Two Score and Thirteen

Description

Third Marine Division Two Score and Thirteen Association History 1949-2002

Sujets

• HISTORY
• Histoire
• 3rd Marine Division (United States)
• Military
• United States
• Civil War
• United States Marine Corps

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 octobre 2002
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781681621715
• Langue: English

Extrait

Two Score And Thirteen
Third Marine Division
Association History
1949 - 2002

U. S. Marine Corps
Turner Publishing Company
Co-published by Mark A. Thompson, Associate Publisher
For book publishing write to: M.T. Publishing Company, Inc. P.O. Box 6802 Evansville, Indiana 47719-6802
Pre-Press work by M.T. Publishing Company, Inc. Graphic Designer: Jason E. Stoermer
Copyright 2002 Turner Publishing Company
This book or any part thereof may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Third Marine Division Association and the Publishers.
The historical information contained in the association history section is taken from the pages of CALTRAP , the official publication of the Third Marine Division Association. A complete CALTRAP collection dating to 1952 was provided to Turner Publishing for reference. The Caltrap issues from 1952 to 1987 were donated to the Association by the late LtGen. Edward A. Craig USMC(Ret), subsequent issues came from Harold J. Melloy and Association archives. Photographs were provided by the Third Third Marine Division Association.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2002102274
ISBN: 978-1-56311-798-5
Limited Edition
Introduction
Throughout its storied history, the 3d Marine Division has earned a stellar reputation for its dedication to the highest values and principles of the United State Marine Corps; for its extraordinary bravery on the battlefields of Bougainville, the Northern Solomon Islands, Guam, and Iwo Jima in World War II and in the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War; for its loyalty and sacrifice to country; and for the esprit de corps for which the Marine Corps is renowned.
Division veterans of the Pacific battles of World War II formed the Third Marine Division Association in 1949. Fifty-three years later, the ranks of the Association number more than 5,000 Division veterans of three wars as well as Marines and Navy personnel who have served with the Division between wars. Through the Third Marine Division Association, friendships forged on far-flung battlefields or in places far from the comforts of home and family are maintained. With its many programs, the Association honors the Division Marines of the past, supports the Division Marines of the present, and provides continuity to the Division Marines of the future.
The roll call of Marines who have served with the 3d Division includes 42 men who were awarded the Medal of Honor for exceptional heroism - 10 from World War II and 32 from the Vietnam War. The Division itself has also been the recipient of numerous honors, including two Presidential Unit Citation Streamers with Bronze Star, the first in World War II for the battle at Iwo Jima and the second for the Vietnam War; the Navy Unit Commendation Streamer for Iwo Jima; the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer with four Bronze Stars; the World War II Victory Streamer; the National Defense Service Streamer with one Bronze Star; the Korean Service Streamer; the Vietnam Service Streamer; the Korean Service Streamer; the Vietnam Service Streamer with two Silver Stars and one Bronze Star; and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry Streamer with Palm.
The 3d Marine Division s primary mission is the execution of amphibious assault operations, as well as other operations as directed. The 3d Marine Division is the Marine Corps Forces In Readiness in the Pacific. The Division s elements include the Headquarters Battalion, based at Camp Courtney, Okinawa; the Twelfth Marine Regiment and the Combat Engineering Company, both based at Camp Hansen, Okinawa. The Fourth Marine Regiment, the Combat Assault Battalion, and the Force Recon Battalion, all based at Camp Schwab, Okinawa; and the Third Marine Regiment, based at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The Division also includes elements reporting for rotational training cycles from the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, California, and the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, under the Unit Deployment Program.
Dedication
Dedicated to all Marines and Navy personnel who have served with the 3d Marine Division since it was activated on 16 September 1942.
Table of Contents Introduction Veteran Special Stories History of the Caltrap Third Marine Division Association Presidents Recipients of the General Allen H. Turnage Award Association History 3d Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force Medal of Honor Recipients, 3d Marine Division Veteran Biographies Index
Vetran Special Stories

3d Marine Division Patch - Caltrap
The 3d Marine Division shoulder patch, worn during World War II, is in scarlet and gold, the official colors of the Marine Corps, and consists of a scarlet triangular shield with a narrow gold line near the out edge.
In the center of the shield is a gold and black caltrap, an ancient military instrument with four metal points so disposed so that any three of them being on the ground the other projects upward, thereby impeding the progress of the enemy s cavalry.
Literally: Don t step on me!
Also, the three visible points of the caltrap represent the Division number.
This insignia was authorized in 1943. In 1947, the wearing of unit shoulder patches by all Marine Corps units was discontinued.
The insignia remains the official insignia of the 3d Marine Division
Hand Grenade Hill Engagement
by Dan Bozikis
Thanksgiving Day, 25 November 1943, the 1st Battalion, A Company, 9th Marines, 3d Platoon made a ferocious attack on the enemy during the Bougainville campaign battle for Hand Grenade Hill. As the 3rd Platoon was pinned down at the base of the hill, Lieutenant Howell Moose Heflin for up after you!
No! I ll slide down to you.. Bully exclaimed. I opened fire with my BAR to cover him as he came off the slope. I patched him up and we returned to Heflin.
From the top of the hill, all the Japs had to do was ignite the hand grenades and let them roll down to explode on top of us. As a result, we suffered so many casualties that only 11 of us out of more than 40 were not wounded. So Moose called for mortar fire, but the shelling did no good. The shells would explode at the treetops but would not penetrate the dense cover to reach the enemy underneath.
The one man that was killed on the hill, Don Bertsche of Kentucky, died in my arms in a way that haunted me for months. He had been my assistant BAR man carrying two hundred rounds of ammunition. He was in front and to the left of me in the prone position. He lifted his upper body to fire at one Jap and another one shot him in the heart. The impact lifted him up, threw him backwards into my arms rolling us both down the hill together. He looked up at me and spoke his last words: Greek, F bleeding like a stuffed duck. To this day I don t know what he meant by that.

This is the 3d Platoon just before we hit Bougainville, 1943. Photo taken on Handgranade Hill. Photo courtesy of Dan Bozikis
The rest of the platoon and I pulled back down the hill as darkness fell on us. Some of us began thinking that Moose wanted to get help and rush the hill.
The next morning, Moose sent me with Jim Hasson, Ed Gill, and Ed Gagye, to see if there were any Japs on the hill because we had heard movement while waited for dawn. It was scary crawling up the hill not knowing when the Japs would open fire on us. When we got to the top of the hill, all we found was a lot of empty fox holes and defense bunkers, but no Japs. They had pulled out. We continued and advance to Hill 1000 where we finally set our defense until being relieved by the army.
Perhaps, A Peacetime Featured Candidate
by Anonymous
Once in a while, betwixt hot wars or hot spots, something arises to jeopardize the honor of the United States, the US Marine Corps, and, maybe the 3d Marine Division, when that something isn t really a battle by battlefield standards. Then, peacetime shouldering must happen.
In July - August 1960, the 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, from Okinawa, arrived by way of amphibious shipping for live-fire field exercises at Camp Fuji, Japan. Indigenous Japanese vowed no US artillery shooting would occur, and they did that at rather stupendous risk of their bodies in the impact area.
Unexpectedly, for a battalion in training, 1/12 suddenly became the cop on the scene in an international face situation, perhaps perpetrated by a third nation - as, by the evil empire.
The American ambassador in Tokyo, alerted, became rigorously involved in a training exercise for one battalion of the 3d Division. The Ambassador was precise in stating that artillery shooting will occur on the day that had been advertised by the United States of America. The 3d Division was shouldering the load.
A cool Battalion Commander and a set of Marines who would later make their individual marks in 3d Division and U. S. Marine Corps history stayed the course and set new directions into the night before the day designated for what was international peacetime artillery fire.
The plan was: At daybreak, four Marines would be in the heart of the impact area within 200 meters of the selected artillery impact base point and with clear observation on the site to protect local citizens. Normal safety clearances in training were on the order of 600 meters, minimum. Forget the safety minimums, corrective artillery registration would proceed.
The day arrived to provide vicious weather circumstances, challenging all the technologies of field artillery fire direction - cross winds, near monsoon rains, colossal powder humidity, and fragile vision and survey circumstances.
The special team was in position. The four 3d Division Marines were in far more danger than the perpetrators, the Marines so placed by their volunteer instincts as guts-ball Marines are want to do. Other I/12 Marines, under the gun to provide perfection, were checking it twice and many more times.
The first round from the registering platoon lifted off at 0545 hours into murky daylight, pelting rains and winds swirling. Silence preva