“The Wildflower Capital of Texas” is Temple, Texas, about 65 miles northeast of Austin, Texas, and that is where I came from at the age of 17 to join the Marine Corps. If you were looking for me back when the Battle of Tarawa began on 20 November 1943, you would have found me in General John C. Smith’s 2^nd Marine Division, in the 8^th Marines led by Major “Jim” Crowe. Specifically, I was 19 years old in the 2^nd Battalion in H Company. I carried a mortar base plate in a unit working with 81mm mortars.

To get to Tarawa, my unit and I travelled in TransDiv 4, part of Transport Group 4, on the attack transport USS Heywood (APA-6), the former SS Steadfast.

USS Heywood (APA-6)

A PHOTO LINK TO USS Heywood COMES HERE SOON.

We arrived off Betio around midnight of 19 / 20 November, eventually had a good breakfast and in the early morning hours before going to the nets, I remember now that I was just concerned about what the outcome of the landing in the coming daylight held in store for me in terms of simple basic survival.

When we went ashore, I think it was to Red Beach 2 with about 30 other guys. As we hit the beach, my squad buddy got shot through the legs just after getting off the ramp of the Higgins boat. All around us was the smell of burnt flesh, and when an ammo dump blew up, an object hit my ammunition sergeant in the back and killed him instantly.

I went in as part of a team with an 81mm mortar, but as the battle went on, some men in the rifle company were getting battle fatigue. So, ten of us was asked to replace those men, and we did. I was to go along the seawall with two other men who were there to try to either kill enemy on the other side, or at least to suppress their fire at us, so that other Marines could get over the wall.

I’m not sure right now the name of the transport that took us away from Betio, but I think it was again the USS Heywood. After about 72 hours of being in that chaos, I certainly remember now I was so exhausted, dirty, hungry, thirsty and a little sunburned. I received no wounds, and I was just plain glad to get out of there.

I also want to remember a buddy of mine who was killed by machine gun fire from a sunken ship north of the pier as we walked and waded in to the beach on Tarawa. He was a good man and a good friend.

As for memories of Camp Tarawa, I remember arriving at Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii on, I think, 01 December 1943. They took us up to the Parker Ranch up on the slopes of Mauna Kea. It had snow on it and was colder than heck. They gave us one measly blanket and we like to froze to death. I still remember well that time when some troops came in from training one day. One of them had picked up a shell which he brought back to camp and into probably his tent where it exploded. This left some guys dead and wounded. I also remember leaving Camp Tarawa to go aboard an LST going to Pearl Harbor and then moving on to Saipan in the Marianas.

I would advise anyone to think twice before going to these islands to live, because I got jungle rot on my left ankle in American Samoa in 1942, and I picked up malaria which I still have off and on because it lays dormant and can come back at any time for the rest of your life.

Before Tarawa, I was at Guadalcanal. After Tarawa, I was at Saipan, where I received a major shrapnel wound.

Medals received during the war include the Good Conduct; 2 Presidential Unit Citations; 3 star ribbons, one each for Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Saipan; and the Purple Heart for a total of six.

USMC GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL

A PHOTO LINK TO THE USMC GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL COMES HERE SOON.

PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION (Tarawa)

A PHOTO LINK TO THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION (Tarawa) COMES HERE SOON.

John, you will always be a good Marine. We thank you for your service and sacrifice.

We will remember. The Corps has every reason to be proud of you, as do your fellow countrymen. We will remember you as the patriot who left the “Wildflower Capital of Texas” to slug it out on the sands of Tarawa and returned.

SEMPER FI, JOHN !

Received 23 November 2010

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