December 22, 2004

Mark,
I thought this was very funny at the time and think it still is. I do not know how the Corps is now but before we went on an operation we would buy all the canned peaches we could find. We would stuff each can any place in the tank we could find. Those "C" rations were pretty bad and boring. The crew would open a can and eat them any way we could, even with our fingers. We just passed the can around till it was empty. The first day on Iwo after we had the track blown off, we would get out of the tank and work to fix and repair. Then the Jap[anese] would start hitting us with mortar rounds and of course we would make a mad dash back to the tank and dive in. This kept up all day long so on one of the trips out to work on the track a can of peaches was opened and we were busy passing the can around and eating the peaches by hand. While this was in progress the Jap[anese] started shelling us again and we made a dive for the tank and closed the hatches. I hit the driver side and Lynn Evans or better known as "Tex Evans" jumped in the assistant driver side. All at once Tex said "Sauly, I've been hit" and I [asked] where.  He stated that he could feel blood running down his back. I yanked up his jacket and there was a slice of peach sliding down with heavy syrup. Of course he was much relieved and we all had a good laugh out of it. Apparently when we heard the shell coming in who ever had the can of peaches threw them in the air and somehow one of the slices went down his back.
 
What we did not know at the time was there was a 1,000 [pound] aerial torpedo under that track that did not go off. The detonator that they used to set off the 1,000 [pounder] had blown off our track but failed to set off the main charge.
 
Semper Fi
Saulmon  494184    

note: The above photo shows Sgt. Saulmon kneeling next to his tank after the this incident on Iwo Jima.