Dr. Richard Vallon
Richard was with the Headquarters of the 2nd
Battalion of the 2nd Marine Regiment of the 6th
Marine Division. At the time he was 24 years old and a Pharmacist
Mate First Class (Corpsman). His unit was a “Fleet Marine Force” capable of executing
invasions from the sea. The following is Doc Vallon's story…
Okinawa: The Ultimate World War II
Battle
What was the biggest amphibious
operation in human history? With movies like Private Ryan many might
think the answer is the June 1944 invasion of Normandy in the Second
World War. The correct answer based on the number of men, casualties,
weapons, tanks, planes and landing craft is the American invasion of
Okinawa in April 1945. Okinawa is second only to the Battle of the
Bulge in terms of U. S. casualties. The Army sustained 4,436 killed in
action (KIA) and 17,343 wounded in action (WIA). The Marines suffered
2,793 KIA and 13,434 WIA. The supporting armada of U. S. Fifth Fleet
ships totaled 1,457 vessels of all types, including the British Pacific
Fleet, and 548,000 men. The invasion was also supported by the U. S.
Seventh Air Force and the XXI Bomber Command.
Time has shown that Okinawa was one
of the most important battles in the Second World War.
Okinawa, the largest of the Ryukyu
Islands, is 700 miles from Tokyo. The purpose of our task force,
code-named “Operation Iceberg” was to secure a base for the final
invasion of the Japanese mainland. Okinawa, as the last line of defense
prior to invading Japan, guaranteed that the Japanese would not
surrender and therefore fight to the death.
The 183,000 U. S. troops that went
ashore on April 1, 1945 from the XXIV (Army) Corps and the III (Marine)
Amphibious Corps, comprised largely of battle-tested veterans of Pacific
island fighting. The Japanese miscalculated the American invasion
points and as a result we met only light resistance by the Japanese
defenders. To help us before the invasion, approximately 1,000 Navy
frogmen cleared Okinawa's shore in preparation for L-Day. Consequently,
only 28 American lives were lost during the landing instead of the
expected heavy casualties.
Prior to the Navy frogmen and their
daring clearing mission, U. S. ships and planes had pummeled Okinawa for
two months prior to the invasion with intense naval and air bombardment.
In response Japanese suicide planes, kamikazes, carried out mass
formation attacks on our fleet. Between March 26-31, kamikazes knocked
16 ships out of action or severely damaged them. The carrier USS
Franklin was hit by two bombs and suffered close to 1,000 casualties.
Miraculously she managed to get home under her own power. The USS
Franklin was the most heavily damaged carrier ever to be saved.
I landed on the southern tip of
Okinawa with the 5th wave which hit the beach within minutes
of the 1st wave. Most of the our men landed safely because
the Japanese were waiting for us at another area. There were battles
all the way up the island. One of the most dramatic assaults was on a
hill called Sugar Loaf Hill. This assault took several days and nights
and there was carnage on both sides. It was at this time that the
Japanese really tested my metal in terms of being a real Marine. We
fought 24 hours a day for several days. The suicide weapons and more
mortars and artillery, took a heavy psychological toll among the
soldiers. The result in the months and years to come was the worst cases
of combat fatigue in the Pacific war from these battles. Henry Berry,
author of Semper Fi, Mac; described the fighting as, "One of the most
horrendous blood-lettings in the history of American combat."
While the tank and infantry teams
fought, I was rescuing Marines that had been wounded. Rescues were
initiated with the call, Corpsman! I would crawl out on hands and
knees to wounded and patch up the men were they lay. We used to say
“patch them where they lay” because we did not have a MASH unit. We
were an assault unit and we had to treat people where and when they were
hit.
The Japanese were wily. They would
sometimes intentionally wound a man so that when the others, often three
or four Marines would attempt to bring the injured man back to a shelter
or fox hole, they would have three or four new targets to shoot. We got
wise to this strategy and we would treat them where they lay and wait
for the next call for help.
I was on the island from April 1
through August when we finally secured the island. Everyday was hell.
Everyday bombs were rained upon us. The Japanese were desperate because
they were the defenders. The defenders in any assault get wiped out to
the last man. They would fight to the death because it would be
dishonorable to surrender. We had to literally wipe them out. We did
not wear a red cross on our helmet because this would make us a target.
While we secured positions inland on
Okinawa, other American forces continued landing on the smaller islands
around it. On one of them, le Shima, America's beloved war
correspondent, Ernie Pyle, was killed on April 18, 1945 by a Japanese
sniper. It is very demoralizing to see your people, especially your
officers, killed. My commanding officer was killed. His commanding
officer was killed. My general was killed. He was Commander of the
Tenth Army and the 22nd Marine Regiment and his name was
Major General Simon Bolivar Buckner. He was the highest-ranking U. S.
officer killed in WW II.
Heavy rains added to our problems.
When the rains ceased on 28 May, we overwhelmed the enemy units
defending the Shuri Castle. The Japanese retreated in the face of
tremendous firepower. At this time caves and tunnels were cleared of
enemy troops with flamethrowers and recoilless rifles. "Blowtorch and
corkscrew" tactics was the term we used at that time to seal caves often
with Japanese soldiers inside. The flame-throwing tanks provided the
blowtorch, while dynamite charges and grenades were the corkscrews.
When I went into the Marine Corps I
was thin and athletic. I was ready for the rigorous Basic training at
Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. I liked firing a rifle, marksmanship
and hand-to-hand combat. I did not care for road marches but I did
them. The Marine Corp emphasized confidence in yourself as a man. This
is something that you don’t get in other places. I thought I was pretty
street smart because I grew up in South Boston. I learned from the
Marine Corps to never fear any situation. I believe this lesson has
helped me throughout my entire life. To be totally fearless but also
respect a situation of impending death or danger. You don’t go looking
for trouble, but if trouble comes your way you know what to do.
Every single day this lesson in self
confidence is bombarded into your mind. My best friend was my Kbar
knife. I used it for everything. It was a utilitarian knife that I
used to cut wire, open coconuts and opening cans. I never used it as it
was intended, to stab somebody, I never got that close. The only
Japanese I killed was one night when I was hiding in a foxhole. A
Japanese solider was creeping along our lines when a phosphorus flare
went up and lit up the whole area. In the light of the phosphorus flare
I saw him before he saw me and I used my carbine. I shot him in
conjunction with Sergeant Wilson who was with me at the time. We both
put a couple of bullets in this Japanese soldier’s head. I noticed he
was carrying a Japanese flag at his chest. I took the flag as a
souvenir and still have it to this day.
It was customary for the Japanese to
carry a rising sun flag to show their love of their country. I have the
flag right here (see photo). There are two flags, the rising sun and
the Navy version which is a rising sun with rays of the sun shooting out
of it.
The Japanese, called the Okinawa
invasion "Tennozan" which means "the ultimate battle." The island,
which is sixty miles long and 2 to 18 miles wide covering 485 square
miles, had been fortified. We had to fight every step of the way. Each
day was hell. Our intelligence estimates projected 65,000 enemy troops
on Okinawa but this estimate was wrong and we ended up fighting over
twice this number. The Japanese did give up in the end but this was
after 107,539 dead and 10,755 captured with another 23,764 enemy dead
sealed in caves or otherwise buried. Tragically, some 42,000 Okinawan
civilians died, either by suicide or during the fighting. The price of
freedom was high for us with approximately 20% of all casualties in the
Pacific taking place at Okinawa.
For extraordinary heroism in action
against enemy Japanese forces during the assault and capture of Okinawa
on April 1, 1945 to June 21, 1945 my unit was awarded the "Presidential
Unit Citation" medal with a battle star.
The peace agreement was signed on
the USS Missouri with the Japanese general laying down his sword.
The picture is of men who survived with me are below (a combination of
Corpsman and machine gunners). I will be forever grateful and
proud to have served with this most elite fighting force, The United
States Marine Corps. Semper Fi!
Richard Vallon
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