Heroism Remembered on Iwo Jima
They were Cooks for the 23rd, 4th Division Marines.
Saipan-Nick's Heroics
 The city had a parade for Nick with the picture blown up on a banner, but Nick was upset and wanted it taken down. A Bronze Star was awarded to Nick Dalphonse and a Citation for his heroics on Saipan. There is also a small picture showing the same ear lobe shape, size, as the "Buddy to the rescue" picture on Iwo Jima.  The Marine photograph is number 127-GR-93-109637
and does not have any names on it. The story by Nick, the Citations for these cooks, the injury card, and the close-ups including the ear shot permit for honest assesment that the picture is of Nick Dalphonse helping Robert O'Neil on Iwo Jima.  


      Several calls with Nick filled in the blanks about the Citation, where the photographer was, what they did with the officer he cornered, and that it wasn't we that took the leader's rifle.  The injury card caused reflection on all the fishing, camping, and chess games.  Nick's buddy was always a marine and the memories of him pulling a dog up by its collar and telling it to shut up as he took it back to its owner that it had bitten would be one of several incidents never known to me had Nick not saved his life.
  So after I thanked him, he started talking about that day.  "I never thought I would hear from your father again, because he didn't look too good when I left him there at the boat. We were running up the beach and I could see your father looking for a place to hit the deck. A large blast went off just above where he dove though snapping him up and over. When I got to him, he was laying with both hands at the sides of his face."
  I always wanted to know what Nick did with the man he cornered.  I repeated what dad told me and how he looked back twice while scanning and growing uncomfortable with the situation.  "Nick had his rifle at his chest and I yelled to just shoot him!" Nick started laughing heartily and then told the other side.  "I remember that. I didn't know what to do with him, and it seemed like forever.  I could see though he was of some rank and finally decided we should probably take him back for questioning. So we walked him back to our field officer.  
   Nick asked what else dad told me.  I started about them being pinned down and one of their officers losing it, popping two and three round bursts all over and them having to take his rifle.  Nick started to explain the situation. "We had just landed on Saipan and yes they had us pinned down pretty good, but it wasn't we that took his rifle.  Your father took his Bar, his rifle from him and he should have gotten a bravery citation right there."
 Nick is talking aloud asking why didn't you just tell him Bob? 
I was uneasy at this point but wanted to clear up a question between Nick's story and what dad told me. So I poked a question out. Dad was telling you something after he was hit? He said he thought he would die on that island and heard someone saying the hell you are.
Nick continued though about when they took over the machine gun after it was taken out by enemy fire. "I am trying to tell you that I didn't move any of the dead men and that your father took over behind the machine gun. And I know what your father was saying after he was hit. He was just getting out to move on, go. I wasn't going to leave your father there and I will tell you why.  He was the nicest man to me and I will take him with me to my grave!" 
  
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