WEBVTT 00:01.029 --> 00:03.269 The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought by 00:03.269 --> 00:05.269 brave men who answered the nation's 00:05.269 --> 00:07.860 call . Most of those veterans have 00:07.860 --> 00:10.770 passed away . Only a few remain to tell 00:10.770 --> 00:13.579 their story . Mister Clapper is one of 00:13.579 --> 00:15.760 the few Marines who fought using fire 00:15.899 --> 00:18.899 from a flamethrower . You can't hide 00:18.899 --> 00:22.569 from a flame . When the enemy sees the 00:22.569 --> 00:24.291 plane , they're going to throw 00:24.291 --> 00:28.190 everything out at it . I signed up 00:28.190 --> 00:32.060 for the draft . In 1943 00:32.720 --> 00:36.000 as I turned 18 . It was scheduled for a 00:36.000 --> 00:39.459 train to go to Pittsburgh . And then 00:39.459 --> 00:43.220 from Pittsburgh , we moved west by rail 00:44.000 --> 00:45.479 to uh San Diego . 00:50.119 --> 00:53.599 And we Loaded a ship 00:53.599 --> 00:57.270 one morning and We took off . We didn't 00:57.270 --> 01:00.209 know we were going . That seemed like 01:00.209 --> 01:02.369 we'd flying because we moved about 15 01:02.369 --> 01:05.389 of us in . And we headed to Guam . 01:06.519 --> 01:09.470 Guam was a heavy forced island . A lot 01:09.470 --> 01:13.279 of jungles . Guam became the base of 01:13.279 --> 01:15.446 operations for the 3rd Marine Division 01:15.446 --> 01:18.239 for the duration of the war . We stayed 01:18.239 --> 01:21.790 there training . I've never used a 01:21.790 --> 01:25.459 flamethrower on Guam . But I carried 01:25.459 --> 01:28.319 the flamethrower all over to Allen on . 01:29.160 --> 01:31.480 Exercises to assimilate war . 01:36.029 --> 01:38.290 We just boarded a ship one day and 01:39.209 --> 01:41.319 Didn't know where it was going until 01:41.319 --> 01:43.559 just before we got there where you 01:43.559 --> 01:45.781 could hear the fighting going on on the 01:45.781 --> 01:48.003 island where you were dreaming . I went 01:48.003 --> 01:51.650 and saw a D +1 . They initially thought 01:51.650 --> 01:55.470 they could take that on in 2 weeks , 01:55.930 --> 01:59.300 but that wasn't true . It took them 5 01:59.300 --> 02:02.059 weeks , but I was there for the full 5 02:02.059 --> 02:05.540 weeks . We got on them land boats 02:05.540 --> 02:09.220 heading towards shore . And uh , the 02:09.220 --> 02:12.630 surf was rolling . I mean , and when it 02:12.630 --> 02:15.309 rolled , you see everything in the 02:15.309 --> 02:18.229 water . You've seen boats with people 02:18.229 --> 02:19.630 saw him dead . 02:22.059 --> 02:25.750 But we landed on . Iwo Jima , 02:26.710 --> 02:29.529 we were marching down the airstrip . 02:30.309 --> 02:33.600 And uh Uh , my company commander got 02:33.600 --> 02:37.320 shot . We've seen the 02:37.330 --> 02:39.929 uh flag going up on Mount uh bay . 02:41.009 --> 02:43.342 Everybody thought the war was over then , 02:43.369 --> 02:46.610 but that wasn't true . We were in 02:46.610 --> 02:49.729 constant contact with the enemy when he 02:49.729 --> 02:52.690 was Jima . If you stood up , you ain't 02:52.690 --> 02:56.690 gonna try that . I was going to command 02:56.690 --> 02:59.789 post . To reservice my 03:00.270 --> 03:04.089 flamethrower . I was being shot at 03:04.369 --> 03:06.480 and at the time I didn't know , but I 03:06.480 --> 03:08.536 could hear the thud , but I didn't . 03:08.869 --> 03:10.990 Didn't really relate them to someone 03:10.990 --> 03:13.779 shooting at him . So I got to where I 03:13.779 --> 03:16.289 go and they said , they said you was 03:16.669 --> 03:19.289 shot all the way where you left it here . 03:19.850 --> 03:21.961 I was shot at , you know , so we , we 03:21.961 --> 03:23.906 watched it , said we could see the 03:23.906 --> 03:27.009 bulls hitting . I guess you keep a low 03:27.009 --> 03:30.139 profile . And that's what probably 03:30.139 --> 03:33.970 saved me . When the 03:34.000 --> 03:36.056 enemy sees the flame , they're gonna 03:36.056 --> 03:37.667 throw everything out at it . 03:39.899 --> 03:41.955 Tanks were manned with flamethrowers 03:41.955 --> 03:45.839 instead of guns . And those 03:45.910 --> 03:48.077 those things were really devastating . 03:48.139 --> 03:50.580 I mean they have a large range compared 03:50.580 --> 03:52.580 to what a man carries on his back . 03:55.339 --> 03:57.395 The Japanese started shouting . Once 03:57.395 --> 03:59.339 they hear , they hear the tanks in 03:59.339 --> 04:01.561 there , they know what's gonna happen . 04:03.850 --> 04:07.270 And we was in a marshaling area . 04:08.309 --> 04:10.531 When you get ready for an attack in the 04:10.531 --> 04:12.309 morning and while I was in that 04:12.309 --> 04:15.990 marching area . Yeah , I had Red Cross 04:15.990 --> 04:19.759 had . Just revving the donuts . So 04:19.759 --> 04:21.759 that's about that time the shelling 04:21.759 --> 04:23.926 started , so I , I just put them up on 04:23.926 --> 04:25.870 top of the foxhole and got down in 04:25.870 --> 04:29.709 there . We suffered a lot of shell 04:29.709 --> 04:33.630 fire and We were scared quite 04:33.630 --> 04:36.640 a while , but After it was over . 04:38.820 --> 04:40.931 I get up and my two dinners are still 04:40.931 --> 04:42.264 on top of the foxhole . 04:46.679 --> 04:50.480 So the island was declared secure . And 04:50.480 --> 04:54.190 we set up . Our camp Bunch of pup 04:54.190 --> 04:57.769 tents , two-man tents . The Japanese 04:57.769 --> 05:01.720 were . Firmly entrenched in them caves 05:01.720 --> 05:03.970 and uh that they had on the mountain . 05:06.670 --> 05:08.880 But we went on patrols , security 05:08.880 --> 05:10.880 reports and mop up any stragglers . 05:11.339 --> 05:13.283 Well , I was a flamethrower , uh , 05:13.440 --> 05:15.662 carrying a flamethrower , and I , I was 05:15.662 --> 05:18.239 a private , you know , I did what I was 05:18.239 --> 05:21.980 told . We had to , 05:22.420 --> 05:24.476 you know , go through them caves . I 05:24.476 --> 05:27.079 remember walking through there and . I 05:27.079 --> 05:29.279 know I was walking on bodies , but I 05:29.279 --> 05:31.279 didn't know what kind of bodies . I 05:31.279 --> 05:33.279 didn't know whether they're dead or 05:33.279 --> 05:36.609 alive . We moved to our objective and 05:37.239 --> 05:40.109 released the flame on it . The most 05:40.109 --> 05:42.220 damage the flamethrower does and it's 05:42.220 --> 05:44.790 best used on a contained area like a 05:44.790 --> 05:47.109 cave because it , it takes all the 05:47.109 --> 05:49.429 oxygen out of the air and the people 05:49.429 --> 05:51.485 die from the lack of oxygen really . 05:54.510 --> 05:56.510 What do you want them to remember ? 05:59.429 --> 06:03.309 Take care of your men . War 06:03.309 --> 06:06.489 is hell . There's no 06:07.010 --> 06:10.029 nonbeliever in a foxhole . How did you 06:10.029 --> 06:11.196 overcome your fear ? 06:18.019 --> 06:21.260 I don't think I ever did . I don't 06:21.260 --> 06:23.920 think I ever did . Keep in mind what 06:23.920 --> 06:27.700 you're there for , you know . Uh 06:30.579 --> 06:33.089 Like I say , don't worry about what the , 06:33.100 --> 06:36.839 uh , country paid . During that war . 06:38.000 --> 06:40.111 They don't make any difference if you 06:40.111 --> 06:42.167 lose the war , the money ain't worth 06:42.167 --> 06:45.739 nothing . So you got to win . And I 06:45.739 --> 06:47.906 guess that's what the Marine Corps say 06:47.906 --> 06:50.420 is , come to fight , come to win . 06:51.630 --> 06:52.470 That's a good thing .