There is a long tradition of military service in Javan Walker's family: his brother was one of the first black paratroopers and served twenty five years; his oldest son, Lieutenant Colonel Javan E. Walker, has now passed on; his youngest son served in Vietnam; his grandson, Javan E. Walker III, served as a ranger; and, two of his uncles served during World War I. Last, but not least, his great grandfather was a slave that escaped to Canada and served during the Civil War.
During World War II, Javan E. Walker was a part of the 1873rd Army Air Force Engineers who served on Ie Shima from May 1945 to November 1945. The 1873rd Engineer Aviation Battalion was first stationed in Finchhaven, New Guinea for about a year and a half. They were then sent to the Philippines, but orders changed after 10 days and the 1873rd was sent to Ie Shima. He has a clear memory of the day they "landed under fire and soon learned their destiny." On the beach was a sign that Ernie Pyle, war correspondent, had been killed there.
The function of the 1873rd was to work on runways for American fighter planes. On Ie Shima, the runways were made from crushed white rock resembling shale that was indigenous to the island. They were under fire every evening from the Japanese bombers that came to destroy the runways. In the closing days of 1999, Mr. Walker remembers, "we didn't fight with our guns against the enemy but we did with our pick and shovel and heavy equipment. We worked on the runways that our valiant fighter pilots took off from. I am very proud to have been part of the 1873rd Army Air Force Engineers that fought with pick and shovel to defend America from the Japanese. I just turned 83 years of age and I would do it again if called."
In his opinion, the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought a swift end to the war. Mr. Walker recalls, "a few days later, I stood near the airfield and
watched Japanese officials arrive on Ie Shima enroute to the Philippines to surrender to General MacArthur."
For Further Information Contact: Javan E. Walker
JWalker405@aol.com
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