PFC Don Mates, USMC, World War II, Iwo Jima

Veterans Chronicles

On Monday, Americans will pause for Memorial Day and honor the service and sacrifice of those gave what President Lincoln called their last full measure of devotion. And the reason we are often able to remember the fallen is because those who died had a friend who lived to tell the story.
That is certainly case for Don Mates and his great friend, Jimmy Trimble, a highly promising pitcher who delayed a Major League career to serve his nation in uniform.
In this edition of "Veterans Chronicles," Mates describes the lifelong bond he formed with other Marines in training. He also shares a vivid, detailed account of being seriously wounded by a series of Japanese grenade attacks in the foxhole he shared with Trimble - and the sucide attack from a Japanese solder that followed.
Finally, Mates explains why he spent so much time over the remainder of his life telling people about Jimmy Trimble and their friendship and how it forever changed his life.
It's a powerful story that exemplifies the cost of freedom and the commitment to forever honor our fallen heroes.