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84-year-old David Fusinato of Fresno, CA appears on episode #128 of Hometown Heroes, debuting August 21, 2010. David landed on Okinawa with the1st Marine Division on April 1, 1945. A loader on a tank crew, he was just 19 years old and had never experienced combat before. The 1st Tank Battalion would lose 28 tanks during the 82-day battle, and 163 more were damaged. During the course of battle, the wounding of another Marine caused David to be moved to a gunner position. David survived the battle physically unscathed.

For the last 5 years, David has volunteered as a docent at the Veterans Memorial Museum, Home of the Legion of Valor in downtown Fresno. Two days each week, he is on duty to add a personal touch to the history on display at the museum. The Veterans Memorial Museum is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is free. If you’ve never been there, I strongly encourage you to make a visit. There’s even a free library with books and videos on military history.

This edition of Hometown Heroes includes a short audio clip from a 1945 newsreel on the Okinawa landing. You can watch that entire newsreel below.

—Paul Loeffler