THIRD GENERATION

6. Robert Marion "Bob"* AUSTRING was born on 16 Jun 1925 in Duluth, St Louis Co, Minnesota, USA. He resided 1427 E Providence before Oct 1943 in Spokane, Spokane Co, Washington, USA. He was Served on Guam while in the Navy about 1945. "[Bob] was also on Guam for some time - and while there experienced a fierce typhoon. I remember Mom had a dream about him one night being in great danger and later we received a letter from him describing this huge storm and having to duck pieces of quonset hut flying all over and winds over 200 mph. The time of that storm and the time of Mom's dream seemed to be one and the same." [Pers comm: Patricia Joanne Austring] He was Came home on emergency leave when brother Richard was born; the CO thought he was Bob's son! in Apr 1945. Bob didn't go in right at first because he was home on emergency leave right after Richard was born (March 29). I have a picture of him holding Richard when he was 2 weeks' old. He was sent into action directly after that. He was Served as a Navy LION "Landing Invasion and Occupation Navy" at Battle of Okinawa after 1 Apr 1945. Bob didn't go into Okinawa right at first because he went home on emergency leave right after Richard was born (29Mar1945). The CO thought Richard was Bob's son! I have a picture of him holding Richard when he was 2 weeks old. Bob was sent into action directly after that. [Pers comm: Patricia Joanne Austring]

Okinawa was the site of the only land battle in Japan during the WWII. American forces landed on the Kerama Islands in Okinawa on March 26, 1945, then moved onto the main island of Okinawa on April 1st. Pitched battles continued on the ground until the Japanese army's last stand in the south of the island in June. Unable to rely only on the strength of its soldiers, the Japanese side drafted civilians into a "volunteer corps" and sent them into battle. As a result, a vast number of citizens in the prefecture, including both elderly residents and children, fell victim to the war. In fact, the number of civilian deaths surpassed the loss of military personnel in this battle. More were killed outright at Okinawa than with either atom-bombing in Japan.

Chronology:

April 1, 1945: Battle of Okinawa begins. Tenth Army lands on Higashi beach unopposed.

April 4: XXIV Corps of the Tenth Army makes first contact with Japanese defensive fortifications in southern Okinawa.

April 18: Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper columnist Ernie Pyle killed on Ie Shima.

April 20: III Marine Amphibious Corps finishes taking northern Okinawa.

May 11: Kamikaze crashes the aircraft carrier Bunker Hill.

May 13: Kamikaze plunges straight down into the flight deck of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

May 21: Marines take Sugar Loaf Hill, which guards the entrance to Shuri and headquarters of the Japanese 32nd Army.

May 24: Marines enter Naha, capital of Okinawa; largest city ever taken by the Marines up to that point in time.

June 10: Lt. Gen. Simon B. Buckner, Jr., commanding Tenth Army, offers surrender terms to Lt. Gen. Ushijima Mitsuru, commander of 32nd Army. Americans never receive response.

June 15: Coordinated Japanese resistance ends; effective death of 32nd Army.

June 18: Japanese artillery barrage kills Buckner. Maj. Gen. Roy Geiger (United States Marine Corps) assumes command of Tenth Army; first Marine officer to command a field army in combat.

June 21: Geiger announces island secured.

June 23: Ushijima and Lt. Gen. Cho Isamu, chief-of-staff of 32nd Army, commit suicide. Gen. Joseph W. Stilwell assumes command of Tenth Army.

July 2: Mop up campaign finished. Stilwell announces Ryukyus campaign terminated.

August 6: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

August 9: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
He was Was affected by his experiences in the War in 1946/47. "Your dad never spoke too much about what happened during his stint overseas, but I know it affected him deeply. He spoke once of using the flame throwers but he never could elaborate, as far as I know. He came home with malaria and had quite a few severe attacks of that. He wandered the country for a quite a while - we'd get a letter every once in a while and then he finally came back to the family. To my knowledge he never spoke much of that time either." [Pers comm; Patricia Joanne Austring]
He was a Station Manager for Pan American World Airways between 1950 and 1977. He retired in 1977 in Arizona, USA. He died on 25 May 1980 in Tucson, Pima Co, Arizona, USA. He was cremated on 28 May 1980 in Tombstone, Cochise Co, Arizona, USA. He had Social Security Number 531-18-8496. Bob was quite sensitive in many ways. He and a friend were putting on a wrestling match for his scout troup once and he accidently broke his friend's leg. Mom said he cried and cried over that. Then there's the story of the time he was to kill the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner and he did it, but cried the whole time. I don't remember that, but Mom told the story often. She was watching from the window, and I think she probably cried too. [Pers comm: Patricia Joanne Austring]
He was married to Bette Imogene Ruth* SUTTON on 6 Nov 1947 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California, USA.

7. Bette Imogene Ruth* SUTTON was born on 31 Mar 1928 in Flagler, Kit Carson Co, Colorado, USA. She Graduated from George Washington High School in 1945 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California, USA. She was a Medical Laboratory Technician about 1947 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California, USA. Children were:

i. Roberta Gene AUSTRING was born on 19 Feb 1949 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California, USA. She was an Air Traffic Controller.
ii. Arne Plathe AUSTRING was born on 26 Jul 1950 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California, USA. He was born on 26 Jul 1950 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California, USA. He was a NOAA Meteorologist.
iii. Damon Vaughn AUSTRING was born on 29 Aug 1951 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California, USA. He was born on 29 Aug 1951 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co, California, USA. He was a Special Needs Teacher.
3 iv. Diana Marlene* AUSTRING.

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