Page 78 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine

Calvin Clements One Tech
wins Calvin and Alvin
Clements were born on
TFebruary 15, 1921, in
Blaine County, Oklahoma. There
were seven children altogether,
and the whole family learned to
work and to serve. This story is
about Calvin.
He was drafted into the 96th
Infantry in March 1942 and
served until July 1945. He
achieved the rank of Tech
Sergeant. His training took place
in Oklahoma, San Diego and
Oregon. Then he was shipped
out of San Francisco on the U.S.S.
General John Pope (with 7,000
other men) to the Philippines
and to Okinawa and Hawaii.
This particular ship carried
four infantry divisions and two
marine divisions. He can’t recall
why, but he was nicknamed
78 Lubbock Senior Link
Sergeant’s Story
by Marian Anderson
“Bubble Gum Clements.” captured them, we would kill
them, so they preferred to
Calvin was a radio operator commit suicide instead.” As he
during the Battle of Okinawa thinks back to that dangerous
in 1945. It was one of the time, he also shares this thought,
costliest battles in the Second “I believe Tokyo Rose was
World War: 15,000 soldiers probably an American; she could
were killed. There were 9,940 have been a predator. She was on
casualties and two-thirds of the side of the [enemy], but she
the 2nd Marine Division were played our American music.”
destroyed. Calvin reflects on
communication by Morse “We were under the command
Code during that time, “The of General Douglas MacArthur.
Japanese would short out our [He] was raised in the east by
wire line by sticking a pin parents who were ambassadors.
between the wires.” One of This was one of the reasons
Calvin’s biggest challenges why he was selected to be the
in the military was trying to commander of all the forces in
keep the radios operating. the Pacific. General MacArthur
When the Japanese attacked the was able to ‘get inside the Japs’
Ridge (pictured), Calvin’s Marine minds and think like they did.’
Division hit the island and He wasn’t immediately popular
headed north. Conical Hill was with all the forces he led, but he
where the enemy buried their possessed the qualifications to be
dead. Often, the large numbers the commander.”
of casualties forced “The Japanese
them to leave them “ surrendered at
Conical Hill was
right where they where the enemy the end of July
lay. Conical Hill buried their 1945. At this
was one of our dead. Often, the time the island
first objectives to of Okinawa was
destroy.* large numbers of declared safe.
The enemy had casualties forced Our division
caves where they them to leave them returned to the
stored food and right where they lay. Philippines to
buried their dead, get equipment.
but the Infantry “ In the meantime,
were told not to the atomic bomb
enter. “[They also] used to tell had been dropped on Hiroshima,
the natives that if the Americans Japan. The armed forces radio
station in San Francisco brought