Pacifica Military History Free Sample Chapters.pmd

316 Pacifica Military History
Another voice suddenly called Manning’s name and said that
reinforcements were coming up on the right, that he should have his
troopers hold fire. As Gunner Manning expected no help from any
direction, he alerted the men around him to the ruse, then shouted
approval. The attempted penetration was easily repulsed..
At 2200, three-and-one-half hours into the battle, Red Mike informed
LtCol Jerry Thomas that his force of Raiders and ‘Chutes had dwindled
to about 300 organized effectives, and that the Jap-anese had yet to
ease the pressure. Isolated groups and individuals continued to contribute
to the success of the effort by stalling rushes and confusing Japanese
troop leaders by firing from odd places at odd moments. Nevertheless,
though many Japanese were down, the Marines were increasingly
outnumbered.
Pfc Larry Moran was struck in the thigh by a red-hot sliver of
shrapnel. He fought on until a lull allowed him to hobble with another
injured Marine to an aid station about 100 yards back. When the two
arrived at the sickbay, they were told that the corps-man was on the
line, that there was no one qualified to deal with their injuries. The two
continued toward the rear, permanently out of the fight.
Pfc Bill Keller, an A Company BAR-man, bowled over three
Japanese who popped out of the trees directly beneath his position.
One screamed for endless minutes, so painful were his wounds. A
corpsman asked Keller what the trouble was. When the BAR-man said
that a wounded enemy soldier was making all the noise, the corpsman
sort of grinned and dropped into the trees to get at the wounded man.
The screaming stopped, but Bill Keller never learned the outcome, for
two Japanese concussion grenades ex-ploded within a yard of his
position. The next thing Keller knew, he was being lifted onto a jeep at
the base of the ridge. Shrapnel wounds pitted the lower part of his face
and upper back. His pre-cious BAR was clutched tightly in his fists.
Capt Bill McKennan was working out of his CP, right behind the
forwardmost machine guns, when he and istSgt Marion LeNoir saw a
Japanese grenade sputter out of the darkness. LeNoir dived one way
and McKennan went the other, right into the orbit of a second grenade
he did not see. McKennan next found that he was rolling downhill, and