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Episode #622 of Hometown Heroes, airing April 2-6, 2020, marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa through the memories of three men from three different states who participated in that battle on land, in the air, and at sea. The 82-day battle, starting on April 1, 1945, saw more than 12,000 Americans killed. Total casualties exceeded 50,000.

USMC veteran David Fusinato, now 94, continues to serve as a volunteer docent at the Veterans Memorial Museum, Home of the Legion of Valor, in Fresno, CA. On April 1, 1945, he was a 19-year-old Marine coming ashore on Okinawa with the 1st Tank Battalion, landing unopposed and quickly moving inland.

“The first night was kind of rough, and that’s the first time a lot of us had experienced a lot of bombardment,” you’ll hear him recall. “I guess everybody was scared, I know I was.”

You’ll hear Fusinato’s memories of watching from a distance as scores of kamikaze aircraft targeted American ships in the harbor, as well as his experiences in tank warfare, first as a loader/radioman and later as a gunner. Working closely with infantry on the front lines, the teenager initially found a sense of safety inside the protection of tank’s armor.

“I felt pretty secure,” you’ll hear him say. “Until we took a hit on top the turret.”

No one was seriously wounded, but the impact of that incoming mortar shell got the crews attention. You’ll hear other things he witnessed in the weeks and months that followed as they pushed the Japanese toward the southern tip of the island. Click here to access the complete original Hometown Heroes interview with David Fusinato.

New Jersey native Walt Burr earned a Distinguished Flying Cross for his actions in the air during the Battle of Okinawa. A 20-year-old flying F4U Corsairs off of the aircraft carrier USS Essex (CV-9). He flew close air support missions for ground troops, using bombs, rockets, and napalm to deter the enemy. Typically, those missions were flown in the same direction that the Marines on the ground were moving, but one memorable mission required the opposite approach, which meant very little margin for error. The target was a cave that the Japanese were occupying on the side of a hill.

“The danger of overshooting and hitting our own guys was great,” you’ll hear him remember. “We went pretty low before we dropped stuff, because we wanted to be darn sure we hit what we were aiming at.”

They executed the difficult task to perfection, with the bombs detonating inside the cave, avoiding the potential collateral damage of American forces. Burr was credited with two confirmed aerial victories while flying with VBF-83, which along with the other air groups on the Essex, received the Presidential Unit Citation. His Distinguished Flying Cross citation recognized that “his skill and courage were at all times inspiring.” Visiting the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. with Central Valley Honor Flight, part of the Honor Flight Network, “meant a great deal” for Burr. The “Freedom Wall,” at the WWII Memorial, with 4,000 stars representing the more than 406,000 Americans who died in the war, stirred some powerful emotions and memories.

“The guys that didn’t come home,” were on his mind, including his onetime roommate. “He was up on a training flight and had a mid-air collision and was killed. That was pretty personal.”

Click here to access the complete original Hometown Heroes interview with Walt Burr.

The final veteran you’ll hear from on this episode is Seth Irving, who was severely injured in a kamikaze attack aboard the destroyer USS Newcomb (DD-586) off of Okinawa. Born on the Oglala Lakota reservation in Pine Ridge, SD, Irving joined the Navy in 1942 and had already survived more than his fair share of battles. But on April 6, 1945, the Newcomb received word that a swarm of 500 kamikazes had taken off from mainland Japan, headed for Okinawa. American fighter planes intercepted most of them, but more than 200 made it through to attack American ships, and by the end of the night, the destroyer Newcomb would be struck by no fewer than five suicide planes. Incredibly, the Newcomb managed to avoid sinking, but Seth Irving’s story is just as amazing.

“Hit the deck, Seth!” he remembers hearing his rangefinder shout. “There’s a plane coming!”

Just as he unbuckled from his 40mm gun mount, the Japanese plane hit nearby, blowing Irving into the water. He had been wearing a helmet, boots, and full uniform, but when he came to underwater, Irving had been stripped bare by the explosion, burns covering his body from head to knee.

“I was in that water from 4:30 until about 10 o’clock at night,” you’ll hear him explain. “Now that was the scariest part.”

A burned life raft helped him stay afloat for about half of that time in the water, but he abandoned the raft in a futile attempt to reach a destroyer. Convinced he couldn’t stay alive until the morning, he finally saw a light penetrate the darkness and found his rescue. Eventually bandaged from the head to the knee, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to see again. When they finally took his bandages off at the burn unit on Guam, he was able to see for the first time in more than a month. Irving later learned he was the only member of his 10-man gun crew to survive the wave of kamikaze attacks that left 84 of his shipmates dead. Click here for the complete original Hometown Heroes interview with Seth Irving.

The Friends of the National World War II Memorial organization continues to mark 75th anniversaries of WWII moments. Watch the video below for the Okinawa commemoration from April 1, 2020.

Battle of Okinawa 75th Anniversary Commemoration from Friends of World War II Memorial on Vimeo.