EDMOND —
One day Harry Gilbert and Joe Caskey struck up a conversation. Harry is 93, Joe is 92. They live with their wives at the Fountains at Canterbury, a retirement community near Quail Springs Mall.
They learned they are both World War II veterans.
They served in the Pacific.
They were in the Philippines.
They landed at Leyte.
And they were both on Red Beach.
“That has happened in the past, many times, I’m sure across the country,” Harry said of that moment when fellow soldiers meet. “You just have a bond. You were there at a difficult time in the same place and you can appreciate what it was like.”
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, which brought the U.S. into World War II, and the 67th anniversary of the Leyte invasion.
As you might expect, having the war experience in common, a friendship began. Both men are extremely respectful of the other’s military service.
“I know enough about Harry now to be respectful of his job, Army career, his life in general,” Joe said. “He is a gentleman and a fine one to know.”
“And that goes both ways,” Harry said. “He’s a very fine gentleman. I use this expression, he’s a good ol’ boy. Now that means something in the southwest. In Oklahoma and Texas, if you’re a good ol’ boy it means you’re just a good all-around person.”
Harry was born in Tulsa and served in the U.S. Army from 1941-46. He transitioned from field artillery to a truck officer and transported supplies, everything from small tanks to bombs and fruit. He originally had signed on for a 12-month tour. Pearl Harbor — Dec. 7, 1941 — changed that. Besides Leyte, he also was part of operations involving New Guinea.
Joe was born in Des Arc, Ark. He began his military career in the National Guard and served in the U.S. Army from 1941-45. He was in combat, an artillery officer. Besides Leyte, he also was part of operations involving Australia and New Guinea.
In October 1944, during the invasion of Leyte, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, leading an army of more than 250,000 men, waded ashore on the island at Red Beach, Palo, Leyte.
During that time, Joe recalls the troops doing “a lot of firing” to protect themselves. He remembers moving on to several other islands, and being attacked by many Japanese kamikazes.
“Fortunately, most of them were shot down,” he said. “One went right into this ship that was next to me, right by us, killed a bunch of people. But you just go on.”
Harry said his unit had been on the island of New Guinea for a couple of years island-hopping. He unit contained 600 two-and-1/2-ton trucks, which were usually not all used in one location.
“We were attached to the 1st Cavalry Division for the invasion,” Harry said. “Being service troops, as opposed to fighting troops, we don’t go ashore with the first wave or two. We go in behind them. By the time we landed, they had moved inland about probably a thousand yards.”
Harry said his job was to take the supplies deposited on the beach to the units that were going to use them, like Joe’s battery. On Red Beach, however, some service troops were ahead of the artillery because of the terrain, Harry said. Combat troops also needed the supplies including gasoline and artillery shells as they went inland.
“Even a thousand yards is a lot to move some of that stuff,” Harry said.
In January 1945, U.S. troops landed on Luzon. After the conquest of the Philippines was complete it was on to Iwo Jima and Okinawa. On Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On Aug. 14, 1945, Japan surrendered.
Harry is the proud grandfather of a soldier was has served several tours in Iraq.
marks@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 108
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