I picked up my granpa's friend on Sunday afternoon at his house. I had invited him to go along wiht me to the hospital to see my grandpa. Although Mutt still drives himself, the hospital is an hour's drive away into the city.

I arrived at his house and he was having a cake and cup of coffee. He is a widower and lives alone. I was browsing the photos in his living room and I saw a samurai sword hanging on the wall. He told me that he got that at Iwo and he stuck it down the side of his pants leg and walked stiff-legged onto the ship. By the time someone found it they were days out to sea and let him keep it.

At this time I was feeling pretty bad about arriving in a Jap car and asking him to get in it, but he didn't mind. Actually he loved the convertible and we enjoyed the drive and the sunshine. He told me for the a while after the war whenever he saw something was made in Japan he threw it down, but he got over it a long time ago.

He lent me a book on the 5th Marine Div. When I opened it up that night a little notebook fell out. It was his story

Sometimes the smallest moments are the most special. I'm sure that he really enjoyed going for a ride in the sunshine....I could go for one myself.