My ship the USS Hinsdale was hit by a Japanese Suicide plane on Sunday April 1, 1945. I drove Landing Crafts to shore at Iwo Jima. I saw the Flag on the hill raised. The Hinsdale received two Battle Stars for World War II. I was a Coxswain-This is the person who pilots the boats that carry the men to shore. My boat (Duck) would carry 36 men or 12 men and a jeep. The hardest thing was backing out to go to shore. Because if you didn't back out perfectly straight the waves (sometimes huge) would hit the side of the boat and turn it sideways-once the boat was sideways, you were stuck. Another function of the boat I piloted was for a Refueling station. The Ducks could drive out to 500-1000 yards from shore and refuel when needed. My ship the USS Hinsdale APA 120 was named after Hinsdale County Colorado. Life on the ship wasn't too bad. We had a place to eat, sleep and a Canteen in which we could get cigarettes, candy or just about anything we needed. To send mail and receive, was only when we were docked every couple of weeks. Communication was limited. I was in the Pacific Ocean two years 1944-1946. I went through the Panama Canal 3 times. I was 3 months in New York while my ship was being repaired.