I just finished reading the book Left for Dead for a history project, and my grandmother asked about it. When I told her it was about the Indianapolis she says that her uncle died aboard the ship. I wasn't aware of that uncle, and it made me feel a little bad, but I told her all that I had learned from the book, and research I'd done on the ship and crew. My grandmother was very happy to hear about how great the ship her beloved uncle sailed on was. She remembers men in fine naval uniform coming home, and telling her mom (her uncle's sister) that he had died. We did the math, and he would have been seventeen or eighteen at the time, more likely the former. I'm reading the book again now, and every "young man" appears to me as him, it's sad, but I'm proud all the same. I used this cite to read up on the memorial, to see if it would have his name on it, and after confirming, I hope to visit it with my grandmother sometime in the next few years. His name was Laurence (not sure on the spelling) Biddison, and the cite has him as Charles L. Biddison. I'm very happy to see him recognized somewhere, and just wanted to thank you.
P.S. The Indianapolis fought in the battle of the Aleutian Islands, and even though the islands might be seen as unimportant land, or position. Those Islands are indeed American, and , Alaska is home to me, and so, I just wanted to thank the crew members of the ship, for all they ever did.
P.S.S. To anyone else looking to read up on the Indianapolis, please read Left for Dead, it's a very quick read, and every page works to bring honor to every sailor, and passenger, aboard the Indianapolis.
-- Edited by M Nilsen on Friday 30th of January 2015 06:57:30 PM
cebudragonlady said
Aug 25, 2015
My spouse had the pleasure of going to Kodiak Island, Alaska last June. Still plenty of WWII bunkers there. Ft Abercrombie is a must see. Some 50,000 men built those bunkers and the fort in the days of 1942 in rugged terrain.
I think about INDIANAPOLIS often, how a few hours here or there, how some other ship doing this or that - could have changed the fate of hundreds of sailors that died. I wish so much that they did not have to die.
I just finished reading the book Left for Dead for a history project, and my grandmother asked about it. When I told her it was about the Indianapolis she says that her uncle died aboard the ship. I wasn't aware of that uncle, and it made me feel a little bad, but I told her all that I had learned from the book, and research I'd done on the ship and crew. My grandmother was very happy to hear about how great the ship her beloved uncle sailed on was. She remembers men in fine naval uniform coming home, and telling her mom (her uncle's sister) that he had died. We did the math, and he would have been seventeen or eighteen at the time, more likely the former. I'm reading the book again now, and every "young man" appears to me as him, it's sad, but I'm proud all the same. I used this cite to read up on the memorial, to see if it would have his name on it, and after confirming, I hope to visit it with my grandmother sometime in the next few years. His name was Laurence (not sure on the spelling) Biddison, and the cite has him as Charles L. Biddison. I'm very happy to see him recognized somewhere, and just wanted to thank you.
P.S. The Indianapolis fought in the battle of the Aleutian Islands, and even though the islands might be seen as unimportant land, or position. Those Islands are indeed American, and , Alaska is home to me, and so, I just wanted to thank the crew members of the ship, for all they ever did.
P.S.S. To anyone else looking to read up on the Indianapolis, please read Left for Dead, it's a very quick read, and every page works to bring honor to every sailor, and passenger, aboard the Indianapolis.
-- Edited by M Nilsen on Friday 30th of January 2015 06:57:30 PM
I think about INDIANAPOLIS often, how a few hours here or there, how some other ship doing this or that - could have changed the fate of hundreds of sailors that died. I wish so much that they did not have to die.