World War II veteran and U.S. Marine Bob Clement. Courtesy
Every once in a while a coincidence comes along that is mind-boggling. This just might be one of those times.
Last week, on the anniversary of Japan signing surrender documents to end World War II, I wrote a tribute to my wife's father, Bob Clement, who stormed the beaches at Tarawa, one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific Theater.
As he manned a machine gun, a Japanese bullet penetrated his helmet, fractured his skull without entering his brain, and exited the helmet. He was stunned but able to walk away. That helmet, with its two holes, remained at his house in Wisconsin until he died 65 years later.
Here are excerpts from an email I got after the blog appeared:
"Hi Bill,
"I loved the story you wrote about your father in-law. My father also fought in the Pacific Theater and was at Tarawa. In fact I have a feeling my dad was standing next to Bob when he got hit.
"My father was also a man that did not discuss his experiences of that time. But the one story he did tell.....he was standing next to another soldier and could tell something was wrong with him. My dad looked at him and said you OK? The soldier said, 'No, I think I've been hit.' He took off his helmet and they could see two bullet holes. An entry and an exit as my dad said. My dad was also a machine gunner.
"I forwarded your article to my uncle (my dad's brother) in Denver. My dad is deceased. My uncle thought the similarities were uncanny. My dad was in the 11th Marines of the 2nd Division. As my uncle understands this is the artillery and ammunition division."
It would be interesting to track the history of these two men, find out if Bob was the soldier my dad talked about.
What are the odds that 70 years after the battle of Tarawa, I would connect with the daughter of a soldier who was at my father-in-law's side when he was shot?
On the other hand, what are the odds of two machine gunners at Tarawa taking a bullet that entered and exited their helmets, leaving them alive and able to talk about it?
Bill Sherman 918-581-8398
bill.sherman@tulsaworld.com
