Okinawa Anniversary

Credit: Spc. Tyler Brock | Date Taken: 03/24/2022
On April 1, 1945, the United States invaded the Japanese island of Okinawa. One of the Marines that was part of this invasions was retired PFC Gregory Speros, Retired Gunner, assigned to the USS Atlantic, TF 38, Third Fleet U.S. Navy, this is his story. TRANSCRIPT: 00:00:03:20 - 00:00:07:18 VOICE OVER 1 Navy films of fleet operations during the Okinawa campaign. 00:00:07:18 - 00:00:18:23 PFC GREGORY SPEROS Okinawa, there was 100,000 enemy waiting there, and the Army landed, the 10th Army, plus the two Marine divisions. We probably equal them in manpower 00:00:18:23 - 00:00:20:01 VOICE OVER 2 One moment please 00:00:20:01 - 00:00:49:18 VOICE OVER 3 One, two, three, four. Hello in DC. this is (inaudible.) In Honolulu, Hawaii. We have witnessed this morning off Pearl Harbor, a sever bombing of Pearl Harbor by enemy planes, undoubtedly Japanese. The city of Honolulu has also been attacked 00:00:49:18 - 00:00:55:07 PFC GREGORY SPEROS There was great excitement and no fear. 00:00:55:11 - 00:01:21:05 PFC GREGORY SPEROS None of them expressed fear that I never and the kamikazes came, most of them, prior to the actual landing of the Marines there, Okinawa they were trying to prevent a fleet from coming there. There was a lot of we were trained for three things actually killed, destroy and survive. And we were given the means to do that. 00:01:21:05 - 00:01:40:10 PFC MATTHEW KANTER Growing up in high school, I loved history. It was always like a story that just played out in my mind of just the adventures and the battles that were going on. It was almost like as if I could see it in my head. Then hearing his stories, I was able to kind of put it in with what I remember and it just blew my mind of, Wow, this person was actually there. 00:01:40:19 - 00:01:54:11 PFC MATTHEW KANTER He definitely asks me about how training is going, or there's any exercises that I'm doing, field exercises, what kind of weapons I'm training on. And he he loves hearing about that stuff. 00:01:54:11 - 00:02:17:07 PFC GREGORY SPEROS I love the army as much as I did the Corps, and I I'm very proud of Matt here being in the military. I'm almost 96. I hung around for one reason in case I needed to again, That's how much I loved