| “Original Caption, from the Baltimore Sun, May 1, 1945: “Okinawa Foxhole – An Okinawa war orphan and two United States Marines, Corporal Earl Brunitt (left), of Louisville, and Private Genard J. Nuzzi, of Staten Island, New York, share a foxhole in comparative comfort on the Japanese island of Okinawa.” Corporal Eugene B. Sledge (November 4, 1923 – March 3, 2001) K Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division, recorded his encounters with Okinawan children. “We sent the civilians to the rear where they were put into internment camps so they couldn’t aid the enemy. These people were the first civilians I had seen in a combat area. They were pathetic. The most pitiful things about the Okinawan civilians were that they were totally bewildered by the shack of our- invasion, and they were scared to death of us. Countless times they passed us on the way to the rear with fear, dismay, and confusion on their faces. The children were nearly all cute and bright-faced. They had round faces and dark eyes. The little boys usually had close-cropped hair, and the little girls had their shiny jet-black locks bobbed in the Japanese children’s style of the period. The children won our hearts. Nearly all of us gave them all the candy and rations we could spare. They were quicker to lose their fear of us than the older people, and we had some good laughs with them.” Corporal Earl Brumitt (November 18, 1924 – June 15, 2004) of Louisville, Kentucky, registered for the draft on December 31, 1942. As a new recruit, Brumitt was assigned to Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division, as of October 1, 1944. He was a Quartermaster as of January 1945. Brumitt and Nuzzo left Okinawa on USS LST-867 on July 16, 1945, and arrived at Guam the next day. After combat on Okinawa, 29th Marines served occupation duty in Japan and in Tsingtao, China. He was assigned duty as a Quartermaster. Brumitt was detached on October 19, 1945, from the 29th Marines to stay at Guam, and sent to Tsingtao on USS Mountrail (APA-213), which had recently brought the 29th Marines there. He arrived on October 29. Brumitt joined the United States Air Force on February 12, 1947, and was discharged on February 14, 1950, probably for some technical reason, like transferring from the reserves to the regular force. Brumitt re-joined the United States Air Force on March 3, 1950, and served until March 31, 1964. Genaro John “Gene” Nuzzo (September 12, 1924 – September 29, 2020) was a 1st-generation Italian immigrant from the West Brighton section of Staten Island. Nuzzo transferred from the 1st Service Company, Service Battalion, to the 2nd Service Company, Service Battalion, on July 6, 1943, in San Diego, California after a furlough for the 4th of July weekend. He was confined to quarters for the month of April 1944 after Summary Court Martial by the Brigade Command. As the Duty Soldier in the Camp Lejeune Property Department, Nuzzo enjoyed a furlough on January 16-28, 1944. Nuzzo was with Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division, for training on Guadalcanal in 1944. As of October 1, 1945, Nuzzo was assigned duty as an Aviation Materiel Clerk. Nuzzo was a quartermaster for until January 17, 1946, when he reported to the Division Field Hospital for the rest of the month. By April 1946, Nuzzo was assigned to the Casual Company, Marine Barracks, Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Maryland, for rehabilitation. He was honorably discharged, backdated to December 4, 1945, with his character rated excellent, and awarded a certificate of satisfactory service. Nuzzo served as a sanitation engineer and then in the Fire Department of the City of New York for 20 years. He was commended in 1968 for saving the life of a fellow firefighter. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2024.jpg |
| Image Size | 740.52 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2316 x 2892 |
| Photographer | Howard S. England |
| Photographer Title | United States Marine Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 1, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Okinawa |
| Country | Ryukyus |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-127-N-118933 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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