BATTLE NARRATIVE
“It Is A Sad Voyage Back." Ending Operation Flintlock
First Sergeant Victor Goller landed on Namur ready for a fight.
“He was a sight to behold,” recalled PFC John C. Pope. “I have never seen a man so armed for war as he was. He had a pistol, a carbine rifle, bandoleers of ammunition across his chest, a big knife, and several grenades hanging from his belt.” It was a day or two after the battle ended, but Goller was taking no chances.
To his junior enlisted Marines, the “Top” existed on a plane of authority somewhere between the Commandant and God above. Victor Goller was “the character TV people try to create as a tough sergeant,” said Pope. “He was the real thing without even trying.” Rumors about him flew thick and fast. Some said Goller had fought against Americans in the Great War and emigrated specifically to join the Marine Corps. Others claimed that he knew the Division commander, Major General Harry Schmidt, from the old days when Goller was a corporal and the general was a fresh second lieutenant; they were said to be close personal friends. It was said that no sleeve was long enough for Goller’s hashmarks. The young Marines of D/1/24 loved and respected him, but were relieved when he was ordered to stay aboard the USS DuPage – they were worried for his safety.
Now, Pope was in the Higgins boat sent to collect Top Goller. The paunchy quadragenarian could not climb down a net; a gangplank was lowered and he stepped regally aboard, followed by a train of sailors carrying his other essential gear and a trunk of clean clothes. Nobody dared to laugh.
As soon as they cast off from the DuPage, Goller was asking questions about the battle, his Hungarian accent still discernible after more than twenty years of life in the Corps and in Brooklyn. How did the battle progress? Were the Japanese good fighters? And, most importantly, what had happened to so-and-so? The young Marines looked down at their boondockers or over the gunwhales. They knew he was fond of some of the men who had died. “We had to tell him,” said Pope. “I know he was shaken a little. He knew most of us by our last name.”
The boat grounded on the sand. Gunny Goller stepped ashore and was surrounded by friends shouting greetings and quarreling over who would carry his gear. “You would think he had fought and won the battle all by himself,” said Pope. The consummate professional would not be distracted by personal grief; had too many living young men to care for.[1]
But John Pope remembered the look on the old Marine’s face when he heard the names of the dead.
12 February 1944: Departure.
The SS Robin Wentley departed Roi-Namur on the evening of February 12, 1944, carrying her cargo of combat veterans. Survivors of Operation Flintlock.
The voyage out had been marked by secrecy; on the way back, Pearl Harbor was openly discussed as the destination. PFC Harlan Jeffery pulled out his diary and scribbled “We got under way for the Hawaiian Islands to our advance base for rest and reorganization.”[2] The following day, 1Lt. Philip E. Wood, Jr. wrote “We left San Diego just a month ago and have not started back – not all the way, but to a rest camp. ‘Rest Camp’ isn’t exactly an accurate term – more like a prizefighter’s training camp where you go to put on weight, get back in trim.”[3] The thought of relaxing in the fabled Hawaiian Islands was a balm to exhausted minds and bodies. “All we want to do is get back to some safe spot and loaf in the sun,” confided Wood. “And see some green hills, and foamy cold beer, and a buxom open-faced country lass.”[4]
Thousands of miles separated Jeffery, Wood, and hundreds of their comrades from the objects of their desire. The Robin Wentley was no sluggish LST, but crossing this expanse of ocean was a nine-day journey. Instead of a tremendous and entertaining invasion fleet, they traveled in convoy with the SS Young America and a single antiquated destroyer, the USS Palmer.[5] In such limited company, the Pacific seemed enormous indeed. “Sea and clouds and sea and ships and sea!” wrote Wood. “A vast perimeter with nothing in it but the line that divides the sea and the sky…. No, I don’t like the sea. Its vast spaces only bore, they stultify the imagination.”[6]
Some efforts were made to keep the Marines occupied and entertained, but such opportunities were limited. Harlan Jeffery’s diary recorded a week of boredom interspersed with fleeting entertainments and educational obligations:
We are now well under way the chow is swell also the weather, I got a swell tan while on the island.
Feb 14 1944
Had inspection and exercise this morning also some recordings of some popular songs.
Feb 15 1944
Had exercise and inspection this morning, had guard this afternoon and evening, had jam session at night.
Feb 16 1944
Had a lecture about the battle of Kwajalein Atoll by Col. Litzenburg, on guard at 1200 wrote letters at night in the mess hall.
Feb 17 1944
Had a lecture by Major McCormick, slept a little this afternoon. Got a little sun tan. Wrote letters at night.
Feb 18 1944
Didn’t do much today but get a sun tan, wrote letters at night, the weather is pretty warm.
Feb 19 1944
Had an amateur show this afternoon aboard the SS Robin Wentley.
Those hungry for reading material eagerly grabbed up copies of The 24th Word, a regimental newsletter that started publication on Namur and continued through the voyage. The Word had “the good dope” on topics ranging from the war in Europe to the Robin Wentley’s progress across the Pacific. Some book lovers attempted to start a lending library, and readership was enthusiastic – but the Word had to take borrowers to task for failing to sign out the books, and then failing to return same.
This copy of the 15 February “Word" belonged to Sgt. George M. Lowry of B/1/24. Courtesy of Dale Minter.
Other combat correspondents spent long hours at their typewriters, rattling off story after story for impatient editors. Some tried to tell the whole story of the operation, but most stuck to the “Joe Blow” stories of ordinary and extraordinary individuals. These were more than good copy – they boosted the morale of fighting men and home folks, too. Correspondents found Marines willing to tell stories about their exploits, and spun them into sound bytes for stateside newspapers. Sergeant Frank Tucker of A/1/24 was in high demand; the story of the “Okie salesman” with dead-eye accuracy attracted correspondents Charles Vandegrift, Gil Bailey, Fred Welker, David Dempsey and probably several others.
Stories about PFC Stephen Hopkins, the politician’s son who volunteered for front line combat, were especially prized – but in the rush to score a scoop, correspondents sometimes failed to confirm the details, which resulted in numerous variations on the story.
Daily naval operations were still interesting to some Marines. John Pope watched the Palmer refuel from his transport; he was glad the “gutsy little protector” was patrolling for submarines and enemy aircraft.[7] Able Company played with their new pup “Tojo” until the bulldog’s jaw locked on a ship’s line. The poor dog was hoisted into the air before he could be rescued.[8] Others joined the long lines for “swell chow,” presenting their meal card three times a day.
Between lectures, meals, and exercise, the Marines had plenty of time to themselves. Without the prospect of battle to engage their minds, many turned to inward reflection. “It is a sad voyage back,” wrote Lieutenant Wood, “a long voyage home.”[9] Even those not accustomed to soul searching had to marvel at the change that combat wrought in them.
I also think that the Japs will admit that the Marines are tough and when they want to be, yes merciless. All I can say is that they were a bunch of punks. How's that?
More than a few were elated by their new status as veterans. They had seen battle and they had scored an important victory – not just over the Japanese, but over any private doubts or lingering worries about their conduct under fire. Stories circulated about certain Marines who distinguished themselves and earned new nicknames in the process – like Ed “Trigger Happy” DuBeck, who faced forty Japanese infiltrators and his platoon leader’s displeasure, or Robert “900 Rounds” Tierney who kept his BAR operating all night long. Some were boastful, some were stolid. Tucker was stoic and self-deprecating: “I have quite a few Japs to my credit, I guess….” PFC John L. Manson was bloodthirsty: “I had a great time. I’d like to do some more of it.” Many shared this feeling. “The boys want to go into it again,” wrote Philip Wood. “What they would like is a short rest, reorganize, and a chance to pitch one good liberty, then go at it again. And that’s probably what they’ll get.” For his own part, Wood was pleased to “find myself more collected than I had expected. I have seen, felt and done a lot and all I feel is more experienced. A little wiser, perhaps, than before.”[10]
The braggadocio had a somber undercurrent. They had committed acts their civilian selves considered immoral, that a civilized society considered illegal. Battle showed them another side of themselves. Phil Wood likely thought of his pre-battle “fighting spirit” which led to his admission “I do look forward to killing a Jap.”[11] Scrutinizing his actions brought him no joy.
PFC George A. Smith couldn’t banish thoughts of his pal Steve Hopkins. Just a month before, he was teasing “Hoppy” over his dire predictions about dying in battle. Now Smith kept replaying that one fateful night. Digging in. Setting up the gun. Movement on the beach. Hoppy, cover that man! The bullet, the awful wait for a corpsman, the hours of uncertainty. And the final knowledge that his friend was dead, buried at sea, without even a grave marker to visit. The reality of war hit Smith hard. The next day we went on like nothing had happened.[13]
Captain Irving Schechter replayed his conversation with “Big Red” Dyess on the voyage over, of the battalion commander’s own premonition, Buck, I just feel in my bones that I’m going to get killed. He had helped Dyess make out his will. Schechter must have wondered when the colonel’s wife and daughter would take the news; he knew that all the medals in the world could not replace Jimmie in their hearts and minds.[14]
PFC Willie Turner missed Dyess, too. For months, he had served as runner, chauffeur, assistant, and – as far as the boundaries governing officers and enlisted men permitted – a confidant and friend to Big Red. He gladly followed his leader into the battlefield, and mournfully carried his body away from it. From time to time, Turner thought of the wooden box he’d helped Dyess pack in California and which was now stored with the dead man’s other belongings. It was chock full of whiskey. Dyess was no tippler; he had brought the box along for a reason. Willie, if anything happens to me, you open this box and have a party. Turner planned to carry out his commander’s final order as soon as they reached Hawaii.[15]
Several groups posed for photos aboard the Wentley – a commemoration for scrapbooks, though the faces of those killed, wounded, or otherwise missing were conspicuous through their absence.
Officers of A/1/24th Marines (minus 1Lt Harry Reynolds)
Collection of Philip E. Wood, Jr.
Officers of D/1/24th Marines
Collection of Philip E. Wood, Jr.
Commissioned officers of First Battalion, 24th Marines, plus attached personnel.
Collection of Philip E. Wood, Jr.
Casualty Reporting
Battalion record keepers faced a challenge on the return voyage: keeping tabs on the wounded. The problem began on the beaches; even the “comparatively light” casualties were difficult to track with any accuracy. This was especially true of Baker Company which sustained many casualties overnight; a man wounded late on 1 February might have had to wait until daybreak on 2 February for treatment and to have his wounds recorded. The personnel section was further hamstrung because the wounded were aboard multiple ships and radio traffic had other priorities. Thus, the process of fully counting the casualties extended for several weeks while inquiries were sent and reports received. Even today, a totally accurate accounting of who was wounded when (and, in some cases, how) is impossible to achieve due to discrepancies between battalion muster rolls, USMC casualty reports, and medical records.[16]
These primary sources paint a grim picture of the “relatively light” cost of less than two days in combat.
| Name | Company | Rank | Role | Change | Cause | Date | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hopkins, Stephen Peter | Able | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Died of Wounds | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Buried at sea from USS Calvert |
| Southerland, Paul Glen | Able | PFC | Machine Gunner | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 4 Grave 78 |
| Lewis, Cecil Graham | Able | PFC | Fire Team Leader | Killed In Action | Gunshot, chest | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 3 Grave 69 |
| Valley, Phillip Jr. | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Sick | Unknown | 3 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar |
| Mason, Clyde Florn Jr. | Able | Private | Rifleman | Sick | Unknown | 3 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Cabe, Winston McKay | Able | PFC | BARman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right eye (slight) | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Quinn, Willliam Joseph | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Foreign body, shoulder | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Callaway |
| Wood, Roy Irving Jr. | Able | 1st Lieutenant | Platoon Leader | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, left knee | 1 February 1944 | Treated; not evacuated |
| Davis, Raymond Eugene | Able | PFC | Carpenter | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, abdomen | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Calvert |
| Roquet, Leon Henry Jr. | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right leg | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Calvert; to USS Solace |
| Mann, Leo Charles | Able | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left ankle | 1 February 1944 | Treated; not evacuated |
| Knight, Lawrence Elmer | Able | PFC | BARman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, face | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Svoboda, John Robert | Able | PFC | Ordnance | Wounded In Action | Laceration, right hand | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Card, John Charles | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right eye & face | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Davis, James Edward | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, left shoulder | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar |
| Voeltz, Howard Seibert | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | Unknown | Treated; not evacuated |
| Reynolds, Harry Dare Jr. | Able | 1st Lieutenant | Executive Officer | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, lower left leg | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Svoboda, George Frank | Able | Corporal | Mortarman | Wounded In Action | Laceration, right hand | 2 February 1944 | Treated; not evacuated |
| Smith, George Apple | Able | PFC | Machine Gunner | Wounded In Action | Bayonet laceration, leg | 1 February 1944 | Treated; not evacuated |
| Gosiewski, Frank Benjamin | Able | PFC | Mortarman | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, right thigh | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar |
| Horan, Edward John | Able | PFC | BARman | Wounded In Action | Abrasion, scalp | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Henderson, David Calvin | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right hand | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Young, Dalton Junior | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left shoulder | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Calvert; to USS Solace |
| Colburn, Dallas Merritt | Able | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | Unknown | Treated; not evacuated |
| Yates, Clyde Odell | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, left buttock | 1 February 1944 | Treated; not evacuated |
| Hendershot, Cecil Floyd | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Trauma, arm & shoulder | 1 February 1944 | Treated; not evacuated |
| Fenger, Burnett Paul | Able | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, chin | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Ervin, Arthur "B." | Able | Corporal | MG Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel wounds; gunshot, chest | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Schur, Frank | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Died of Wounds | Multiple gunshot wounds | 3 February 1944 | Buried at sea from USS Sheridan |
| Donnelly, Stewart Charles | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, abdomen | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 1 Grave 27 |
| Paul, William Ollie | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Body severed at hips | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 7 Grave 143 |
| Warner, William Joseph | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, body | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 2 Grave 42 |
| Hurlbut, Mason Lee | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 2 Grave 44 |
| Mulcahy, Joseph Phillips | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 2 Grave 18 |
| Drumright, John Claiborne | Baker | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Killed In Action | Concussion & shrapnel | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 5 Row 2 Grave 108 |
| Stephenson, Jay | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 6 Grave 137 |
| Morgan, James Marlow | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 6 Grave 131 |
| Parente, Giustino | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 3 Grave 66 |
| Moss, Gentry Deann | Baker | Corporal | Fire Team Leader | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 5 Grave 111 |
| Penninger, Fred Brim | Baker | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Killed In Action | Gunshot, body & head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 6 Grave 135 |
| Boggs, Frank Olen | Baker | PFC | Fire Team Leader | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 5 Grave 116 |
| Fawthrop, Frank Jr. | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, body | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 6 Grave 125 |
| Smith, Edwin Walter | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 6 Grave 128 |
| Vaid, Edward Ronald | Baker | PFC | Machine Gunner | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 6 Grave 130 |
| Joy, Donald Carlton | Baker | 2nd Lieutenant | Platoon Leader | Killed In Action | Gunshot wounds | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 3 Grave 49 |
| Meyer, Carroll Robert | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 6 Grave 141 |
| Kennedy, Arnold Eugene | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, body | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 6 Grave 129 |
| Moler, Allen Winston | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, body | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 5 Grave 102 |
| Olock, Paul | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 2 Grave 17 |
| Pretaboir, Edward | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 3 Grave 64 |
| Homewood, Stanley Thomas | Baker | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, forearm | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Husner, Roy Earl | Baker | Corporal | Fire Team Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, abdomen & buttocks | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Sheridan |
| Mauss, Ralph Merron | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left arm | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle |
| Swann, William Ray | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left arm | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar |
| Ultcht, William Albert | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Laceration, scalp | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Koziol, Stanley John | Baker | PFC | BARman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left shoulder | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle |
| Stanley, Robert Patrick | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Laceration, scalp | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Halligan, Robert Max | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right side of neck | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle |
| Koch, Robert | Baker | Corporal | Fire Team Leader | Wounded In Action | Multiple gunshot wounds | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Janeway, Ray Edward | Baker | Platoon Sergeant | Platoon NCO | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel; compound fracture left fibula | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar |
| Wilchinski, Peter | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Laceration, lip | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle |
| Becker, Otto Henry | Baker | PFC | Machine Gunner | Wounded In Action | Lacerations, right hand & behind right ear | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Meyers, Joseph Duncan | Baker | PFC | Bazooka | Wounded In Action | Multiple gunshot wounds | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Gilroy, John Francis | Baker | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel left forearm & body | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Faircloth, James Herbert | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left chest | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Collins, James Francis | Baker | Corporal | Fire Team Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, neck | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Hager, Homer Jr. | Baker | PFC | Bazooka | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right thight | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar |
| Loper, Herman Ray | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left shoulder | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Rieker, Henry Jacob | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right chest | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Rediske, Harold Roy | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Multiple slight wounds | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Sheridan |
| Shattuck, Howard Francis Jr. | Baker | 1st Lieutenant | Platoon Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right buttock | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Sheridan; to USS Solace |
| Claar, George Franklin | Baker | PFC | Mortarman | Wounded In Action | Bayonet, shoulder | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated, transport unknown |
| Watts, George Barnard | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left forearm | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Vargas, Frank Hernandez | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Multiple shrapnel wounds | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Bruile, Frank Charles | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Laceration, left foot | 3 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Talty, Eugene Michael | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Laceration, little finger | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar |
| Hensley, Elmer Randolph | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left eye | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Williams, Edwin Thomas | Baker | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, chest | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Eller, Edward Grant | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, left arm | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS LaSalle |
| Whidby, Earl | Baker | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, chest; compound fracture, left humerus | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Fitzpatrick, Donald Laverne | Baker | Corporal | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right hand & right thigh | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Solace |
| Graves, Coolidge Marion | Baker | PFC | Driver | Wounded In Action | Wound, hip (slight) | 2 February 1944 | Treated; not evacuated |
| Tipton, Claude Jr. | Baker | Private | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, chest | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Giamanco, Anthony Jerry | Baker | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Psychoneurosis | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Calvert; to USS Solace |
| Saltarelli, Anselm Giacomo | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Amputation, first & second toes, left foot | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Cassese, Amelio Robert | Baker | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Multiple shrapnel wounds | Unknown | Evacuated to USS LaSalle; to USS Solace |
| Haluchak, Alex | Baker | Sergeant | Squad Leader | Wounded In Action | Shrapnel, left arm | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar |
| Johnson, Theodore Knapp | Charlie | 1st Lieutenant | Executive Officer | Died of Wounds | Gunshot, leg (exsanguination & shock) | 1 February 1944 | Buried at sea from USS Bolivar |
| Galarneau, Edward Grant | Charlie | PFC | Rifleman | Killed In Action | Unknown | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 2 Grave 32 |
| Stringer, Charlie Lemmons | Charlie | Private | Rifleman | Sick | Unknown | 3 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Solace |
| Hinkle, William Robert | Charlie | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right buttock | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Sander, Stanley | Charlie | Corporal | Fire Team Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right hand & right thigh | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Blue, Miller Monroe | Charlie | Sergeant | Section Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right shoulder | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated, transport unknown |
| Colgan, John Robert | Charlie | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Multiple gunshot wounds | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Browning, Joe William | Charlie | Corporal | Fire Team Leader | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right shoulder | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated, transport unknown |
| Allen, Horace Frank Jr. | Charlie | PFC | BARman | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | 1 February 1944 | Treated; not evacuated |
| Celentano, Frank William | Charlie | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Amputation, left forearm | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Casey, Francis Joseph | Charlie | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Compound fracture, lower left humerus | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Hayes, Ernest Julius | Charlie | PFC | Rifleman | Wounded In Action | Laceration, left foot | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Navara, Stephen Edward | Dog | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 3 Grave 48 |
| Parkison, Howard Allen | Dog | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 1 Grave 2 |
| Ramputi, Carmen Anthony | Dog | PFC | Machine Gunner | Killed In Action | Shrapnel, head & neck | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 2 Grave 19 |
| Cooper, Carl Edward | Dog | PFC | Machine Gunner | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 2 Grave 21 |
| Colgan, Timothy Bernard | Dog | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Wounded In Action | Saber wounds, both hands; gunshot, lower leg | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated, transport unknown |
| Parcheta, Walter John | Dog | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Wounded In Action | Grenade fragments, right thigh | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Bolivar; to USS Solace |
| Davis, Virgil Ray | Dog | PFC | Machine Gunner | Wounded In Action | Grenade fragments | 2 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Sheridan; to USS Solace |
| Renna, Patsy Joseph | Dog | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Wounded In Action | Psychoneurosis | Unknown | Evacuated; transport unknown |
| Deaton, Joseph Arnold | Dog | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right chest | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen |
| Mohr, Jacob Francis | Dog | PFC | Ammo Carrier | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | Unknown | Treated; not evacuated |
| Cooper, Howard Junior | Dog | Private | Machine Gunner | Wounded In Action | Unknown (slight) | Unknown | Treated; not evacuated |
| Robbins, Franklin Clark | Dog | Corporal | Quartermaster | Wounded In Action | Gunshot, right cheek & ear | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Doyen; to USS Solace |
| Mitchem, Frank Herbert | Dog | Private | Ammo Carrier | Wounded In Action | Multiple wounds | 1 February 1944 | Evacuated to USS Calvert; to USS Solace |
| Pickett, Charles Louis | Dog | PFC | Machine Gunner | Wounded In Action | Unknown | Unknown | Evacuated; transport unknown |
| Adams, James | Headquarters | Platoon Sergeant | Police Sergeant | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 2 Row 3 Grave 70 |
| Pate, George Washington | Headquarters | PFC | Lineman | Killed In Action | Gunshot, neck | 1 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 3 Grave 59 |
| Dyess, Aquilla James | Headquarters | Lieutenant Colonel | Battalion CO | Killed In Action | Gunshot, head | 2 February 1944 | Pauline Point Cemetery, Plot 1 Row 1 Grave 16 |
After triage on the beachhead, most wounded men received further treatment in the sick bays of the attack transports. The fully-equipped hospital ship USS Solace arrived at Kwajalein lagoon on 3 February and began taking on patients; those who were slightly wounded (expected to return to duty within two weeks) or too badly wounded to move remained aboard the transports. Solace departed Roi-Namur the following afternoon with 363 casualties and sped for Hawaii, sailing alone to make the best possible time. On 11 February – the same day 1/24 boarded the Robin Wentley – Solace anchored at Pearl Harbor. Before discharging patients to hospitals at Aiea Heights and Oahu, however, the crew welcomed aboard the august personage of Admiral Chester Nimitz.[17]
A gaggle of reporters and correspondents followed the Admiral as he visited the wounded. They swarmed the wards, photographers in tow, searching for scoops about the recent battle. A few refused to talk, or spoke haltingly of their experiences. “Nothing big happened to me. I can tell you the whole works in three sentences,” said a “disconsolate” PFC Peter Wilchinski.“During the night a Jap jumped into the shell hole with me. He jabbed at me with his bayonet, but I was so close that the barrel of his rifle knocked these two front teeth loose. I shot him.” The reporter pressed: did he kill his enemy? “Yes.”[18]
PFC Francis J. Casey was relieved to get back. “I hope I’ll be going back into action soon,” he said, gesturing at his cast-clad leg. “I’ve got two things to settle – for myself and a buddy.”[19]
PFC Walter Parcheta “looked a little grim” as he recounted his experiences: advancing up a trench, watching the colonel call in the tanks, and being blown literally off his feet. “I had two grenades in my hip pocket, a bullet got me in the hip and exploded the grenades…. The doc tells me my legs are going to be okay. He says it’s because I’ve got big bones.” Parcheta managed a weak smile for a photographer as he related how he faced off with an enemy soldier and “got him between the eyes.”[20]
Other Marines were more talkative. Sgt. John Gilroy was only too happy to talk about “how he and his buddies laughed and sang the Marine hymn as they stormed the beach,” and spent a night in close contact. “We could practically reach over the top of the pillbox we were behind and drop grenades on the Japs,” he said. “We learned to throw a grenade, then keep our rifles and machine guns firing steadily so… they weren’t able to toss grenades back. Often we heard them crying and groaning after our grenades exploded.”[21]
PFC Lawrence E. Knight had a bandage over a bullet wound in his mouth; this did not stop him from holding court with a bevy of correspondents. They took down his every word: “The first Jap I saw was an officer…. That corporal got his helmet shot off and that’s when he got mad…. Hoppy just whirled around and let the Jap have the bayonet in his ribs….” Both Gilroy and Knight participated in a correspondent’s panel session; theirs were among the first stories of the battle to reach mainland newspapers.
As the wounded Marines received laurels and treatment in Oahu, the Robin Wentley received orders diverting her from her anticipated port of call in Pearl Harbor. She arrived at Kahului just before dusk on February 21. The Marines of 1/24 gathered their gear one final time and walked down the gangplanks; a few were selected for a working party but the rest boarded a convoy of waiting trucks. After months in arid California, weeks aboard sterile ships, and days on a war-torn islet, they were awestruck by the sheer beauty of the place. “The long convoy of trucks that wound from the Kahului docks through Paia and Makawao passed under blossoming flame and shower tress, past hibiscus and wild roses, past green clapboard houses from which curious islanders peered,” wrote Sergeant David Dempsey. As the trucks downshifted and ground uphill towards Kokomo, a few men passed around juicy handfuls of pineapple, pilfered from crates bearing the trademark of J. D. Dole’s Hawaiian Pineapple Company. Beautiful scenery, delicious food, friendly locals and, they hoped, friendlier girls – it felt like heaven on earth.
Then the trucks stopped at a darkened field. The ground was a morass from recent rains, and the air threatened a deluge at any moment. There was a galley, but no barracks, hot showers, or electricity. The First Battalion splashed ankle-deep through red, gluey mud and threw their belongings into squad-sized tents, complaining that 2/24 had claimed all the best spots. The skies opened up, and it was “cold as hell” when the sun went down. This was home away from home.
Welcome to Camp Maui, they were told. All hands will be quarantined for one week.
[1] John C. Pope, Angel On My Shoulder, Kindle edition (2013), location, 816-829. As a young man, Victor Göller did fight for the Austro-Hungarian army; he joined in 1917, at the age of fifteen, and attained a rank equivalent to an American sergeant major. He emigrated in 1920 and lived in Brooklyn, New York, giving his occupation as “ice cream maker.” He joined the Marine Corps in 1923, stayed on active duty until 1936, and immediately thereafter joined the Marine Corps Reserve. He worked for a photoengraver prior to being recalled to active duty in 1940. Goller was finally discharged in 1945 but remained active in Marine Corps auxiliary activities in Brooklyn until his death in 1963.
[2] Harlan Chester Jeffery, diary entries. Collection of Domenick Tutalo.
[3] Philip E. Wood, Jr. to Margaretta and Gretchen Wood, 13 February 1944.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Young America was transporting the Third Battalion, 24th Marines.
[6] Wood, letter of 13 February.
[7] Pope, location 856. John Pope makes an interesting claim in his memoirs. “It developed that a bomb had scored a near miss off the stern of our ship the night before we boarded,” he writes. “Damage to the propeller did not become apparent until we were at sea for a couple of days.” Unable to keep up, it was “bon voyage, good luck, or whatever.” The Young America reported a bomb striking 1000 feet from her stern during the 12 February raid, but Pope should have been aboard the Robin Wentley with his battalion, and there is no indication in the Palmer’s war diary that the miniature convoy split up at any time.
[8] George A. Smith, interview by the author, September 2009. Tojo was rescued and given his own length of (unattached) rope, which he carried around at all times.
[9] Wood, letter of 13 February.
[10] Ibid.
[11] Philip E. Wood, Jr. to Margaretta and Gretchen Wood, 24 January 1944.
[12] Wood, letter of 13 February.
[13] George A. Smith interview.
[14] Dyess was originally recommended for the Navy Cross; later this was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
[15] Perry Smith, Courage, Compassion, Marine: The Unique Story of Jimmie Dyess (Bloomington, IN: iUniverse, 2015), 109.
[16] List compiled from the muster roll of First Battalion, 24th Marines (February 1944), and individual casualty cards. Dates frequently conflict and thus have been omitted. Most are known or believed to have occurred on February 1 or 2, with the exception of four Baker Company casualties on February 3 (Sgt. Giamanco, PFC Bruile, PFC Claar, and PFC Frank Schur, who died of wounds suffered on an unspecified date), and one Charlie Company casualty on February 5 (PFC Kinsley). Of interest is the number of Baker Company casualties whose evacuation took them from the LaSalle to the Solace; these men were likely wounded in the banzai attack of February 2. Note also the preponderance of wounds to the left side of the body, which suggests at least some of these men were in a firing position (left side forward) when hit.
[17] USS Solace, war diary for period February 1 to February 29, 1944. Only three men died of wounds after admission to the Solace: PFC Donald R. Olin (B/1/20) on February 4, Cpl. William T. Phillips (B/4th Tanks) on February 5, and PFC Walfred F. Moberg (G/2/24) on February 6. Olin was buried on Roi-Namur; Phillips and Moberg were returned to Hawaii.
[18] Author unknown, “Killed His Jap,” Wilkes-Barre Record (23 March 1944), 3.
[19] Sgt. David C. Stephenson, “Lincoln Man Is Hurt In Roi Raid,” Nebraska State Journal (18 February 1944), 4. Casey never got his wish; he spent the rest of the war in hospitals.
[20] Ibid.
[21] Author unknown, “They Sang A Song And Took Namur,” The Philadelphia Inquirer Vol. 230, No. 43 (14 February 1944), 3
Final Casualty Report: Operation Flintlock
KIA/DOW
WIA
SICK
TRANSFERRED
TOTAL LOSSES
