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The Wenatchee World | Tuesday, November 9, 2021
Charles J. Lawhead U.S. Army 1943–1945
C
harlie joined the Army in World War II expecting to fight. His original plan was to become a paratrooper, but as happened with so many other GI’s, his plan did not quite work out. One of the tests was to be able to jump out of a moving pickup, roll to a stop and be ready for action. Charlie could do all but the roll. Consequently, he became a dogface and infantryman. After basic training he was assigned as a replacement in the 17th Infantry Division. When he got there, he found them looking for machine gunners. The guys were not measuring up until it became Charlie’s turn. He seized that machine gun, ran out to the firing position, flopped down and let go. The Colonel gave him high marks and from then on he carried a machine gun. Looking back, if he had realized how much that thing weighed, he claimed he might not have put on such a good show. Charlie saw action in Palau. Many tragic things happened on that island. His commanding officer was killed in Palau by a mortar round. Charlie was seriously wounded on Okinawa. Charlie was working his way around a hillock to get behind the
Japanese when a machine gun opened up on him. He was struck by three bullets in a diagonal row across his chest, one bullet shattering and lodging next to his heart. The force knocked him into a rice patty that probably saved his life. They were able to carry Charlie to an aid station. Nighttime was falling so evacuation had to wait until morning. Medics moved the wounded to a nearby cave. The Japanese pushed past the cave that night and Charlie did not get much sleep and could hear them outside. Charlie was struggling to breathe so in the morning he was a priority status to be evacuated and was rushed to the USS Comfort. They removed three bullets and left his chest wound next to his heart open until it could heal more. Charlie was still in the operating room when a Japanese Kamikaze pilot flew his airplane into the ship, hitting and killing seven nurses and five doctors. Only Charlie, his doctor and another man next to him survived. Charlie was taken to Hawaii and spent the rest of the war in a home on the island of Oahu. Charlie was awarded a Purple Heart and passed away in 2000. Charlie’s story was proudly submitted by Wayne Hersel.
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