Hell in the Pacific: A Marine Rifleman's Journey From Guadalcanal to Peleliu (36 page)

Jim McEnery and coauthor Bill Sloan.

Gertrude McEnery, Jim’s wife of 65 years, prepares for a photo at home in Ocala, Florida, in May 2011, adjusting the 72-year-old campaign hat her husband was issued in boot camp in 1940.

Adams, Arthur “Scoop,”
10
,
14
,
15
,
47
,
57
–58,
59
,
65
,
68
,
113
–15,
201

Afghanistan,
286

Ahner, Leonard,
160
,
161

airfield: on Cape Gloucester,
153
,
155
,
156
,
173

        on Guadalcanal,
11
,
15
,
49
,
50
–51,
58
–60,
73

        on Ngesebus,
237

        on Peleliu,
210
–12,
215
–16,
217
,
218
,
228
,
239
.
See also
Henderson Field

Alligator Creek (Guadalcanal),
5
,
74
,
80
–81

Americal Division, U.S. Army.
See
164
th Infantry Regiment

amphibious tractors (amtracks),
105
–6,
206
,
207
–8,
209
,
237
–38,
239
,
240
,
245

Anderson, Jim,
263
,
264

Armistice Day (1926),
24
–25

Army, U.S.: at Cape Gloucester,
174

        dogs of,
174

        First Marine Division transport from Australia and,
141

        on Guadalcanal,
52
,
109
–10

        McEnery thoughts of joining,
18
–19,
33

        on Ngesebus,
245

        on Peleliu,
228
,
261
,
265
–66,
269

Arndt, Charles C. “Monk,”
5
,
69

Ash, Robert M.,
214

“Asiatic,” going,
199

Atkins, Elisha,
162
–63

atomic bomb,
283

Australia: combat training school in,
147
–48

        Fifth Marines depart from,
150
–51

        MacArthur in,
290

        McEnery in,
137
–52

        McEnery’s views about,
140

        and U.S. troops-Australian relations,
141
.
See also
Brisbane, Australia; Camp Balcombe; Melbourne, Australia

B Company, First Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment (B/1/5),
75

B Company, First Marine Raider Battalion,
93
,
95

Bailey, David,
264
,
268

Bailey, Kenneth,
93
,
95
–96,
97

Balduck, Remi,
38
–40,
42
,
43
,
100
,
145
–46,
172
,
202

Banika: assignments on,
202
–3

        U.S. Navy base on,
197
–98

banzai.
See
Bushido/banzai

Basilone, John,
116
–17

Bataan,
44
,
58
,
82
,
131
,
138
,
290

bath incident (Guadalcanal), McEnery’s,
84
–85

Bauerschmidt, Bill: at Cape Gloucester,
174
–75

        death of,
253
–54,
263

        
McEnery recon assignment by,
175

        McEnery relationship with,
201
–2

        on Ngesebus,
238
,
243

        on Pavuvu,
201
–2

        on Peleliu,
208
,
212
,
215
–16,
227
,
229
,
230
,
253
–54

        personal background of,
175

        as platoon leader,
174

Baxter, Thomas “Nippo,”
240
,
244

Blakesley, Kenneth,
67
–68,
86
,
87
–88,
89
–90

Bloody Nose Ridge (Peleliu).
See
Umurbrogol Plateau

“blow-torch and corkscrew” tactics,
236

Bordenairo, Jim,
281
–82

Bors, Lou,
125

Boyd, Robert,
262

Brisbane, Australia,
137
–40

British; in Pacific War,
44

Brody, George,
278

Brooklyn, New York: McEnery childhood and youth in,
21
–33,
288

        McEnery on leave in,
39

        McEnery train trip from California to,
279
–80

        McEnery’s return from Pacific to,
280
–81

Brooks, Clyde,
260

Bushido/banzai: at Cape Gloucester,
168

        as double-edged sword,
72

        Ichiki Detachment and,
79
–84

        meaning of term,
71
–72

        November 3 battle on Guadalcanal and,
119
–
26

        on Peleliu,
218

        Puller’s troops and,
108
.
See also
Edson’s Ridge: Battle of; Tenaru River: Battle of

C Company, First Battalion, First Marine Regiment (C/1/1); on Peleliu,
220
–22

C Company, First Marine Raider Battalion,
93
–94,
95
–96

Cactus Air Force,
77
,
101
–3,
110
,
112
,
185

Camp Balcombe (Australia),
141
–50,
152
,
183
,
184

Camp Lejeune (North Carolina),
41
Canberra
(ship),
55

Cape Gloucester (New Britain): airfield on,
153
,
155
,
156
,
173

        Army dogs at,
174

        Beach Yellow at,
154
,
155

        importance of remembering,
291

        Japanese retreat/stragglers and,
173
–80

        maps of,
154
–55

        Marines on,
152
,
153
–81

        McEnery’s leg injury on,
160
,
161
–62,
163
,
164
,
165
,
166
,
167
,
169
,
171

        McEnery’s scary experience on,
177
–79

        rotation of Fifth Marines at,
176
–77

        supplies/equipment for,
156
,
174

        Talasea battle on,
180

        tanks at,
155
,
167

        Walt’s Ridge on,
168
,
169
,
171

        weather on,
156
–57,
177

Capito, John,
167

Carl, Marion,
101

Casual Company (military police); McEnery assignment with,
284

Cates, Clifton,
83

cemetery: on Guadalcanal,
137
,
206

        on Peleliu,
268

Chisick, Andy,
164
,
165

Christmas (1944),
277
–78

Churchill, Winston,
44
,
290

Civil War veteran; McEnery sees,
25

coast watchers,
78
,
103
,
107
,
110

Cobb, Charles,
134
,
146

coconuts,
12
,
61
,
193
–94,
199

Collins, Harold,
255
–56

Colonna, Jerry,
201

Coral Sea, Battle of,
54

corpse, Japanese; McEnery shooting of,
247

corpsmen.
See
medics/corpsmen

Corregidor,
44
,
58
,
82
,
138
,
214
,
290

Crosby, Bing,
201

Cummins, Brendan (grandson),
285

Cummins, Erik (grandson),
285

Cummins, Karen (daughter),
285
,
289

Curtis, Marian,
142
,
144
–45,
185

Daniels, Agnes (grandmother),
22
,
29

Daniels, Christopher (grandfather),
22
,
29

Day, Jim,
161
–62,
164

death: McEnery’s reactions to,
106
,
122
–23,
124
,
125
,
172
,
176
,
202
,
236
–37,
254
,
268
–69,
270
,
276
,
291
–92

        stench of,
247
,
257
.
See also specific person

Delong, Weldon,
120
–21,
123
–25,
202

Distinguished Service Cross,
133

d’Leau, Jay,
271

dogs: at Cape Gloucester,
174

        on Peleliu,
209

Doolittle, Jimmy,
129

Dragons (football team),
26

dress blues,
19
,
39

drill instructor: criticisms of,
282
–83

        McEnery as,
281
–83,
284

Dykstra, Daniel,
150
,
157
–58,
159

Eastern Solomons, Battle of,
100

Edson, Merritt A. “Red Mike,”
90
–97,
105
,
133
,
147

Edson’s Ridge (Guadalcanal): Battle of,
74
,
90
–97,
98

        map of Guadalcanal beachhead and,
49

Eleventh Marine Regiment,
43
,
89
,
97
,
213

Ellington, Charles “Duke,”
263
,
264
,
268

equipment.
See
supplies/equipment

“Europe First” approach,
290
–91

European Theater of Operations (ETO),
9

Few, Frank L,
68
–69

Fifth Marine Regiment: advance on Guadalcanal of,
51

        Battle of Edson’s Ridge and,
97

        at Cape Gloucester,
147
,
153
,
173
,
176
–77

        defensive perimeter for,
59

        departure from Australia of,
150
–51

        Edson as chief of staff for,
147

        Edson as commander of,
133

        Guadalcanal casualties in,
12

        Henderson Field defense and,
100

        K/3/5 clean up after departure of,
139

        map of Guadalcanal beachhead and,
49

        Matanikau River battles and,
104
,
107
,
117
,
132

        McEnery’s San Diego—Brooklyn train trip and,
279
–80

        in New Guinea,
151
–52

        nickname for,
43

        on Peleliu,
207
,
208
,
211
,
212
–13,
215
,
216
,
217
,
222
,
224
,
236
,
246
,
248
,
257
,
258
,
261
–62

        Quantico as home for,
40