My step dad was in the Pacific. He was married at the time and his wife got word that his ship, the USS Quincy, was sunk at Guadalcanal with 370 dead. News blackouts being in place at the time she found out a bit later he had been transferred to another ship before they set out.
Then he was at D Day Iwo Jima. Pretty sure he was in shore party heading right for the main landing strip at Iwo. 4 of 14 KIA.
Then later involved in battle of Okinawa, when the kamikazes really started.
Was in middle of Pacific and wrote letter to his wife and two sons saying he would never see them again because they were preparing for invasion of Japan. Then we dropped the bomb.
His crew called him the Old Man. Out of Navy in December 1945 at age 26.
These guys were YOUNG.
He didnt say a lot about it but I knew enough. Said the kamikazes at Okinawa were scarier than Iwo. When he died we went through his personal effects. I have a big Iwo Jima G-2 situation map that he took ashore on my wall, with the ships orders of the day as provenance.
Look at it every day and think about what those men went through and I am thankful.