“Walking along the beaches of Iwo Jima, feeling the thick, coarse, black sand in my toes made me understand how hard it was for the Marines who charged the beaches during the battle and allowed me to see a glimpse of what Hiram went through,” said Alicia Harms, a college student from College of the Ozarks in Branson, Mo. 

Harms is one of multiple college students who toured the Iwo Jima memorial site with a group of World War II veterans to experience the memorial through the eyes of service members who served in the battle.

“It was the time of the draft, and I was going to be drafted soon, and I couldn’t swim, so the option of the Navy was out,” said Skeens who reached the rank of sergeant. “I liked the idea of the Marine Corps, so I thought, ‘What the hell; why not?’”

Skeens served his first tour from 1943 to 1946 and got called back for a second tour for 13 months when the Korean War started in 1950, he added.

“Back in my day, we didn’t get to choose our jobs like Marines do now,” stated the 84-year-old Skeens. “When I left for boot camp, I thought I was going to be an infantry Marine, and two weeks into basic training, they told me I was going to be a truck driver.”

The skills learned in the Marine Corps, Skeens used the rest of his life as a professional truck driver in the United States.

Some people who served had a hard time with being in the service and never understood the lifestyle of being a service member, but for Skeens this was never an issue and he fit in well, said Skeens.

There was nothing Marines could do if they got jobs they didn’t like, he said.

“I just did exactly what they told me to do, exactly when they told me to do it, and I got along okay,” added Skeens. 

“People see that I am a veteran, and they call me a hero, or walk up to me and say thank you,” said Skeens.  “I don’t think I am a hero. I was just serving my country, protecting my family and doing my service, and to me, that was not heroic. It just felt like my responsibility to help my country during a time of war.”

“Being able to spend time with these retired Marines and Hiram has taught me a lot about the bond and dedication Marines have to their purpose and country,” said Harms. “I have learned a lot about the patriotism service members have, and to see the willingness they have to take the risks during a time of war is inspiring.”

“Growing up in a town that was a military community, I grew up meeting a lot of veterans, but I never understood the military like I do now after going to the battle sites with them and seeing their reactions and tears roll down a man’s face as he describes what it was like to attack the hills of Mount Suribachi,” said Harms.

War today is a lot different than World War II. The technology and advancement in equipment is overwhelming, said Skeens.

Uniforms were a lot different in 1943 then they are now, said Skeens. Marines back then wore khaki or wool pants, a poncho-type shirt that was hot and coarse and on their feet Marines wore leather with a heavy-duty sole, he added.
Marines’ protective gear has come a long way since then too, he said.

“All we had between us and bullets was a dungaree jacket and luck,” added Skeens.

Among the many things that have changed, women in the Marine Corps is another, said Skeens.

“It makes me happy to see females are able to be as involved as they are now, and they are doing nearly every job a male is doing in the Corps in today’s time,” he said.

“Hiram is a protecting person, and I believe that being a part of the military, the mentality is to protect women and children,” said Harms. “In the past few days I have spent with him, I have seen that protective instinct and care he has for me and the people around him and the respect all the veterans have for each other.”

Other than just paying the bills and providing a place to live in Naval housing, the military taught respect and basic leadership skills and gave him a life skill he used to support his family with for the rest of his life, said Skeens.

“Once a Marine, always a Marine,” Skeens added. “I still have brothers in the Corps and the bond we built when we served together will never be lost.”