The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-05-03
r......by
strauss
9antz

y 10y DIED on Two Jima and
I.vuuld IKE to tell you about him.
You would have liked his unruly
red hair. his freckles, his impish,
tuted nose and the way he
Va Always on the 60, hell-bent for
election.
I hadn't heard from Joe, that's
his name, for several weeks but
know he's dead because a letter
came on Saturday. 1t was from
stranger q lad IN Joe's outfit.
He said Joe had died five days
sftsr taking a Jap sniper's bullet
-. 20 bit too near his gallant
heart" That was the way the
stranger wrote It.
But he said he was writing
chiefly because Joe said I knew
tust how things were with him and
his girl friend and his girl
friends folks. The stranger said
that he watched over Joe during
those five days while the lad lay
Dying from his mortal wound.
"Au he would talk about was the
hurt he had carried on his heart
al those months In the South Paci-
nc. He said Gwen was the most
wonderful girl In all the world and
they loved one another. Said they
loved one another ever since they
were kids In grade school and neith-
Or could ever think Of marrying
anyone else.
Then he told me about Ovens
parents. Guess you know they didn't
approve Of him. They said 1t wasn't
Joe personally but only the fact he
was Catholic and they were Profess
tant.
Joe did swell job for his coun-
try, licking q hell Of a lot of Japs
but all the time he was fighting
he carried o sickening burden in
his heart. He was the swenest guy
that ever walked on two feet and
now he's dead. Guess it doesn't
make any difference now what
church Joe belonged to. When
you're dead you're just like the
other guy. It's only when you are
living that people take a poke at
you. Owens folks shouldn't have
done that to Joe.
He wasn't very happy kid when
he went out. But, he's at peace
with the world now and Ovens
folks can't tear at his heart any,
more"
And that's all there Is to tell
about Joe. A vicious enemy took his
life away but his heart was torn
out by people here at home.
II Ovens folks are listening I'd
Hks them to read this column
through. I want them 10 read
sermon o.. written by chaplain
on Two Jima. Roland B. Gittel-
sohn. the. Fifth Marine Divisions
chaplain delivered the sermon to
men who had lived through hell
= and knew the words he spoke
were words Of truth. Here are ex-
cerpts:
Somewhere In this plot of ground
there may lie the man who could
have discovered the cure for can
Ger. Under one Of these Christian
crosses. or beneath q Jewish Star
OF David, there may rest now Q man
who was destined to be q great
prophet. :. Now they lie here
silently In this sacred soil, and we
gather to consecrate this earth to
their memory
Here he officers and men, Ne
groes and white, rich men and poor.
Here are Protestants, Cath
olics and Jews. Here no man
prefers another because of his faith
or despises him because of his color.
Here there are no quotas Of how
many from each group are admit
ted o. allowed. Theirs Is the high
ct and purest democracy.
ANY man among us, the living,
who a. lifts his hand In hate
against brother, or thinks himself
superior to those who happen to
Be In the minority. makes of this
ceremony and Of the bloody sacri-
fice It commentaries, an empty,
hollow mockery. ="