Hell in the Pacific: A Marine Rifleman's Journey From Guadalcanal to Peleliu (39 page)

McEnery, Thomas (father),
28
–29,
30
,
32

McIlhenny, Walter,
215

McIlvaine, Rex,
113
–14

McMillan, George,
56
,
79
,
98
,
108
,
180
,
200
,
213
,
222

Mead, George,
75

Medal of Honor,
97
,
101
,
116
,
133
,
222
,
224

medics/corpsmen: on Cape Gloucester,
158
,
169

        on Guadalcanal,
88
–89,
125
,
132

        McEnery’s feelings about Japanese shooting,
292

        on Ngesebus,
244

        on Peleliu,
223
,
230
,
253
–55,
260
–61

Melbourne, Australia: First Marine Division in,
141
–45

        K/3/5 hopes for return to,
183
–85

Merchant Marine crew; Navy gunners fight with,
271
–72

Midway, Battle of,
10
,
54
,
73

military, U.S.: McEnery motivation for joining,
17
–18

        McEnery’s dreams of joining,
25
.
See also specific branch

military uniform; McEnery sees first,
24
–25

Miller, T. I.,
114
,
286

Milne Bay (New Guinea); Fifth Marine Regiment at,
151
–52

Moore, Alden,
255

morale: on Guadalcanal,
58
,
73
,
98
,
100

        on Pavuvu,
191
,
201

        on Peleliu,
258

Moss, Robert J.,
278
,
286

Muroski, Peter Paul,
30
–32

Muroski, Peter Paul Jr.,
30
,
32
,
202
,
285

Murphy, Dennis,
280
–81

Murray, William,
7
,
134

National Guard troops,
109

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal,
129
–32

Naval Operating Base (Norfolk, Virginia)

        McEnery assignment at,
38
–40

Navy, Japanese,
101
–3,
136

Navy, U.S.: Banika base of,
197
–98

        Battle of Midway and,
10

        First Marine Division in Australia and,
141

        as Guadalcanal backup,
6

        Guadalcanal departure of,
16
,
73

        Japanese air raids on,
13
–14,
16
,
56

        McEnery thoughts of joining,
18
,
32

        Merchant Marine crew fight with,
271
–
72

        Paleliu battle and,
232

        Peleliu dock of,
270

        Rabaul campaign and,
181

        supplies for Guadalcanal and,
9

        support for troops on Guadalcanal and,
100
,
129
.
See also specific person, battle or vessel

Navy Cross,
101
,
124
,
133
,
146
,
211
,
215

New Britain: K/3/5 assignment to,
128
,
153
–81

        MacArthur visit to,
181
.
See also
Cape Gloucester

New Caledonia,
56
,
93
,
129
,
131
,
276

New River, North Carolina; McEnery field training at,
15
,
41
,
42
,
142

Ngesebus; Battle for,
237
–44,
245

Nimitz, Chester,
180
–81,
232

nurses, Red Cross,
272
–73

officers: code names for,
15
.
See also specific person

Okinawa,
231
,
244
,
283
–84

O’Neil, Tom,
169
–71

164th Infantry Regiment, Americal Division,
109
–13,
115
,
116
,
117

182nd Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army,
129

Opecek, Frankie,
249

Oro Bay (New Guinea); Seventh Marine Regiment at,
151

Pacific War: British in,
44

        Guadalcanal as turning point in,
136

        weapons and equipment for,
9
.
See also specific topic

Paine, Leland,
157
,
160
–61

Parris Island, South Carolina: McEnery in boot camp at,
35
–37,
283

        McEnery cruise to,
34

        McEnery as drill instructor at,
281
–83,
284

        McEnery hopes for appointment as DI at,
275

Patch, Alexander,
135

Patterson, Lawrence V.,
14
,
86
,
105
,
121
–22,
133
–34

Pavuvu Island: changes on,
272
–74

        coconuts on,
193
–94,
199

        entertainment troupe at,
201

        food/water on,
195
–96

        and Haldane commendation letter for McEnery,
204
–5

        K/3/5 rotation back to U.S. and,
270
–75,
276

        as Marine rest camp,
185
–205,
224

        Marine suicides on,
200

        
morale at,
191
,
201

        rats/land crabs on,
194
–95,
199
,
201

        weather on,
187

Pearl Harbor: Battle of Tenaru River as payback for,
82

        Japanese attack on,
10
,
43

        Short and Kimmel as scapegoats for,
291

Peleliu: airfield on,
210
–12,
215
–16,
217
,
218
,
228
,
239

        Army troops on,
228
,
261
,
265
–66,
269

        cemetery on,
268

        death stench on,
247
,
257

        as First Marine Division objective,
186

        food/water on,
212
,
215
,
257

        importance of remembering,
291

        Japanese infiltrators on,
218
,
257
–58,
265

        Japanese strength on,
236
,
269

        Japanese surrender on,
236

        K/3/5 departure from,
270
–71

        last duty assignment on,
268

        MacArthur role in battle for,
232
,
290

        maps of,
225
,
246

        Marine casualties/wounded on,
268

        Marine landing on,
206
,
207
–10

        most tragic day and,
262
–64

        Orange Beach on,
207

        as pointless battle,
232
–33

        Rupertus comments about,
206
,
256

        Sniper Alley on,
225
,
236

        supplies/equipment on,
215

        tanks on,
209
–10,
212
–13,
229
–30,
253
,
258
,
260
–61,
265

        Umurbrogol Pocket/Bloody Nose Ridge battles on,
216
–18,
225
,
235
–37,
246
–66,
269

        as uniquely horrible and worst time of McEnery’s life,
231
–32,
235

        weather on,
212
,
247
.
See also
Ngesebus

Philippines,
43
,
290

photograph: of
3
/5,
268

        of K/3/5,
267
–68,
286

platoon leaders: as tough job,
114
,
174
.
See also specific person

Point Cruz (Guadalcanal),
49
,
118

Pollock, Edwin,
80
,
81

Pope, Everett,
220
–22,
251

post-traumatic stress syndrome,
275

Pratt, Malcolm,
64

prisoners of war: at Battle of Tenaru River,
83

        Bushido and,
72

        Japanese as,
51
,
83

        at Singapore,
72

Prohibition,
23
,
29

Puller, Lewis B. “Chesty,”
107
–8,
115
–16,
211
,
218
–20,
222
,
247
,
256
,
258

Quantico, Virginia; McEnergy assignment at,
40
–42

Rabaul; Japanese base at,
78
,
103
,
153
,
181

rats; on Pavuvu,
194
–95,
199
,
206

Red Cross nurses,
272
–73

Resurrection Catholic Church (Brooklyn, New York),
28

Rice, Lyman,
254

Rickenbacker, Eddie,
101

rifle incident: bolt problem,
36
–37,
89
–90

        booby-trapped,
176

Rigney, Tom,
241

Rivers, John,
82

Roosevelt, Franklin D.,
44
,
138
,
232
,
290
–91

Rottinghaus, Ray,
255

Royal Life Saving Society,
148

Rupertus, William,
148
,
150
,
156
,
173
,
183
,
204
,
206
,
211
,
256
–57

Rutgers University,
288

Samoa,
18
,
42
,
43

San Diego, California; McEnery in,
279

San Francisco, California; McEnery in,
277
–79

Santa Cruz Island,
49
,
129

Saunders, Captain,
40

Savo Island,
52
–56,
91

Schantunbach, Norman “Dutch,”
8
,
170
–71

Schmid, Al,
82

Scott, Raymond,
88

Seabees,
187
,
228
,
273

Sealark Channel: Japanese air raids on U.S. ships in,
13
–14,
48
,
52
–55.
See also
Iron Bottom Sound

Second Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment (2/5),
5
,
94
,
104
,
105
–6,
117
–18,
154
,
173
,
213
,
248
,
262

Second Battalion, First Marine Regiment (2/1),
4
,
48
,
80
–84,
216

Second Battalion, Seventh Marine Regiment (2/7),
105
,
107
,
155
–56,
251

Second Marine Division,
133
,
135
,
147

Second Marine Raider Battalion,
135

Second Marine Regiment,
18
,
104
,
276

Selden, John T.,
147
,
177
,
179
,
204

17th Army, Japanese,
79
,
84
,
117

Seventh Marine Regiment: in Australia,
145
–46

        Balduck with,
42
,
43
,
100
,
145
–46

        at Cape Gloucester,
153
,
157

        casualties of,
256

        evacuation from Peleliu of,
256

        Matanikau River battles and,
104
,
107
,
115
,
117

        at Oro Bay (New Guinea),
151

        on Peleliu,
208
,
210
,
211
,
222
,
224
,
236
,
246
,
256
–57,
261

        as reinforcements on Guadalcanal,
99
,
100

        Rupertus briefing to,
206

        in Samoa,
42
,
43

        as split off from Fifth Marine Regiment,
43
.
See also specific battalion

Shanley, James V. “Jamo,”
255
–56

Shea, John,
82

Shepherd, Earl,
265

Shepherd, Lemuel,
168

Shifla, Donald,
268

Shofner, Austin “Shifty,”
214

Short, Walter,
291

Silver Star,
133
,
167
,
169
,
199

Singapore,
44
,
72

singing: on Armistice Day,
24

        Guadalcanal landing and,
8
,
171

        by Jones,
183
–84

Sixth Army, U.S.,
150
–51,
153

Sixth Marine Regiment,
43

Skocczylas, Joseph,
168

Sledge, Eugene B.,
192
–93,
196
–97,
218
,
261
,
271
,
287