Ardell W. Oster died on November 12, 2010. He was part of the 24th Replacement Draft, and fought on Iwo Jima with Company A from February 24 to March 16.
Obituary from The North Scott Press.
Mr. Oster died Friday, Nov. 12, 2010, surrounded by his family, after a brief illness.
Ardell Oster was born Feb. 24, 1926, in Bellevue, the son of Jacob and Francis (Hingtgen) Oster. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II. After training at Camp Pendleton, he was stationed in Maui. He took part with his fellow Marines in the battle of Iwo Jima. After being honorably discharged in 1946, he operated a Conoco Station at the foot of the I-74 Bridge. He married Anna Marie Herbert Nov. 26, 1947. She died April 22, 2009.
They were members of the church for many years, where Ardell served as an usher during masses.
Mr. Oster was involved in the trucking industry for Meadows and USF Holland, retiring in 1989. He participated in many truck rodeos and jamborees, and coached youth sports.
He served on the Long Grove City Council and the fire department, and after his retirement, cut grass and prepared the ball diamonds. He volunteered at the Strawberry Festival, and served as grand marshal. He also was an avid outdoorsman.
Memorials may be made to the family, the American Heart Association, or St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
Survivors include his children, DeeDee Eckman, Marina Del Ray, Calif.; Pat (Dan) Jens, Park View, Bill (Pat) Oster, Long Grove, Bob (Diane) Oster, Eldridge, Cindy Arp, Eldridge; grandchildren, Chad and Eric Jens, Scott (Amber) Oster, Kelly (Matt) Livingston, Troy (Tami) Oster, Natalie (Kevin) Collins, Nicole (Chad Brandmeyer) Oster, and Alyssa (Jake) Laughlin; nine great-grandchildren; a sister, Algean Park, Maquoketa; a brother, Eldon, Bellevue; a sister-in-law, Holly Shouse, Davenport; and a brother-in-law, Don Morehead, Maquoketa.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by two great-grandchildren; a sister, Rosie Morehead; a brother, Jerry and his wife Betty; sisters-in-law, Donna Oster, and Margaret Mundt and husband Kenny; and a brother-in-law, Grover Park.
Online condolences may be made at www.hmdfuneralhome.com
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
USS Henry R. Mallory
There's a little bit of Marine Corps in Cambridge, England.
While visiting the American Cemetery in Cambridge, the last thing I expected to find was a list of Marines on the wall of remembrance. The cemetery holds over 8,000 men and women from a variety of nations who died while serving in the US Armed Forces during the war - most are merchant seamen or aircrew; some are infantry or engineers who were wounded in Europe and died after evacuation; a surprising number are what the government refers to as "DNB" - died, non-battle, meaning a disease or accident took their lives. Those to me are some of the saddest, and when you read about them - an experienced C47 crew who dropped paratroopers in France and Holland crashes because of an improperly secured load, a B17 transporting men for a three-day leave in Ireland suffers a mechanical failure and kills 31, a B24 making an emergency landing due to horrible weather crashes into a snack bar and elementary school in Freckleton and kills 91 people (including most of the town's children) - they seem much more tragic, for some reason.
At any rate, I had not expected to find any Marines over here, but here they were on the wall of missing. A little research shows that they were all casualties of the sinking of the USS Henry R. Mallory in February, 1943. The Mallory was part of a convoy bound for Iceland; she carried troops headed for England as well as a cargo of other military goods. The convoy had already sustained several losses by the time the Mallory was hit. A torpedo from U-240 hit the ship at the Number 3 Hold - where the enlisted Marines were quartered. Of the detachment of 72 Marines aboard, only 17 were rescued. Some of their stories can be read here:
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/hr_mallory_stories.htm
Of the men listed here, only Hobbins, Bennett, and Miller are listed as having died in the sinking on February 7, 1943; the rest were listed as missing until declared dead on February 8, 1944. It seems likely that these three were rescued and died while receiving treatment. The bodies of the rest were never found.
1Lt Paul Wilson Wolfe.
O-011674
Marshalltown, IA
2Lt Harry M. Hobbins Jr.
O-011487
IL
Sgt George Andrew Yanek
260175
Youngstown, OH
Cpl Floyd W. Jerkins
302333
GA
PFC Willie E. Jenkins
427772
Birmingham, AL
Pvt Joseph Ahart
502053
Paterson, NJ
Pvt Roscoe Harrison Albaugh
487405
Akron, OH
March 13, 1924 - February 7, 1943
Pvt Arthur A. Bennett
325361
TX
Pvt Joseph Alfred Buono
502019
Brooklyn, NY
September 30, 1924 - February 7, 1943
Buono worked as a stevedore and survived the sinking of the Normandie in 1942. He had just completed boot camp; his first assignment was shipping out on the Mallory.
Pvt Edward Charles Cobb
431927
Cincinnati, OH
April 27, 1924 - February 7, 1943
Pvt George Donald Dunfee
445788
Belmont, OH
Pvt Melville Bates Eaton
390960
Boston, MA
Pvt Lawrence W. Famularo
464352
Oswego, NY
1925-1943
Pvt Martin Charles Finn
429531
Newfane, NY
Pvt Elmer Munice Frye
470829
Greensboro, NC
Pvt Harry Eugene Gehret
376443
Philadelphia, PA
Pvt Boyd W. Heckathorn
487406
Findlay, OH
Pvt Edwin Lester Hunt
345006
Kingston, OH
Pvt James R. Jennings
363944
TN
Pvt Robert David King
353670
Kalamazoo, MI
Pvt Alvin Laibman
479151
Pittsburgh, PA
Pvt Lawrence Allen Lott
244179
McKeesport, PA
Pvt Joseph Henry Maujer
473313
Brooklyn, NY
Pvt John W. Miller Jr
489465
Highland Park, PA
Pvt William R. Potts
311934
Bridgton, ME
Pvt William R. Roach
432772
Pittsburgh, PA
Pvt Harry John Rogowski
482266
Buffalo, NY
Pvt John Frederick Sopp
347117
NY
Pvt Stephen A. Surina
411866
Jamesville, NY
Pvt David McClain Weaver
479153
South Fork, PA
While visiting the American Cemetery in Cambridge, the last thing I expected to find was a list of Marines on the wall of remembrance. The cemetery holds over 8,000 men and women from a variety of nations who died while serving in the US Armed Forces during the war - most are merchant seamen or aircrew; some are infantry or engineers who were wounded in Europe and died after evacuation; a surprising number are what the government refers to as "DNB" - died, non-battle, meaning a disease or accident took their lives. Those to me are some of the saddest, and when you read about them - an experienced C47 crew who dropped paratroopers in France and Holland crashes because of an improperly secured load, a B17 transporting men for a three-day leave in Ireland suffers a mechanical failure and kills 31, a B24 making an emergency landing due to horrible weather crashes into a snack bar and elementary school in Freckleton and kills 91 people (including most of the town's children) - they seem much more tragic, for some reason.
At any rate, I had not expected to find any Marines over here, but here they were on the wall of missing. A little research shows that they were all casualties of the sinking of the USS Henry R. Mallory in February, 1943. The Mallory was part of a convoy bound for Iceland; she carried troops headed for England as well as a cargo of other military goods. The convoy had already sustained several losses by the time the Mallory was hit. A torpedo from U-240 hit the ship at the Number 3 Hold - where the enlisted Marines were quartered. Of the detachment of 72 Marines aboard, only 17 were rescued. Some of their stories can be read here:
http://freepages.military.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cacunithistories/hr_mallory_stories.htm
Of the men listed here, only Hobbins, Bennett, and Miller are listed as having died in the sinking on February 7, 1943; the rest were listed as missing until declared dead on February 8, 1944. It seems likely that these three were rescued and died while receiving treatment. The bodies of the rest were never found.
1Lt Paul Wilson Wolfe.
O-011674
Marshalltown, IA
2Lt Harry M. Hobbins Jr.
O-011487
IL
Sgt George Andrew Yanek
260175
Youngstown, OH
Cpl Floyd W. Jerkins
302333
GA
PFC Willie E. Jenkins
427772
Birmingham, AL
Pvt Joseph Ahart
502053
Paterson, NJ
Pvt Roscoe Harrison Albaugh
487405
Akron, OH
March 13, 1924 - February 7, 1943
Pvt Arthur A. Bennett
325361
TX
Pvt Joseph Alfred Buono
502019
Brooklyn, NY
September 30, 1924 - February 7, 1943Buono worked as a stevedore and survived the sinking of the Normandie in 1942. He had just completed boot camp; his first assignment was shipping out on the Mallory.
Pvt Edward Charles Cobb
431927
Cincinnati, OH
April 27, 1924 - February 7, 1943
Pvt George Donald Dunfee
445788
Belmont, OH
Pvt Melville Bates Eaton
390960
Boston, MA
Pvt Lawrence W. Famularo
464352
Oswego, NY
1925-1943Pvt Martin Charles Finn
429531
Newfane, NY
Pvt Elmer Munice Frye
470829
Greensboro, NC
Pvt Harry Eugene Gehret
376443
Philadelphia, PA
Pvt Boyd W. Heckathorn
487406
Findlay, OH
Pvt Edwin Lester Hunt
345006
Kingston, OH
Pvt James R. Jennings
363944
TN
Pvt Robert David King
353670
Kalamazoo, MI
Pvt Alvin Laibman
479151
Pittsburgh, PA
Pvt Lawrence Allen Lott
244179
McKeesport, PA
Pvt Joseph Henry Maujer
473313
Brooklyn, NY
Pvt John W. Miller Jr
489465
Highland Park, PA
Pvt William R. Potts
311934
Bridgton, ME
Pvt William R. Roach
432772
Pittsburgh, PA
Pvt Harry John Rogowski
482266
Buffalo, NY
Pvt John Frederick Sopp
347117
NY
Pvt Stephen A. Surina
411866
Jamesville, NY
Pvt David McClain Weaver
479153
South Fork, PA
Monday, October 4, 2010
Web Updates
In the ongoing effort to expand the site to contain the experiences of all of First Battalion, I've been working on some new daily narratives of the battles. Baker Company now has a full set of entries for the battles of Namur and Saipan, which may be accessed here:
http://ablecompany24.com/CAMPAIGNS/CAMPAIGN%20HOME.html
Also, while working on these updates, I came across some very exciting news. Despite the proliferation of cameramen attached to the various combat arms, it is usually nearly impossible to identify individual people. I've thought many times that I could see someone from Company A in an action photo taken on Saipan or Iwo Jima, but often that's just wishful thinking. However, one Baker Company marine caught the eye of a LIFE Magazine photographer on July 8, 1944, and became one of the iconic faces of the war. His name was Thomas Ellis Underwood, a twenty-two year old fire team leader from St. Petersburg, Florida.
Here he is in two more recognizable shots. The first one was recently made into a stamp:
http://www.life.com/image/50693676
http://www.life.com/image/50585247
Interestingly, some doubt has been cast on the identity of the man in the picture. The family of Army Special Forces Sergeant Angelo Klonis believes he is the man pictured; they have spent several years attempting to prove their case. It is an interesting story, recorded here:
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0510/swanson.html
I am of the opinion that the original caption is correct. In his notes, famed photographer W. Eugene Smith wrote that "I believe that the images 6-8 on Roll 10 on July 8, final days of Saipan Invasion, were 4th Division Marine PFC T. E. Underwood (24th Bat.) of St. Petersburg, Florida. A portrait of a weary warrior who has been through one of the toughest days of his life. And still at the moment the picture was taken under fire." Despite the error of substituting "Battalion" for "Regiment," the rest of the information is correct. Further, the caption below the first photograph cites that the image was taken on July 8, while fighting for the beaches "below Saipan's Mt. Marpi." Baker Company was heavily engaged on those beaches on that date; the battalion took some of their heaviest casualties of the campaign while there. Finally, the man in the photograph is wearing Marine HBTs, a camouflaged helmet cover (a unique Marine trait) and appears to have a Globe & Anchor stenciled on the helmet. Unfortunately his pack covers the pocket where the USMC emblem would be stenciled on his blouse. While it is possible that an Army special ops unit would have worn other uniform pieces, it does not explain why they would have been attached to a Marine unit on a routine advance. Furthermore, no documentation of Louvris' service has been located that proves his deployment to Saipan.
"Ellis" Underwood was promoted to corporal ten days after this photograph was taken; he died on March 4, 1945, while fighting for Iwo Jima. Charles Butler, a volunteer from FindAGrave.com took a picture of his headstone in St. Petersburg's Sunnyside Cemetery and reported on other family graves nearby - his older brother George had been in the Army and died in 1957; his mother Cora died in 1946; father George is also buried nearby, having died in 1959. The last of Ellis' many siblings died in 2000, possibly never knowing of their brother's prominence.
It's easy to imagine that they did not recognize him. Ellis sat for the left-side picture in 1943, before months of hardship and combat took their toll.
http://ablecompany24.com/CAMPAIGNS/CAMPAIGN%20HOME.html
Also, while working on these updates, I came across some very exciting news. Despite the proliferation of cameramen attached to the various combat arms, it is usually nearly impossible to identify individual people. I've thought many times that I could see someone from Company A in an action photo taken on Saipan or Iwo Jima, but often that's just wishful thinking. However, one Baker Company marine caught the eye of a LIFE Magazine photographer on July 8, 1944, and became one of the iconic faces of the war. His name was Thomas Ellis Underwood, a twenty-two year old fire team leader from St. Petersburg, Florida.
Here he is in two more recognizable shots. The first one was recently made into a stamp:
http://www.life.com/image/50693676
http://www.life.com/image/50585247
Interestingly, some doubt has been cast on the identity of the man in the picture. The family of Army Special Forces Sergeant Angelo Klonis believes he is the man pictured; they have spent several years attempting to prove their case. It is an interesting story, recorded here:
http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0510/swanson.html
I am of the opinion that the original caption is correct. In his notes, famed photographer W. Eugene Smith wrote that "I believe that the images 6-8 on Roll 10 on July 8, final days of Saipan Invasion, were 4th Division Marine PFC T. E. Underwood (24th Bat.) of St. Petersburg, Florida. A portrait of a weary warrior who has been through one of the toughest days of his life. And still at the moment the picture was taken under fire." Despite the error of substituting "Battalion" for "Regiment," the rest of the information is correct. Further, the caption below the first photograph cites that the image was taken on July 8, while fighting for the beaches "below Saipan's Mt. Marpi." Baker Company was heavily engaged on those beaches on that date; the battalion took some of their heaviest casualties of the campaign while there. Finally, the man in the photograph is wearing Marine HBTs, a camouflaged helmet cover (a unique Marine trait) and appears to have a Globe & Anchor stenciled on the helmet. Unfortunately his pack covers the pocket where the USMC emblem would be stenciled on his blouse. While it is possible that an Army special ops unit would have worn other uniform pieces, it does not explain why they would have been attached to a Marine unit on a routine advance. Furthermore, no documentation of Louvris' service has been located that proves his deployment to Saipan.
"Ellis" Underwood was promoted to corporal ten days after this photograph was taken; he died on March 4, 1945, while fighting for Iwo Jima. Charles Butler, a volunteer from FindAGrave.com took a picture of his headstone in St. Petersburg's Sunnyside Cemetery and reported on other family graves nearby - his older brother George had been in the Army and died in 1957; his mother Cora died in 1946; father George is also buried nearby, having died in 1959. The last of Ellis' many siblings died in 2000, possibly never knowing of their brother's prominence.
It's easy to imagine that they did not recognize him. Ellis sat for the left-side picture in 1943, before months of hardship and combat took their toll.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Artillery F/O on Iwo Jima
The following memoir was written by a member of the Fourteenth Marines, the artillery regiment of the Fourth Marine Division. He belonged to a forward observer team and was attached to Baker Company, 24th Marines, during the battle of Iwo Jima. Grammar and spelling are as in the original memoir.
Iwo Jima
by Paul Maloff
(submitted to Fourth Marine Division, published by Turner Publishing, 1992)
We witnessed the shelling on the morning of February 19, 1945. Those big battleships, cruisers, and destroyers were just pouring it on. There was so much Smoke [sic] on Iwo Jima that it seemed all the Japs had to be dead. Over the sides we went into the waiting ducks (landing crafts). There was nothing but confusion. No one, but no one, but the beachmaster knew what was going on.
We rode up to the beachmaster's ship and asked where we should land. He pointed and shouted "straight ahead." I asked if all that fire was "theirs or ours." He said, "Theirs." My God. It was raining fire. Smoke was pouring from the wrecked landing craft.
The landing craft were blowing up like toys. A lot of Marines and Navy personnel were killed before they hit the beach. I don't know how our duck made it but it did. There were dead and wounded all over. It was a sight you never forget. I still have nightmares.
A buddy of mine handed me a Jewish Bible. He took it out of the hands of a dead Marine. In it were pictures of his wife and two children. Perhaps the Bible would do me some good. It did not do so well for the last Marine who owned it. I wanted to dig a hole so deep that I would come out in the USA, but I did not know where to throw all the dirt.
You would pray for the Jap rockets to land further down the line. They sounded like flying boxcars. When they did your prayers were answered, but you knew darn well that someone else met his maker.
The first night was real bad. They must have used all the Navy's unexploded shells on us. I never slept in combat the first three or four days. You have to watch the buddy next to you. It you both fall asleep sometimes your throats are slit during the long night.
The fifth day while I was with the foreward observer party of G Battery, 14th Marines, I saw the flag going up on Mt. Suribachi. It was breathtaking. All the guys stood up and cheered.
We came off the front lines the sixth day and found that a shell landed right behind one of out 105s. Several men were killed and many were wounded. The dead were lined up in the cemetery. The wounded went aboard a hospital ship.
Our foreward observer party was assigned to B Company of the 24th Marine Regiment. Tom Collier from Milwaukee, Wisconsin was our rifleman. George Karatzou from Albany, New York our radioman, Lieutenant Zack Wallover from Beaver, Pennsylvania was in charge and yours truly was the telephone man.
We started out in a large quarry filed with giant rocks. Jap mortar shells were landing all around us. Somehow we fouled up and found ourselves 200 yards in front of the front lines. To this day I don't know how none of us were not hit.
Lieutenant Wallover directed our battery fire to land behind us. Afterwards we made a strategic withdrawal. All of the infantry guys yelled that we did a great job. Things went well for me tree days up three days back until the morning of March 10. We were in a hole. A captain came up to us and asked how we were doing. we said okay. He was carrying an 03 Rifle with a telescope sight on it. I admired that rifle. We were in a place called the ampitheater [sic]. Ten seconds later the captain lay dead 10 feet from our foxhole with a hole in his head.
New guys started to relieve the guys up front. When all of a sudden whamo! There were so many shells falling in our area that I figured that our own Navy was doing a job on us. With me in the hole was a guy named Joe Peebles from Florida and George Lambert from San Diego. I never saw so many shells fall so fast. The guys asked me to pray out loud. I did, I kept shouting "Shana Yisrora Adonoi Alohenu Adonoi Ahaud" over and over again.
A guy in B Company, 24th marines was hit at the edge of our hole. He was of Italian descent and was from Rochester, New York. I knew him from aboard ship. His guts were hanging out. A corpsman came running over and said "God be with you," and ran over to another wounded who had a chance. I'll never forget the look in that Marine's eyes when the corpsman walked away and let him die. The last words on his lips were, "I love you Mama" and he died. I reached up and closed his eyes and covered him with a poncho.
One of the sergeants from B Company jumped out of his hole and caught a direct hit. He landed face down just five yards from our hole. The shelling stopped and Frank Webber our lieutenant covered the dead Marine with his poncho. As soon as Webber got back to his hole, the shelling started again.
When I was in boot camp on Parris Island, our drill instructor told us that a shell never lands in the same place twice. I was peering out of my hole and the next shell landed right in the middle of the poncho. The body flipped over and it blew his legs off his body. The poor guy was killed twice but he never felt it the second time.
I kept shouting my prayers and in all my combat duty I've never put in 10 minutes like this. There were dead Marines in almost every hole. I kept on thinking to myself if I ever make it through this day and get back to Syracuse, New York, the first thing I would do is kiss the third step of the Snaris Hagodel Schule on Almond Street, my temple.
The shelling stopped. Peebles and Lambert both thanked me for the prayers.
An hour later B Company, 24th Marines, were moving out and forward as if nothing had happened.
A few days later Iwo Jima was declared secure and religious services were held near the cemetery. We boarded the ship in a couple of days and sailed for Maui our home base.
On the day of my discharge, November 20,1945, I left my bag at the New York Central Station and ran five blocks to the Snaris Hagodal Schule on Almond Street. I did not kiss the third step, I licked it. I sat there and my tears flowed freely for an hour. As I sat I thought of all my buddies who did not make it, and all those who were disfigured for life, my prayers went out for them too.
Perhaps a hundred thousand people participated in the taking of Iwo Jima. I'm sure there are that many stories. Now you have mine.
Paul Maloff died in Syracuse, December 2, 2005. He is buried in Quantico National Cemetery.
Iwo Jima
by Paul Maloff
(submitted to Fourth Marine Division, published by Turner Publishing, 1992)
We witnessed the shelling on the morning of February 19, 1945. Those big battleships, cruisers, and destroyers were just pouring it on. There was so much Smoke [sic] on Iwo Jima that it seemed all the Japs had to be dead. Over the sides we went into the waiting ducks (landing crafts). There was nothing but confusion. No one, but no one, but the beachmaster knew what was going on.
We rode up to the beachmaster's ship and asked where we should land. He pointed and shouted "straight ahead." I asked if all that fire was "theirs or ours." He said, "Theirs." My God. It was raining fire. Smoke was pouring from the wrecked landing craft.
The landing craft were blowing up like toys. A lot of Marines and Navy personnel were killed before they hit the beach. I don't know how our duck made it but it did. There were dead and wounded all over. It was a sight you never forget. I still have nightmares.
A buddy of mine handed me a Jewish Bible. He took it out of the hands of a dead Marine. In it were pictures of his wife and two children. Perhaps the Bible would do me some good. It did not do so well for the last Marine who owned it. I wanted to dig a hole so deep that I would come out in the USA, but I did not know where to throw all the dirt.
You would pray for the Jap rockets to land further down the line. They sounded like flying boxcars. When they did your prayers were answered, but you knew darn well that someone else met his maker.
The first night was real bad. They must have used all the Navy's unexploded shells on us. I never slept in combat the first three or four days. You have to watch the buddy next to you. It you both fall asleep sometimes your throats are slit during the long night.
The fifth day while I was with the foreward observer party of G Battery, 14th Marines, I saw the flag going up on Mt. Suribachi. It was breathtaking. All the guys stood up and cheered.
We came off the front lines the sixth day and found that a shell landed right behind one of out 105s. Several men were killed and many were wounded. The dead were lined up in the cemetery. The wounded went aboard a hospital ship.
Our foreward observer party was assigned to B Company of the 24th Marine Regiment. Tom Collier from Milwaukee, Wisconsin was our rifleman. George Karatzou from Albany, New York our radioman, Lieutenant Zack Wallover from Beaver, Pennsylvania was in charge and yours truly was the telephone man.
We started out in a large quarry filed with giant rocks. Jap mortar shells were landing all around us. Somehow we fouled up and found ourselves 200 yards in front of the front lines. To this day I don't know how none of us were not hit.
Lieutenant Wallover directed our battery fire to land behind us. Afterwards we made a strategic withdrawal. All of the infantry guys yelled that we did a great job. Things went well for me tree days up three days back until the morning of March 10. We were in a hole. A captain came up to us and asked how we were doing. we said okay. He was carrying an 03 Rifle with a telescope sight on it. I admired that rifle. We were in a place called the ampitheater [sic]. Ten seconds later the captain lay dead 10 feet from our foxhole with a hole in his head.
New guys started to relieve the guys up front. When all of a sudden whamo! There were so many shells falling in our area that I figured that our own Navy was doing a job on us. With me in the hole was a guy named Joe Peebles from Florida and George Lambert from San Diego. I never saw so many shells fall so fast. The guys asked me to pray out loud. I did, I kept shouting "Shana Yisrora Adonoi Alohenu Adonoi Ahaud" over and over again.
A guy in B Company, 24th marines was hit at the edge of our hole. He was of Italian descent and was from Rochester, New York. I knew him from aboard ship. His guts were hanging out. A corpsman came running over and said "God be with you," and ran over to another wounded who had a chance. I'll never forget the look in that Marine's eyes when the corpsman walked away and let him die. The last words on his lips were, "I love you Mama" and he died. I reached up and closed his eyes and covered him with a poncho.
One of the sergeants from B Company jumped out of his hole and caught a direct hit. He landed face down just five yards from our hole. The shelling stopped and Frank Webber our lieutenant covered the dead Marine with his poncho. As soon as Webber got back to his hole, the shelling started again.
When I was in boot camp on Parris Island, our drill instructor told us that a shell never lands in the same place twice. I was peering out of my hole and the next shell landed right in the middle of the poncho. The body flipped over and it blew his legs off his body. The poor guy was killed twice but he never felt it the second time.
I kept shouting my prayers and in all my combat duty I've never put in 10 minutes like this. There were dead Marines in almost every hole. I kept on thinking to myself if I ever make it through this day and get back to Syracuse, New York, the first thing I would do is kiss the third step of the Snaris Hagodel Schule on Almond Street, my temple.
The shelling stopped. Peebles and Lambert both thanked me for the prayers.
An hour later B Company, 24th Marines, were moving out and forward as if nothing had happened.
A few days later Iwo Jima was declared secure and religious services were held near the cemetery. We boarded the ship in a couple of days and sailed for Maui our home base.
On the day of my discharge, November 20,1945, I left my bag at the New York Central Station and ran five blocks to the Snaris Hagodal Schule on Almond Street. I did not kiss the third step, I licked it. I sat there and my tears flowed freely for an hour. As I sat I thought of all my buddies who did not make it, and all those who were disfigured for life, my prayers went out for them too.
Perhaps a hundred thousand people participated in the taking of Iwo Jima. I'm sure there are that many stories. Now you have mine.
Paul Maloff died in Syracuse, December 2, 2005. He is buried in Quantico National Cemetery.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sandy Bradford Ball's Photos
All photos are courtesy of Jack Ball, and are used by permission. Images have been scaled, please click to open at full size.
Sandy at New River, February 12 1943. He is performing maintenance on a Browning M1919 .30 caliber machine gun.
Members of Sandy's platoon in the field.
Thomas M. Harris, Robert DeNunzio, and Sandy Ball on a Higgins boat.(Thanks to Ronald, Thomas Harris' nephew, for the caption!)
Sandy and friends enjoying captured Japanese beer after the battle of Tinian. From left: Sandy, Sergeant Wilson Cook, Sergeant Charles Czerweic, Sergeant Michael Murray, PFC Giuseppe Giambone.Platoon Sergeant Murray was killed in action on Iwo Jima; he received a posthumous Navy Cross.
A lot of paperwork comes with the extra stripe and the pay raise. Corporal Ball displays an intimidating number of forms.
Sandy strikes a gunslinger pose at Camp Maui.
Sandy's squad before the battle of Iwo Jima.
The 24th Marines after the battle of Iwo Jima.
Sandy shows off a few souvenirs, including a sword and a flag. In addition, he brought home a Japanese rifle and a gold tooth which he had made into a watch fob.
Sandy (in football uniform) with "Iron Mike" Mervosh, Camp Maui.Long Time! No Updates! What Have I Been Doing?
Been up to a lot, actually. Rosters for Baker and Charlie Companys are complete, Headquarters nearly so - touched up their main page as well - and Dog Company is trailing along, since most of its members wound up in the other rife companies anyway.
I've been in touch with some new family members as well; Jack Ball (son of Sandy Bradford Ball, Charlie Company, machine guns) and Jeff Launiere (son of Ray Launiere, Headquarters Company, assault and demolitions) both wrote in with information on their fathers. Jack was kind enough to send along some incredible pictures, which will be added to the site very soon, as well as some stories. Jeff made some great corrections, and also provided me with contact information for Mr. Domenick Tutalo, another veteran from the Assault platoon, who has been interviewed for many publications including "Iwo Jima" by Larry Smith and "By Dammit We're Marines" by Gail Chatfield. Frances Harris, widow of Kye Harris, wrote in to say how much she appreciated the site, and to offer one or two small corrections. Also, I was recently contacted by Ted Dodd, whose uncle Walter Dodd was a corpsman with Charlie Company. Ted graciously corrected the many errors I had made on his uncle's page, and volunteered to provide more info at a later time. Thank you all!
Through Findagrave.com, I made the acquaintance of the wonderful Marnie Weeks, who has taken it upon herself to photograph every member of the Battalion who is buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery. She has been sending along great photographs, as well as correcting problems with burial listings and physically maintaining the gravestones themselves. She visited the graves of Phil Wood, Arthur Ervin, and Stephen Hopkins this past July 4th, to leave flowers and visit with them.
Gretchen Williams (Phil's sister) has been sending periodic updates to family members about her memories of the past, particularly life with Phil and the various shenanigans he managed to perpetrate, including a stolen can of beer from a Martha's Vineyard house to selling violets to Amelia Earhart herself (while Gretchen labored behind the scenes busily picking the flowers).
The search for Arthur Ervin's gravesite took a promising step forward and then one back again. A Seabee researched suggested contacting the National Seabee Museum to look through the records of units stationed on Saipan, one of whom located Ervin's remains (or at least his personal belongings), identified them, and sent them on to his widow. Of course, the museum is in California, and due to the large number of records they can't spare a staff member to page through them all. Looks like another stop added to the Great Western Research Tour. The question remains, though, as to why there is no record of Ervin being returned to the Marine cemetery even after being found. I did manage to locate the approximate area on Google Earth; it's the Kalaberra Pass on Saipan, which is consistent with the position of the battalion on July 5 and also with contemporary recollections of the terrain.
Had a visit with George earlier this month, during which I cooked and cleaned in exchange for war stories. He and Doris are both doing well, and I charmed their cat Liza (the grumpiest cat in existence, I think) with a laser pointer. I put the new anecdotes from George up on his page, but here are the highlights:
• Was wounded twice, not once. The first time was on Namur; he jumped into a hole and was suddenly face to face with a Japanese soldier. "I emptied a clip in there to make sure I was the one jumping out." Cut his leg slightly on the enemy bayonet when he jumped. He didn't notice at first, until someone mentioned his pants were ripped. Later, it "hurt like a sonovabitch."
• Second wound on Saipan, June 22. Towards the end of the day, the gunners are watching another company from the regiment trying to blow Japanese out of a cave. George and company are on top of a ledge overlooking the cave, the Japanese are underground below them, and the Marines are in a gully to their front. When the marines throw in grenades or explosives, they cheer! When the japanese retaliate, they boo! "Kid stuff, like a football game." Someone comes running, says they are needed up the hill, so off they trot. They arrive on the lines under fire, can't see any enemy. George and his assistant "Cease" Stafford get the gun set up. One of their crew (who shall remain nameless; George "didn't like the guy. Lazy.") - had not adjusted the headspace, which is necessary to get the ammo belt moving freely - and the gun jams after two rounds. George is clearing the jam when he and Cease are both hit in the arms. George in the wrist, "I bounced up like I was doing pushups" and Cease more seriously, "he was sittin there a real mess, it took some of the bone out." Platoon Sergeant Yaniga, who george did not like at all, yells for them to get out of there - George goes off down the hill with Cease. he has Cease on one arm; Cease is dragging "Tiny" Jordan who is blinded and crying, and Prentis Parsons on the other arm, who has a sucking chest wound. "Every time he would go to talk there'd be a whistling sound, I had my hand on the opening and whenever I'd take it off Parsons would whistle and I'd start laughing cause I was so scared." The only weapon among them is George's Ka-bar. "A Boy Scout coulda taken the lot of us, we got lucky." Everyone gets evacuated. He remembers most clearly his friend Norman Reber dead on the ground, lying on his stomach, "he got hit first thing, never had a chance."
• After being released from the hospital the first time, George tries to go back to Company A. However, they say he's not yet ready for duty. George goes back to he hospital, and a few days later is surprised to see his friend Howard Smith out front with a jeep. Howard says not to ask questions, just get in. They go joyriding around the island and see a pair of military-age hitchhikers. Howard yells at them, "Join up and get one of your own, you sonsabitches!" George is deposited back at the hospital, and Howard roars away.
Finally, also thanks to George, I learned that the late Robert Fleischauer became an illustrator after the war as well as a career Marine; he worked for Leatherneck Magazine as cartoon editor for many years and was reported to have perfected the time-honored Marine dish of creamed chipped beef on toast - SOS, or Shit On A Shingle. It will be posted in due time.
I've been in touch with some new family members as well; Jack Ball (son of Sandy Bradford Ball, Charlie Company, machine guns) and Jeff Launiere (son of Ray Launiere, Headquarters Company, assault and demolitions) both wrote in with information on their fathers. Jack was kind enough to send along some incredible pictures, which will be added to the site very soon, as well as some stories. Jeff made some great corrections, and also provided me with contact information for Mr. Domenick Tutalo, another veteran from the Assault platoon, who has been interviewed for many publications including "Iwo Jima" by Larry Smith and "By Dammit We're Marines" by Gail Chatfield. Frances Harris, widow of Kye Harris, wrote in to say how much she appreciated the site, and to offer one or two small corrections. Also, I was recently contacted by Ted Dodd, whose uncle Walter Dodd was a corpsman with Charlie Company. Ted graciously corrected the many errors I had made on his uncle's page, and volunteered to provide more info at a later time. Thank you all!
Through Findagrave.com, I made the acquaintance of the wonderful Marnie Weeks, who has taken it upon herself to photograph every member of the Battalion who is buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery. She has been sending along great photographs, as well as correcting problems with burial listings and physically maintaining the gravestones themselves. She visited the graves of Phil Wood, Arthur Ervin, and Stephen Hopkins this past July 4th, to leave flowers and visit with them.
Gretchen Williams (Phil's sister) has been sending periodic updates to family members about her memories of the past, particularly life with Phil and the various shenanigans he managed to perpetrate, including a stolen can of beer from a Martha's Vineyard house to selling violets to Amelia Earhart herself (while Gretchen labored behind the scenes busily picking the flowers).
The search for Arthur Ervin's gravesite took a promising step forward and then one back again. A Seabee researched suggested contacting the National Seabee Museum to look through the records of units stationed on Saipan, one of whom located Ervin's remains (or at least his personal belongings), identified them, and sent them on to his widow. Of course, the museum is in California, and due to the large number of records they can't spare a staff member to page through them all. Looks like another stop added to the Great Western Research Tour. The question remains, though, as to why there is no record of Ervin being returned to the Marine cemetery even after being found. I did manage to locate the approximate area on Google Earth; it's the Kalaberra Pass on Saipan, which is consistent with the position of the battalion on July 5 and also with contemporary recollections of the terrain.
Had a visit with George earlier this month, during which I cooked and cleaned in exchange for war stories. He and Doris are both doing well, and I charmed their cat Liza (the grumpiest cat in existence, I think) with a laser pointer. I put the new anecdotes from George up on his page, but here are the highlights:
• Was wounded twice, not once. The first time was on Namur; he jumped into a hole and was suddenly face to face with a Japanese soldier. "I emptied a clip in there to make sure I was the one jumping out." Cut his leg slightly on the enemy bayonet when he jumped. He didn't notice at first, until someone mentioned his pants were ripped. Later, it "hurt like a sonovabitch."
• Second wound on Saipan, June 22. Towards the end of the day, the gunners are watching another company from the regiment trying to blow Japanese out of a cave. George and company are on top of a ledge overlooking the cave, the Japanese are underground below them, and the Marines are in a gully to their front. When the marines throw in grenades or explosives, they cheer! When the japanese retaliate, they boo! "Kid stuff, like a football game." Someone comes running, says they are needed up the hill, so off they trot. They arrive on the lines under fire, can't see any enemy. George and his assistant "Cease" Stafford get the gun set up. One of their crew (who shall remain nameless; George "didn't like the guy. Lazy.") - had not adjusted the headspace, which is necessary to get the ammo belt moving freely - and the gun jams after two rounds. George is clearing the jam when he and Cease are both hit in the arms. George in the wrist, "I bounced up like I was doing pushups" and Cease more seriously, "he was sittin there a real mess, it took some of the bone out." Platoon Sergeant Yaniga, who george did not like at all, yells for them to get out of there - George goes off down the hill with Cease. he has Cease on one arm; Cease is dragging "Tiny" Jordan who is blinded and crying, and Prentis Parsons on the other arm, who has a sucking chest wound. "Every time he would go to talk there'd be a whistling sound, I had my hand on the opening and whenever I'd take it off Parsons would whistle and I'd start laughing cause I was so scared." The only weapon among them is George's Ka-bar. "A Boy Scout coulda taken the lot of us, we got lucky." Everyone gets evacuated. He remembers most clearly his friend Norman Reber dead on the ground, lying on his stomach, "he got hit first thing, never had a chance."
• After being released from the hospital the first time, George tries to go back to Company A. However, they say he's not yet ready for duty. George goes back to he hospital, and a few days later is surprised to see his friend Howard Smith out front with a jeep. Howard says not to ask questions, just get in. They go joyriding around the island and see a pair of military-age hitchhikers. Howard yells at them, "Join up and get one of your own, you sonsabitches!" George is deposited back at the hospital, and Howard roars away.
Finally, also thanks to George, I learned that the late Robert Fleischauer became an illustrator after the war as well as a career Marine; he worked for Leatherneck Magazine as cartoon editor for many years and was reported to have perfected the time-honored Marine dish of creamed chipped beef on toast - SOS, or Shit On A Shingle. It will be posted in due time.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Gung Ho!
"Gung Ho!" - a Chinese phrase meaning "Work Together" - became popular with the Marine Corps in World War Two. Its most famous advocate, Colonel Evans Carlson of the 2nd Raiders, had been an observer with Chiang Kai-Shek's army, and adopted the phrase as a methodology for running his outfit. The term caught on as other "China Marines" introduced it to the waves of new recruits signing up after Pearl Harbor; some took the phrase seriously while others used it as a derisive means to describe someone who was overly enthusiastic.
As the Marines experienced combat, it became common to take a photograph of the survivors when the battle was concluded. Souvenirs and trophies were displayed, and the more "gloriously raggedy-assed" one looked, the better. Such photographs became known as "gung ho shots" - the men in the picture had worked together to achieve victory.
A/1/24 after Tinian.
B/1/24 after Tinian.
C/1/24 after Iwo Jima - 31 out of a landing force of about 240. The company was led by Sergeant Mike Mervosh for a time after all officers and NCOs above him were hit.
D/1/24 after Namur - the company was disbanded after this battle.
Marines of an unknown unit (possibly 28th Marines) after Iwo Jima. I like the two clowning around at left - even after Iwo they still have a sense of humor.
As the Marines experienced combat, it became common to take a photograph of the survivors when the battle was concluded. Souvenirs and trophies were displayed, and the more "gloriously raggedy-assed" one looked, the better. Such photographs became known as "gung ho shots" - the men in the picture had worked together to achieve victory.
A/1/24 after Tinian.
B/1/24 after Tinian.
C/1/24 after Iwo Jima - 31 out of a landing force of about 240. The company was led by Sergeant Mike Mervosh for a time after all officers and NCOs above him were hit.
D/1/24 after Namur - the company was disbanded after this battle.
Marines of an unknown unit (possibly 28th Marines) after Iwo Jima. I like the two clowning around at left - even after Iwo they still have a sense of humor.
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