Oral History Interview with Gordon W. Jones, March 14, 2014 Page: 14

                                
GJ: And sometimes guys share them with the guys that didn't
have no girlfriend, let them read, just to have something
to look at. Anyways...
MC: OK, tell me about the camaraderie with the other guys.
GJ: Well, you become brothers. You're concerned for each
other's feelings; you're concerned for each other's needs.
I had two or three of the guys on the gun crew comfort me
in my sorrow from the Dear John letter. And I knew other
guys on the ship got Dear John letters, you know? It's
kind of a heart breaking situation when you're out there
trying to keep from getting killed. And all of a sudden,
your life goes through a major change. It was probably for
the better, you know. But at that time, you don't think
that.
MC: No, you're 18 years old. You're a little bit more
impressionable than that.
GJ: Yeah.
MC: OK, back to what's going on on Okinawa. You were there for
51 days; you must've seen a lot of stuff.

GJ: Yes, sir. There was bullets that'd come through -- now
when straight to ship -- the Japanese planes went straight
to ship, they'd be about 15 to 20 feet off the water coming
in, straight in. And they would come through the openings,

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