Below are a sample of videos relevant to Leo’s time in the Marines.
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Bob Hope emotionally describes doing a show for the 1st Marine Division on Pavuvu, right before the battle of Peleliu. Leo was killed in Peleliu.
Bob Hope and his USO troupe somewhere in the Pacific. Not the Pavuvu show, but probably very similar.
Leo was a censor in the Marines. The scenario here of the Japanese reinforcing a Pacific island to disastrous results for the Marines was eerily similar to Peleliu.
This feature length movie was being filmed at Camp Elliott while Leo was training there. Randolf Scott used the “head” in Leo’s barracks. The parade grounds are the same where Leo marched as Honor Man of his patrol.
Leo trained on light M3 Stuart tanks at Camp Elliott. I found the foot signals from commander (which Leo was) to driver particularly funny. By the time Leo gets to Peleliu he will be in command of a Medium Sherman Tank.
Typical Army training film. This one is designed to teach nice Americans to become aggressive fighters.
From Leo Letter, August 31, 1944:
We had a pretty good movie last evening for a change. It was “Bob” Hope and Paulette Goddard in “Nothing But the Truth.” That Bob Hope is a scream and Paulette Goddard well the men really shouted when she appeared in the movie.