War in the Pacific – February 1945

The war in the Pacific was raging at full force in February of 1945. The battles in the Philippines were brutal and costly for the warriors and the people who lived there. Iwo Jima was about to be invaded costing the lives of many brave American Marines and Japanese defenders. Back home, citizens were still being asked to help fund the war by the purchase of bonds. This is a great little video that captures the spirit of the Bond Drive and has some fantastic footage of the island fighting and its aftermath. The Beginning of the clip includes one of the last times President Roosevelt is seen by the general public on film. The end of the clip has a little known movie actor named Eddie Albert Jr. encouraging his fellow citizens to contribute.

 

Prior to World War II, and before his film career, Albert had toured Mexico as a clown and high-wire artist with the Escalante Brothers Circus, but secretly worked for U.S. Army intelligence, photographing German U-boats in Mexican harbors. On September 9, 1942, Albert enlisted in the United States Navy and was discharged in 1943 to accept an appointment as a lieutenant in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He was awarded the Bronze Star with Combat “V” for his actions during the invasion of Tarawa in November 1943, when, as the pilot of a U.S. Coast Guard landing craft, he rescued 47 Marines who were stranded offshore (and supervised the rescue of 30 others), while under heavy enemy machine-gun fire.

From his biography: “Years later, Albert would recollect the heroism displayed by his brothers in arms. In one instance, he found a small group of Marines who were unharmed but lost their weapons when trying to land. Albert offered to take them back to his boat, but they refused and asked to be given something to fight with. He returned later only to discover that they had fallen under enemy fire.

Albert returned to acting once he left the military. His fame reached greater heights than before the war, and his extensive filmography includes “Escape to Witch Mountain,” “Miracle of the White Stallions,” and “You Gotta stay Happy.” Over the course of his career he was awarded an NSFC Award and a Star on the Walk of Fame. Despite his accomplishments in acting, Albert went on record to say that the day he served as a landing craft commander at Tarawa was the accomplishment that meant the most to him. He passed away in 2005 of pneumonia at the age of 99.”

Mister Mac