Spam at the Battle of Eniwetok

Beacon (00:01.984)
My grandfather, Robert Patrick McCormick, served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II as a tank sergeant in the 22nd Marine Regiment. After the war, he returned home, moved to Bridgeton, New Jersey, where he married my grandmother, Janet McCormick. They raised five boys.

in the city of Bridgeton

During the 1990s, my grandfather wrote a story that was later published in the Bridgeton Evening News about his experiences in the Battle of Eniwetok a battle that was later memorialized in Life Magazine. These are his words.

Beacon (01:01.981)
On the atoll of Enuitak, the prevailing winds never seemed to cease. The 22nd Marine Regiment, having recently acquired the real estate from the Imperial Japanese forces, were bivouacked here, there, and everywhere on the atoll. Food was scarce, but adequate for survival. K -rations and cans of

Van Camp beans were the main staple with plenty of hot coffee. The Navy Medical Corps decreed that screened company mess halls and cooking areas were a requirement to prevent illness before the usual cooked food was provided. This was due to the masses of flies on the recently deceased Imperial forces. Strenuous methods were employed.

to inter the remains properly.

In every group of men or women gathered together for whatever cause, there are to be found some enterprising individuals whose minds, innate abilities, and inventiveness will improve most situations. One such individual named Schultz from Minnesota, nicknamed of course Dutch, provided those of us near or in his circle of friends with a long lasting memory.

Spam was much in use during World War II, especially wherever I happened to be. Spam sandwiches with catsup even today give me reason to pause. Spam stew even more so. So much spam was available that I actually saw cases of spam used to construct holding cells for those Marines who attempted to circumvent the strict rules and regulations.

Beacon (03:06.57)
30 days on bread and water was not unusual.

Dutch Schultz was not to be denied. A can of Spam and a can of condensed milk, along with a tooth -busting chocolate bar from K -Rations, provided a real tasty treat and much good fellowship. Dutch's recipe will never be forgotten by me.

Slice the spam into 1 quarter inch slices. Fry in your mess kit over a medium flame until crispy on both sides. Shave the chocolate bar with your ever handy knife into a can of condensed milk and a can of water. Heat over medium flame and stir well.

Just imagine the dark of night, a million stars, a new moon, the ever -present ocean breeze under a tent tarp with eight or 10 other Marines singing barbershop melodies and eating and drinking the spam and cocoa. Even today for me, it is an unforgettable memory. I quite often enjoy at home.

Crispy fried spam with eggs over easy.

Beacon (04:31.942)
I often wonder how those good men are and hope they have been as fortunate as I in these years since the successful conclusion of World War II.

Do any of you have any memories of family members that you would like to share?

Did you know that you can record a voicemail of up to two minutes right on the Bridgeton Beacon website and we will air it.

If your memory is more than two minutes long, send us an email at bridgtonbeacon at gmail .com and we will schedule a time so that you can come on the Bridgeton Beacon and record those very precious memories.

We sure do hope to hear from you soon.