MARYSVILLE Dwindling circulation is never something publishers want to write about, but for a local veteran its especially painful to watch his readers disappear.
Bill Endicott is a former World War II infantry man who served in the Philippines and the Pacific Theater, including the occupation of Japan. For more than 20 years he has published a newsletter for his fellow Army compatriots of the 33rd Division, an Army unit that saw quite a bit of action in retaking the island archipelago from the Imperial Japanese forces.
As yet another Memorial Day rolled around, he rued the loss of so many more members of his subscriber base, all Army vets grown long in the tooth, some having passed away. He started with just a dozen copies mailed out to members of the Prairie Division in 1985 and that quickly mushroomed to more than 1,200 copies as word got out to his buddies this more than 40 years after the wars end.
Now were down to under 500; were losing our guys pretty fast now, Endicott said.
It seems like he is cheating the reaper himself. At 81 years old he looks like hes in his 50s and a warm smile and sharp mind dont begin to betray his years. A former television and radio reporter and producer, Endicott decided to write about, and to, his beloved soldiers to ensure their accomplishments were not lost. In addition to the newsletter he publishes at his own cost, he has also authored well-researched articles on critical operations in the Pacific Theater and Philippines battles.
He said he is working on a book about the WWII generation that will be similar to former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaws The Greatest Generation.
I know all these guys personally and can put their stories into context, Endicott said. My wife says Im about two years late.
His beautiful home near Lakewood boasts a warm den brimming with war memorabilia, including a full-size flag of the 33rd Division. Bookcases are loaded with his own works as well as research material for his many articles and monographs. Glass cases hold antique munitions, medals and the U.S. flag, folded in the familiar triangular shape. He has models of the many Army tanks, Jeeps and other equipment he has used, and points to a picture of himself with another man. They drove an open U.S. Army Jeep across the country to celebrate the installation of a memorial on the east coast a decade or so ago. That Jeep was World War II vintage, with open sides, and they took it all the way up Pikes Peak and the Colorado Rockies as part of their mission to raise funds for the memorial and draw attention to the cause.
His specialty is the jungle warfare in the Pacific, especially the tactics and strategies of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and Admirals William Bull Halsey and Chester Nimitz. Rather than dwell on the personalities of the big names, Endicott likes to explain the Herculean tasks of the soldiers in the Pacific and the dangers and hardships they faced.
The jungles were so dense on some islands that gunnery crews couldnt use their mortars because they would be endangered by tree burst, when the shells would explode on hitting the dense canopy over their heads, showering deadly shrapnel over the gunners. Many mortar crews were then put to work as litter-bearers, hauling wounded soldiers on stretchers through the mountainous terrain where a mosquito bite could infect them with malaria and where the humidity and the temperatures were stifling. There was no such thing as Medivac helicopters back then, Endicott pointed out, noting that it could take three days for a wounded man to be transported to a medical facility.
Imagine how many lives could have been saved, Endicott mused.
He writes all the material for his newsletter except for the ladies page, which is mastered by Irene, his wife of 40 years who has six books of her own.
Shes a great editor, he quipped. Our skills really compliment each others.
The newsletter has been a boon for his fellow vets and serves to keep their delicate social fabric together. He noted that at reunions every member of the 33rd Division is like family and they all pull together.
It transcends all ranks, Endicott explained. Oh, Im sure theres a couple colonels who still wear their eagles on their pajamas, but rank doesnt mean anything to the rest of us when we get together.
Those gatherings are getting smaller though, and Endicott said he will spend Memorial Day at the Lynnwood celebration he has been attending for years, his fellow patriots who have passed on will be on his mind.
His message to the world would be to think carefully and stay informed. As a former infantryman, Endicott knows and believes in the concept of civilian control of the military and wishes more people were better informed.
Be well-enough informed that you know the issues, you know the candidates well enough to elect the people who will do the best for the nation, Endicott said.