Nagasaki
1945
U.S. Atomic Veterans
Gilbert Stuart (Schlamowitz)
Editors note:Below is Gil Stuart's email story about his duty in Nagasaki, 1945. In his last paragraph he mentioned a picture album about the 2nd Marines at Nagasaki. Shortly after his death, his widow (Paula Stuart) thought enough of the Atomic Veterans on this website and Gil's history to send this important official picture album. The 40 pages of the 10 by 12 inch album I scanned and are presented below. The book is bound by a brown silk ribbon through two holes on the left. The pictures are approximately the same size as in the book. The photos in the book are a light blue but were reproduced here in grayscale.
His email address is answered by his widow Paula Stuart.
KW
From: poppagil@webtv.net
Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2000
To: pdxavets@aracnet.com
Subject: Nagasaki,1945
My name is Gilbert Stuart (also known as Gilbert Schlamowitz while
serving in the U.S. Navy) and also had many of the same experiences, while based in
Nagasaki, as other Atomic Veterans on this site.
I am writing because I
have recently been diagnosed with a form of cancer that radiation could
be a contributing factor according to my oncologist. Enough of that and
on to my story.
I was assigned to the 7th Fleet, 3149 / LCT 6
Group 43 and LCT 6 Group 44. I do not remember the exact numbers of the crafts
but they were in the upper 900's.
We were grouped in Okinawa,in August of 1945, for
the invasion of Japan. Nagasaki, which I found out latter, was to be our
invasion assignment. We entered the harbor in Nagasaki as planned for
the invasion. We had on board the materials for rebuilding air field
landing strips. We were also issued army winter o.d.'s in Okinawa as
they said it was going to be a long campaign lasting thru the winter of 1945 and 1946.
We were the first group
to enter the harbor in early September and as other veterans on this
site wrote, all the gun emplacements were overlooking the harbor ready for the
planned invasion but of course they were not manned.
The Mitsubishi shipyards and factories were on the portside, what was left of them. On the
starboard side was what was left of Nagasaki and down the center, like in
a horseshoe, there was the total destruction from the bomb. It is a
moment I have never forgotten.
After loading off our cargo we started to bring in, off the
troop ships, the 2nd Marine division on to the sea wall docks of the
Mitsubishi bombed out factories. Eventually they were to be their
barracks,but they had to be swept through checking for booby traps.
No Japanese were to be seen for the first couple of days and
the first to appear, like most war zones, were the children. I remember
the Marines were bivouacked on the docks heating their canned rations
and offering them to the kids. What I saw on those kids were large scab
looking areas on their faces, arms and legs, not knowing they were
radiation burns. We were never told about this or our potential exposure
so soon after the bomb was dropped. Never, until I was told about it by a
M.D. whom had made a
study of radiation exposure and that was in the 50s.
I stayed in
Nagasaki until about December and we sailed and remained in Sasebo until
June, 1946.
I still have a picture album of the
Nagasaki destruction and rebuilding, issued by the 2nd Marine Division,
under the command of General Hunt, to naval and marine personal. In spite
of all is said we had a great relationship with the Corp.
I hope that I could possibly hear from anyone I may have served with in the navy.
Gil Stuart
Email: poppagil@webtv.net
Keith Whittle
April 9, 2000
Updated Nov 16, 2000
Nagasaki