Flamethrower COMBAT on IWO JIMA with a WWII MARINE | Don Graves
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- čas přidán 19. 02. 2024
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Born and raised in Detroit, Don Graves quit high school after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Filled with a sense of duty he tried to enlist in the Marine Corps, but had to wait until he turned 17 in 1942.
In training at Camp Pendleton Graves was assigned the flamethrower as his weapon. On February 19th, at 8:00 in the morning, Graves was helped over the side of his landing craft and hit the beach of Iwo Jima in the third wave.
Graves would encounter ferocious combat from a determined enemy on Iwo Jima. The Japanese had carved deep defense tunnels all over the island, including into Mount Suribachi, a volcanic cone at the southern tip of the island that dominated the island from above.
Interview recorded on December 11, 2023
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Video Credits:
Director of Photography - Victor Danos
Editor - Daniel Taksas
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Got something good going here, thank you.
You should be ashamed for interrupting this man's speech with your ad. Sickening.
Wow, imagine having a real hero as your dad, one lucky man
Thank you for putting these videos together of these brave men. Their stories need to be told and recorded so that their heroic actions can be remembered for generations to come
SeassaS a 2@dnow2 we q❤wa zwrfed
This guys pushing 100years old and he sounds like he ain't even 70. He's definitely young at heart
Had a pretty good structure to built a life. Literally, they don’t make us like they used to.
He certainly has a better mind than Joe Biden.
He’s seen some things.
@@sirchromiumdowns2015 just about anyone can beat bribden🤣
How old is this video? The poster grabbed it somewhere but, as usual for CZcamsrs, didn’t credit anyone out give dates.
My dad just turned 100. He fought on Iwo Jima and was wounded after 9 days on the island. He was awarded the Silver Star for attacking and eliminating a machine gun nest. He’s a great guy and I’m blessed to have him and my mom with us. God Bless the USA
Tell your dad thank you, big thank you.
I’ll tell my mom and dad that every time we get together is a celebration. Don’t care what the day is or not. I’m 60 years old and very lucky to have both of my parents. Thank your father for his service,from me.
PLEASE make the most of your time with him and ask him all the things you need to. When they go, all their memories are gone forever. I miss my Grandparents and Parents SO much, and I wish I had asked them SO much more
I need to meet a ww2 veteran. You are incredible lucky
Your father is a Marine He did well because when the Japanese opened up from their hidden positions the life expectancy was 15 seconds John Basilone lasted about 25 seconds He was not supposed to be there He was awarded the Medal Of Honor for the Guadalcanal operation He was in Hollywood selling war bonds and told them he wanted to go back with his men and so he did and he died but he died the way every Marine wants to die Your father Is to be saluted Please let him know I said Semper Fi Mac
"We heard so much about 5 or 6 fellers putting the flag up, that's not true...
3 divisions put it up"
Powerful words.
Almost 100 years of life and he is On. The. Ball. Sharp man.
Yes. There was another Devil Dog on here who said something similar. He mentioned that he and his division were still down below fighting for their lives and these guys are up there taking photo ops for War Bond marketing.
Absolutely beautiful the way he puts it
😭
@@andrewsmith3257 absolutely, I teared up at those words
These videos from the "Greatest Generation" are literally..priceless.💪🇺🇸🙏
super literally
Yes sir they sure are. There the reason we are free today. I hold all veterans in the highest Respect. The bravery and patriotic force that this Generation had made them the best fighting force that the world has ever seen.
Amen homie nowadays people don’t even know if they’re a boy or girl. These are the real men that you have to respect. The true heroes throughout history and it took a lot of people with an attitude that only we Americans have because we don’t start crap but you don’t want to bring it either ✌️
I’m 47 never served for our country but befriended a WWII neighbor who was a heavily decorated tail gunner. These guys are the real deal, the man’s man
Actually they're free on you tube.
For a 99 year old this guy is still as sharp as a tack. God bless him !
Too bad God wasn't there for the others. How does that work?
@@AstroGremlinAmericanThe best thing about atheists is that it seems like they were divinely punished with the most obnoxious personalities possible.
he was there for the people that believed, wounded or not. thats how that works@@AstroGremlinAmerican
We were Americans hd said. Yes sir
and fake as hell
Its crazy how sharp this guy is. You see politicians much younger than him who's job is to speak publicly and cant speak as well as him.
I bet you he doesn't fall down all the time either...
@@mojojojo6400eating live babies can give you kiru,and that causes brain disease loss of balance.im not joking.
You got THAT right. He's probably worth more than all of those guys put together.
2 are running for president.
@@JohnnyDanger36963I don't know where your sources are from, but your claim about how eating live babies can cause that is simply untrue.
The disease is called kuru, not kiru, and is only caused by eating a cooked or raw human brain where the brain contains abnormally foldes proteins. The only case where this was known to have happened was in Papua New Ginea where it was traditional to Cook and eat you family members after they died. Because kuru was deadly, the infected person's brain (along woth the rest of the body) was cooked and eaten after their death, and the disease spread on.
What a badass. Anyone that fought the Japanese and survived are a rare breed.
The u.s had the lowest casualties of the entire war.
German ww2 vets 🗿
@@Spiralredd while fighting two fronts.
@@michaellavaughnrobinson it's only because we joined so late though. If we joined the same time as the other countries we'd probably have just as many.
I want to live in a America were citizens love our nation like this great man....I miss it...and this guy almost brought tears to my eyes
I want to live there too and I live in America. Kids these days just don't have the same love as they did in the 40's. Kids today are just to eager to tear down what these men and women built due to this perceived notion that the idea of America was built on evil ideals.
You can love your nation while not liking the government at the same time. I promise there are people who still love the US, just as much as him.
@@Bizz4r2m0kegood comment man
@@Bizz4r2m0keThe problem becomes the citizens though, now patriots are immediately seen as bigots for some reason, with no thought towards it at all. It should be an anti government stance, but usually the people against patriots want the government to do everything for them, which is just confusing and ignorant.
Unfortunately we live in a time when liberals and democRATS hate the country
Notice how his hat says "Survivor" not "Veteran". That shows you how grateful he is to be alive but also shows his heart towards the very few Japanese who also survived from their perspective. Very subtle, but it shows you how much a human he is.
This
That human was barbecuing the other humans.
@@bryanergau6682 Are you implying that he's not human?
@@neilspires7259 If a civilian set fire to a couple hundred people, would you call them a human, or some other choice words?
@@bryanergau6682it was war dummy
For anyone interested in this man's life there is a almost 3 hour interview with Don on the Sean Ryan show. This man is a treasure
thanks.. this is the comment i was lookin for
This man is a national treasure.
What a speaker. Seriously. You just want to listen to this guy talk all day.
He was on the Sean Ryan Podcast. Phenomenal episode!
Facts
Semper Fi Don. My dad was with you , 5th Marine Div, 26th Marine Regiment.
18 left out of 300.....wow......God bless you Marine.
Words seem cheap after hearing this brave man talk.
So I will just say Thank you
From England UK 🇬🇧
I’ve met Don a few times. He is a great man and one of the last of the greatest generation. He is a true hero and I’m happy that the story of his time on Iwo Jima in his own words and those of other veterans will be preserved for future generations to hear. Semper Fi
The torch saved many lives... It took balls to be the man carrying it! God Bless.
Especially considering how easy it was to shoot the tanks
Youre an absolute beast of a man. A King. Never to be forgotten through your stories of service and strength. Thank you.
I never get tired of hearing Mr. Graves talk of his experiences.❤
Neither does he
why would he? hes done more in a small portion of his life than youll ever do in the entirety of yours@@Buce-ku9vx
These men are the real heroes not rock stars or actors
The amount of pride this guy displays telling these stories is amazing. I could listen to his stories for hours. Such a great interview, I say do more with interviews with Don! 😊
Shawn Ryan has an almost three hour interview with him.
Yes!…..He has great energy and enthusiasm with his story telling!!!….🙏🏽❤️❤️❤️🪖⛑️🪖🪖🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸😉
"i ran to go enlist, after i heard the president talk" . that would never happen today
It’s sad. The state out country is in today. The only colors that matters to Washington is green, red and blue don’t mean a thing.
I disagree, do you not remember September 12th? Granted, I get your point and we are a feuding family but history has proven that the dumbest thing any enemy could possibly do is inspire the family to turn its attention to them 😂.
Yeah people think for themselves you fought for freedom in those days you fight for personal greed and oil now
It wouldn’t happen bc we realize our leaders are fighting other countries over Stupid reasons. We are all humans we can talk we don’t need to fight. The army is for higher to get oil for corporations and the people will not see a cent back.
@@AdamEdn no more. What's happened the last couple years mean either national divorce or war. No more trying to work with treasonous democrats.
My uncle was a Corpsman on Iwo Jima. It had such an effect on him, he was never the same after. He survived the war. RIP Ray.
National Anthem every single day is how i was raised. Love this mans knowledge and experience!! a real hero!
Its crazy how he tells us his parents were talking about going through ww1.
As a veteran I truly appreciate what you guys do here. They don’t make these guys like they used to. They remember every date and time. Just priceless
I could listen to him all day, what an utter legend.
I’ve had the honor of meeting, many World War II veterans. Thank You Mr. Graves. Thank you and may God bless you with many more years of life and love.
This brave man don graves, is the definition of AMERICA. Listening to don talking about being in school n listening to the star spangled banner, made me think of my childhood n how we pledge our allegiance to
AMERICA. Don graves is a patriot, brave, and a hero. THANK U DON GRAVES.❤️🤍💙🇺🇸🙏
My grandfather was on that island also. I couldn't imagine what these men went through. Thank you for your service. God bless you
thank god we still have these men alive to tell the real stories. wow.
…can I add that I’m also glad we have CZcams channels that allow me to see and hear giants like this man speak….if it wasn’t for CZcams I wouldn’t be able to hear or see half the stories. I hope videos like this never get taken down and it’s shown to more kids of every damn country on this wretched planet. I was listening to a D Day vet recently, and he said:
1) I’m not a hero, I survived - I’m just lucky
2) Don’t forget
3) Don’t go to war
What have we learned since WW2 and the sacrifice of so many people? Absolutely nothing. 😔
A true man of honour.
I am a simple man, I see an interview with Mr. Graves, I watch and I listen to the man!
What a man, his memories good and bad are extraordinary. Thanks for recording the veterans.
The human brain remembers better the stronger the emotions tied to the event. In such life and death situations, combatants will remember them like it was yesterday whether they like it or not.
@@aaronseet2738 but all the ill peoples, society dont care...
So amazing. I wish I spoke to my granddad more about it.. He was 94 when he passed in 2019. He fought in North Africa. All he ever said of the war when I asked in his later later years was of learning to play bridge on the ship from Durban South Africa to North Africa. The only emotion I ever saw him show about the war was that when he came home to pack his bags his big old dog ran up and died in his arms. He buried it himself and went off to war alone. He also said just randomly out of the blue.. Ah Italians.. Can't fight for anything but they can sure sing well. 😂
Hard times require harder men. Semper fi Marine
Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times
Good times create weak men, weak men create hard times
Wow, what a storyteller Don is. I could listen to him for a week.
poignant reminder of how much we owe these men and women that gave so much for their country
Waooo his energy saying the story, giving me the feeling of been with him during his life story! Beautiful & hero!
These veterans stories need to be heard more often. God bless our greatest generation
My grandpa was army. 73rd In division that served with the marine corps. My grandpa called those marines brothers and the marines the army soldiers "Army dogs or the 73rd Army marine div." What a warrior he was.
When I 10 and visiting my grandparents. This little girl came to my grandpa crying say my daddy is beating my mommy. The anger rose in my grandpa's heart. He walked pulled the door open and went in. After some struggling the idiot came flying through the window. That was the only time I saw a peaceful man get violent. Love you grandpa wherever you are.
Was a great experience getting to talk with Don and film this project!
I could listen to Don all day long, he reminds me of my grandfather, he was a Marine also. Rest his soul, i miss you G-paw
That guy is a true legend. What a story. Warriors all the men who lived and died through that terrible war!
Thank you for the freedom, sir...we are all eternally grateful...much respect...🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
"Hey, buddy. What's with the steak and eggs?"
"Graves, use your head. What do they do with convicts before they execute 'em?"
"We all kind of laughed......We did not know what we were in for".
Thank you, Mr. Graves.
This gentleman/hero sounds so vibrant and full of life when talking even though he must be in his 90s. I wish this guy could start a podcast just to talk about random stuff, I would listen!
He’s 98
Mr. Graves, thank you for your stories, for your service and for your love for this country. You’re a hell of a man and a certified patriot. Your generation sacrificed everything to give us what we have today and I am forever indebted to you sir.
My dad was a mechanic in the fleet air arm. Born 1925, same as this chap, and the nearest to action was on an aircraft carrier, working on Seafires, in the Irish Sea. With hindsight he was so lucky. He was scheduled for shipping out to the Far East but thank goodness they dropped the atomic bombs and probably as a direct result Dad married and I came along in 1954.
Happy 70th
This is why I stayed in the Marine Corps for 23 years. It was the least I could do. These men risked everything and many lost everything. Still gives me chills. Unbelievable!
It must be insane to have fought so hard for America and live to see what this once great country has devolved into. It must be a massive slap in the face.
100% agree mate.
This interview felt incredibly short. What a legend.
What a character. Been listening to a lot of Veterens WW2 stories recently..its amazing to hear all the different circumstances of how they got there. So proud of all of them. Like seriously, thank you guys so much for having so much bravery and courage to face unimaginable times. I owe my freedom to you all. Thank you
That hat 🙏
A rarity for sure
Thanks to all our Veterans who served. Semper Fi.
As a navy vet, thank you to these men who paved the way. They are the reason I joined and wanted to do my part. It saddens me their love for this country, we seem to have lost. From WW1 to Vietnam…they just don’t make them like they use to. Now I will also say the ones who served in the 90s and early 2000s (such as my dad 10 years in the army) would also be in there. I feel that was the last time when we truly lost our way after. They fought so hard for where we are now and it saddens me where our country and military is. I pray we can get that fighting spirit back. War sucks, but I hope we can just back to loving our country and fighting for it as hard as they have.
17:40 When he said Bismarck I was thinking the German battleship but there was the USS Bismarck Sea Escort carrier. It was sunk by Kamikazes. The sniper story very common on Iwo Japanese had prepared for weeks these snipers.
Same !
Wow. I caught that. I never knew that.
Thank you for sharing, Sir!
Testimony of these historic events is very important. Considering the lack of proper world history education in the generations below us, it is imperative.
Don Graves is not only a brave man. He is a national hero and a model of history.
Thank you for the video and much appreciation to Don Graves.
I got the opportunity to visit Iwo Jima in 2012 with my platoon. It was crazy how small it acutally was. Such an amazing experience to be where my fellow devil dogs once fought. Semper Fi
I have a squid friend that visited Iwo Jima taking a delegation ashore from their ship. He bestowed upon me a jar of black lava sand from the beach near Mt. Suribachi. That is the most treasured memento from all my travels. Semper Fi Brother
Love to hear your stories about the time you served. From this fellow Navy (Cold War) veteran, total respect. Bravo Zulu
We will remember them.
I can't NEVER! measure up to the likes of this man! The golden generation. When men were friends and brothers and knew how to respect ,nourish and preserve a bond among them that would last . Leading the passage of manhood and earning it by baptism of fire. At 16 that's admirable. Nothing else needs to be said. I wish I could of been there. I would of died proudly. Its about the men you are with. An unmeasured contents of uncommon valor and metal harden! attitude It shakes me to say it but "That 16 year old had more COJONES ! than me. Big time.! Men come along in life by a strong WILL ,not age! Godspeed on to all men of goodwill and that have passed on! May they all be with God! PS: THANK YOU FOR MY FREEDOM TO ALL THREE DIVISIONS ON IWO!
Outstanding man Outstanding Marine thank you for you're service I will never forget you're sacrifice 🙏
A gentle, methodical, steady narrative that has me shaking. What a man.
If this guy was my neighbor, I would be sitting outside with him every day listening to his stories. He's awesome, just the kind of person you could listen to all day long. You can really feel the pain through his emotion. The PTSD he must have, especially the survivors guilt from the kid who got shot right after taking his place. Talking about the picture in the kids helmet that was of his wife and newborn child. I can't imagine what it's like living with that kind of memory and still dreaming about it. Definitely a true hero that deserves a huge thanks for his service.
Don Graves is amazing I love hearing his story
My great grandfather lost his leg in Iwo Jima at 18 years old. These stories help me imagine what he must have went through. He died 20 years ago with a loving wife, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren by his side. God Bless our veterans and our fallen soldiers.
God bless that man and God Bless this Great Nation
thank you for your service and sharing your story
God bless you and thank you for your service! Greatest generation to live, imo. I'm only 30, but I am an old soul. I appreciate the sacrifice all the men and women have made for us to have the freedoms that we have today.
Thanks for saying that, I'm 66 and have a 39 year old son. I know he appreciates the sacrifice made by our honored men and women, but I wonder what the uounger people are taught, especially after seeing all these protests about BLM, trans rights, and now the damned HAMAS. Like, what are these children being taught?
@carolwiden602 Thank God that I was born into a conservative, God-fearing family. My dad would be 68 this year, but unfortunately, he had passed away in '21. He was old school. I don't believe any of this nonsense going on with BLM, LGBTQ, "Free Palestine," or antisemitic crap being spewed around the country right now. All part of the devils work. I might be young, but I remember when men were men and women were women, and both sexes knew their role in society. It's so distasteful anymore. Men playing dress up is insanity to me.
Thank you, sir, for everything you've done for your country. Your's is truly the greatest generation!
Now this is a true legend! Looks 60 and hes 99! Thank you so much for your service! We must never forget!
This channel is amazing! This man is amazing! Forever grateful for this channel for continuing to have these stories documented and told!
HUMANITY IS GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE, AND YOUR FAMILY! THANK YOU! 🇺🇸
Saw him in a recent interview. Man this guy has all his faculties at his age. He was sitting cross legged meaning his legs still work... thats almost unheard of at that age
Incredible video and a huge thank you for talking about your time it’s history and you’ll go down in the books as a hero forever thank you good sir 🙏🏻🙏🏻
A great story teller. I hope he tells these stories in schools. Thank you for all Americans
This is a man that the younger generation needs to thank. They have NO idea what this man has done for God & Country. Bless you, sir. Thank you for your service.
The way these guys will be talking about the combat, the screaming, the gunshots, explosions, vehicle noises almost like they're excited (not in a happy way) but then they think of what they saw around them, and all they could remember is the dead Marines in the water. Even his voice changes, he immediately calmed down with sorrow, incredibly powerful thing to see. What sticks with him the most is clearly not the noise, or the excitement of war. It's the tragedy and suffering that'll stick with them.
Heroes.
What a blessing to hear him talking
I'm not a US citizen but as a German I am still grateful for all of your service to the Countries that were consumed by war! It all connects. There are strings attached and you helping one country does effect other countries...
Anyway: Thank you for your Service!
When Don talked about the star spangled banner, National Anthem, and pledge of alligance, thats how it was in the 1980s in school. This younger generation could learn alot from that, what it means to be proud to be an American
Thank you for all you did.
Thank you sir, because of your sacrifice, we are free.
Wow, that dude has a lot of spunk (I loved his bad FDR impression! All he did was his normal voice but in a halting manner)
I’d like to think at one time he had it down perfectly but then his old man voice came along and made it impossible
Thank you for documenting these stories, they are such an important part of our history
Thank you for your service and sacrifice and telling us things you would probably rather forget.
Bless you for your incredibly tough service!
What a brave, beautiful soul. Thank you for helping share his story.
Such a badass to enlist at such an early age ..respect sir and God bless you for serving our country your the reason why we have our freedom..many people forget that the sacrifices these men made.they have a different heart and pure determination of a man
I pray to have this mans spirit at old age. God bless him
This channel is one of the greatest finds I’ve had on CZcams. Love hearing stories from these heroes. So few left, I’ll be showing these to my kids once I have some
America needs to hear this story. That’s the way America should be.
another great interview from Don! thanks for these interviews AVC!
Thank You for your service Sir!
What an incredible story, thank you so much for sharing, Don
Thanks!
Thank you for making these
We all have to remember their sacrifice
Wow! One of your best interviews.