Page 22 - Amarillo Senior Link Magazine Fall 2019- Online Magazine
P. 22
Bob Daniel Sacrifice, Patriotism and
Loyalty
By Steve Lott
the Navy. He felt the Japanese soldiers were killed.
only way out of the Though given the chance to
Plainview cotton fields surrender, they elected to stay
was to learn a trade in the caves and eventually
while he was serving, succumbed to overwhelming
so he said he wanted troop numbers and flame
to be an electrician. He throwers.
scored very high on
the test, so it was on Taking Peleliu gave the United
to electrician school. States a much-needed air
Bob took it seriously strip for their push to Japan.
and studied hard, Their main job was to provide
graduating at the top provisions for island-hopping.
of his class and ready Bob was an electrician whose
to be deployed. specialty was Combat Aircraft.
Although not a hot bed of
ob Daniel was a Bob was shipped to the fighting by the time he got there,
seventeen-year-old from South Pacific and was stationed Peleliu was a constant target of
BPlainview, Texas when he with his unit in Peleliu. Peleliu suicide bombers trying to take
first decided to join the Navy, is a tiny island that is part of the out the fuel dumps. He worked
but he was told he was too Palau Archipelago. It lies 500 12-hour shifts. On his off hours,
young. The recruiter told him he miles east of the Philippines and he would either sleep or fix
would have to come back when 2,000 miles from Japan. It is six things around the base. Some
he turned 19. Disappointed, he miles long, two miles wide and of his buddies would explore
returned to his black-land farm has two climates, hot and hotter. the caves where the Japanese
to wait for his birthday. Bob On July 4th, 1945, it was 128 had been dug in, but the smell
chose the Navy because of his degrees. At least, he wouldn’t was so bad he declined. Most
uncle who had served in the have to worry about frostbite! of his work was repairing the
Army Infantry in WWI, where electronics that operated the
he had suffered frostbite in both McArthur thought the island bomb bay doors and the landing
feet and many other miseries had to be taken because of a gears of the combat planes.
of trench warfare in Europe. Japanese airfield that hampered
While Bob was too young for operations in the South Pacific. After the dropping of the atom
the Navy, he was not too young The Marines paid a high bombs on Japan, things slowed
for the draft. Before long, he price to defeat the Japanese. considerably. Eventually, Japan
received that special letter from (The National Museum of the surrendered, and the war in
Uncle Sam, and he was on his Marine Corps called it “the the Pacific was over. Although
way to new worlds. Because the bitterest battle of the war for the anxious to get home, Bob and
Navy had given him a card to Marines”. The outnumbered his fellow soldiers had to wait
show that he had tried to enlist Japanese defenders put up such for troop transports that were
with them, he got his wish and stiff resistance, often fighting carrying Japanese POWs.
became a sailor. to the death in the Emperor’s
name, that the island became He finally got home in
While in basic training, he was known in Japanese as the December 1945. He began
asked what he wanted to do in “Emperor’s Island”.) All 10,000 dating a classmate who had
22 Amarillo Senior Link
