In his later years, my stepfather told me of his experience during the assault of Okinawa during WWII. He was a Navy Signalman on a support ship. The ship next to him incurred a direct hit from a Japanese Kamikaze, which he witnessed from the signal deck. He told me how the sounds of battle moved from the shore and then inland over the course of a few days.
This is a Naval map of the ships involved in the assault. I brought it with me when I last visited him. I wanted to know about his life, but he left us that night.
