Fortitudine Vol 34 No 3 - Marines.mil

PASSTHISISSUEON

TOANOTHERMARINE

FORTITUDINEHISTORICAL BULLETIN VOLUME 34, NUMBER 3 2009

JOHN GLENN: MARINE IN SPACEOPERATION ALLEGHENYTHE LINEAGE AND HONORS PROGRAM

BULLETIN OF THE MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL PROGRAM

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release; distribution isunlimited.

PCN 10401220100

HISTORYDIVISION

PRESIDENTMARINE CORPS UNIVERSITY

MajGen Donald R. Gardner, USMC (Ret)

DIRECTORDr. Charles P. Neimeyer

CHIEF HISTORIANCharles D. Melson

HISTORIES BRANCHCharles R. Smith (Senior Historian);Dr. Nathan S. Lowrey; Dr. Fred H.Allison; Paul W. Westermeyer; Dr.Nicholas J. Schlosser; Dr. Thomas M.Baughn

HISTORICAL REFERENCE BRANCHDanny J. Crawford (Branch Head);Robert V. Aquilina; Lena M. Kaljot;Kara R. Newcomer; Annette D.Amerman; Shelia Boyd

FIELDAND ORAL HISTORY BRANCHDr. Nathan S. Lowrey (BranchHead); Col Gary W. Montgomery;LtCol David A. Benhoff; A. RobTaglianetti; CWO-4 Timothy S.McWilliams; GySgt Michael C.Coachman

EDITING AND DESIGN BRANCHKen H. Williams (Branch Head); W.Stephen Hill; Vincent J. Martinez;Wanda F. Renfrow; Jeannette L. Riffe;Gregory A. Macheak

Marine Corps History Division3079 Moreell Avenue

Quantico, Virginia 22134Telephone (703) 432-4877

Motto of the United States Marine Corps in the 1812 era

Historical Bulletin Vol. 34, No. 3 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Cover: Color formal portrait of Col John H.Glenn Jr. dressed in his Project Mercury space suitand helmet, January 1962.

NASA photo

Memorandum from the Director: History Division on the MoveDr. Charles P. Neimeyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Histories Branch: John Glenn’s Race for SpaceDr. Thomas M. Baughn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Urgent Fury Succeeded with the Help of a Navy YachtsmanCol Jeffery Acosta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Oral History: Operation Allegheny and the Search for a Fallen MarineRob Taglianetti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Suppression of PiracyAnnette D. Amerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Chaplains with MarinesRobert V. Aquilina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

National Museum of the Marine Corps: Combat Artist: Sgt Kristopher J.Battles

Gregory A. Macheak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12A Milestone Anniversary: The Marine Corps’ Lineage and Honors Program

Annette D. Amerman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13The History Division and theWorldWideWeb

Kara R. Newcomer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Action Review: The 4th Battalion in Action

Paul W. Westermeyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16Commemorative Namings: Fallen Marines and Corpsmen to be Honored

Robert V. Aquilina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17In Memoriam: Passing of Colonel James Leon

Robert V. Aquilina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18The Marines Defend Iceland,WorldWar II

Danny J. Crawford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18Book Review: Ideas asWeapons

Dr. Nicholas J. Schlosser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

This bulletin of the Marine Corps historical program is published for Marines, at the rate of onecopy for every nine on active duty, to provide education and training in the uses of military andMarine Corps history. Other interested readers may purchase single copies or four-issue sub-scriptions from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office. The appro-priate order form appears in this issue.

“We can only know who we are by being certain ofwho we have been.” Gen Leonard F. Chapman Jr.

24th Commandant of the Marine Corps

2 Fortitudine,Vol. 34, No. 3, 2009

PASSTHIS

ISSU

EON

TOANOTHER

MARIN

E

FORTITUDINEHISTORICAL BULLETIN VOLUME 34, NUMBER 3 2009

JOHN GLENN: MARINE ASTRONAUT

OPERATION ALLEGHENY

THE LINEAGE AND HONORS PROGRAM

BULLETIN OF THE MARINE C ORPS HISTORICAL PROGRAM

Fortitudine, Vol. 34, No. 3, 2009 3

Memorandum from the Director

Dr. Charles P. Neimeyer

History Division on the Move

Into my third year as director, theHistory Division is progressing

toward its strategic goals. With theestablishment of the Marine CorpsUniversity Press and the hiring ofadditional editorial and design staff,the History Division has a nearly com-plete publishing section that will pro-duce history-related publications andother projects in support of MarineCorps University.As the evolution of the History

Division continues, the division rec-ognizes the enduring support of theoutgoing president of the MarineCorps University, Major GeneralDonald R. Gardner. Major GeneralGardner envisioned the need to collo-cate all components of the HistoricalProgram at Quantico in 2005. Oncethe Historical Program moved toQuantico, Major General Gardner waspivotal in establishing the NationalMuseum of the Marine Corps, whichin its first two years of operationexceeded everyone’s expectationsabout attendance. Throughout hiscareer of 54 years, Major GeneralGardner has supported the telling ofCorps’ history, which explains one ofthe reasons for the success of theHistorical Program. As he leaves for awell-deserved retirement, HistoryDivision wishes him well in his futureendeavors.This coming summer, the History

Division will finally vacate its tempo-rary facility and move across the streetinto Building 3078. The division willshare the building with other ele-ments of Marine Corps University butwill largely occupy the first floor ofthe building. The new location comeswith a nice atrium and will providethe division with a more permanentfacility until the General EdwinSimmons History Wing is built.Researchers will still find the divisionready to help them with their research

needs during the period of transitioninto the new building.Also this summer, the division will

lose one of its stalwart members, Mr.Danny J. Crawford, who will retireafter 33 years of federal service, allwith the History Division. Mr.Crawford was hired by the lateBrigadier General Edwin H. Simmonsin 1976. Just four years later, GeneralSimmons placed him in charge of thedivision’s Reference Branch. TheReference Branch represents, alongwith Archives and Special Collections,the corporate memory of the MarineCorps and its value is beyond mea-

sure. Crawford’s leadership and focuson maintaining and expanding theseimportant working files has enabledthousands of historians, researchers,and students to produce histories onthe Marine Corps these past 33 years.Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a sin-gle historical publication publishedduring his tenure in which he did notplay at least some sort of role. Until anew branch head is hired, the capableRobert Aquilina, currently the assis-tant branch head, will lead thebranch.The Histories Branch, ably led by

Charles D. Melson, chief historian,recently hired two PhDs, Dr. ThomasN. Baughn, Catholic University (2007),and Dr. Nicholas J. Schlosser,University of Maryland (2008). Dr.Baughn is tasked to help with the pro-ject called 100 Years of Marine CorpsAviation. Dr. Schlosser is completingan anthology on Operation IraqiFreedom, 2004–2008, and then willbegin working on a project docu-menting Marines in the Cold War peri-od.The History Division’s field histori-

ans are completing work this summeron an oral history collection related tothe Awakening in al-Anbar Province,Iraq. History Division is producingthis manuscript at the suggestion ofMajor General John F. Kelly, whothoughtfully pointed out that HistoryDivision needed to document notonly what the Marine Corps has beendoing in this strategic province thesepast two years, but also to documentthe support and assistance the Corpshas received from Iraqi tribal leader-ship and local officials. HistoryDivision expects to publish this bookin the fall of 2009.The History Division continues to

thrive at Quantico with increased pro-duction of quality historical publica-tions for the Corps and public. In thecoming year, the division will hiremore staff for the Marine CorpsUniversity Press, and hopefully, onemore historian. Soon to be publishedwill be a definitive history called theMarines in the Frigate Navy, byCharles R. Smith, a comprehensivehistory of the Marine Corps in DesertStorm by Paul W. Westermeyer, and ahistory of the early stages of MarineCorps involvement in OperationEnduring Freedom by Dr. Nathan S.Lowrey. It is an exciting time to bewriting the history of the MarineCorps. �1775�

MajGen Donald Gardner


The final lines of the Marines’Hymn assert that “if the Army and

the Navy ever look on Heaven’sscenes, they will find the streets areguarded by United States Marines.”Amid the threats of the Cold War andthe fear that the Soviets were movingahead of the United States in develop-ing offensive missiles, Marine ColonelJohn H. Glenn Jr. was one of the firstAmerican astronauts to guardAmerican interests in the heavens.Braving the unknowns of outer space,he became the first American astro-naut to orbit the earth on 20 February1962.Four and a half years before

Glenn’s flight, the Soviets shocked theworld by launching Sputnik 1 intoouter space on 4 October 1957. Glennnoted in his memoir that “suddenlythe Cold War converged around thenext frontier—space—and the Sovietshad gotten there first.” This develop-ment erased American perceptions oftechnological superiority in tacticalnuclear and bomber assets. Biggerand better nuclear bombs were of lit-tle consequence if the potential foehad a faster delivery system that wasvirtually incapable of interdictiononce launched.Two months before Sputnik 1, the

Soviets had launched the first success-ful intercontinental ballistic missile.Americans feared that a powerfulSoviet rocket could put nuclearbombs in orbit over the United Statesas easily as it put Sputnik 1 overhead.By 1957, the Soviets had demonstrat-ed nuclear capabilities (fission andfusion bombs), intercontinental ballis-tic missiles, and the ability to orbitsatellites. After the launch of Sputnik1, Soviet Secretary Nikita Khrushchevboasted that “the United States nowsleeps under a Soviet moon.”Four months after the Sputnik 1

launch, Glenn volunteered to becomea test pilot for the National AdvisoryCommittee for Aeronautics, which

became the National Aeronautics andSpace Administration (NASA) whenPresident Dwight D. Eisenhowersigned the act in July 1958 that estab-lished a manned space program.NASA recruited astronauts from thepool of military test pilots, preferringpilots with combat experience in han-dling dynamic situations. The physicalor experience criteria eliminated 80percent of the pilots who applied. Thelist of 110 who remained did notinclude any Marines because the Navywas not specifically asked to includethem in the initial selection. The com-manding officer at the Patuxent RiverU.S. Naval Flight Test Center, ColonelJames “Jake” K. Dill, remedied thatdeficiency. Early in 1959, Glennreceived orders to report to thePentagon, where he volunteered

Histories Branch

John Glenn’s Race for Spaceby Dr. Thomas M. Baughn

Historian

Baltimore Sun

Many felt that American complacencyhad allowed the Soviets to leap aheadof the U.S. in the “space race.”

LtCol Glenn was given comprehensive physical and psychological examinationsto determine his ability to withstand the rigors of traveling in outer space.

NASA Photo


When Soviet cosmonaut YuriGagarin became the first human to belaunched into outer space on 12 April1961, the Soviets gained significantglobal stature. The contrasting imagefrom the United States during the earlymonths of the 1960s was of Americanrockets exploding in huge fireballs.The mission for Glenn and other earlyastronauts was to demonstrate thatAmericans could at least match Sovietaccomplishments in outer space andto help reclaim America’s technologi-cal leadership and elevate its prestigein the world.

Just four weeks after Gagarin’s mis-sion, Alan B. Shepard Jr., USN,made a suborbital flight, becoming the

first American in space. It took anoth-er nine months, however, before theAmericans had the more powerfulAtlas rocket ready to propel an astro-naut into orbit. Glenn was chosen forthe flight, which was scheduled for 20February 1962. NASA planned a mini-mum of three orbits for his Friendship7 capsule. After achieving orbit, Glennwas given a “go” for at least sevenorbits. True to the drama that attend-ed these first flights, one of the cap-sule’s maneuvering jets clogged,necessitating that Glenn disengageautomatic control and start manualcontrol of the spacecraft. There werealso sporadic problems with the gyro-scopes. More unnerving was a pro-posed explanation for the “fireflies”that flew by the capsule window.Glenn realized that ground controlwas discussing whether the landingbag, reentry shield, and retro-rocketswere loose or damaged and might becausing the luminescence that Glennobserved. These concerns causedNASA to countermand the sevenorbits and settle for three. The retro-rockets had to fire correctly to slowthe capsule enough for Glenn’s returnto earth. After firing, the retro-rocketswould be jettisoned, and the heatshield would protect Glenn from thesearing heat of more than 2,000degrees Fahrenheit.

Since visible inspection of the sus-pect components was not possible,ground control decided to delay thejettison of the retro-rockets until afterfiring to abate some of the heat beforethe restraining straps burned awayand the retro-rockets separated fromthe capsule. Ground control hopedthat the force of the upper atmos-phere would pin a potentially loose

“without hesitation” for the Mercuryprogram because “the country neededastronauts.” Glenn recounted thatNASA required “a new kind of test fly-ing that had never been done, but itwas a necessary step in the space racewith the Soviets.”Glenn recognized the connection

between the space race and geopoli-tics and was eager to do his part inassuring America’s leadership, arguingthat “we ought to get up there beforethe Soviets do, if we can.” It tookmore than patriotism, however, toserve the U.S. as an astronaut. AsNASA pared the list of 110 applicants,Glenn’s lack of a college degreeresulted in his de-selection. ColonelDill learned of this development, lob-bied the selection committee, andmanaged to convince NASA thatGlenn’s combined academic recordamounted to more than a bachelor’sdegree. NASA agreed, and Glenn’sname appeared on the short list of 32candidates. The next obstacle was abattery of physical and psychologicaltests. Not knowing how the bodywould react to the conditions inspace, doctors and scientists adminis-tered a wide array of tests during thefinal selection process that pushed thetest pilots to their physical and mentallimits. After all the testing, Glenn wasone of the seven men selected toreach for the heavens and to experi-ence “being shot into space strappedon top of a huge bomb,” as missilelaunches were wryly described at thetime.

Glenn was well prepared for sucha ride. He had flown 59 missions

in World War II and 63 in Korea andbeen decorated five times with theDistinguished Flying Cross, the fifthone for setting a new transcontinentalspeed record. He was the first to crossthe United States at an average speedexceeding the sound barrier in aVought F8U-1P Crusader jet fighter on16 July 1957. As he moved into theMercury program, Glenn felt thatMarine aviators had a responsibility tooccupy the “forward positions in aworld increasingly defined by the ten-sions of the Cold War” and wanted to“make sure that if the Cold War turnedhot, the edge would be ours.”

Maj Glenn sitting astride the cockpit ofhis Vought F8U-1P Crusader aftercompleting his record, breakingtranscontinental flight (Project Bullet)in 1957.

Official Department of Defense Photo


Naval Astronaut Wings


heat shield against the capsule longenough to save the mission. Not onlydid Glenn have to face all of these

procedure. If the angle of reentry wastoo shallow, the capsule would skipoff the atmosphere into outer space,stranding Glenn. He knew it would beimpossible to prepare and launchanother capsule quickly enough toreach a stranded astronaut even in alow orbit. Orbital rendezvous was yetto be attempted, and there was noway to transfer to an unmanned res-cue capsule. Modification of existingmanned capsules to carry and safelyreturn two astronauts was also not anoption. If the reentry angle was toosteep, the capsule would be destroyedby extreme heat. Fortunately, the heatshield was not compromised, andGlenn splashed down safely in theAtlantic Ocean approximately sixmiles from the nearest recovery ship,USS Noa.Glenn forever secured his place in

history as the first Marine aviator to flyin space and the first American toorbit the earth. Approximately sevenyears later, American astronauts land-ed on the moon on 20 July 1969. NoMarine has yet walked the lunar sur-face—an objective for the current gen-eration of Marine aviators, who con-tinue their astronaut training (current-ly six) for their time in the heavens.

�1775�

potential problems, he also had tomanually fly the capsule during reen-try, which was an extremely difficult

Official Marine Corps Photo

LtCol Glenn presented the flag that he carried with him in Friendship 7 toAssistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Lieutenant General Charles Hayes.The 50-star flag was donated to the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

Today’s expeditionary strikegroups have access to satellite

intelligence, unmanned aerial vehi-cles, and computer information net-works to conduct rapid planning foramphibious operations. Prior to thedawn of the information age in 1990s,it took weeks, sometimes months, togather the intelligence on coastlinesand beaches required to conduct anamphibious operation.On 19 October 1983 on the island

nation of Grenada, an army firingsquad executed Prime MinisterMaurice R. Bishop and some cabinetmembers after they had been releasedfrom imprisonment by Grenadiansprotesting the arrest of Prime MinisterBishop by Deputy Prime MinisterBernard Coard. Trapped in the mid-dle of this political turmoil were sev-

eral hundred U.S. students attendinga medical college on the island.President Ronald W. Reagan, armedwith a request for U.S. support fromthe Organization of Eastern Carib-bean States, decided to rescue thestudents.

One of units dispatched toGrenada was Marine Amphibi-

ous Ready Group 1-84, consisting ofthe five-ship Amphibious Squadron 4:USS Guam, USS Trenton, USS FortSnelling, USS Barnstable County, andUSS Manitowoc. On board the shipswas the 22d Marine Amphibious Unit.This grouping of ships and Marineswere part of Joint Task Force 120.On the morning of 25 October, the

task force was planning to amphibi-ous assault Grenada in three days, but

it had little or no intelligence infor-mation about Grenada’s coastline orbeaches. Fortunately, CommanderRichard A. Butler, USN, a yachtsmanand chief of staff of AmphibiousSquadron 4, had sailed his yachtaround Grenada in 1977. He knewthe island’s coastline and beacheswell enough to provide the informa-tion needed to plan and execute theamphibious assault. His informationallowed the 22d Marine AmphibiousUnit to land at several locations onthe island and help with the rescue ofthe college students. CommanderButler’s knowledge of the beachesand coastline was a major reason forthe success of Operation Urgent Fury,the first offensive military operationconducted by the United States afterthe Vietnam War. �1775�

Urgent Fury Succeeded with the Help of a Navy Yachtsmanby Col Jeffrey Acosta

Field Historian


Charlie Ridge was a jungle fortressin I Corps near An Hoa, Quang

Nam Province about 18 miles south ofDa Nang, Vietnam. It was here in theDong Lam Mountains that the VietCong and North Vietnamese Armytrained for and staged attacks againstthe Da Nang corridor. Multiple opera-tions into the Dong Lam Mountainshad been launched in 1966 to neutral-ize the enemy threat against Da Nangand environs. During August 1966,Captain Donald R. Gardner, command-ing officer of Company C, 3dReconnaissance Battalion, 3d MarineDivision, and his men probed deepinto Charlie Ridge and battled the VietCong and North Vietnamese Army inan operation called Allegheny.The mission of 3d Reconnaissance

Battalion throughout the summer of

1966 was to gather intelligence aboutthe region surrounding Charlie Ridgewhere the Viet Cong often retreatedafter engagements with the Marines.Because the composition of the enemyin this region was unknown, the 3dMarine Division planners cautiouslyprescribed battalion-sized patrolsspearheaded by 3d ReconnaissanceBattalion reinforced with infantry. Oneof the reconnaissance members wasLieutenant Lawrence C. Vetter Jr., whowrote in his book Never WithoutHeroes (New York: Ivy Books 1996),that this method was contrary toreconnaissance doctrine because thelack of noise discipline gave away theelement of surprise.The 3d Marine Division planners

finally allowed smaller reconnaissanceteams, which discovered Viet Cong

training camps that could accommo-date hundreds of men. The reconnais-sance teams gathered valuable intelli-gence that indicated probable attacktargets were U.S. camps and artillerypositions around the Dai Loc District.Lieutenant Vetter wrote how he rec-ommended that the infantry move intothe area and destroy probable smallerenemy units. Contrary to his recom-mendation though, 3d ReconnaissanceBattalion inserted smaller four-manteams into the region.Gunnery Sergeant Edrell L. Myers

led one of the four-man teams thatincluded Sergeant Peter M. “Ski”Gorczewski, radioman Lance CorporalEdward J. Rykoskey, and Navy corps-man Manuel N. “Doc” Perez. On 18August 1966 at approximately 1345,the Viet Cong ambushed Myers’ team,killing Rykoskey and silencing theradio. Perez was severely wounded bya gunshot through the back.Subsequently, Myers and Gorczewskidecided to evacuate Perez to safetyeven though both of them had to fightwith one hand while dragging thecorpsman. They decided to leaveRykoskey’s body behind and toretrieve it later after they had eludedtheir attackers. Though Myers,Gorczewski, and Perez had miles togo, they finally made it out of thetriple-canopy jungle safely. However,since they didn’t have a radio, 3dReconnaissance Battalion had no ideaof their situation.

Because the 3d Marine Division’sreserve force was committed else-

where at the time, Captain Gardnerorganized a provisional reconnais-sance platoon of approximately 20men. Company H, 2d Battalion, 3dMarine Regiment, assisted CaptainGardner’s platoon. Because the statusof Lance Corporal Rykoskey’s bodywas still unknown and because ofenemy opposition, a battalion com-

Oral History

Operation Allegheny and the Search for aFallen Marine

by Rob TaglianettiOral Historian

LtCol Ohanesian, commanding officer of 2/3, demonstrated for the photograph-er the “correct” method to load a Viet Cong training weapon. The wooden mock-up was remarkable in its detail. This training aid was found by Marines of LtColOhanesian’s battalion during Operation Allegheny, August 1966. LtColOhanesian was later killed in action on 1 March 1967.



mand group along with several othercompanies of infantry joined CaptainGardner and Company H. Now-MajorGeneral Gardner has stated that heowes his life to the decisive actions ofLieutenant Colonel Victor Ohanesian,2/3’s commanding officer, and MajorRobert F. Sheridan, 2/3’s S-3, and theMarines of 2/3 for their quick deploy-

action. Captain Gardner received theSilver Star for his leadership during thisengagement. As the operation came toa close on 27 August 1966, CaptainGardner sat down that evening torecount the tumultuous events of thepast two weeks for his after actionreport. He wrote the following, whichhas been extracted from his diary.

ment and decisive tactics to neutralizethe enemy: “If it wasn’t for them, Iwould not be here today.”

Operation Allegheny lasted 10days, with 117 Viet Cong con-

firmed killed and 99 probable killed orwounded in action. The Marines suf-fered 3 killed and 29 wounded in

On the 16th of August 1966, a four-man patrol ofCharlie Company, 3d Recon Battalion, all volun-teers, was inserted deep into enemy territory. The

patrol operated clandestinely for three days gaining valu-able information about the terrain and enemy troops. Onthe afternoon of August 18th, Vietcong took the smallpatrol under heavy automatic weapons fire. In the initialburst, LCpl Edward J. Rykoskey, the radioman, was killedand Doc Perez [Manuel N.], the Navy corpsman, waswounded. The patrol eluded the enemy and escaped theirambush.On the morning of the 19th when no contact had been

made with the patrol, I mounted out a relief platoon of 20people. The platoon moved into their original landing zoneand found no sign of them. That afternoon, we were joinedby Hotel Company, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines. Later, Ireceived word that three members of the patrol had walkedout of the jungle to friendly lines, after destroying the gearthat could not be carried. Our mission now was one of try-ing to recover the body. Half of the Recon elementremained to secure the landing zone and the other half,with myself, set out into the jungle as point for the com-pany and acting as scouts. We tried to move over the patrolroute of the old patrol and a thorough search of the areaaround the first fight produced negative results. It was withdeep regret that I reported the body was not there.The next morning the company and my scouts moved

out. That evening, about 1600, we made contact with oneof their villages and Hotel took one wounded. The villagewas large enough for at least 50 people with class rooms,a galley, and tunnels and caves throughout. As theVietcong were pushed out the other side, several weaponsand many documents were policed up.The next morning the battalion command group joined

us and the clear and search had become OperationAllegheny. I was instructed to move with Golf Company,2d Battalion, 3d Marines with my scouting element. In ourmovement for the next two days, we encountered accuratesniper fire but I did not lose any of my men. On the after-noon of the 22nd, a large village complex was located neara swift running stream. It was like the other with huts thathad tunnels and caves under them. One platoon and myMarines moved down into the village that afternoon whilethe remainder of the company had set up security on thehigh ground to the south of us.

Diary of Captain Donald R. Gardner, Commanding Officer,Company C, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion,Vietnam

At about 1400, while near the creek, the patrol was hitby heavy automatic weapons fire and at once, most of

us were pinned down. While the platoon was setting in, Ihad started up the north side of the creek with myradioman, LCpl Philip W. Berry, and my shotgun, Cpl JohnE. Hamilton Jr. Part way up the hill, seeing I would discov-er them, the Vietcong opened up on me from about 10meters. It was only by the grace of God I survived the ini-tial burst. I shouted a warning to the platoon commanderto deploy and I opened up with the M-14 I was carryingwounding the nearest Vietcong. While I was changing mag-azines, I was pinned down by increased fire and my shot-gun was down with a wound in his neck. The next closestCharlie dropped three chicom grenades down the hill ontop of us. These grenades landed within 6 to 10 feet ofmyself and my radioman each time and you would thinkthat one of them could have been a dud. When you lookup the hill and see one of those grenades coming, it seems

Courtesy MajGen Gardner

Command post of Capt Gardner at Da Nang, Vietnam.


like a lifetime before it explodes. It was so close; I couldsee details on the side with its wooden top. We rolled fromside to side, under what little cover we had, to get betterfiring positions. By this time our machine guns had openedup giving us some covering fire while I moved back acrossthe creek into our line to get our perimeter established. Thecry for corpsman was sounding up and down the line. Thatone word will make your heart stand still.The Marines, even to the lowest rank, deployed with

skill, and their brave and courageous fighting spirit in theface of such dangers made me exceedingly proud. Therewere many cases of complete disregard for the Marine’s

1: Location where GySgt Myers’ patrol was ambushed, 18 August 1966. 2: Location of 2/3’s landing zone whereCompanies G and H launched Operation Allegheny on 20 August 1966. Company H landed at the site on 19August 1966. 3: Location where Capt Gardner’s patrol and Company G were ambushed at approximately 1400on 22 August 1966. (Source: 3d Marine Regiment’s command chronology, August 1966.)

own personal safety as wounded were moved and ammoredistributed. By now the VC were taking wounded anddead as well and if we were to be encircled, by damn, wewould take a lot of them with us. As I moved down ourline, checking my scouts, the wounded number rose to 7and I only had 10 with me. Except for my three “headwounded” Marines, the remainder stayed in position firingat will with deadly aim. Our wounded had been movedinto a sheltered area where they were being treated by sev-eral corpsmen. My corpsman, Doc Thomas, had a gunshotwound through the hip but he stilled performed his duty.My wounds were slight because I had received grenade


fragments in theright leg and leftarm.By now it was

apparent that areinforced platoonhad engaged us,were well disci-plined troops, andhad the highground. Their firediscipline was per-fect, and it seemedthey were biggerand healthier thanthe VC. I am con-vinced that theywere North Viet-namese Army. Thecommunications to

the remainder of the company was good because GolfCompany had deployed on the south ridge. The battalionair officer, 1stLt Robert W. Nichols, performed admirably. Atgrave personal risk, he worked his way into my position. Iwon’t use the word cover because you could see and hearincoming everywhere. We were way too close for artillerysupport so I requested gun ships and the Hueys arrived inabout half an hour. Nichols marked our front line by burn-ing a Vietcong hut. The machine gun fire of those beauti-ful gun ships crept down the north ridge into old Charlie.Nichols asked, “How close you want them?” Although youcould hardly see the sky and the planes couldn’t see us, Itook a chance and had him bring them in to 50 meters. Atthis point there was so much fire that it didn’t matter if alittle was ours but we would get to take a few of them withus. The gun ships proved their worth and after severalstrikes, the North Vietnamese Army broke contact exceptfor sniping. We got our wounded up to the LZ and out ona chopper, the crew chief of which was hit by gun fire.

We gave a good account of ourselves and, in all, thefire fight lasted a little over two hours. The actions of

my acting First Sergeant, GySgt Edrell L. Myers, Sgt Peter M.Gorczewski, and LCpl W. P. Knight were exceptionally noteworthy. Staff Sergeant Crawford’s infantry platoon morethan held up its end of the job.On the following day we continued to patrol, and again

we were running point with Knight, Myers, and me in thelead. We were ambushed again by an automatic weaponand the Gunny, who was between us, got cut down in theopening burst. The jungle hides them well, and they aremasters of camouflage, but they missed the rest of us as weimmediately opened fire. Staff Sergeant Edward F.Crawford’s platoon [Hotel Company, 2/3] moved up in sup-port, and we got the Gunny back to the LZ by about 1000.We continued to patrol all that day reaching the rear

edge of the company line about 1500. Near the same spot,but from the opposite side, the unit was ambushed again.The North Vietnamese Army just held up in caves during

the air strikes and hitwhen it was at theiradvantage. This unitwas not afraid to fight,and we laid down cov-ering fire as the platoonmoved off the hill andswept through them.This time the infantrytook the lead andcleaned them up. I did-n’t have any other peo-ple wounded, but theinfantry lost three, and Ihad three litter caseswith several walkingwounded.We walked out to an

open LZ about ten hun-dred meters out of opencanopy getting intoEcho’s line about 2200.Major J. C. Gonzalez,XO of Charlie Company3d Recon, had beensent out to relieve meby Major Gary Wilder,CO of 3d Recon Battalion,because of my leg and he wanted to be briefed. We arrivedat Charlie medical battalion at about 0215 because the birdswere late, but it was sure good to reach the LZ and minglearound. The battalion surgeon took over the woundedwhile a chaplain and I knelt and prayed the Lord’s Prayer.After a while, LtCol Victor Ohanesian, CO of 2/3, came byand gave us a “well done.” The following day I briefed theBattalion S-2, 3d Marine Regiment CO and S-2, 3d MarineDivision G-2, and Maj Wilder who was pleased with thejob. It still continues now but, for the most part, it’s infantrywork. I know that had it not been for the prayers of mydevoted wife and loving mother I would not be here sincethere were too many close calls for me not to be receivingGod’s protection. It’s a good thing they don’t have our M-26 grenades. Now that contact with the enemy has beenmade and I have proved myself, we can carry on the war.I guess I reacted like I’d hoped I would, but I didn’t havetime to be scared. When I think back over it all, I wasproud to be a part of it.I can remember two funny incidents during the two hour

fight. The first was that a small pig was in the village, and heran back and forth during the whole firefight without ascratch—although I suspect a Marine had him for supper.The second one was 1stLt Nichols, during the thick of thefight, when our radios were drawing fire, yelled at me, “Whatthe hell is an aviator doing down here, I can’t even see thesky?” He was wounded the following day fighting likeinfantry; he was the best FAC I have ever worked with. I amputting him in for the Silver Star. There was much personalbravery, so now I am putting four Marines in for awards.The worst part of the whole thing was writing the

LCpl Rykoskey

Courtesy of MajGen Gardner

Capt Gardner, 1966


Rykoskeys and telling them their son was dead, and hisbody was not recovered. I would rather return to Hill 886and the green inferno than sit at this desk, late at night,struggling with a letter of condolence. What a welcome

sight to see the boxes and letters from my love when Ireturned. We had a memorial service yesterday forRykoskey. The sound of taps rings a lonely note from thishillside looking over the rice patties. �1775�

heroic conduct and inspiring example,Chaplain Capodanno upheld the high-est traditions of the United States Navywhen he gave his life to help a Marinein need.Today, Lieutenant Capodanno is

recognized as having been one of theNavy’s most dedicated chaplains.There are monuments in his honor,and both a chapel at Camp Pendleton,California, and a Navy fast frigatebears his name. �1775�

Chaplains with Marinesby Robert V. Aquilina

Historian

Suppression of Piracyby Annette D. Amerman

Historian

In an episode seemingly pluckedfrom today’s headlines, Captain

Charles C. Mooars of the whaling brigMaria was taken hostage in August1851 by King Selim on Johanna Island(part of the Comoro Islands nearMadagascar). Commander WilliamPearson’s U.S. Navy sloop Dale wasalready in the vicinity on anti-slavepatrols, and with a detachment of 27Marines, immediately proceeded tothe island.Upon the Dale’s arrival,

Commander Pearson informed KingSelim of his demands, which were

promptly refused. After receiving therefusal, Commander Pearson orderedhis Marines and sailors to open fire onthe fort. After six guns had been fired,the fort quickly threw up the whiteflag. Pearson dispatched ActingLieutenant Reginald Fairfax in anunsuccessful attempt to win therelease of Captain Mooars.The white flag was lowered, and

Commander Pearson opened fire onceagain. After a battering of 26 roundshot and 13 round shells, firingceased. Again, Pearson dispatched aparty to shore. They quickly returned

with the captured American and apayment of $1,000 from King Selim.The Dale remained in the area and

later in the month of August, while atanchor near the American barkPaulina, witnessed the nearby shiplowering the American flag.Suspecting something was amiss,Commander Pearson dispatched aparty of Marines and sailors to boardher. Part of the crew of the Paulinawere about to mutiny and were quick-ly, and easily, apprehended by theMarines and sailors of the Dale andplaced in confinement. �1775�

Navy chaplains have a long anddistinguished history of adminis-

tering to the spiritual needs ofMarines. One such man was theremarkable Father Vincent R.Capodanno. After his ordination inJune 1957, Father Capodanno servedfrom 1958 to 1965 as a MaryknollMissionary for the Catholic ForeignMission Society in the Far East. As theconflict in Vietnam escalated in early1965, Father Capodanno felt the callto enter the Navy. He subsequentlyaccepted an appointment on 28December 1965 as a Lieutenant,Chaplain Corps, U.S. Naval Reserve,and received indoctrination at theNaval Chaplains School in Newport,Rhode Island.In April 1966, Lieutenant

Capodanno deployed to the Republicof Vietnam and was assigned as achaplain with the 1st Marine Division.Battle hardened Marines soon came toseek out and appreciate the consola-tion and understanding they found inthe tall, soft-spoken “Grunt Padre.”Lieutenant Capodanno always seemedto be on the go, and most of the timehe was to be found with Marines in

the field. While serving as chaplainfor the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines, on 4September 1967 in Quang TriProvince, he heard reports that 2dPlatoon, Company M, was in dangerof being overrun by a strong enemyforce. Lieutenant Capodanno immedi-ately requested to leave his secure sta-tion and attend to the Marines. In thewords of the citation that wouldaccompany his posthumously award-ed Medal of Honor, Father Capodanno“ran to the beleagueredplatoon through an openarea raked with fire . . .and despite painful, multi-ple wounds to his armsand legs, refused all med-ical aid, and continued tomove about the battlefieldand provide encourage-ment by voice and exam-ple to the Marines.”Seeing a wounded corps-man directly in the line offire of an enemy machine-gun, he rushed forward tothe man’s aid but wasstruck down by a burst ofmachine-gun fire. By his

National Museumof the Marine Corps

18900 Jefferson Davis HwyTriangle, VAOpen 9am to 5pmEvery day except Christmaswww.usmcmuseum.org


Sergeant Kristopher J. Battles, a Marine combat artist, has made two trips to Iraq sketching,taking pictures, and experiencing the daily lives of Marines in a war zone. While on patrolwith a unit of the 3d Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, he traveled across a landscape he

described as “desolate and naked.” He felt it all being “surreal” with a “mixture of anxiety, ten-sion, and strange normalcy to it.” Another one of his experiences, which he turned into a paint-ing, was a visit to a patrol base on 18 November 2006 near al-Habbaniyah, west of al-Fallujah,where he found a group of Marines from Lima Company 3/2 sitting around a fire in the crispmorning air. The lighting caught his attention, and the scene was “emotionally and composition-ally interesting.” He took picture after picture of this scene. When he got back to Quantico, hecreated a 48 by 54-inch oil on canvas painting called A Little Light Reading, shown below.

A Little Light Reading

National Museum of the Marine Corps

by Gregory A. MacheakEditor for Fortitudine

Combat Artist: Sgt Kristopher J. Battles

Sgt Battles


“No project undertaken by . . .the section . . . is more impor-

tant than executing the Lineage andHonors Program.” So stated BrigadierGeneral Edwin H. Simmons, thendirector of the former History andMuseums Division, in his “Memoran-dum from the Director” in the summer1995 Fortitudine. This year, theHistory Division is celebrating the 40thanniversary of the program staunchlyadvocated by General Simmons.Despite the coveted nature of theissued certificates, many Marines areunaware of this important program’shistory, intent, and guiding principles.The streamers that Marine units

proudly display on their organization-al colors depend upon an effectiveLineage and Honors (L&H) program,which formally began in 1969. Bornout of the need to track the adminis-

trative histories and cumulative hon-ors, the L&H program was modeledslightly after the Army’s program.Before 1969, each unit kept track of itsown history and battle honors—some-times not faithfully or accurately.While the program initially focusedalmost entirely on Fleet Marine Forceunits, today there are more than 430units (including a number of non-FMFunits) that are eligible for certificatesbased on specific criteria outlined inthe Manual for the Marine CorpsHistorical Program. Since the incep-tion of the program, the historians ofthe Historical Reference Branch of theMarine Corps History Division haveresearched, printed, and issued nearly1,700 sets of certificates. Each set ofcertificates receives the signature ofthe Commandant of the Marine Corpsand is intended for framing and post-

ing in the headquarters or other cen-tralized location within each unit. It ishoped that this prominent locationwill stimulate interest in unit historyand aid in building esprit de corps.The Historical Reference Branch

receives thousands of queries fromunits throughout the Marine Corpseach year, and many are specificallyrelated to certificate eligibility require-ments. In an attempt to clear up mis-conceptions and ambiguities, theManual for the Marine CorpsHistorical Program outlines, in clearterms, the eligibility requirements.Only those units of the operatingforces that are of battalion (orsquadron) size or larger and that rateType III, Class 1 colors (Marine Corpsflag) are entitled to receive certificates.Bases, air stations, and separate com-panies (such as ANGLICO) are also

A Milestone Anniversary: The Marine Corps’Lineage and Honors Program

by Annette D. AmermanHistorian

A Marine and a member of the 2d Marine DivisionAssociation rededicate one of the division’s battle streamers

during their 64th birthday celebration in January 2005.Official Marine Corps photo


entitled; however, units of the sup-porting establishment, such as securi-ty battalions of bases and schools, arenot. Those units established for a tem-porary period of time (i.e., provision-al), such as a “proof of concept”detachment, are also ineligible forL&H certificates because these unitshave no antecedents or no descen-dants.

Compiling the history and deter-mining the honors of units for

L&H certificates requires historians toexamine the command chronologiesand other pertinent primary docu-ments submitted by units. In recentyears, the ability to quickly “copy andpaste” has, unfortunately, created atrend of poor quality commandchronology submissions. Commandchronologies often are the only docu-ment that records the unit’s activitiesand, without specific details on suchitems as size of detachments and spe-cific dates or locations of deploy-ments, units may not be given propercampaign or service credit, let alonethe corresponding streamers. In anattempt to remedy this situation, inrecent years the attendees at theCommander’s Course have beenbriefed on the Historical Program andthe significance of the commandchronologies.

Force structure changes obviouslyaffect a unit’s lineage. Throughouttheir history, units are activated, redes-ignated, deactivated, reactivated, relo-cated, mobilized, and demobilized,and they participate as well in numer-ous operations and deployments. Allof these activities are recorded on theunit’s lineage certificate. Working withTotal Force Structure Division,Aviation Division, and other agenciesof Headquarters Marine Corps, the his-torians of the Historical ReferenceBranch ensure that the unit’s historyand battle honors are perpetuatedthroughout various changes to theunit’s structure and organization. Aprominent example exists from theGlobal War on Terrorism expansion ofthe Corps to 202,000 Marines—thereactivation of the three battalions ofthe 9th Marines. Instead of creatingnew infantry battalions, the battalionsof the 9th Marines were reactivatedafter a period of more than 10 years ofinactivation. Should the Corps need toincrease its infantry capability onceagain, it would be logical and withinthe tenants of the L&H Program toreactivate elements of the 5th MarineDivision, which last saw action duringthe Vietnam War. Significant forcestructure changes, such as that whichaffected the logistics community in theaftermath of Operations Desert

Shield/Storm and Iraqi Freedom, cansignificantly impact the L&H program,as historians attempt to sort out theintent, mission, organization, and hier-archical echelon of the new units toensure each is displaying properstreamers and correct history. The his-torians of Historical Reference Branchtoday are still working with the unitsof the old Force Service SupportGroups to determine their history andbattle honors rated (if any).Lineage and Honors certificates go

hand-in-hand with streamers. HistoryDivision is the authenticating authori-ty for streamers. Each unit that desiresstreamers must first receive theapproval from History Division, whichensures that each requesting unit isdisplaying only those streamers thatare authorized for that unit. In the pastyear, the Historical Reference Branchhas digitized its collection of award(Presidential Unit Citation and Navyand Meritorious Unit Commendation)streamers and made them available toCommon Access Card users throughthe division’s intranet portal. Nearly5,000 pages of citations and support-ing documentation are now availableto units, which can use them forchanges in command programs, colorrededications, and professional mili-tary education initiatives. Again, cor-rectness in determining streamer enti-tlements is dependent upon accuratecommand chronology submissions.

The efficiency of a unit depends notonly on its training and experi-

ence. Morale also plays a large part inits successful operation. “All Marinesknow that in battle they will beexpected to do the impossible. Theywill do their duty while ignoring phys-ical hardship, personal danger, andthe certainty of no reward. They aremotivated by a simple understandingthat Marines will always do what mustbe done, and that Marines of the pastin similar situations did likewise.” Thelate Colonel John W. Ripley’s sageobservation sums up what lineage andhonors certificates try to capture injust a few pages of parchment—byengaging the individual Marine in thehistory of one’s unit and traditions, heor she is part of a larger collective andbonded forever. �1775�

Marines from 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, uncase the colors during the unit’sreactivation ceremony held 18 April 2008. The uncasing signifies the activationof command by showcasing the colors and battle streamers of the reactivated bat-talion.

Official Marine Corps Photo


For the past several years, theMarine Corps History Division has

been trying to expand its presence onthe World Wide Web. Despite not hav-ing a dedicated webmaster, the His-torical Reference Branch has workedhard to expand and make our publicWeb site (www.history.usmc.mil) aconvenient, user-friendly place tobegin research in Marine Corps histo-ry.Prior to the History Division’s relo-

cation during September 2005 from theWashington Navy Yard to its currenthome at Marine Corps Base Quantico,maintenance of the Web site was anadditional duty of a Marine assigned tothe History Division. The transfer of theMarine to a new posting, along withother internal adjustments related to therelocation of the division, eventuallyresulted in maintenance of the Web sitebeing assigned to the HistoricalReference Branch.As with any public Web site, the

History Division views its site as a“work in progress,” constantly addingnew material to the site. Over the lastthree years, the home page has beenredesigned to make it more streamlinedand aesthetically pleasing. Each month,visitors find on the home page a newMarine Corps event and image; thehome page also provides links to themost popular topic areas: Veterans andFamilies, Publications, FrequentlyRequested, Customs & Traditions, andWho’s Who.The link for Veterans and Families is

a “must visit” area for anyone trying topiece together a relative’s Marine Corpsservice or help with a Department ofVeterans Affairs’ claim. The page alsohas links to appropriate agencies forsuch items as service record books,muster rolls and unit diaries, opera-tional records for Marine Corps units,and other topics that are often request-ed. The Publications page offers a col-lection of Marine Corps HistoryDivision publications from its 90 yearsof operation and also provides detailson how to order the books. Recently,we have also begun to add PDF copies

of as many of our books as possibledirectly on our Web site for those inter-ested in downloading the information.A major goal of the Web site has

always been to bring ease of access tonumerous topics that traditionally havebeen some of our most-requested sub-ject areas. To that end, we have creat-ed the Frequently Requested andCustoms & Traditions sections. Clickingthe Frequently Requested link takesresearchers to fact sheets and informa-tion on topics ranging from a brief his-tory of the Marine Corps, annual andevent chronologies, Medal of Honorrecipients, Marines in World War I andII, Navajo code talkers, womenMarines, and even dogs who served inwars. The Frequently Requested pagereceives the most additions. Also, theCustoms & Traditions page containsmany useful topics, including informa-tion on the Marine Corps birthday,parade precedence, and the MarineCorps battle standard. As time andother duties permit, we search for otherinteresting topics for inclusion on thesepages and images to help illustrate thetopics already on the site.The Who’s Who section is an area

that remains in constant flux. This sec-tion includes biographies and photoson approximately 500 prominentMarines, including commandants, assis-tant commandants, and sergeants majorof the Marine Corps, Medal of Honorrecipients, and numerous general offi-cers. The Historical Reference Branchkeeps this section current, updatingwhen events warrant a change, such asretirements and deaths. Biographies arecontinuously reviewed and added tothis important section.The History Division has been

pleased each year to receive numerouscompliments on our public Web site,but we have also received suggestionsfor improvements. Over the last sever-al years, we have heard concerns fromresearchers who could not easily findour site by using standard Internetsearch engines such as Google andYahoo when searching for specific top-ics. Unfortunately, this concern stems

directly from the very reason that pro-vides our site with a uniqueness andlegitimacy lacking in other personal orprivate history web pages—we are anofficial government site.All government agencies have poli-

cies in place that dictate how publicWeb sites are maintained and whatinformation may be placed on suchsites. As a component of the MarineCorps, our site actually falls under threesuch policies. The first, of course, arethe rules the Marine Corps has createdfor itself. We also must follow theguidelines of the Department of theNavy along with overarching policiesestablished by the Department ofDefense.

Specifically, the Department ofDefense currently maintains policies

that prohibit any search engines from“crawling” their public Web sites, whichprevents Google or Yahoo from index-ing and cataloging the content of thesites. The best example of this might bea researcher who types “Marine CorpsHistory Division” into Google, and oursite appears as the top listing in thesearch results. However, if the words“Marine Dan Daly” are typed intoGoogle, the Marine Corps HistoryDivision Web site will not even appearin the first four pages of search results,despite having his official biography,photo, and Medal of Honor citations.The policy of prohibiting searchengines from “crawling” our site hasmade the content on our Web pages allbut invisible to search engine users.And, unfortunately, this is a policy overwhich we have no control, and whichis unlikely to be changed any timesoon.Although the current lack of a

trained and dedicated webmaster tomaintain and enhance our site makesthe future hard to predict, the HistoryDivision will continue to promote auser-friendly and up-to-date Web sitefor all those interested in Marine CorpsHistory.Please visit us online at

(www.history.usmc.mil). �1775�

The History Division and theWorldWideWebby Kara R. Newcomer

Historian


After 27 days of Japanese bom-bardment by air and artillery,

the 4th Marines faced the finalJapanese assault on Corregidor, thegreat fortress of the Philippines, on5–6 May, 1942. Late in the action,the 4th Battalion conducted acounterattack against Japaneseforces. The following excerpt,“The4th Battalion in Action,” is fromPearl Harbor to Guadalcanal:History of U.S. Marine CorpsOperations in World War II,Volume I, pp. 197–199, byLieutenant Colonel Frank O.Hough, Major Verle E. Ludwig, andHenry I. Shaw. Download the PDFfile at http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/General/Publications.htm#1971.

Major Williams’ 4th Battalion hadbeen alerted early in the night’s

action, and he had ordered the issueof extra ammunition and grenades. Atabout 0100 he got the word to movethe battalion into Malinta Tunnel andstand by. The sailors proceeded cau-tiously down the south shore road,waited for an enemy barrage whichwas hitting in the dock area to lift,and then dashed across to the tunnelentrance. In the sweltering corridorthe men pressed back against thewalls as hundreds of casualties, walk-ing wounded and litter cases,streamed in from the East Sector fight-ing. The hospital laterals were filledto overflowing, and the doctors, nurs-es, and corpsmen tended to thestricken men wherever they couldfind room to lay a man down. At0430, Colonel Howard orderedWilliams to take his battalion out ofthe tunnel and attack the Japanese atDenver Battery.The companies moved out in col-

umn. About 500 yards out fromMalinta they were caught in a heavyshelling that sharply reduced theirstrength and temporarily scattered the

check the advance of Moore andDalness; the right of the line had beenunable to make more than a fewyards before the withering fire of theDenver and water tower defensesdrove the men to the deck. The leftcompanies shifted toward Denver toclose the gap that had opened whilethe men on the right tried to knockout the Japanese machine guns andmortars. Lieutenant Otter was killedwhile leading an attack, and his exec-utive, Captain Calvin E. Chunn, tookover; Chunn was wounded soon afteras Company T charged a Japaneseunit which was setting up a fieldpiece near the water tower.Lieutenant Little was hit in the chestand Williams sent a Philippine Scoutofficer, First Lieutenant Otis E.Saalman, to take over Company S.The Marine mortars of 1/4, 3-inch

Stokes without sights, were not accu-rate enough to support Williams’attack. He had to order them to ceasefire when stray rounds fell among hisown men, who had closed to withingrenade range of the Japanese.Robbed of the last supportingweapons that might have opened abreach in the Denver position, theattack stalled completely. MajorSchaeffer sent Warrant OfficerFerguson, who had succeeded tocommand of Company O whenCaptain Chambers was wounded, toColonel Howard’s CP to report the sit-uation and request reinforcements.Ferguson, like Schaeffer and many ofthe survivors of 1/4 and the reserve,was a walking wounded case himself.By the time Ferguson got backthrough the enemy shelling to Malintaat 0900, Williams had received whatfew reinforcements Howard couldmuster. Captain Herman H. Hauckand 60 men of the 59th CoastArtillery, assigned by General Mooreto the 4th Marines, had come up andWilliams sent them to the left flank toblock Japanese snipers and machine-gun crews infiltrating along the

men. The survivors reassembled andmoved toward the fighting in line ofskirmishers. Companies Q and R,commanded by two Army officers,Captains Paul C. Moore and Harold E.Dalness, respectively, moved in onthe left to reinforce the scatteredgroups of riflemen from Companies Aand P who were trying to contain theJapanese in the broken ground northof Denver Battery. The battery posi-tion itself was assigned to Company T(Lieutenant Bethel B. Otter, USN), andtwo platoons of Company S, original-ly designated the battalion reserve,were brought up on the extreme rightwhere Lieutenant Edward N. Little,USN, was to try to silence the enemymachine guns near the water tower.The bluejackets filled in the gapsalong the line—wide gaps, for therewas little that could be called a firmdefensive line left—and joined thefire fight,The lack of adequate communica-

tions prevented Colonel Howard fromexercising active tactical direction ofthe battle in the East Sector. The unitcommanders on the ground, firstCaptain Pickup, then Major Schaeffer,and finally Major Williams made theminute-to-minute decisions that closecombat demanded. By the timeWilliams’ battalion had reorganizedand moved up into the Marine for-ward positions, Schaeffer’s commandwas practically nonexistent. Williams,by mutual consent (Schaeffer wassenior), took over command of thefighting since he was in a far betterposition to get the best effort out ofhis bluejackets when they attacked.At dawn Major Williams moved

along the front, telling his officers tobe ready to jump off at 0615. Thecompany and platoon commandposts were right up on the firing lineand there were no reserves left; everyofficer and man still able to standtook part in the attack. On the left theJapanese were driven back 200–300yards before Williams sent a runner to

Action Review

The 4th Battalion in Actionby Paul W. Westermeyer

Historian


beaches into the rear areas.At about 0930 men on the north

flank of the Marine line saw a coupleof Japanese tanks coming off bargesnear Cavalry Point, a move thatspelled the end on Corregidor. Thetanks were in position to advancewithin a half hour, and, just as themen in front of Denver Battery spot-ted them, enemy flares went up againand artillery salvoes crashed downjust forward of the Japanese position.Some men began to fall back, andthough Williams and the survivingleaders tried to halt the withdrawal,the shellfire prevented them fromregaining control. At 1030 Williams

sent a message to the units on the leftflank to fall back to the ruins of a con-crete trench which stood just forwardof the entrance to Malinta Tunnel.The next thirty minutes witnessed ascene of utter confusion as theJapanese opened up on the retreatingmen with rifles, mortars, machineguns, and mountain howitzers. Flaressignaled the artillery on Bataan toincrease its fire, and a rolling barrageswung back and forth betweenMalinta and Denver, demolishing anysemblance of order in the ranks of themen straining to reach the dubiousshelter of the trench. “Dirt, rocks,trees, bodies, and debris literally filled

the air,” and pitifully few men made itback to Malinta.Williams, who was wounded, and

roughly 150 officers and men, manyof them also casualties, gathered inthe trench ruins to make a stand. TheJapanese were less than three hun-dred yards from their position andenemy tanks could be seen movingup to outflank their line on the right.The Marine major, who had been atower of strength throughout thehopeless fight, went into the tunnel at1130 to ask Howard for antitank gunsand more men. But the battle wasover: General Wainwright had madethe decision to surrender. �1775�

Regular readers of Fortitudine (Vol.32:2) will recall that the Historical

Reference Branch of the Marine CorpsHistory Division has responsibility forthe administration of the Marine CorpsCommemorative Naming Program,which seeks to honor heroic deceasedMarines and other members of theNavy by the naming of bases, camps,buildings, streets, and other facilitiesin their honor. All CommemorativeNaming actions receive the personalattention and approval of theCommandant of the Marine Corps(CMC). During the period January2007–December 2008, the Comman-dant approved (or concurred in thecase of naval naming actions in honorof Marines) the following Commem-orative Naming actions in honor of theMarines and hospital corpsmen, whodied in Afghanistan and Iraq:

19 March 2007 – CMC concurred inthe naming of the Marine Barracks atthe Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay,Georgia, in honor of Corporal Jason L.Dunham, who died 22 April 2004 ofwounds received in action in Iraqwhile serving with the 3d Battalion,7th Marines. Corporal Dunham was aposthumous recipient of the Medal ofHonor.

2 April 2007 – CMC approved the

naming of the Parade Deck adjacentto Building FC-285 at Marine CorpsBase Camp Lejeune in honor of LanceCorporal Raul Mercado, who waskilled in action 7 January 2006 in Iraqwhile serving with Combat LogisticsBattalion 8.

23 April 2007 – CMC concurred in thenaming of the new Navy and MarineCorps Human Intelligence TrainingCenter’s Human Intelligence Facility atOceana Naval Air Station, VirginiaBeach, Virginia, in honor of GunnerySergeant Ronald E. Baum, who waskilled in action 3 May 2004 in Iraqwhile serving as the HUMINTExploitation Team Chief in support of2d Battalion, 2d Marines.

14 August 2007 – CMC approved thenaming of the new K-9 Facility atMarine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow,in honor of Sergeant Adam Lee Cann,who was killed in action 5 January2006 in Iraq while serving withSecurity Battalion, 2d Marine Division.

1 October 2007 – CMC approved thenaming of the new Fire SupportTraining Facility at Camp Hansen,Marine Corps Base Camp Butler,Okinawa, in honor of Captain RobertM. Secher, who was killed in action 8October 2006 in Iraq while servingwith 3d Battalion, 12th Marines.

31 October 2007 – CMC approved thenaming of the II MEF HeadquartersGroup Motor Transport Building atMarine Corps Base Camp Lejeune inhonor of Master Sergeant Kenneth N.Mack, who was killed in action 5 May2007 in Iraq while serving with the 1stBattalion, 2d Marines.

27 February 2008 – CMC approved thenaming of the Marine Corps SpecialForces Special Operations CommandConsolidated Aid Station at Stone Bay,Camp Lejeune, in honor of HospitalCorpsman Second Class Charles“Luke” Milam, USN, who was killed inaction 25 September 2007 inAfghanistan while serving on a com-bined Joint Operation.

30 June 2008 – CMC approved thenaming of a Fuel House PumpBuilding assigned to Marine Corps AirStation Cherry Point in honor of LanceCorporal Daniel M. McVicker, whowas killed in action 6 October 2005 inIraq while serving with CombatLogistics Battalion 2.

19 August 2008 – CMC approved thenaming of Building 28 aboardHenderson Hall, Arlington, Virginia, inhonor of Major Douglas A. Zembiec,who was killed in action 11 May 2007in Iraq while serving with 2dBattalion, 1st Marines. �1775�

Commemorative Namings

Fallen Marines and Corpsmen to be Honoredby Robert V. Aquilina

Historian


The History Division was saddenedto hear of the passing of another

member of its extended family,Colonel James Leon. He died 29January 2009 in Alexandria, Virginia, atthe age of 86. A native of Boston,Massachusetts, and graduate of theMassachusetts Institute of Technology,Colonel Leon served in three wars—asa fighter pilot in the Pacific Theaterduring World War II and as an artilleryofficer during the Korean War andVietnam War.Colonel Leon’s service in a wide

variety of assignments throughout hisMarine Corps career consistentlydemonstrated outstanding professionalcompetence, initiative, and devotion toduty. His experience as an artilleryofficer in Korea prompted him toinvestigate and ultimately create a sliderule that automated and simplified the“call for fire” process. This slide rulewas adopted for use as the standardfor artillery by the Department ofDefense. During the Vietnam War, asForce Ordnance Officer at Headquar-ters, III Marine Amphibious Force, heensured a consistent and high level ofordnance support to all Marine unitsdeployed in I Corps. Colonel Leon wasalso instrumental in the successful inte-

researched and drafted a series of pro-posals outlining the foundation’s long-range planning, programming, andbudgeting requirements that were sub-sequently adopted by the board ofdirectors to provide the foundation thebasic framework upon which its annu-al planning program was structured.The former Marine Corps History

and Museums Division was fortunateto have Colonel Leon volunteer in thePersonal Papers Collection, which waslocated in Building 58 of theWashington Navy Yard. His workresulted in a new program to cross-ref-erence and catalog the Personal PapersCollection and was instrumental in himbeing awarded the prestigious MarineCorps Historical Foundation HeritageAward. It was during this period thatmany of us at the Marine CorpsHistorical Center were fortunate tomake the acquaintance of this kindand gentle man. His knowledge of theMarine Corps, its history and traditions,was an invaluable asset to the entirestaff, and his soothing manner inpatiently answering the harried ques-tions of this reference historian willalways be fondly remembered and for-ever appreciated. Colonel Leon will begreatly missed. �1775�

gration of the 175mm gun into theartillery inventory.Colonel Leon retired in 1974 from

the Marine Corps and worked forRaytheon Corporation, where his workwas critical in defining the supportrequirements of the Ohio Class Tridentsubmarine. Upon his retirement in1985, he began work as a volunteer forthe Marine Corps Historical Founda-tion, where he brought the same zealand enthusiasm that he displayed as aprofessional Marine officer. He

In Memoriam

Passing of Colonel James Leonby Robert V. Aquilina

Historian

Col Leon

The Marines Defend Iceland,WorldWar IIBy Danny J. Crawford

Historian

By late spring 1941, with the war inEurope a year and a half old,

Britain’s back was against the wall andPrime Minister Winston L. Churchillasked President Franklin D. Rooseveltto send American troops to Iceland toreplace the British garrison there.Roosevelt agreed, and on 5 June hedirected the Chief of Naval Opera-tions, Admiral Harold R. Stark, to havea Marine brigade ready to sail in 15days’ time.The 6th Marine Regiment was

diverted from joining the 1st MarineDivision in the Caribbean toCharleston to be the nucleus of the 1st

Provisional Marine Brigade. Thebrigade was formed on 16 June, theday following the arrival of the 6thMarines in Charleston, and command-ed by Brigadier General John Marston.Admiral Stark’s mission statement wassimple and direct: In cooperation withthe British garrison, defend Icelandagainst hostile attack.Six days after the 16 June activa-

tion, the 4,095 Marines sailed on 22June for the North Atlantic. Added tothe convoy at Charleston were twocargo ships and two destroyers. Itwas met outside the harbor by animpressive force of warships and

escorts. When the entire convoybegan its move toward the NorthAtlantic, it consisted of 25 vessels,including two battleships and twocruisers.The brigade reached the capital city

of Reykjavik, Iceland, on the morningof 7 July, where it remained until sail-ing for home on 8 March 1942. By theend of 1942, some of the IcelandMarines and sailors were battling theJapanese on Guadalcanal in the SouthPacific, and many others went on toserve with distinction in the othermajor Navy/Marine Corps amphibiousassaults of the Pacific War. �1775�


that “recent U.S. government attemptsat planting stories in the Arab media orrunning government-sponsored televi-sion have been inept and not veryeffective. The problem is not howAmerica sells its message. The prob-lem is that our actions speak louderthan our words, and much of theworld, rightly or wrongly, disapprovesof our country’s actions, especially our

recent track record in the Middle East.”This problem is addressed in severalentries in this collection, as is the over-all theme that the United States hasconsistently failed to understand theimportance and nature of informationoperations and the critical role it playsin the struggle against al-Qaeda.The anthology is divided into four

broad sections, addressing the geopo-litical, strategic, operational, and tacti-cal aspects of information operations.The entries range from broad, theoreti-cal studies of information operations tomore focused case studies that examinethe experience of the Marine Corps inIraq’s al-Anbar Province. The theoreti-cal entries, by authors such as DuncanB. Hollis, Pauletta Otis, and ColonelPhilip G. Wasielewski, consider topics

such as the need for a new internation-al law on information operations,expanding efforts to engage adversarycultures, and the need to better definethe nature and character of the war onterror. Of particular interest is GeneralDavid H. Petraeus’s entry on counterin-surgency in Iraq, which draws on hisown experiences and greatly influ-enced the conclusions on civil-militaryoperations presented in Field Manual3-24. The case studies include anaccount of how Marines trained anIraqi National Police battalion in WestRashid and an analysis by Major BenConnable of how the story that Marinesdestroyed a mosque and killed 40 civil-ians during the first battle of Fallujahwas spread across the world media andultimately proved to be false.Overall, this is a thorough and com-

prehensive collection of essays oninformation operations in the currentwar against al-Qaeda and the insur-gency in Iraq. The one shortcoming ofthe book is its overwhelming focus onform over content. The essays con-vincingly argue that the U.S. mustdevelop more innovative tactics anduse a wider range of media to deliverits message if it is to counteract theinfluence and popularity of al-Qaedaand radical Islam. But throughout thebook, there is little consideration ofwhat that message should be. Whatparticular ideas and principles shouldthe United States disseminate to con-front the ideology of radical Islam?Captain Timothy J. Doorey’s specificrecommendations for countering al-Qaeda propaganda stands among thenotable exceptions.Despite this minor point, the collec-

tion stands as an excellent study. It isa stark reminder that the war on terroris as much about image, influence, andperception as it is about military suc-cess. It should serve as an excellentreference for Marines and scholarsalike on an increasingly critical elementof warfare in the 21st century.

�1775�

David Jr, G. J. and McKeldin III T. R.eds. Ideas as Weapons: Influence andPerception in Modern Warfare.Washington D.C.: Potomac Books,2009.

Information warfare stands as a criti-cal component of operations forMarines serving in Iraq andAfghanistan. Fallujah, Najaf, andRamadi have all demonstrated the deci-sive role communications and percep-tion can have on the 21st century bat-tlefield. In this fascinating and timelyanthology, G. J. David Jr. and T. R.McKeldin III have assembled athought-provoking collection of essaysdiscussing the nature and character ofinformation operations. The collectionis diverse, extensive, and providesMarines and scholars alike with a thor-ough overview of this critical elementof modern combat.In all, the anthology includes more

than 40 entries addressing a wide num-ber of issues. These range from deploy-ing Internet resources against al-Qaedato waging effective counterinsurgencyoperations in Iraq. Despite the breadthand range of the essay topics, this col-lection is thematically cohesive andpresents a number of overarching con-clusions. If there is a unifying theme, itis best represented in an observationmade by former Ambassador RichardHolbrook cited throughout the work:“How can a man in a cave outcommu-nicate the world’s greatest communica-tions nation?” The confrontation withthis paradox is the pervading themethroughout these articles. The editorsnote that “thus far, the United States hasproved inept at quickly adapting thevast, dominant, commercial informa-tion infrastructure it enjoys to nationalsecurity purposes.” Whereas al-Qaedahas effectively used modern mass com-munication, such as the World WideWeb, the United States has often under-mined its own efforts. Contributor TomFenton notes that when consideringwhat the United States can do better

Book Review

Ideas asWeaponsby Nicholas J. Schlosser

Historian


COMMANDANT OF THE MARINE CORPSHeadquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (ARDE)

2 Navy AnnexWashington, D.C. 20380-1775

OFFICIAL BUSINESS

PCN 104 012 20100

Superintendent of Documents Subscription Order FormOrder Processing Code:

* 5631� YES, enter my subscription(s) as follows:

subscription(s) to Fortitudine for $15.00 each per four issues ($21.00 foreign).

The total cost of my order is $ Price includes regular shipping and handling and is subject to change.International customers please add 25%

Company or personal name (type or print)

Additional address/attention line

Street address

City, State, Zip Code

Daytime phone including area code

Purchase order number (optional)

For privacy protection, check the box below:

�� Do not make my name available to other mailer’s

Check method of payment:

� Check payable to Superintendent of Documents

� GPO Deposit Account

� VISA � MasterCard

(Expiration date)

Authorizing signature 07/09

Mail To: Superintendent of DocumentsP.O. Box 979050, St. Louis, MO 63197-9000

Charge your order.It’s easy!

To Fax your ordersTo phone your orders

(202) 512-2250(202) 512-1800

Thank you foryour order!

Feedback to the Editor

History Division is solicitinginput from the readers of

Fortitudine regarding the currentformat and future articles—fea-ture topics, types of articles (his-tory making news versus historystories)—and value to yourunderstanding of Marine Corpshistory.If you have comments about

Fortitudine or about the numberof magazines you receive, pleasecontact me.

[email protected], Fortitudine

Fortitudine Vol 34 No 3 - Marines.mil

Documents

Transcript of Fortitudine Vol 34 No 3 - Marines.mil