A FOURTH OF JULY I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER IS JULY 4, 1945.  I WAS ON THE ISLAND OF LUZON-PART OF THE SIXTH INFANTRY DIVISION, MOPPING UP UNITS OF GENERAL YAMASHITA'S FORCES.  THE JAPS WERE DUG IN ON A RIDGE WE COULD SEE ABOUT 2000 YARDS AHEAD OF US, HOLDING UP OUR PROGRESS ON OLD HIGHWAY FOUR.  OUR COMMANDER CALLED FOR AN AIR STRIKE. 

SHORTLY SEVERAL P-38S (THE PLANE THE JAPS CALLED THE "TWIN TAIL DEVIL" CAME SWOOPING DOWN ON THE RIDGE, STRAFING IT WITH ALL GUNS BLAZING.  NEXT THE PLANES MADE ANOTHER PASS, DROPPING NAPALM BOMBS WHICH SKITTERED ALONG THE RIDGE, SPREADING FLAMES FOR QUITE A DISTANCE.  THE P-38S LEFT ONLY TO BE REPLACED BY B-25 BOMBERS WHICH DROPPED 500 POUND BOMBS AND THEN STRAFED THE RIDGE.  IT WAS A SPECTACULAR SHOW AND MANY OF US WATCHED, CERTAIN THAT NOTHING COULD LIVE THROUGH THAT, BUT OF COURSE THEY WERE DUG IN AND MANY SURVIVED, BUT WE HAD SOFTENED UP THE POSITION SUFFICIENTLY SO THAT OUR UNITS COULD PROCEED WITH OUR MISSION.

A FOURTH OF JULY I WILL NEVER FORGET.  IN AUGUST GENERAL YAMASHITA CAME DOWN OUT OF THE HILLS AND SURRENDERED.  THE WAR FOR THE ISLAND WAS OVER.