Special thanks to Susan Conway for her excellent oversight of the manuscript and many important observations. Her marine father participated in the battle for Okinawa, and Faye O’Dell is in this account. Memories of Digger O’Dell, as his buddies called him, add to the story of courage and honor.
We are indebted to Orlando R. Davidson, J. Carl Willems, and Joseph A. Kahl for their work The Deadeyes: The Story of the 96th Infantry Division, published by Infantry Journal, Inc., 1947.
The magnificent deeds of the Ninety-Sixth Infantry Division, the Deadeyes, remain as a constant reminder of the price paid for the American way of life. The division’s cemetery on Okinawa will forever be a symbol of the valor and service that has preserved this nation.