Bryan Blanthorn, Grouse Creek, Utah: an interview by Verna Richardson, May 11, 2001: Saving the legacy tape no. 264 and 265

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Bryan Blanthorn 2 this?" Because of course, at that time we thought we wa g ing t b r cu d nytim · that surely they'd know within-they would be looking for us. And thi chi f lik I y he was the gun captain that I was on, so we knew each other real well and w ju t didn't get along too good. And he said, "Ah, hell, you're going to die. You just as well go ahead and die." And I said, "Oh, well, I'll be here when you're gone." And he said "Oh no, I'm getting back ... " His first child had been born after he had left port. And he said, "Oh, no, I'm going to get back to see that boy." And he thought he was big, and strong and whatnot. And he was always lifting weights and boxing a little; stuff like that. And he was a big stout guy; somebody you thought would have survived the thing. And we was having a little trouble. And, like I say, I asked this marine lieutenant, because I happened to be right with him there one night and recognized who it was, and I said, "What's the matter here?" I knew he was a higher rank than the chief. And I said, "What's the matter here that you're not taking charge of this, and letting that chief bully everybody around." Because that chief was shooting a lot of orders as to what everybody ought to do, and whatnot, and showing his authority. And he could make it stick because he was big enough. And he had two or three buddies just like him there with him that was making sure everybody was doing what they thought they ought to do. VER: Right. BRY: And I asked this marine lieutenant. I said, "How come you're not kind of taking charge here?" And he just looked over at me and said, "You know why." Because he'd seen what he'd done to me a time or two. Because he-supposedly, I don't know, they'd 24