The uncle we never knew...Lloyd Tru Bentrup served on the U.S.S. Colorado during World War II. Three of his brothers also served, all in the Pacific. Donnie served on a seaplane tender, Maurice was in the SeaBees, and O.T. was in the Third Marine Division. Lloyd was mortally wounded on July 24, 1944 when the Colorado was hit 22 times by Japanese shore batteries at Tinian. He was evacuated to Saipan, where he passed one week later. His brother O.T. was fighting on Guam at the time. Lloyd's remains were shipped to St. Joseph, Missouri after the war, and his mother's peonies decorated his grave at Memorial Day for many years. O.T. mourned his brother Lloyd until his dying day.
Such a sad story. My Dad's best friend Vic was a pilot that went down in the pacific. I think every family that I knew had lost somebody. They deserve more than one day of rememberence!!!
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