The Pacific (93 page)

425
Charles "Chuck" Tatum interview, Playtone Collection.

426
J. R. Kerin, unpublished memoir and interview with author; Calvin Anderson and Adolf Brusa interviews with author.

427
Wells,
Give Me Fifty Marines
, p. 146.

428
Garand and Strobridge,
USMC Operations in WWII, Vol. IV
, pp. 474, 523.

429
Conner,
The Spearhead
, p. 35.

430
Wells,
Give Me Fifty Marines
, p. 137.

431
Tatum,
Red Blood Black Sand
, p. xi.

432
Garand and Strobridge,
USMC Operations in WWII, Vol. IV
, p. 473; Adolf Brusa interview, author's collection.

433
C/1/27 Machine Gun Platoon Roster, courtesy of Clinton Watters.

434
Clinton Watters interview with author; Charles "Chuck" Tatum interview with author.

435
Charles "Chuck" Tatum e-mail to author, author's collection; Tatum,
Red Blood Black Sand
, p. 123.

436
Lynn Kessler,
Never in Doubt
(Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1999), p. 53.

437
John Basilone USMC Service File.

438
Conner,
The Spearhead
, p. 40.

439
Kessler,
Never in Doubt
, p. 53; Tatum,
Red Blood Black Sand
, p. 134.

440
Tom Lea, "Peleliu,"
Life
, January 1945, p. 61.

441
J-O-U-R-N-A-L, UNIT Headquarters, 1st Bn, 27th Mar, 5th MarDiv, 0800 19 Feb 1945 to 1600 19 Feb 1945, NARA.

442
Ibid.

443
Report by CO of C-1-27, April 24, 1945; Navy Cross Citation for John Basilone, Basilone USMC Personnel File, NRC.

444
Bob Gallo article, undated and unidentified newspaper, RPL. An article in
Newsweek
from 1945 has a similar quote from Basilone at this moment.

445
Roy Elsner interview; Joe Rawlinger interview, May 3, 2004; William Weber e-mail to author; all in author's collection.

446
Charles "Chuck" Tatum, "The Death of Manila John Basilone," unpublished MS; Charles "Chuck" Tatum interviews, author's collection.

447
Chuck Tatum's account, written in "The Death of Manila John Basilone" as well as delivered in an interview (Playtone Collection), differed somewhat from that found in the Navy Cross Citation, which has John destroying the pillbox "single- handedly."

448
Tatum, " The Death of Manila John Basilone."

449
Tatum, "The Death of Manila John Basilone"; Charles "Chuck" Tatum interview, Playtone Collection.

450
Company C. Report, 24 April, 1945, Basilone USMC Personnel File, NRC; Statement of Witness George Migyanko (C-1-27) 24 April 1945 for Basilone's Navy Cross Citation; Adolf Brusa interview, author's collection.

451
J-O-U-R-N-A-L, UNIT Headquarters, 1st Bn, 27th Mar, 5th MarDiv, 0800 19 Feb 1945 to 1600 19 Feb 1945, NARA.

452
TransDiv 47 1st Trip of Boats, RG 127, NARA.

453
Roy Elsner interview; Tatum, " The Death of Manila John Basilone"; Charles "Chuck" Tatum interview; Joe Rawlinger interview; Calvin Anderson interview; Jim Turner (A-1-27) interview; William Weber (C-1-27) e-mail; all from author's collection.

454
Clinton Watters interview and e-mail, author's collection. In fairness to Mr. Watters, his doubts about the account by Mr. Tatum concerning his action with Basilone should be mentioned here.

455
Roy Elsner interview; Tatum, " The Death of Manila John Basilone"; Charles "Chuck" Tatum interview; Joe Rawlinger interview; Calvin Anderson interview; Jim Turner interview; William Weber (C-1-27) e-mail; all from author's collection. In
The Spearhead
, p. 48, Howard Conner stated that four men were hit with him.

456
Basilone Medical File, "Abstract of Medical History," February 19, 1945, Basilone USMC Personnel File. A fair number of veterans interviewed for this project claimed to have been nearby when John Basilone was killed. All of them give different versions, but they agree that a mortar round killed John, which is the version found in written accounts. With all marines dressed alike, and with all the witnesses in extremis at that moment, it is possible that their memories have been clouded by the fog of war. In the case of the written accounts, these were not informed by the medical file cited here. Since the men of Graves Registration had to examine the body and take the dog tags and keep records and bury the body, their account is definitive.

457
Col. J. Shelton Scales USMCR to author, September 10, 2007, author's collection; Adolf Brusa interview, Charles "Chuck" Tatum interview, and Clinton Watters interview, all from author's collection; Kessler,
Never in Doubt
, p. 123.

458
Sledge,
With the Old Breed
, p. 148.

459
Daily Diary of John Wesley "Deacon" Tatum, entry of November 24, 1944, author's copy courtesy of Tatum Family.

460
Scout
Article; Barbara Gardiner interview and Lucille Otis interview, both from author's collection; Lena Basilone interview, Traditions Military Video,
www.militaryvideo.com
.

461
"Marine Company get final arms inspection by officers of Co under Lt. Col. Shofner," March 29, 1945, is the USMC Photograph #116686 caption in the Still Pictures Branch, NARA. The 10th Army MG Plan cited below appears to differ on the number of men Shofner commanded.

462
HQ 10th Army, Tentative Operations Plan 1-45: Military Government, HQ Tenth Army, Folder B-16, Box 278, RG 127, NARA.

463
Capt. H. Prudhomme USMCR (Asst. Civil Affairs Officer), "Enclosure K: Comments on Military Government Operations, Okinawa, 1st Marine Division, April 1-June 26 1945," June 6, 1945, Box 278, RG 127, NARA (hereafter Enclosure K).

464
Ibid.

465
Benis M. Frank and Henry I. Shaw Jr.,
History of the U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II: Victory and Occupation, Volume V
(Washington, D.C.: USMC Historical Division, 1968), p. 94.

466
Thomas J. Stanley to William "Bill" Leyden, June 20, 1980, SCAU.

467
R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection.

468
Sterling Mace (K/3/5) interview, author's collection.

469
Pfc. A. R. Fournier USMC, "Diary of King Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines," Box 260, RG 127, NARA (hereafter Fournier Diary).

470
Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

471
Report of Military Government Activities, July 1, 1945, Box 278, RG 127, NARA.

472
3rd Battalion Special Action Report, RG 127, Box 260, NARA (hereafter 3rd Bn SAR).

473
R. V. Burgin interview, author's collection; Fournier Diary.

474
Harry Bender oral history, author's collection.

475
Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

476
3rd Bn SAR; 5th Regiment Special Action Report, RG 127, Box 260, NARA (hereafter 5th Regiment SAR).

477
HQ--Bn, 1st Marine Div.--Journal--Okinawa, NARA.

478
First Marine Division, SAR II Okinawa, RG 127, NARA.

479
Enclosure K.

480
Ibid.

481
3rd Bn SAR.

482
5th Regiment SAR.

483
Sledge,
With the Old Breed
, p. 192.

484
Thomas J. "Stumpy" Stanley to William "Bill" Leyden, June 20, 1980, SCAU.

485
Harry Bender (K/3/5) interview, author's collection.

486
3rd Bn SAR.

487
Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

488
E. B. Sledge, "Lecture to the Squadron Officer School," 1993, SCAU.

489
Romus V. Burgin interview, Playtone Collection.

490
Sledge,
With the Old Breed
, p. 203.

491
Boyes to Stanley, March 14, 1981, SCAU.

492
Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

493
First Marine Division, SAR II Okinawa, RG 127, NARA.

494
Frank and Shaw,
Marine Corps Operations in World War II: Vol. V
, p. 172.

495
Fournier Diary.

496
Enclosure K.

497
Ibid.

498
3rd Bn SAR.

499
5th Regiment SAR.

500
Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

501
Frank and Shaw,
Marine Corps Operations in World War II: Vol. V
, p. 199.

502
Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

503
3/5 Radio Log, May 1-July 14, 1945, RG 127, Box 258, NARA.

504
Ibid.

505
Sam Menzelos interview, author's collection; Sterling Mace interview, author's collection; 3rd Bn SAR. The 3rd Battalion Special Action Report and the 3/5 Radio Log offer different accounts of which companies led the assault on this day.

506
USMC Press Release, undated. Written by a USMC correspondent in the field shortly after the incident, the document was included in a letter from Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU.

507
Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU.

508
Sledge to Boyes, March 31, 1980, SCAU; Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU.

509
Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU.

510
Sledge to Dear Mom and Pop, April 17 [May 17], 1945, SCAU. The letter is obviously misdated; given the contents of the letter, it could not have been written on April 17.

511
Stanley to Sledge, June 9 Tuesday (year unknown), SCAU.

512
Romus V. Burgin interview, author's collection. Burgin told this story as if it occurred on May 1, but the only day when King made a rapid advance on a hill and held it (the whole point of the story) was May 9.

513
Boyes to Sledge, January 28, 1980, SCAU.

514
Conner,
The Spearhead
, pp. 123-124.

515
Pfc. George W. Basilone to Sgt. Lena Basilone, May 8, 1945, Basilone Personnel File.

516
The date of the Treasury Salute given by the Library of Congress sound recording archives is 00/00/194, narrated by Hally Hull, LWO 5757 r28A4. See also "Some Find Glory, Some Find Death, Some Find Trouble,"
Newsweek
, 1945, p. 25; "Sergeant John Basilone, Hero of Marines Killed on Iwo Jima," undated clipping from unidentified newspaper; and "Hero of Guadalcanal Killed in First Wave of Iwo Attack," UPI story by Lisle Shoemaker, dated February 21 "delayed"; all in the RPL.

517
Edward Kasky to Lena Mae Basilone, May 10, 1945, Basilone Personnel File.

518
First Marine Division, SAR II Okinawa, RG 127, NARA.

519
D- 2 Reports (Liaison) 1st Marine Regiment, Okinawa, NARA.

520
Ted Reuther (1/1, Communications) personal history, Northwood Institute, Midland, Michigan.

521
"Notes on Interview with Lt. Col. Austin C. Shofner, USMC," by Capt. James R. Stockman by request of Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 19 March 1947, NARA.

522
1st Marines Special Action Report, Box 258, RG 127, NARA (hereafter 1st Marines SAR); Frank and Shaw,
Marine Corps Operations in World War II: Vol. V
, p. 239; 3/5 Radio Log, May 1-July 14, 1945, RG 127, Box 258, NARA.

523
1st Marines SAR.

524
Fournier Diary.

525
E. B. Sledge, "Lecture to the Squadron Officer School," 1993, SCAU. The date of this incident comes from the Muster Roll of Officers and Men of the U.S. Marine Corps, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division, 1 May to 31 May 1945, which listed the dates of Snafu's hospital stay.

526
Ronald J. Brown,
A Few Good Men: A History of the Fighting Fifth Marines
(New York: Ballantine Publishing Group, 2001), p. 185.

527
3rd Bn SAR.

528
William "Bill" Leyden interview, Playtone Collection.

529
1st Marines SAR.

530
"Notes on Interview with Lt. Col. Austin C. Shofner, USMC," by Capt. James R. Stockman by request of Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 19 March 1947, NARA.

531
3rd Bn SAR.

532
Sledge to Stumpy, March 20, 1980, SCAU.

533
Carlisle L. Tiller to Stumpy, April 28, 1985, SCAU. Tiller said he learned the ridge's actual name only when he read Sledge's book.

534
Sledge to Stanley, February 6, 1980, SCAU.

535
Boyes to Sledge, May 5, 1980, SCAU. The biggest criticism the men of K/3/5 had of Sledge's book was his portrayal of George Loveday. Sgt. Johnny Marmet, GySgt. Hank Boyes, and Sgt. R. V. Burgin all thought Sledge had done him an injustice. Some of Sledge's disgust undoubtedly stemmed from an incident that took place between him and Loveday in China. See Sledge's
China Marine
(Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama Press, 2002).

536
E. B. Sledge, "Lecture to the Squadron Officer School," 1993, SCAU; Sledge letter "To Whom It May Concern" [Leyden medical claim], October 26, 1982, SCAU.

537
3rd Bn SAR.

538
3/5 Radio Log, May 1-July 14, 1945, RG 127, Box 258, NARA.

539
Sterling Mace interview, author's collection.

540
Hank to Sledge, March 31, 1980, SCAU.

541
William "Bill" Leyden interview, Playtone Collection.

542
Sledge to Dearest Mom and Pop, June 12, 1945, SCAU.

543
E. B. Sledge, "Lecture to the Squadron Officer School," 1993, SCAU.

544
Sledge,
With the Old Breed
, p. 269.

545
Sledge to Boyes, March 31, 1980, SCAU.