Joining the Marines at 17
Chipman talks about when he first heard about Pearl Harbor and joining the Marines at age 17. He speaks at length about different motivations for young people joining the war before being drafted. He also addresses the importance of sharing his war experiences, even when others who haven't been in battle will never fully comprehend the traumas of war.
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Hardening into Marines
Chipman describes the profound effects of boot camp in shaping self-discipline, teamwork and pride. Chipman's childhood in a physically active and very disciplined household ease the transition to the rigors of boot camp.
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Bonding and growing
After boot camp, Chipman's division was assigned to Camp Pendleton for four weeks of infantry training school. They were then transported to Hawaii and assigned as replacements for the 4th Marine Division.

The following excerpt recounts the last period of training when the young Marines met and bonded with the veteran Marines, fresh from battle in the Marianas. The respect and affection between Marines was immediate. After months of training with battle-hardened veterans, the young Marines became veterans, "emotionally and mentally."
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A deafening, deadly battle
In this excerpt, Clayton Chipman discusses his psychological preparation before battle on Iwo Jima and reflects on the difference between being scared and being afraid. He describes the 4th Marine Division's brutal landing on Iwo Jima — a day filled with relentless, deafening artillery.
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Slow, bloody going on Iwo
As the days and nights pass on Iwo Jima, Clayton Chipman and his fellow Marines measured their progress by yards as they crawled across the island's airfields under fire.
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The million-dollar wound
In this excerpt, Clayton Chipman continues to describe the hours leading up to the ninth day on Iwo Jima, the day of his "million-dollar wound." Marines were decimated as they fought to take the "Meat Grinder, " "Turkey Knob, " the "Amphitheater" and "Hill 382."
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Nightmares, gratefulness and guilt
Clayton Chipman was evacuated from Iwo Jima to an Army hospital in Pearl Harbor. In this excerpt, Chipman notes that he and other fellow Marines suffered recurring battle nightmares. He also recalls his painful emotions of gratefulness and guilt. He asks, "How can you be thankful and feel guilty at the same time?"
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Bonds for a lifetime
After his recovery, Clayton Chipman joined a baseball team in Oahu, a team that was actually a ploy to build an MP Company to be sent back to Saipan. Chipman was stationed at Saipan to flush out any enemy remaining on six islands.

In this excerpt, Chipman describes his psychological stages in the battle of Iwo Jima. Chipman describes the elation of returning home and recounts some of the challenges of returning to civilian life. This excerpt concludes with thoughts on his religious faith and the enduring bonds amongst Marines who have fought together.
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Bonds for a lifetime
After his recovery, Clayton Chipman joined a baseball team in Oahu, a team that was actually a ploy to build an MP Company to be sent back to Saipan. Chipman was stationed at Saipan to flush out any enemy remaining on six islands.

In this excerpt, Chipman describes his psychological stages in the battle of Iwo Jima. Chipman describes the elation of returning home and recounts some of the challenges of returning to civilian life. This excerpt concludes with thoughts on his religious faith and the enduring bonds amongst Marines who have fought together.
audio clip (5:16)

Chipman: … I think, in kind of summarizing things, that I went through three stages in the battle of Iwo Jima. The first psychological stage, I think it was total terror, just total terror and a reliance on the Lord. And I don't have to tell you why; it was evident with the number of casualties and what was taking place. The second stage, I believe, set in after we got across the first airfield on the second day, and that was a stage of being preoccupied with orders and tasks but being extremely careful. I think that lasted probably three or four days. I couldn't tell you unless I was put under hypnosis or something.

But the final stage, the day I got hit on February 27 on Hill 382, I think by that time I was only in a football game. I was having fun. I never thought of getting hurt or wounded or anything. A question remains in my mind because of this, why did some people have battle fatigue and other people it became a game? Could be stupidity, could be anything. I'd have to do some reading on that I think. But that's, as I analyze myself, I think that was the three basic stages that I went through.

After that I think things became pretty mundane in that we were playing ball, we were driving, we knew we were going home sooner or later. The way I, our group, or part of our group, got to go home, was that about 2 in the morning, they woke us up and they said, "Come on. We've got a message from Pearl. You guys are going home." So, of course, the elation was, we'd do anything if we knew we were going home. It was total elation. …

I had a cousin who felt so sorry for me because out of 58 cousins in our relation — my mother had 10 in her family, and my dad had 10, so you know it was a big family — I was the only one that was wounded, although many of them were in the service. So she came down to meet me, and we went home on the Northshore Line. I remember that, Northshore Line. Of course, our welcome home was a couple aunts and uncles and my mother and dad, and that was our big parade. That's all we, well. I remember, you know, just total elation.

One of the feelings I had —I came home in the morning; my mother, of course, prepared lunch for all the relatives that came over, and I was edgy eating in that small kitchen. After eating in a mess hall and outside for two years, you come back and here you're sitting in a small kitchen with a bunch of people piled in. I couldn't get used to it. I think the only, well, only other significant thing related was that until I got married, which was six years later, nobody could move in our house and I was awake. The nightmares didn't come back. Once or twice, they came back. As I said, I was married before I could, someone could move around me, so whatever took place psychologically or maybe even physically in your body just didn't go away. We didn't say anything. We thought it was normal. So that happened to most of the guys, you know. …

But the experience, the traumatic experience just cemented in, there's no question in my mind that the Lord was guiding things. There couldn't be. There was no control you had, no one had control on that damn island. I don't care if they were a general or what. Look at Buckner on Okinawa. The highest general there blown away. Luck, I can't put too much faith in luck. I put my faith in the Lord. …

I started the local chapter for the 4th Marine Division and served as two years as president for that. I belong to four chapters, Florida, Carolinas, Chicago and Milwaukee, or Wisconsin. Life membership in three of them. We've attended reunions, many, many reunions of the company. You can't explain the feeling to be with, I'm much closer emotionally and socially to the fellas I served with, not all of them, but the ones we call buddies. There's a difference between a Marine you served with and a buddy. Explain it, I don't know, but there is a difference.

Van Ells: After 50 years.

Chipman: It's still there. It's still there. …