasons enemy prisoners were not taken was because of the difficulty in keeping up with them during action. When the captives tried to escape someone would dispatch them. It was self-preservation. On the last patrol, Bozo's [Annotator's Note: Ukrop's nickname] squad was called up front. Ukrop had a tough time letting anyone take point on patrol. He always chose to do so. Climbing the mountain, the group stopped for chow. Ukrop's squad was taken off point. Within minutes, the group that replaced his squad was hit by enemy fire, killing and wounding several of them including former football player Butch Webber [Annotator's Note: phonetic spelling; unable to verify identity] of UCLA [Annotator's Note: University of California at Los Angeles]. That was the last patrol up north. Going south, the incessant rains started. The squad was assigned to be the unit along the beach. An artillery round landed next to Ukrop, but it was a dud. The Lord did not want to take him just then. After that, there were no banzai charges [Annotator's Note: Banzai charge; Japanese human wave attacks], just a few pillboxes [Annotator's Note: type of blockhouse, or concrete, reinforced, dug-in guard post, normally equipped with slits for firing guns] to overcome while advancing up the ridge. After he was wounded, elements of the 22nd went into action against Sugar Loaf [Annotator's Note: Battle of Sugar Loaf Hill, 12 May to 20 May 1945; Okinawa, Japan]. Ukrop remained on Guam until after the war when he had enough points [Annotator's Note: a point system was devised based on a number of factors that determined when American servicemen serving overseas could return home]. At a reunion later, a veteran recognized Ukrop as the individual who turned down a chance to return to the United States before the invasion. Another individual named Carlisle [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps Sergeant Carlisle E. Evans] embellished the story of Ukrop directing him to get additional ammunition even though they did not need it [Annotator's Note: during the Second Battle of Guam, 21 July to 10 August 1944; Guam, Mariana Islands].

Samuel Ukrop was not changed a bit by the war. He had no bad dreams of combat although some of his dreams are realistic. The nation was together for World War 2. The people came up through hard times. Tom Brokaw [Annotator's Note: Thomas John Brokaw, American television journalist and author] calls them "The Greatest Generation" [Annotator's Note: title of a 1998 book by Brokaw]. There are still a lot who would be as good as those veterans were. There are malcontents but there were a few slackers and conscientious objectors [Annotator's Note: one who opposes bearing arms] during the war. Ukrop is a hawk and does not like people today who think America does everything wrong. He wanted to liberate the people in Iraq [Annotator's Note: Iraq War, 2003 to 2011], but Afghanistan [Annotator's Note: War in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, 2001 to 2014, Operation Freedom's Sentinel, 2015 to September 2021] is different. There, the people are tribal and have never known democracy. World War 2 did not change the world. We [Annotator's Note: the United States] saved Japan and Germany and they have shown some appreciation. France was saved but does not show appreciation. They envy us. They will take our money. With disasters, they do not offer assistance. The more you give, the more others expect. Africa used to be self-supporting but now they are starving. When the nation had to buckle down, it did. When women needed to go to work, they did. That changed the marital status, and the way children are raised. When the mother was home, it was better for the child. The discipline was better. We have more material things but morally things are not what they used to be. Church attendance shows that. The National WWII Museum [Annotator's Note: in New Orleans, Louisiana] is essential because the education system no longer teaches students about the war. When Ukrop was a student, he learned about "Black Jack" Pershing [Annotator's Note: General of the Armies John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing] and preceding wars and battles. The degree of pornography in today's culture seems to be normal where in previous times it would not have been accepted.

Samuel Ukrop [Annotator's Note: while serving with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division] could hear the firing going on during the assault on Mount Yae-take [Annotator's Note: Mount Yae, also called Mount Yaedake, or Yae-take; Okinawa, Japan]. When he passed through afterward, he could see numerous Jap [Annotator's Note: a period derogatory term for Japanese] bodies but few weapons. Most weapons off the dead had been removed by the Americans. Ukrop realized he missed a hot one. Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal Campaign, 7 August 1942 to 9 February 1943; Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands] was bad for the Marines. They were fighting with 03s [Annotator's Note: .30 caliber Model 1903, or M1903, Springfield bolt action rifle]. The Navy abandoned them after their carriers were sunk. The Japs sunk five cruisers. The Astoria [Annotator's Note: USS Astoria (CA-34)], Vincennes [Annotator's Note: USS Vincennes (CL-64)], and Australian Canberra [Annotator's Note: Canberra (D33)] all went down. Tarawa [Annotator's Note: Battle of Tarawa, 20 to 23 November 1943; Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands] with 1,100 Americans killed in 72 hours was bad. Ukrop learned recently that there were 5,000, not 10,000, Japs on the island. Peleliu [Annotator's Note: Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, September to November 1944; Peleliu, Palau] was terrible and nasty, too. E.B. Sledge [Annotator's Note: Eugene Bondurant "E. B." Sledge; US Marine Corps veteran, professor, and author] wrote the best book [Annotator's Note: With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, published in 1981] about some of those battles fought by the Marines. "We Were Soldiers Once" was another good book [Annotator's Note: We Were Soldiers Once… and Young, by US Army Lieutenant General Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, published in 1992]. Now, Ukrop concentrates his reading on nutrition. The Japanese stopped doing the stupid banzai charges [Annotator's Note: Banzai charge; Japanese human wave attacks] on Guam [Annotator's Note: Second Battle of Guam, 21 July to 10 August 1944; Guam, Mariana Islands]. They learned by Okinawa [Annotator's Note: Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, 1 April to 22 June 1945; Okinawa, Japan] to wait for the Americans off the beaches in fortified positions. Shepherd [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps General Lemuel Cornick Shepherd, Junior] wanted to go around them but Buckner [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General Simon B. Buckner] did not. The enemy defensive positions faced only one direction. There were so many mistakes. Halsey [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey] chased the Japanese instead of protecting the assaulting troops in the Philippines. It could have delayed the Allied victory but that end to the war was inevitable.