Last Battle of WWII: Thinking About Pearl Harbor and Japanese POWs

The fall and winter of 1945 and 1946 saw hundreds of thousands of U.S. Marines being transferred through Camp Catlin as they were being rotated back to the USA, and there were constant clashes between different service members. Many were coming right off battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, and were still in shock of what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. 

There were thousands of civilian workers on Oahu also, now out of a job, as the vital things they had been doing to maintain the war effort were no longer needed. Because Honolulu had many spots that filled their needs, it was an interesting situation.

One thing we used to do was to check out a recon and have a beach party. On day as I was about to head stateside for discharge, I was invited to join seven other Marines for such a party in two jeeps.

On the way back across the island, somehow we came across the Japanese Prisoner Of War Camp.

I don't remember my friends' names, but most of them were older than I was, and had drank quite a bit of alcohol. Suddenly we came upon the camp and a fairly large group of the POWs were out in the open behind the wire, so those of us with cameras along began to take pictures.

We learned the Japanese did not like that, and they began throwing pebbles or rocks at us, so quickly my small group retaliated. I felt that war would be no more, because of the A Bomb — but this might be the war of the future. In any case, our little group of eight lost, as in that type of war, the side with the most rock throwers will win. 

I won't go into details, but the rock exchange got pretty aggressive, and I was afraid I might lose my planned trip home for discharge if it got to where some of my buddies wanted it to go.

Thankfully I made it home on schedule, but this skirmish was the last battle of WWII. Just another memory from the past.