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Show L5 t 7tm Milwr Mt jatfiiaiEaati&it-.kf- T. &v e tiMi itiwrt itiff WJ i fs. y J(t.(i&1-S'4- THE RICH COUNTY REAPER. RANDOLPH, UTAH For 169 Years U. Jneir S. Marines Have Been Fighting Ernie Pyles Slant on the War: Country s Battles on Land and on the Sea Arabs Profit by Yanks Liberal Trading Policy Anniversary Finds Corps in Forefront Of War Against Japs The United Infantry the Underdogs of African Battles Carried on Without Fanfare States marine corps celebrates its 169th anni- versary this November 10th, without pause and with no fanfare. For the relatively small marine corps this has been a year of herculean tasks, never before equalled in the long and heroic history of the corps. Over thousands of miles of Pacific ocean, Leathernecks have leapfrogged to within bomber-rang- e of Japan itself. Behind them lay the heaviest marine casualties but small when in history beside one of the greatweighed est military sagas ever written within a period of twelve months. Since November 10th, last, marines have advanced the front on Japan by at least three thousand miles, all the most difficult kind of amphibious operations against an enemy who did not know how to surrender except in death on the point of a marine bayonet. Since the year 1775 when Capt. Robert Mullin recruited the first marines in the Tun Tavern at Philadelphia, Leathernecks have expected as their share, the hardest type of fighting. The first two battalions of marines were promised nothing more than six dollars a month, a liberal daily ration of rum, and plenty of action. For the last 169 years Leathernecks have seen action in virtually every comer of the world. In the War of Independence the n marines served creditably on land and sea. Their first recorded action was a raid on New Providence in the Bahamas. A detachment fought with Washington in the Battle of Princeton and in the second Battle of Trenton. Marines were also present for the historic crossing of the Delaware and were part of the force that surprised the Hessian garrison on Christmas Eve, 1776. Among their earlier admirers was John Paul Jones who saw them in action and openly spoke his admiration. Reorganized in 1798. With the coming of peace, the marines were disbanded, not to be formed again until 1798. It was seven years later that they set out on their first overseas venture an operation that was later to be recorded in the Marine Corps hymn. This action ("shores of Tripoli) was made notable by Lieutenant OBan-no- n who led seven marines and a handful of natives in one of the most daring raids in military history. Always busy, the year 1812 found marines in action again. They fought in many engagements, from Lake Erie with Commodore Perry to New .Orleans with Andrew Jackson. It was remarked even in those days that such a small force numbering scarcely more than a thousand could fight so effectively on so many fronts. The marines' were still a very small force when they went into action in 1845 in the War with Mexico. But despite their numbers they took a major role in the attack on the Fortress of Chapultepec, and, joining with a small force under Lieut. Ulysses S. Grant, marched to the gates of Mexico City. For the next 50 years the marines were relatively idle. They played an occasional part in restoring order in Central America, but they didnt get into action on a serious scale again war. In Until the Spanish-America- n this contest they struck the first blows for American arms; they won the first victories; they electrified the nation with their skill and daring. Rarely has such a small group of fighting men received so many decorations for valor. At Front in World War I. World War I also demonstrated the high percentage of individual marine heroism. One thousand, six marines rehundred and sixty-eigceived awards despite the fact the marine corps was still a relatively small organization. The first American to win the Congressional Medal of Honor was a marine Gunnery Sgt. Charles F. Hoffman who silenced five enemy machine guns in BeUeau Wood. Typical of marine spirit was this report: "5:30 a. m. Four officers and 78 prisoners arrived at brigade headquarters brought in by Marine Private Leonard to whom they surrendered in the Bois de Belleau. Marines entered World War II on the firing line. "Send us more Japs wired the beleaguered marines on new-bor- ht By Ernie Pyle , (Editors Note) : Pyle relates some of his experiences while he was with the doughrest in New Mexico. boys during the African campaign. He is now taking a long-neede- d NORTHERN TUNISIA. One night at Kairouan three of us correspondents, finding the newly taken town filled with newly arrived British and American troops, just drove out of town into the country and camped for the night. We didnt put up a tent. We just slept in the open. The mosquitoes were fierce, and draped netting over our heads. We were in a sort of big ditch right alongside an Arab we graveyard. But neither the graves nor the mos- quitoes bothered us that night, for we were tired and windburned, and before we knew it morning "earJ macne unner carries his gun on his shoulder and his rifle had come and a in ms hand, as he trudges along a soggy trail on New Britain island. hot sun was Another Marine slogs along behind him, with a can of oil beaming down into our squinting lubricating in each hand, while a jeep bounces past. Marine units made their first syes. landing on New Britain on Christmas, 1943. It took many bitter weeks And what should those sleepy eyes to clean out the Japs. oehold but two Arab boys standing right over our bedrolls, holding out Wake Island. On Bataan they fought Thus the Japanese tide of coneggs. It was practically like a New with equal courage. At Midway they quest ebbed. The past year has Worker cartoon. For all I know they helped stem a major enemy in- taught the Jap to dread the marine. may have been standing there .all vasion. Then on August 7, 1942 they In one the fact night. important operation were again chosen by their country that marines were involved was At any rate they had come to to spearhead an offensive. Guadal- withheld as information of value to the right place, for we were canal was the first offensive blow the enemy. The enemy who learned definitely in the market for struck by the Allies against Japan. his lesson from the Leathernecks on eggs. They wouldnt sell for First Division marines fought Guadalcanal now may agree with so we dug into our money, ashore carrying with them the Allied observers that the United box and got four eggs in larder hopes and prayers of the entire civil- States marine is "the most superb trade for three little cellophane ized world. fighting man in the world. of hard candy. Then we packets Leathernecks, recently returned all over again and got started from overseas, often debate the relamore eggs for a pack of four tive fierceness of the battles in which cigarettes. they have engaged the enemy. All We thought it a good trade, but Cost admit that Guadalcanal rates with On found later that the trading ratio the toughest. For weeks the marines which the Germans had set up fought on short rations and with the Marines of us was one cigarette for one' ahead enemy fleet and air force in alWe Americans have to ruin evegg. most constant attendance. When the erything, of course. But as one By TSgt. Benjamin Goldberg marines finally moved out for a rest, soldier said: PELELIU, PALAU ISLANDS they had secured the first toehold on to want I If give $50 for an egg The island was covered with the Japanese perimeter of defense. business and my $50. And its my a pall of black smoke as the MaBougainville, Makin, New Georgia rines all seen of Arabs an extra from Ive landed. followed. Then came Tarawa. Here two aint gonna hurt them or franc of Each wave Leathernecks was the marine corps fought its costliest any." . battle. Moving in on the shattered met with intense enemy fire. Morisland the morning of November 20, tar shells knocked out amphibian All this transpired before we had tractors. From the rocks flanking 1943, marines found the preliminary out of our bedrolls. But the got the beach came machine gun fire. shelling had failed to dislodge the From the traders didnt leave. As we youthful groves came rifle fire. Japanese. The first 24 hours saw the were putting on our pants each boy The Jap was everywhere. In marines clinging to a beachhead 100 a shoeshining box from whisked caves, in pillboxes, in foxholes, un- under his burnoose and went after yards long and 10 yards deep. Sur- der in concealed brush, palm trees, our shoes. Then when we started a almost certain catasmounting in fronds. And he took a fire and were feeding it with sticks, trophe, the marines rallied the wrappedtoll. heavy second day to drive inland. By the: one of the boys got down and blew One to marine reeled the beach, on the flame third day they had completely seto make it bum better. arms dripping blood. As he was cured the island. to see that we had was It easy about to drop into a foxhole, he was a to Marshalls. couple of body servants. acquired Leap slain by a Jap sniper. were herding about The boys the marines n A corporal led his machine-guMoving northward, two dozen goats in some nearby next invaded the Marshall Islands, squad into action. In 20 paces, he clover. Now and then one of meeting with less resistance be- lost six men. would run over and chase them Tarawa at learned had cause they An officer lay in a shallow foxhole the goats back nearer to our to land on flanking islands before speaking over the radio telephone. camp. We called our boy Moassaulting the enemys main posi- A mortar shell plopped nearby. The hammed and the other Abdullah, tions. officer was killed instantly. A corseemed to tickle them. They Marines in this period also were poral beside him was chipped by were happy boys Britain New Island, Cape shrapnel. fighting on 15. of about chief their as Leathfour the first In the hours, Gloucester standing on my goggles. of them-triecampaign. But they soon with- ernecks advanced only 150 yards. HeOne to seemed that he looked imagine theater. this drew from One unit found a cave with three and in wonderful giggled and them, Weeks passed before the marines openings. Twenty feet away was a made know the gogHe didnt poses. struck again. This time they leaped marine, lying on his side. He had Also he were, down, upside gles line and front at the from the been wounded forward 1,700 miles ferwas know I that hoping didnt Marshalls to the Marianas. This, the was returning, alone, for treatment his eyes werent as diseased world realized, was a blow to the when a Jap shot at him from inside vently looked.' as they A aid to raced would cave. the sergeant Japanese stomach, for Saipan told us in French that The boys men of the bring U. S. bombers within range of him while the other rifle Germans had made them work the fire. The unit covered him with Japan proper. an at airport, opening gas cans and to the mouth of the The ensuing battle was waged on sergeant crept flunky work. They said general doing his clip. A second land, sea and air. The Japa- cave, heemptied them 20 francs a Germans the bepaid a bullet nese fleet, drawn out to meet this later hiswas deadA from the local scale, above is which lieutenant inched day, e tween eyes. were German-printe- d out threat, was turned back by turned but it they carrier - based bombers. forward. He too, was shot dead. of course are which francs, Flush Japs. Ashore the Second and Fourth n6w absolutely worthless. One Jap was flushed out of the marines, aided by an army division, Our self - appointed helpers He was ran into even harder fighting than cave by hunted sticks for us, poured a shot. A second one charged out. water out of our big can and they had met at Tarawa. Saipan, with posed mountains, island He, too, was killed. Grenades large helped us wash our mess kits. an entirely new kind of tactical prob- were thrown into the hideaway and They kept blowing in the fire, lem to marines. But, versatile as chased out a third enemy soldier. they cleaned up all the scraps ever,, they soon had secured their He was killed. There was one who around our bivouac, they lifted beachhead and were moving across refused to budge. Twenty pounds of our heavy bedrolls into the jeep the island. The enemy fought tona-a explosive in one cave mouth and the for us, and just as we were in the other two acsuicidal end at Saipan. Even the ready to leave they gave our shoes a final brushing. tive population joined in the battle counted for him. was At dusk, the Japs counter-attackeWe paid them with three cigarettes and, when they saw their cause One of their tanks, and and two sticks of gum each, and lost, leaped into the sea. soon followed Guam some'infantry broke through, almost they were delighted. Tinian and the Guam but pot quite to the beach itself. When we were ready to go we In after. for score the Two of our amphibs came up to shook hands all around, Leathernecks evened They were smiled and saluted. And then one the marine garrison which was meet the assault. and j of the boys asked apologetically if overwhelmed on that island at the knocked out. A third came up Two action. of out tank the we could give them one more thing Jap put outbreak of war. filled with were out and We asked what it was they leaped successes Saipan, Japs This series of - reached the maybe. before bullets' in they Youd never guess. He wanted. an caused upset Tinian, Guam to ground. The Japs lost 50 men and wanted an empty tin can for his and led government the Japanese goats to chew on. We gave him one. Japs withdrew. a bad fright for Tokio. The All night the marines stayed in to swalmuch pause not were given victheir foxholes, while mortar shells "Hadji is the Arab word used in low the implications of these the rear place of "Sir" before the name of From them. about fell nextat struck marines tories. The came sniper fire. These snipers anybody who has journeyed to MecPeleliu in the Palau group. The our positions with rifle ca and become holy. Seven journeys d a was this that japs quicklyatsaw n fire. machine-guand light to Kairouan equal one to Mecca, so the Philippines. blow aimed First Hours Ashore Peleliu Heavily tough-looki- we correspondents now go around calling each other Hadji, since most of us have crossed the city line more than seven times. Another word weve adopted is Its Arabic for hill or "djebel. mountain. On the maps every knob you see is' Djebel This or Djebel That. So we also call each other Djebel, and if you think thats silly, well, we have to have something to laugh at. Were now with an infantry outfit that has battled ceaselessly for four days and nights. This northern warfare has You been in the mountains. dont ride much any more. It is walking and climbing and crawling country. The mountains arent big, but they are constant. They are largely treeless. They are easy to defend and bitter to take. But we are taking them. The Germans lie on the back slope of every ridge, deeply dug into foxholes. In front of them the fields and pastures are hideous with thousands of hidden mines. The forward slopes are left open, untenanted, and if the Americans tried to scale these slopes they would be murdered wholesale in an inferno of machine-gu- n crossfire plus mortars and grenades. Consequently we dont do it that way. We have fallen back to the old warfare of first pulverizing the enemy with artillery, then sweeping around the ends of the hill with infantry and taking them from the sides and behind. . ng (De-laye- , good-nature- d, d i long-rang- Flame-Throwe- rs flame-thrower- s. flame-throw- er d. re-taki-ng -- criss-crosse- Our artillery has really been sensational. For once we have enough of something and at the right time. Officers tell me they actually have more guns than they know what to do with. All the guns in any one sector can be centered to shoot at one spot. And when we lay the whole business on a German hill the whole slope seems to erupt. It becomes an unbelievable cauldron of fire and smoke and dirt. Veteran German soldiers say they, have never been through anything like it. I love the infantry because they are the underdogs. They are the boys. They have no comforts, and they even learn to live without the necessities. And in the end they are the guys that wars cant be won without. I wish you could see just one of the ineradicable pictures I have in my mind today. In this particular picture I am sitting among clumps of sword-gras- s on a steep and rocky hillside that we have just taken. We are looking out over a vast rolling country to the rear. A narrow path comes like a ribbon over a hill miles away, down a long slope, across a creek, up a slope and over another hill. All along the length of this ribbon there Is now a thin line of men. For four days and nights they have' fought hard, eaten little, washed none, and slept hardly at all. Their nights have been violent with attack, fright, butchery, and their days sleepless and miserable with the crash of artillery. The men are walking. They are 50 feet apart, for dispersal. Their walk is slow, for they are dead weary, as you can tell even when looking at them from behind. Every line and sag of their bodies fpeaks their inhuman exhaustion. On their shoulders and backs they carry heavy steel tripods, machine-gu- n barrels, leaden taxes of amuni-tioTheir feet seem to sink into the ground from the overload they are bearing. They dont slouch. It is the terrible deliberation of each step thal spells out their appalling tiredness. Their faces are black and unshaven. They are young men, but the grime and whiskers and exhaustion makes them look middle-ageIn their eyes as they pass is not hatred, not excitement, not despair, not the tonic of their victory there is just the simple expression of being here as though they had been here doing this forever, and nothing else. n. d. |