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U.S. Naval Beach Battalions (Amphibious Forces, Beach Parties) 
that fought, served, and were injured or died as a result of World War II.  
We continue to lose members of this heroic era every day.
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February 19, 2009, marks sixty-four years since the landing of

Marines on Iwo Jima, which resulted in the bloodiest battle of

the Pacific, and the capture of that strategic island that played

an essential role in saving the lives of many pilots and their

crews.  Arvy A. Geurin was a 20-year old Radioman 3rd Class,

assigned to the USS NAPA/APA 157 Beach Party Battalion

and landed with the Fourth Marines on that island on

February 19, 1945. Although he does not consider himself a hero,

what he did that day 64 years ago saved lives.

(The USS NAPA/APA 157 was named for Napa County, California.)

 

Every year, thousands of World War II veterans leave this world,

many without their family, friends, and the world knowing of their

heroic deeds that freed the world from the horrific and

barbaric dictatorships of Hitler of Germany, Mussolini of Italy,

and Hirohito of Japan, who formed the Triparte Treaty designed

to take over and divide the world among them. Although the

battles and victories are well known by now, most of the individual

deeds are not. Battles are not impersonal, but are about the

individual soldier, Marine or sailor, who put his life on hold to go

overseas so that the battle would not come to our shores.

Mr. Geurin was one such sailor.

 

What has not been well known before is how the then-young

men went from high school seniors planning their lives after

graduation to battle-hardened fighters in places like Guam,

Okinawa and Iwo Jima. As Mr. Geurin said: “We weren’t action

heroes or extraordinary men. We were farm boys and city jocks;

scholars and drop-outs; rich and poor. We were just young boys

brought together by a common goal. Just a year before how could

any of us imagine going off to war like this Yet, here we were all

together in an amtrack moving toward the hungry jaws of war,

to what would become the bloodiest battle of the Pacific.”

 

In looking back, one has to marvel at how these young men,

not old enough to legally vote or drink, went on to win battles and

disrupt and unseat three of the most evil of the world’s

dictators and restore freedom to much of the world. They became

known as “The Greatest Generation” for very honorable reasons.

This was the last war that was totally undisputed as just.

 

In December 2005, the US Navy presented Mr. Geurin a plaque in

honor of his service on Iwo Jima. He has also been honored by

the US Navy Radiomen Association (www.radioman.org ),

the USA Veteran’s Page (www.veteranspage.com), and the VFW,

as well as being listed on the National World War II

Memorial (www.wwiimemorial.com).

 

Mr. Geurin, who currently resides in Capitola, has had the honor of

having his war memoirs published by McKenna Publishing Group

of San Luis Obispo (www.mckennapubgrp.com), Walking Through

Fire: An Iwo Jima Survivor’s Remembrance.

His book is available through Amazon.com (www.amazon.com),

McKenna Publishing Group (www.mckennapub.grp.com), 

USA Veteran's Page (www.veteranspage.com), Pearl Harbor Books (www.pearlharbor.net/books/.world-war-ii-iwo-jima-books.asp),

History Edition: Historical Books and More - Asian History: Iwo Jima

(www.historyedition.com.) The preferable method is Amazon.com.

 











 

 

 



2nd, 4th, 7th NBB NEWSLETTER


ALL HANDS 8th NBB Newsletter


 


 

 

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