Company A, 24th Marines: Talking With George, Part 1

I just got back from visiting with George Smith, who lives with his wife Doris down in Cape May, New Jersey. We had a great time, and they are unbelievably nice!

Over dinner that first night, we looked at the pictures Gretchen sent over. George had a story to accompany almost every shot, and the next day brought out his own collection of memorabilia. Many of the pictures had been passed from one Marine to the next, or more correctly from their families as they passed away. Many of the photographs he showed me were originally taken by John "JJ" Franey, then passed to "Howie" Haff after Franey died. Haff died recently (smiling to the end - life had not treated him well after the War, he had gone to work in construction and suffered a fall that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Eventually, both of his legs were taken. Howie Haff went back to the hospital with an infection, and stayed in good spirits until he died a few days later), and his widow Emma sent them on to George.

You can imagine how honored I felt when George offered the collection to me. Of course, he kept some to take to reunions and for his family, but in the end I left with almost sixty original pictures and background for each shot. George, if you are reading this (and I hope you are, I left you the address!) you have no idea how much that gesture meant to me.

Eventually, I'll supplement these with more of George's colorful commentary, but for now, please enjoy Part One of combined photo collections of JJ, Howie, and Gunga.

PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA
Platoon 849
13th Recruit Battalion

"Iron Mike" at Parris Island, a monument to the graduates who died in the First World War.

"George Hall Altoona PA, Howard Kerr PA, Joe Seamer [?] Delaware, Yours Truly [Franey], Bob 'Mickey' McCabe Phila. How about those uniform salutes? Also the sea bag crease in our uniforms? Parris Island, Nov 42."

George Smith and JJ Franey pose with bayonets, November 1942.

McCabe and Franey. "Bob McCabe was a little guy down from Philly, loved to box. He was a boxer, but was missing a digit on one hand." - George.

"I look like a lost soul in this picture." - George.

CAMP LEJEUNE
NEW RIVER, NORTH CAROLINA
A COMPANY, 1ST SEPARATE BATTALION, REINFORCED
DECEMBER 1942 - JULY 1943

Franey on guard.

"Look at that desperate guy." - George

George and JJ.

"Going down the mock-up."

Some of the residents of Hut 10. JJ Franey, George Smith, Howie Haff and Howard Kerr. Merle "Mother" Geesaman is peeking through the window in the door.

Jeff "Tiny" Jowers in the doorway, George sneaking up on Luther Diehl.

"New River, NC. 1942."
Luther Diehl, David Spohn, George Smith, Jeff Jowers.

"Tiny Jowers was from Jacksonville, FL, and he had a face that looked like an alligator, had alligator skin. And he took a liking to me, don't ask me why... and he had a saying, instead of saying "Come-a here" he'd say "Come heah" and the sucker would grab me and he'd scream in my ear, I guess that was a sign of affection or something!"

George gets the "Come Heah" from Jowers. Corporal Kermit Shaw on right. "Nobody liked Shaw, including me. I don't know why."

JJ sporting his trademark grin.

JJ posing. Since the issue trousers didn't have pockets, Marines used to store their money and cigarettes in their socks - note the bulge on his left ankle!

JJ in full marching gear. "New River, NC, 1943, Camp Lejeune."

George takes aim outside Hut 10.

CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA
AUGUST 1943 - JANUARY 1944

Ray Davis, December 1943.

Robert Larson on the porch of the barracks. "Larson coulda played Mr USA, he was really built, that kid...."

"Unknown 'swab jockey,' Hall, Fritz, Palmer, Spohn"

"Corp. Doxtator, Leo Ksiekievicz, Harold Fritz, Palmer."

JJ and George.

The 24th Marines Band on the set of "The Song of Bernadette."

Four troublemakers outside their barracks. "We were the only damn outfit that had white rocks all around our barracks. I don't know where the hell he [Police Sergeant Charles "Ski" Cominsky"] got them, he would get all these rocks, make up whitewash, and we'd have to whitewash all these damn rocks! And we were the only company that had white rocks around!"

Don't let Ski see you in there. "I got a PFC stripe but I don't see it on Franey or Johnson. I thought I was the last of the bunch to make PFC."

Conspirators.

Outside the barracks.

Franey and the infamous white rocks.

Howie Haff.

George and the white rocks, November 13, 1943.

"When we had nothing else to do, we took pictures."

Izzo "boxing" with Jowers.

Izzo and friend in the pool.

"A Company 'crapped out' 11/9/1943. Pendleton."

Gunnery Sergeant Walter Russell. "Russell... we picked up Russell, Vinczi, him... there was about six of them came to A Company when we were at Lejeune from the embassy in England, they were embassy guards. And they were brought back, there was five or six of 'em, and Russell, I think he was a gunnery sergeant at the time, and it's funny if you notice in these pictures how each of us wore those hats, some of them knocked in or something, he was the only guy I ever saw, absolutely perfect straight up, the crease in it.... Right in the middle of his head, not cocked to one side or the other."

George Hall and Tom Hurley with .30 caliber Browning MG.

"Yours truly [Franey] - after a raid, Tom Hurley, Leo Ksekievicz, light MG, Pendleton 43."
"Franey always had a dirty face." - George

"Gosiewski, Wanagaitis, [illegible], Franey."
Everyone tans but Wanagaitis.

"L to R: Claude Henderson, L. Ksiekievicz, Bill Imm, Bill Plitt, Ed Hackett, Lexington KY."

"Ray Davis and Harold Fritz."

George liked those felt issue shirts.

"Hufnagle and Imm, lizard hunting."
Hufnagle was a cook; one hopes the lizards didn't end up in the noon meal.

JJ Franey and William Imm.

Thomas McCay (KIA 6/19/1944, Saipan) gives Franey some unorthodox medical treatment.

George tells me that McCay was killed trying to save a fellow Marine who had been wounded and was stranded in the open.

Imm in the field kitchen.

"Noon chow, A Company."

Franey at chow time.

"Ooh those *@*? pots. Note the look of disgust."
Franey's "least favorite duty."

George and Dalton Young scrubbing their laundry.

Amedeo Izzo. "Izzo - great kid, I tell ya, he was something else. I'm sure you've heard of zoot suiters back in the early 40s? When he got talking about what he gave up when he came into the marine corps, he must have been the Zoot Suiter of Broadway! Big brim hat and of course the big trousers, down at the ankles and all. And he was a typical New York, like a Bronx guy, but really a great guy to be around."

Izzo in an uncharacteristic pose on Aliso Beach.

"Aliso Beach, 11/17/1943. Captain Schechter "Skipper" in sweatshirt. Lt. R. I. Wood, back to camera."

The machine gun teams.
3rd Row: Luther Diehl, Lester Kincaid, Raymond Jordan, Merle Geesaman, David Spohn
2nd Row: Tom Hurley, Jeff Jowers, George Smith, George Hall, Howard Kerr
1st Row: Frank Tucker, Kenneth Gann, Norman Reber, Amadeo Izzo, Virgil Carwood, Richard Grosch.

Machine Gun Squad, Weapons Platoon, Camp Pendleton. Tent Camp #3.
Rear: Raymond Jordan, Tom Hurley, George Hall
Front: George Smith, Howard Kerr

"Claude, Claude, poor Claude. Claude wanted to become an NCO so bad. Claude was from, I think Virginia [Norfolk - ed.]... really, really nice guy... You know what, we found out he had a blouse with corporal stripes on, and had it in his seabag, and boy nobody would let him go! And the sad part, Haff tells me, going into Tinian he got hit, evidently got hit in the throat. Haff didn't see him get hit, but when Haff was in the ER or the hospital ship or the whatever ship he looked over and saw Claude and he spoke to him and then Haff realized that he couldn't talk, and he died that night. It was a shame, but he wanted to become an NCO so bad...."