Robert Leckie for the second time, and this video makes that excellent war memoir come alive. I just finished reading “Helmet For My Pillow” (also HBO’s “The Pacific”) by USMC Sgt. Since most of us, including me, will never know the experience of actually visiting Guadalcanal, this excellent presentation provides a pretty decent idea of what the island looks like today. IMHO nothing brings history to life more than meeting those involved in making it or visiting the location of an event. īill interviewed veterans, relatives, did exhaustive research and combined it all in an excellent, sometimes personal narrative of this oft forgotten, incredibly important battle of the Pacific Theater. For more information on America's first offensive land victory of WWII read Bill Bartsch's excellent book. However, at the time, there was an unwritten rule of only one CMH to a unit and as luck would have it a CMH had already been awarded to the outfit. As his actions more than qualified him for the award. That said, Schmid would/should have received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his deeds during the battle. Al Schmid, as a white Anglo-Saxon, protestant fit that proverbial bill. With America having had its ass kicked throughout the Pacific she(America) needed a hero everyone could get behind and relate to. Uncle Jack was perceived as a black man and Leroy Diamond as a Jew were on the very bottom of the social strata of the 1940s. My own opinion for their omission was the times in which they lived. John(Jack) Rivers along with Leroy Diamond are often forgotten when the 'Battle of the Tenaru' is casually discussed. a very influential character to the battles on Guadalcanal. fortunately he Survived and went on to be an invaluable tracker and guide for US forces so much so he was made an honorary marine with the rank of Sergeant Major. this gave the Alligator Creek positions enough time to be ready and better prepared. Without his brave and determined efforts, many more Americans would have died that evening and indeed would likely of lost those positions and potentially allowed the Japanese to re-take Henderson Airfield, this humble man was captured by the Japanese and tortured without saying anything about the US positions or strength, he was also bayoneted and left for dead tied to a tree, he chewed through his bindings and managed to crawl his way back to the US positions at Alligator Creek and warn them of an imminent assault by the Japanese. I think it would have been nice to mention Sir Jacob Vouza.

it’s a real help in appreciating the terrain. Thanks for this view of Guadalcanal as I will likely never get to visit. Okinawa was also bad, but there at least the Allies gained a foothold where they could fight from as they assaulted one set of fortifications after another. A preview of Iwo Jima, which the 1st Marine Division didn’t participate in. They were under constant mortar, artillery, and sniper fire from the central mountains of the island.

Going out on patrol with ten men, coming back with two. Battling rotting coconuts, crabs, and rats.

Cape Gloucester was bad for the rain and mud. Guadalcanal was just survival on a shoestring. He was at Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, the battle of the crabs 🦀 at Pavuvu, Peleliu, and Okinawa.Įach was bad for a different reason. I had the privilege of talking to him about his experiences a couple times and taking notes to have for our family to go back to and reread. My wife’s grandfather was at Guadalcanal, but arrived after this battle.

Ibomber defense pacific alligator