Geez, the ***** he must have seen...
I've had the good fortune to talk with:
A veteran of Tassafaronga (look it up) from the USS Houston.
A veteran of Okinawa - served on a DE in the Navy, which basically means he was fighting kamikazes for a month straight.
Gunther Rall - third-highest scoring fighter ace ever, and commander of the post-war German Luftwaffe. Interesting guy. Nice guy for a Nazi.
Harry Crosby - lead navigator for the 100th BG, 8th Air Force.
A veteran who fought in the Bulge as a platoon sergeant, stayed in after the war, got an officer's commission, then fought in Korea as a lieutenant.
Neither is February 15th, which was far more important.