Semper Fi

His mother called him "Sunshine Boy." He played cowboy riding the goat, Jack, around their dry farm in Idaho. While his father worked the farm, Lee stalked lions (their dog Fritz) in the field, rode fine Arabian stick horses, and picked buttercups for the best mother in the world. He did not realize how poor they were until a city slicker pointed it out. Graduated from high school and debating his next move in life, Lee enlisted as a Marine. Paratrooper training commenced after meeting a "nice" sergeant who promised to whip Lee and other recruits into the finest @#%!*# fighting machine in America. Lee reflected about the battlefield, "As the lifeblood oozed from awful wounds, as death glazed dulled eyes that had not long before been shining with life, as the chest heaved in a futile attempt to fill the lungs with one last breath… Oh, Dear God! Why does it happen? Why can't it stop? When will we learn?" What does life offer a young man after such an depression, denial, rebirth, nightmares, determination, regret, gratitude, desperation, or hope? This interactive book includes Lee’s photographs, his own words, and document for the reader-detective to patch together a story, experiencing World War II, Iwo Jima, and his history on a personal level. This is “history deconstructed” for your inquiry and detection enjoyment, the second in "A Primary Source Glimpse" series.