By Sarah Plummer
Register-Herald Reporter
—
Sixty-five years ago today, Bluefield native and serviceman the Rev. Raymond E. Pedigo stood aboard a ship in Tokyo Bay near the USS Missouri as Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Mamoru Shigemitsu signed a written agreement called the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.
Pedigo lived through some of the most crucial and haunting events during America’s involvement in World War II and was able to witness its end.
That moment on Sept. 2, 1945, was broadcast around the world, signaling the end of the war.
Pedigo finished ninth grade in 1943, and with three brothers already in the military, he signed his own enlistment papers and went off to serve his country.
Pedigo spent the war as a member of the U.S. Coast Guard on an LST (Landing Ship, Tank). Used to transport large vehicles, troops and cargo, it was constructed to be able to land troops and tanks directly on the shore.
Referring to a diary he kept, he said that on “Aug. 3, 1944, we brought the USS LST-789 down the Mississippi, picked up equipment and troops, and headed for Pearl Harbor.
“On Feb. 19, 1945, the ship picked up 393 Marines, 4th Division, for the invasion of Iwo Jima. I was on a LCVP landing craft and carried them to shore at 7 a.m. Three days later I was on the beach and talked to the sergeant — there were only nine of those men left.”
Pedigo pointed out that Iwo Jima was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific with more than 40,000 men dead or wounded before the island was secured.
The USS LST-789 then picked up 450 Army troops for the April 1 Battle of Okinawa, the 82-day, largest amphibious assault during the Pacific war.
He feels it is important to address a common legend associated with the attack. “During the invasion, contrary to popular belief, the men were not singing ‘Easter Parade.’ They were reading their testaments and were praying. It was a somber time because we knew that many of us would not make it — and many did not. It was the last island we had to conquer before we dropped the bombs.
“It broke my heart to see so many innocent casualties at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I was a 16-year-old boy when I was in the Pacific, and I don’t suppose I will ever recover from what I saw. It is terrible to have that kind of devastation, but it brought the war to a close.”
Pedigo has been a minister for 61 years. He is an ordained bishop in the Church of God and serves as a pastor and evangelist. He is certified in clinical psychology and hopes to help others who have been through war and suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
As he recalled Sept. 2, he remembered standing aboard the USS LST-789 with 450 members of the U.S. Army. The servicemen stayed on the water during the signing of the surrender and were then allowed to go ashore.
Remembering his time at war, his thoughts went directly to the men and women currently serving in all branches of the military, some of whom are currently returning home.
“God Bless America and those fighting for the security of our country now. I hope to see the men and woman in Iraq and Afghanistan brought back, but not in flag-covered caskets. Many individuals have paid the supreme price for our freedom.”
— E-mail: splummer@register-herald.com
