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SBTROF .com ROF= Ring of Fire Odyssey
MEF-H = Marine Expeditionary Force- Hargus
ICLD = Iceland journey
December 28, 2021
In 1966 while traveling w/ Dad... an itinerant construction worker... Dad began to tell me about his WWII time in The Marines.
In 1939/ 1941 Britain was already at war w/ Nazi Germany... The battle of Britain. Churchill met w/ Roosevelt... Churchill said that he had a contingent of British soldiers in Iceland... and he was afraid that the Germans would attack and capture Iceland.
Iceland was strategically the observer outpost of the North Atlantic. Nothing could move through the North Atlantic... from the US to Britain/ England/ Europe... through the Russians, Murmansk, Archangel, into the North Sea... from Europe to the USA... without passing by Iceland!!! Iceland was THE observation point of the North Atlantic SLOC... The Sea Lanes of Communication/channels. Iceland Was the THE main point of North sea traffic between the USA and Europe.
Churchill said he was afraid Germany would attack and capture Iceland as they had British troops there. Iceland could be captured in a couple of days,... and lose that vital strategic observation post.
Roosevelt agreed and said he would replace the British with American troops insuring that Germany would not attack, for fear of bringing the USA into WWII. Roosevelt one up-ed Churchill and sent The US Marines to Iceland.
Dad was one of those Marines that guarded Iceland for 2 1/2 years during WWII.
Dad formed up, mustered at Quantico, Virginia, then mustered at North Sydney, Nova Scotia into a US Navy convoy... the biggest of 100 ships, 10 by 10 a mile apart.. and sailed right by Iceland, and then on to Europe for the Allied Forces Liberty ships supplies. From my research, pretty sure Dad was in the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. 60 years later, Nephew Dave6 was a MArine Captain of Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment; it's a small Corps.
The crossing. Dad said the the fleet formed up 10 ships across, 10 ships up, a mile apart... 100 square miles, and the set out into the North /Sea. Merchant vessels/ Liberty Ships loaded w/ supplies going to England/ Europe/ The Allied Forces, the liberty ships of supplies to fight the war in Europe. A Navy Destroyer on each quadrant, North, South, East, and West to guard from the German wolfpack submarines.
A couple of times the wolfpack Nazi submarines would fire torpedoes into the convoy and sink several ships. Then rescue efforts of the sinking ships was more chaos.
A couple of times the Navy destroyers would depth charge and wound, damage a German submarine... a couple of times the damaged German submarine would choose to not just sink with crew... without a fight,.. but surface in the convoy and shoot it out with everything... torpedos and 3" deck guns to damage as many of the ships as they could. Dad saw several of his ship mates gun crews hit by submarine deck gunfire, wounded and killed; it was his birth to combat; he never forgot this.
... seeing some men killed by gunfire. My Mom said he promised a prayer... "oh Lord, if you let me live through this I promise I will never take another drink"...Mom said he broke his promise and was forever cursed w/ drinking.
A WWII Marine that drinks too much; Go figure.
Those were the few times Dad opened up to me about his WWII hitch in the Marines. I was lucky to hear that; he never spoke about that after that summer traveling doing construction work w/ him. Now... I think there was so much bottled up in him that he wanted to talk about, to vent... and I hear about other families where the Veteran Grandads hesitatingly spoke about their tales... it disturbed those guys so much... honor them and write down their stories; we owe then no less.
Ssgt John E. Whitmire, USMC, Quantico VA March 1945 enroute to the Pacific theater
All of you Veterans were named "The Greatest Generation" and not by mistake. When the world faced an evil force Y'all raised your right hand and swore an oath to protect our Constitution and defend a nation. ... and other nations too!. Y'all confronted and defeated that darkness. We thank you and are proud of ALL our Veterans!
Thank you Dad! I never got to tell you that. I am so proud of you. I would love to sit and talk w/ you now. Of what Iceland was like while you were there in WWII. All the good things you did, and the man you came to be, mistakes and all... I love you dearly. Always have and always will. Semper Fi, 'til we die. Traveling on the road w/ you was something else for a teenager... a real learning experience!
You never drink twice from the same stream.
Just because you wander doesn't mean you're lost.
Uncle Hargus: Last of the Independents
Have Bear,
Will Travel
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