How I learned to drive - a wartime blog

My ship was off Okinawa with troops to put ashore. We were on high alert. There was a real war going on about a mile or two inland from those very beaches.

My little flotilla of a half dozen LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) were busy doing what we did best. We were putting troops on the beach. A boat would sidle up alongside the ship and soldiers would climb down the landing nets from the ship and into our boats. The army company commander was assigned to my boat along with his staff and his jeep. This was a dicey business. On one hand we wanted the boat to be close to the boarding net. On the other hand, with the boat and the ship both rocking, we didn’t want to crush a soldier between boat and ship.

Millions of men managed. Rarely was one killed or even hurt. So it was on this occasion. Then the Army officer said to me on his arrival in my boat, “I’ve shot myself in the foot while climbing down off the ship, take me back on shipboard.” I said, “No, the Army will care for you ashore.”

Since I was in command, I had my way and off we went to Okinawa. Having got there, all his soldiers scrambled ashore. He limped but made it. I suddenly realized that I was stuck with his jeep in my boat. My crew were all busy and there was no one but me available to get the jeep off the boat. I forgot to mention earlier – I didn’t know how to drive. I could drive a horse and buggy. I could navigate a ship across a vast ocean, but I never learned to drive a car. My crew members instructed me, and so on a beach at Okinawa I first learned to drive. It was easy!

M F Roberts