Photo By Sgt. Ricky Gomez | U.S. Marine veteran Duane Tunnyhill of the 5th Marine Division shakes hands with...... read more read more
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U.S. Marine veterans of the 5th Marine Division visited the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island of Hawaii, Oct. 20, 2017.
The veterans came to PTA as part of the 68th Annual Reunion of the 5th Marine Division Association. During their stay they had the chance to see displays of the current weapons and equipment used by U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment.
“It was really nice to meet the Iwo Jima veterans as everyone in the Marine Corps knows Iwo Jima was a huge part of our history and background,” said Pfc. Nick Bensette, a native of Detroit, Michigan, and machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines. “I never got to meet my grandfather who served during World War II, and passed away when I was still young, so meeting all these veterans is a good way for me to get new knowledge and pass it on to the next generation.”
Bensette said he felt great pride to demonstrate and explain how the modern equipment belonging to the current generation of Marines works.
“It’s nice to give back to the people who have served us before,” Bensette said. “I’m kind of following in their footsteps which is a big accomplishment for me to do what they did as Marines.”
Ralph Simoneau, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and an Iwo Jima veteran who served with the 5th Marines, said he was immediately reminded of what he was use to when he arrived at PTA.
“I worked with the 60 millimeter mortars, and when they opened the door of the bus at the training camp I could instantly smell it,” Simoneau said. “I went straight to the mortar like a bird dog, and knew exactly where it was going to be.”
Simoneau said he was amazed how the equipment he saw compared to what they had during his time in the Marines.
“I was telling one young Marine the difference between his equipment and mine was that we had bows and arrows, and they had guns that could shoot,” Simoneau said. “The only real superior weapon we had was the Browning Automatic Rifle. You could bury that in the sand, take it back out, and it would never misfire.”
Louie Lepore, a native of San Diego, California, and an Iwo Jima veteran, said PTA didn’t exist during World War II and trained at Camp Tarawa.
“We had regimental practice landings for the invasion of Japan, but they dropped the atom bombs,” Lepore said. “We went aboard ship right away down at Hilo, and went to participate in the occupation of Japan.”
Lepore said he was relieved that Marines never had to invade Japan after witnessing what he saw during the occupation.
“We went through Nagasaki and I saw the devastation of the A-Bomb there,” Lepore said. “On the island of Kyushu where we were supposed to land for the invasion we saw a kamikaze base and caves with planes in them. I wouldn’t be here today after seeing the way they were prepared for us.”
Lepore said he’s extremely grateful and glad the events in history went the way it did.
“I’m very lucky to be here and I know it,” Lepore said. “I’m 94 years old; I went through World War II and the Korean War. I retired in 1971 with almost 29 years in service. They wanted me to go to Vietnam because of my knowledge of French, and said ‘Forget it once was enough.”
| Date Taken: | 10.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 10.24.2017 19:01 |
| Story ID: | 252537 |
| Location: | POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 153 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
This work, 5th Marine Division veterans visit the Pohakuloa Training Area, by LCpl Isabelo Tabanguil, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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