IT was 57 years ago when Jim Swett first came to the island as captain of the U.S. Marine Corps during the Battle of Saipan.
Now 81 years old, the retired colonel returned to the island to reminisce.
A war hero, Swett received six distinguished Flying Crosses and two Purple Hearts.
“I found the island to be very beautiful even though it was poorly populated. It was shockingly pretty,” Swett said when asked about his first impression in 1945.
During the battle, Swett was shot in the face.
“Scars were all over my face. That was the first time (and it happened) on Saipan,” Swett recalled.
Swett got another Purple Heart in Buffalo, Georgia.
He said he was shot in Georgia because, “I guess, I wasn’t paying attention back then.”
He added, “I don’t consider myself a hero at all. We wear our medals in tribute to all veterans who served during World War II in the Pacific, in the Far East and in Europe. There’s only 141 of us left.”
These days, although “retired most of the time,” the war hero said “fishing and chasing girls” keep him busy.
