FORTITUDINENEWSLETTER OF THE MARINE CORPS HISTORICAL PROGRAM

Volume XI Summer 1981 Number 1

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A: Approved for public release; distribution isunlimited.

PCN 10401220100

HISTORYAND MUSEUMSDIVISION

Telephone: (202) 433-3838, 433-3840, 433-3841

DIRECFORBGen Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret)

HISTORICAL BRANCHCol Oliver M. Whipple, Jr., USMC

Deputy Director for HistoryActing Executive Officer

Mr. Henry I. Shaw,Jr.Chief Historian

Histories Section: Maj Frank M. Barha, Jr., USMC;Ma) William R. Melton, USMC; Ma) Edward F.Wells, USMC; Mr. Jack Shulimson; Mr. Charles R.Smith; Mr. V. Keith Fleming, Jr.

Reference Section: Mr. Danny J. Crawford; Mr.Robert V. Aquilina; Mrs. CathleenJ. Solms.

Oral History Section: Mr. Benis M. Frank

SUPPORT BRANCHCWO4 Robert M. Skidmore, USMC

Acting Head

Administrative: CWO4 Robert M Skidmore, USMC.Security: GySgt Carl I. Butler, USMC. Archives: Mrs.Joyce E. Bonnert. Library: Miss Evelyn A. Englander.

Publications Production: Mr. Robert E. Struder.Production: Miss Catherine A. Stoll. Graphic Arts:Mr. Richard A. Hillman. Typesetting: LCpl MarkJ.Ziganse, USMC.

Editor, FortitudineMr. V. Keith Fleming, Jr.

Assistant EditorMaj William R. Melton

FORTITUDINEMotto of the United States Marine Corps in the 1812 era.

Director's Page: Tel/It To The Sea Soldiers .................... 3

The Readers Always Write........:......................... 5Acquisitions ............................................. 6

The Inspector General Reports .............................. 7

New Research Could Alter Aces List .......................... 8

New Computer Enhances Access to Collection.................. 13Hostages' Experiences Told ................................. 14

Former Marine Donates Photos of Her Wartime Service .......... 16

World War II Chronology: December 1941 .................... 17

Center Loses Photo Archives ................................ 18

Oral History Report ....................................... 19

In Memoriam ............................................ 20

Flag-Raising 'Flop' Foments Flap ............................. 22

Certificates of Appreciation ................................. 23

Events at the Center ....................................... 24

Fortitudine is produced in the Publications Production Section of the History andMuseums Division. The text for Fortitudine is set in 10 point and 8 point Garamondtypeface. Headlines are in 18 point or 24 point Garamond. The newsletter is printed on120-pound, lithocoated paper. Printing, by offset lithography, is by the Defense Prin-ting Service.

Volume XI Summer 1981 No. 1

This quarterly newsletter of the Marine Corps historical program ispublished for the Corps and friends of Marine Corps history in accor-dance with Department of the Navy Publications and Printing Regula-tions NAVEXOS P-35. Individuals and institutions desiring For-titudine on a complimentary basis are invited to apply to: History andMuseums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps (Code HDS-1),Washington, D.C. 20380.

MUSEUMS BRANCHCal F. B. Nilsart, USMC (Ret)Deputy Director for Museums

Mr. Charles A. WoodActing Chief Curator

LtCol Charles H. Waterhouse, USMCRArtist-in-Residence

Personal Papers: Mr. Charles A. Wood. MilitaryMusic: Mr. Judson E. Bennett, Jr. Marine Barracks,Special Projects: Mr. Richard A. Long. Art: Mr. JohnT. Dyer, Jr. Exhibits: Mr. Carl M. DeVere, Sr.

Registrar: Mr. Kenneth L. Smith-Christmas.

Museums Activities, QuanticoLtCol Herman C. Brown, USMC

Officer-in-Charge

Ordnance: Mr. Leo S. Champion. Aviation: Mr.Joseph E. Payton. Exhibits: Mr. C. Edward Thayer.Security: Sgt Bruce L. Yant, USMC

THE COVERThis recruiting poster ofJune 1941, painted by the late Col Donald

L. Dickson (then a captain), captures the spirit of the Corps as it ex-panded in size in the months prior to World War II.

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Director's Page

Tell It To The Sea Soldiers

"A Few Words" is a column in the Dallas MorningNews that answers readers' questions and commentson "language and life." It is run by Dr. LawrenceMcNamee, who is a professor at East Texas StateUniversity, and Kent Biffle, a Morning News staffwriter.

This past June, Marine Capt Dickie Lee Fox ofAthens, Texas, wrote "A Few Words" as follows:

One phrase that has bothered me — longbefore I joined the Corps—was "tell it to theMarines." This seems to imply that themembers of this organization are not only a lit-tie slow mentally but also unusually gullible,an unkind aspersion when you recall that theMarine Corps is older than other branches ofthe armed forces and even older than theUnited States itself.

This appeared in the 28 June News along with acomment by Messrs. McNamee and Biffle to the ef-fect that:

the sea-soldiers in question here aren't themarines from Quantico or San Diego but thosefrom Southhampton, London and Bath — the

British.For centuries the Limey marine was the butt

of many a cruel jest not only because his dutiesoften were limited to the routine chores ofmilitary policemen, but also because theaverage rookie selected for the marines inEngland wasn't always what might be called ateeming tome of erudition. Rightly or wrong-ly, he was considered to be somewhat on thegullible side. Toward the end of Chapter 13 inRedgauntlet, Walter Scott has one characterexclaim: "Tell that to the marines, the sailorswon't believe it."

Frequent correspondent W. R. "Billy Bob" Crimof Kilgore, Texas, sent the column to me with thesuggestion that I set the record straight. My letter ap-peared in "A Few Words" on 26 July as follows:

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BGen Simmons

Your explanation of "Tell it to the Marines"is one way of telling it. But to turn a jeer into aboast, here's how we tell it, or better, here ishow Texas' own Col John W. Thomason, Jr.,famed Marine writer and artist, told it in FixBayonets! (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1925 and1955):

In Charles the Second's time, the Englishformed the first sea regiment—soldiers equip-pedas infantry, to serve on the sea in the fleet;to clear with musketry the enemy's decks andfighting-tops when the sh:s of the line wentinto close action; to go ashore and take uppositions when the naval forces would seize abase preliminary to land operations of the ar-my.

Here, by the way, comes the quip of oldtime: "Tell it to the Marines." They relate ofCharles the Second that at W'hitehall a certainsea-captain, newly returned from the W"esternOcean, told the king of flying fish, a thingnever heard of in old England. The king andthe court were vastly amused. But, the navalfellow persisting, the Merry Monarch beckonedto a lean, dry colonel of the sea regiment, witha seamed mahogany face, and said, in effect:"Colonel, this tarry-breeks here makes sportwith us stay-at-homes. He tells us of amiraculous fish that forsakes its elements andflies like a bird over the water!" "Sire, "said thecolonel of Marines, "be tells a true thing. Imyself have often seen those fish in your Ma-jesty 's seas around Barbados." "Well, "decidedCharles, "such evidence cannot be disputed.And hereafter, when we hear a strange thing,we will tell it to the Marines, for the Marinesgo everywhere and see everything, and if theysay it is so, we will believe it!"

This version supposedly is based on an entryin Samuel Pepys' Diary but we wouldn't wantto pursue a good thing too far, would we?"

The same column also carried a riposte fromretired Army Col Odus C. Kerley to Capt Fox's asser-tion that the Marine Corps is older than the otherbranches of the U.S. armed services:

Please know that the Army of our country isthe oldest and senior service. The ContinentalCongress created the Continental Army June14, 1775. Before this American colonial troopsfought in the French and Indian War.

It was not until Nov. 10, 1775, when theContinental Congress established the MarineCorps, which was created to fight in theRevolutionary War after which no MarineCorps, as such, existed. Congress re-createdthe Corps as a military service in 1798. . .In1789 Congress established the War Depart-ment to direct military affairs. This was nearly10 years before the re-creation of the MarineCorps.

In 1834, Congress placed the Marine Corpsdirectly under the Secretary of the Navy. Thereis a great difference in a corps and an army.Our Army has in its organization many corps."

Col Kerley has it right but he might also have saidthat the "American colonial troops" he cited includ-ed Marines. I have been fighting a running battlewith Army historians on this score for years, mostparticularly with Col John R. Elting, USA (Ret.).Our argument centers on whether members of theAmerican Regiment, which was in existence from1739 to 1742 and landed at Cartagena with AdmVernon, were Marines or soldiers. We call them"Gooch's Marines." The Army calls them the "61stFoot."

Most recently Col Elting had written me concern-ing the term "soldier of the sea":

While toiling on our dictionary of servicetalk, I looked at Leonard (?) Nason's SergeantEadie, another of those vanished great booksof World War I.

In it, American soldiers— apparently of the2d Infantry Division — are singing a disrespect-ful ditty with the line: "So yell t'hell withKaiser Bill and the soldiers of the sea." Theyhad just had an encounter with some MarineMPs.

So my question is — did the Marines ever callthemselves "soldiers of the sea," or were thedogfaces taking poetic license? I know the

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British used "sea soldiers" on occasion.

In answering John Eking I called his attention toCol Robert D. Heinl's use of Soldiers of the Sea asthe title of his 1962 history of the Marine Corps. Bobdoesn't explain his selection or its origin; however,Liddell Hart in the Forewoid says, "The title,Soldiers of the Sea, is apt — epitomizing the adap-tability, and thus the flexibility that such an am-phibious fighting service possesses."

Bob Hem! must certainly have known that thesame title was used by Willis J. Abbot in his 1918history of the Corps. Abbot also fails to say why hechose "Soldiers of the Sea," but in the early pages ofhis book he repeats the Pepys' diary story of "Tell itto the Marines."

Both Thomason and Abbot have Pepys using theterm "sea soldier," which has been around for atleast three centuries. On 28 October 1664, the datethe Royal Marines count as their birthday, Charles IIordered "that 1200 land Souldjers be forwith raysed,

.for Sea Service." A verse by an unknown poet inW"itandDrollery, 1682, contains the line, "A healthto brave Sea-Soldiers all The Oxford EnglishDictionary, that ultimate authority on etymology,has a 1690 entry, "The earls of Pembroke and Torr-ington have each a commission to raise a marineregiment," and one for 1699, "The Marine Soldierson board receive the Wages of a Sailor." A ClassicalDictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, Francis Grose,Editor, 1785, has a scurrilous entry, "Marine Officer,an empty bottle, marine officers being held uselessby the seamen." But Capt George Smith in hisUniversal Military Dictionary, 1779, has it aboutright: "Marines, a body of soldiers, raised for the sea-service, and trained to fight either in a naval engage-ment, or in an action on shore."

While I was laboring in my own vineyard, BillyBob Crim had written to Maj Anthony G. Brown,MBE, RM (Ret), Director, Royal Marines Museum,Eastney, who came up with a clutch of clippings in-cluding a 1944 letter to The Times in which LtColW. P. Drury, RM, confesses that the "alleged inter-view between Charles II and Mr. Pepys. . .was an on-ly too successful leg-pull perpetrated by me in myunregenerate youth."

A 1951 issue of Globe andLaurel reprinted a morecomplete explanation by LtCol Drury publishedelsewhere. He had first used the Pepys story in avolume of short stories he had published in 1904—plenty of time for Abbot and Thomason to pick itup.

ReadersAlways

Write

Col Heinl Praised

BGen Simmons' comment on the Hem! Award inthe most recent "Director's Page" brings forth anidea for a later comment by somebody in For-titudine. Col Heinl's contribution to Marine historyis well established, but it is worth noting that hiscontribution to the field of history finally transcend-ed the Corps, establishing him as an historian of in-ternational status. I wonder if his life and work is nota very good example of the often neglected truththat Marine history is also American and worldhistory. This is hardly a profound notion, since it isprobably true by definition, but it does point up thefact that the work of the History and Museums Divi-sion may well have a larger following among those ofus who served in other branches—or none atall—than it does among Marines, if only becausethere are so many of us in the former category.

Merrill A. Needham,Jr.Jacksonville, Florida

Enlisted Memorabilia Needed

Upon my return from a three-week trout fishingtrip in the mountains of Colorado, to my surprise, Ifound my first copy of Fortitudine. I read and ab-sorbed every word and found it interesting and to saythe least, educational. I really appreciate your workand look forward to the next issue.

No malice intended, but I would be surprised butdelighted to see a workup on an enlisted man in suchan interesting and entertaining magazine.

Jesse NowlinRichardson, Texas

Since Fortitudine is the newsletter of the MarineCorps Historical Program and not a journal of

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Marine Corps history, al/its articles must have newsvalue related to the program. In preparing thisnewsletter, the editors and Center staff reviews:gniflcant events, inquiries, and newly accessionedmaterial for possible development of articles. Regret-tably, officers partic:pate most often in the program.For example, they are the primary source of the col-lections of personal papers, records, andmemorabilia so useful in providing newsworthy in-sights into the Corps' history. Fortitudine and theentire History and Museums Division solicit par-tic:pation in the Marine Corps Historical Program byall Marines, not just by officers.

Veterans Visit Center

I am a former member of the United StatesMarine Corps. . . [who] served at 8th and I.... OnJuly 24, 1981, Frank Reilly (former drill teammember) and Frank Castora (former drill teammember), myself, and our families returned to 8thand I after more than 20 years.

Twenty years ago we were living in Building 58[which housed] three ceremonial platoons— DrillTeam, Body Bearers, [and] Color Guard. Believe itor not, there was room for a P.X., C.O. quarters,"slop shoot," barber, and supply.

On Saturday morning July 25 we arrived at thereception desk of the Museum in Building 58 wherewe met Sgt Marilia R. Guillen, who was enjoying aday off. Sgt Guillen saw this group of 10 and sug-gested that we follow her for a complete tour . .

It was obvious that Building 58 has been all butgutted and completely rebuilt. It was long overdue.In 1958 we found a Building Department noticefrom the D.C. Building Department stating thatBuilding 58 was condemned in 1948. The notice wasfound behind an oven in the mess hall. We certainlyhad a few laughs about that. In fact, I think we weregranted a little extra mess duty for finding thatbuilding department notice.

Sgt Guillen . . . impressed us as a Marine totallydedicated to the Corps, the consummate profes-sional . . .

Jack CataneoStaten Island, New York

Mr. Cataneo's letter has been placed in SgtGui/len's records.

Acquisitions

The relative scarcity of early 20th Century MarineCorps uniforms is becoming apparent in that theyare commanding exorbitant prices on the collector'smarket. The Marine Corps Museum is indeed for-tunate that it does not have to compete in thismarket for its new acquisitions due to the kindnessand generosity of so many former Marines and theirfamilies who continue to donate uniforms in spite ofthe obvious temptation to sell them. However,uniform items predating 1900 are so rare that theMuseum, in some cases, is forced to purchase them.One of our first acquisitions this spring was a pair ofUSMC Model 1859 enlisted epaulettes. Commonlyreferred to as "shoulder scales," these were purchasedby the Marine Corps Historical Foundation in orderto complete our extremely rare First Sergeant's fulldress frock coat. The epaulettes are quite similar tothose worn by the U. S. Army during the Civil War,but are slightly larger and have an extra piece towhich worsted fringe is attached.

From Mr. Delzie Demaree of Hot Springs, Arkan-sas, we received both a complete Model 1917 winterservice uniform and a complete dress blue enlisteduniform. Mr. Demaree, now a retired professor inhis 90s, served with the 2d Division (U.S. Regular)in France and was awarded three wound chevrons.Another early uniform was obtained from the USMCRecruiting Station in Phoenix, Arizona. This was acomplete Model 1922 enlisted dress uniform that in-cluded the hard-to-find white buff leather waistbelt.LtGenJohn N. McLaughlin, USMC (Ret), donated amore modern, but uncommon, uniform a monthlater. This was a Republic of Vietnam Marine Corpscamouflaged uniform Gen McLaughlin received as agift from the Commandant of the VietnameseMarine Corps.

Much of our knowledge about uniforms comes notfrom the prescribed uniform regulations and theuniforms themselves, but rather from dated and at-tributed photographs of Marines wearing theseuniforms. As can be imagined, many conventions ofuniform wear, both authorized and unauthorized,can be found in these photographs.

LtCol John P. Matthews, USA, of Fort Sam

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Mr. Deizie Demaree donated the Mode! 1917 winterservice uniform he wore for this portrait taken dur-ing his World War I service.

Houston, Texas, sent us an exceptional collection oflate 19th century Marine Corps portraits. From Mrs.Grace S. Brown of Havertown, Pennsylvania, wereceived a very interesting photograph collectionwhich covers the service of Pvt Charles W. Sensionthrough his service in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Mexicoprior to WW I. Donated with the kind assistance ofMr. Gerald J. Gallagher of Drexel Hill, Penn-sylvania, this gift also included a captured Mexicanclarinet which Pvt Sension used as a Marine musi-cian.

Due to a scarcity of original records, photographsare also invaluable in work with early vehicles. ColJohn F. Miniclier, USMC (Ret), of Longwood,Florida, recently brought in a collection ofphotographs showing pre-1925 USMC ambulances,trucks, and armored cars. Photographs of this sameperiod were also donated by Mr. Charles R. Bish ofTrenton, New Jersey. Mr. Bish, a longtime supporterof the Museum, also gave us a collection of maps anddocuments from both the Haitian and Nicaraguan

campaigns. Another new acquisition from this timeframe was a photograph album of Quantico in theearly 1920s given by Mrs. Edna J. Bundquist ofGloucester, Massachusettes.

In much the same way as photographs, documentsare also a boon to our research. Although it is usuallythought that the Personal Papers Collection is usedsolely by historical researchers in study of MarineCorps personalities and events, the staff also findsthis collection invaluable as a source for informationon artifacts. BGen Harvey C. Tschirgi, USMC (Ret),sent us a large collection of Spanish-American Warperiod newspapers which contain some interestingreferences to Marine Corps uniforms of the period. Afascinating collection of papers and photographswere received from Capt Thomas R. Fasulo,USMCR, which relate to the service of Maj Arthur B.Jacques in Haiti and Cuba during WW I. Mrs. Jac-ques has recently added to this by sending in morephotographs as well as Maj Jacques' medical kit andbedroll. Other WW I-era personal papers collectionswere donated by Mr. Nathaniel R. Elliott, Jr., ofCherry Hill, New Jersey, and GySgt Frank Hill,USMC (Ret) of Fairview, Missouri.

Through the assistance of Mr. John Andrews, alocal collector and historian, we received a collectionof newspapers published by the Marines of the 1stProvisional Brigade in Iceland. Mr. Andrews hadbeen given this collection by former lstLt George A.Jones of Annandale, Virginia, as source material fora recent article on the uniforms worn in the 1941Iceland occupation. Mr. John H. Bowler of Whittier,California, sent us a collection of material relating to

the Tarawa campaign, while Col Henry AplingtonII, USMC (Ret), gave us a copy of his memoirs entitl-ed "1/3 on Guam."

Unfortunately, unlike personal papers collections,it is not often easy to determine in which campaigna donated artifact was used. If it is known, this infor-mation is stored in our computer "bank" and is usedto collate groups of historical items for a particularexhibit. Consequently, we are pleased when thedonors give us a short history of the items theydonate. Mr. JamesJ. Keating,Jr., who was mention-ed in last issue's "Acquisitions," returned to give us aJapanese officer's sword that his father, the lateBGen James J. Keating, captured on Guadalcanal.This particular sword, a wakizashi, was made about1700-1725. From the Bougainville campaign, wereceived a Japanese soldier's personal flag. This wasdonated by Mrs. MarionJohansen of Boise, Idaho, inmemory of her late husband, Col Carl Johansen.Other Japanese artifacts donated this spring were a"Baka" bomb instrument panel given by Mr. RobertA. Albrecht and several Japanese medals donated byMr. Richard Urbaszewski of Berwyn, Illinois.

We were indeed fortunate to be given yet anotherof the rare and famous "George medals" from theGuadalcanal campaign. This one was donated byMr. Frank E. Lindsay of Charlotte, North Carolina,and came to us via our oral historian, Ben Frank.Another piece from this era was a plaster statue of anearly WW II Marine aviator which was given by CdrEvald Holmgaard, USN (Ret). It is conjectured thatthis was used as a recruiting aid during thewar. —KLS-C

Inspector General ReportsUnits achieving an "outstanding" in their

historical program in IG inspections since the lastissue of Fortitudine are:

Detachment A, Marine Aircraft Group 46,Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia.

Headquarters Company, Headquarters Battalion,4th Marine Division, USMCR, New Orleans.

Company C, Marine Support Battalion, Guam.

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VMFA-232, Marine Corps Air Station,Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii.

2d Landing Support Battalion,2d Force Service Support Group,Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

Detachment A, Marine Aircraft Group 41,USMCR, NAF, Andrews Air Force Base.

Marine Security Guard Battalion(State Department), MCDEC, Quantico, Virginia.

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New Research Could Alter Aces Listby Dr. FrankJ, Olynyk

The Spring 1981 issue ofFortitudine carried an ar-ticle by author Robert Sherrod which updated a listof W/orld War II Marine aces which originally ap-peared in his book, History of Marine Corps Avia-tion in World War II. Many of the changes on Sher-rod's revised list originated from research by Dr.Frank J. Olynyk. The following article covers Dr.Olynyk's continued research. Readers shouldremember that the Marine Corps has not compiledan "official" list of its fighter aces. As the Comman-dant of the Marine Corps, Gen Robert H. Barrow,recently wrote, "The philosophy of the Marine CorpsHistorical Program is that our history is not a closedbook, but a living, continuing thing, open to newfacts, interpretations, and opinions."

During the course of World War II, the MarineCorps published several lists of its aces, pilots whohad shot down five or more Japanese aircraft in air-to-air combat. These lists were prepared from cardsmaintained at Headquarters, Marine Corps by Lt(later Maj) Edna Loftus Smith. These cards, nowkept in the Reference Section, Marine CorpsHistorical Center, have come to be known as the"Sherrod cards," since their main use has been as aresearch source for Robert Sherrod's History ofMarine Corps Aviation in World War II. During thewar, as war diaries and action reports came in fromthe Pacific, a brief page was prepared for each com-bat, and the information on aircraft victory claimstransferred to the cards. As the war went on, othersources were used — award citations, personnelreports, and letters — and the monthly totals of vic-tories for each pilot were included with the wardiaries. These sources were used to produce the listappearing in the January 1946 issue of HeadquartersBulletin and, after revision, in Mr. Sherrod's book.

About five years ago, I visited the Reference Sec-

Dr. Olynyk received a bachelor of science inmathematics and master of science and doctor ofphilosophy degrees in computer science from CaseInstitute of Technology. He is employed by EcotranCorporation, designing software for phototypeset-ting. In addition to building lists of victory credits,he is working on a daily history of fighter operationsin the Pacific.

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tion and prepared a list of victory credits from the"Sherrod cards." I then keypunched the data andwrote computer programs to sort and list it by date,name, and unit. On succeeding visits, I have review-ed the sources for each victory credit, making surethat each could be documented. This has led to myown list of USMC victory credits, and a resulting listof USMC aces. I hope to publish the list of creditscommercially in the near future.

In discussing aces and fighter pilots, a distinctionmust be made among claims, credits, and what ac-tually happened. A credit is an acknowledgment byan official agency that it accepts a claim as valid.Whether in fact the pilot did shoot down the aircraftcan usually only be determined by access to theenemy records. Gun camera films can be very con-vincing, but they must be used carefully to handleproperly shared claims. Ideally, from the historian'spoint of view, one should not say a pilot shot down aplane without finding a corresponding loss in theenemy records.

It should be noted that most of the pilots whosescores are subject to some uncertainty are all fromthe 1942-early 1943 period when air combat was theheaviest. War diaries from this period are often in-complete, or even nonexistent (VMF-212, VMF-122,and VMO-251). Once Guadalcanal was captured,diaries and reports improved and when, in late 1943,a standard form, ACA-1, was introduced, documen-tation became excellent.

The Spring 1981 issue of Fortitudine carriedRobert Sherrod's article, "Fighter Aces ListUpdated." I would like to correct some additional er-rors in this list of USMC aces and give the reasonsbehind the additional changes I would make in thelist.

The first error occurred in preparing the new listfor publication. The original list showed Philip C.DeLong with 111 / 6 victories during World War II,which is correct. In preparing the new list, For-titudine accidentally changed the score to 11 1 / 2.

He had an additional two victory credits in Korea,raising his ultimate score to 13 1 / 6.

A second printing error concerns Julius W.Ireland. When he was added to the list, it shouldhave been with 5 1/3 victories, not the five shown inFortitudine.

Two errors in totals have persisted through bothlists. Hugh McJ. Elwood actually has 5 1/6 victorycredits and Francis A. Terrill has 6 1/12. Theunusual score for Terrill is the result of credits for1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 victories (claims shared amongtwo, three, and four pilots, respectively).

One final error which has persisted in both ofSherrod's lists is in the name of the 65th entry onSherrod's revised list. His name should be ArthurRoger Conant, not Roger W. Conant. Both served inVMF-214, A. R. Conant during the period whenGregory Boyington was in command, while R. W.Conant was killed on the USS Franklin in 1945 whenit was put out of action by Kamikazes.

There are two pilots whose scores need to belowered, knocking them off the list. Capt RaymondF. Scherer served with VMF-311 in 1945. On 3 Mayhe shared a "Frank" (Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate) with2dLt Charles L. Kline, described in VMF-311'sACA- 1 report number 132. The description of thecombat on the last page of the report makes it clearthat the victory should be shared. However, on thefront page of the report, which lists the claimsdescribed by the report, Scherer's name appearsalone. It was this error which was copied whenScherer's list of victories was prepared at Head-quarters, Marine Corps. The VMF-3 11 war diary forMay 1945 gives him a total of 4 1/2 victories. This isrepeated in the June 1945 war diary, after which heleft VMF-311.

Wayne W. Laird served with VMF-112 at Guadal-canal in 1942-43. The VMF-112 war diary creditshim with two Zeros on 13 November 1942. VMF-121was in the same combat and its war diary shows himwith 1 1/2 victories and Donald C. Owen with1 1/2. The VMF-121 war diary does not indicatewith whom the victories were shared, but they werethe only shared victories for that date. It should benoted that Owen has been added to Sherrod's newaces list. If Laird is credited with two victories on 13November, then Owen does not belong on the list.Conversely, if the three victories in question areshared with 1 1/2 each, then Laird does not belongon the list. The matter was settled by reference to theVMF-112 tour totals for the 1942-43 period, whenLaird is shown with only 4 1 / 2 victories. TheVMF- 121 tour total shows 2 1/2 for Owen. Lairddisappeared on a test hop on 1 May 1943. Owenadded 2 1 / 2 more victories with VMF- 112 off theUSS Bennington before spinning-in on take-off on26 May 1945.

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A few pilots should have their scores revised up-wards. The most notable is William N. Snider, in-creased from 8 1 / 2 to 11 1 / 2 as described inSherrod's article.

Edward 0. Shaw's score should become 14 1 / 2,up from 13. One of these victories was confirmedabout two months afterward when another pilot,shot down in the same combat, was rescued and add-ed further details. The 1 / 2 credit just got lost when asummary total was prepared for the VMF-213 wardiary. Since the "Zeke" in question was shared withWilbur J. Thomas, and the 1 / 2 credit appears inThomas' list, there can be no doubt of its authentici-ty. Shaw was killed in a flying accident on 31 July1944, a month before his Naval Aviator's MonthlyAchievement Report was prepared by someone else,showing 13 victories.

Howard J. Finn should be credited with one extravictory. This victory is shown on the back of his"Sherrod card," but not the front.

The scores for some pilots should be lowered. Oneof these is Donald H. Sapp, who appears on theSherrod list with 11 victories. This should be 10.One of his victories was a "Helen" on 20 November1943. Because ACA reports at the time were suppos-ed to be filled out in Greenwich or "GCT" time, thisclaim appeared in the ACA report on 19 Novemberand in the war diary, prepared in local time, on 20November. Thus, the Helen was counted twice.Some additional confusion as occurred since the warbecause he changed his name to Stapp.

A strong case can be made for changing the scoreof Jack E. Conger to 10, down from 10 1/2. I havebeen able to find only 10 victories for him. I believethe confusion arose from a reference to his beingcredited with shooting down "ten and a halfdestroyer [10 planes and 1/2 a destroyer]."

Finally, there is a group of pilots for whom thepublished total score is greater than the number ofvictories I have been able to document. I emphasizethat this does not mean that they should not becredited with the higher score; only that I have notbeen able to document the higher score. There is astrong presumption in several cases that the lowerscore is correct, but that is only a presumption.

John F. Dobbin appears on the list with eight vic-tories; I have found only 7 1/2. He appears on aVMF-224 list with 8 1 / 2 victories, although there isno list of individual victories. Interestingly enough,his flight log shows only 6 1 / 2 victories. I suspect thejump from 7 1 / 2 to eight occurred by taking sevenand one shared, and making it eight.

Similarly, Roger A. Haberman appears withseven; I can find only 6 1 / 2. The same conversion ofa shared victory to a full victory may have occurredhere. He served in VMF- 121 as part of Joe Foss'flight. The oft-quoted figure of 72 victories for Foss'flight is derived from the following totals: Foss, 26;Marontate, 13 (one of which was a "smoker");Loesch, 8 1/2; Haberman, 6 1/2; Freeman, 6;Presley, 5; Bate, 4; and Furlow (Thomas W.), 3.These are given in Joe Foss' wartime biography, JoeFoss, Flying Marine. Note the number of aces in thisgroup (Bate was to make his fifth claim in the Philip.pines in 1944).

From the members of Foss' flight, there are twomore pilots to discuss. In Robert Sherrod's article inFortitudine, he decided to change Freeman's scorebecause of the lack of conclusive evidence of thesixth victory. At the time I had found five victories,and had evidence for a sixth and seventh. Foss' bookcredited Freeman with two dive bombers on 5January 1943. That was where matters stood whenSherrod was finished with his revisions to the newedition of his book. One month later, at theAmerican Fighter Aces Association meeting inDayton, Ohio, I met Bill Freeman, and we discussedhis service with VMF- 121. Bill said he only claimedone dive bomber on 5 January 1943. This would behis sixth victory.

Presley appears in Foss' book with five victories,and on the Sherrod list with six. Presley's Navy Crosscitation states that he shot down three on the firsttour of VMF-121 (9 October-23 November 1942)and two on the second tour (1-3OJanuary 1943). Thecitation describes a specific occasion on which heshot down a dive bomber. I believe this undated vic-tory became his sixth. I have found no referencecrediting him with more than five victories. It ispossible that his four and one shared became five inhis citation. Perhaps if the original recommendationfor his Navy Cross could be found it might clear thisup.

Other pilots at Guadalcanal in 1942 do not haveall their credited victories in the relevant war diaries.Orvin Ramlo is credited with five but none are in theMAG-23 or VMF-223 war diaries. He received creditfor five (two "Betty" bombers and three "Zeros") onthe basis of his Naval Aviator's Monthly Report,prepared in 1944. When these report forms came in-to use in 1944, the first submissions by veteran pilotsrecapitulated their victories since the beginning ofthe war. I did find a 1945 war diary (VMF-113 forJu-ly 1945) which notes that he had just received credit

10

for three aircraft shot down in August 1942. I havefound no award citations for the relevant period.

Joseph Narr is credited with eight at Guadalcanal,but his "Sherrod card" lists one victory on 2 October1942. However, he is not credited with any victorieson that date in either the MAG-23 or the VMF-121war diaries. I did locate a newspaper article whichquoted from his letters to his father. He describedonly seven victories in these letters.

Harold Bauer is credited with 11, but I have foundonly 10. He is frequently mentioned as shootingdown four "Zeros," and getting one "smoker" in onecombat. However, it is also mentioned that he refus-ed to claim the smoker as shot down. That may behis eleventh victory. It should be mentioned thatother pilots are credited with "smokers" as havingbeen shot down.

Eugene Trowbridge is credited with 12, but I canfind only six, the same number mentioned in hisNavy Cross citation. The number 12 arises from hisNaval Aviator's Monthly Achievement Report(NAMAR), prepared in 1944. I should point outthat I have not seen the NAMAR of eitherTrowbridge or Ramlo, only the information on their"Sherrod cards." Trowbridge's case is a littleunusual, however, since if the information is correct,he was the first Marine Corps ace in World War II,getting five victories between 21-24 August 1942.Marion Carl, who has been accepted as the firstMarine ace, got victories numbers five and six on 26August 1942. Another problem is that onedocumented claim by Trowbridge is not on his"Sherrod card." Finally, a press release from theDivision of Public Relations dated 7 December1942, credits him with 10 victories.

Loren Everton is credited with 12 also. Two ofthese were in 1944 in the Northern Solomons cam-paign, the others at Guadalcanal. He usually appearsin contemporary reports with eight victories; onesource (newspaper clipping), says eight plus twobombers on fire. His "Sherrod card" lists eight, sevenof which are in the war diaries. The card documentsnumber eight by reference to the manuscript ofMarine W/ings, which I have not been able to find.

Marion Carl is another Guadalcanal pilot withwhose victory list I have problems. He is creditedwith 18 1/2 victories during the war. Of these, onewas at Midway and two were at Rabaul in 1943.Theremainder were from the 1942 Guadalcanal cam-paign. Thus, by the time he left Guadalcanal, heshould have had 16 1/2 victories. I have found 15,and many contemporary references say he had 16

when he left. One victory is listed in the war diariesas an "assist" of Noyes McLennan by Carl. McLennanis correspondingly credited with assisting Carl. Theterm "assist" was used in some 1942 records to in-dicate that a pilot helped another to shoot down aplane, but did not give sufficient help to receive par-tial credit for the victory. Thus both pilots "assisted"in the victory, and I have given them each 1/2credit. According to Barrett Tillman, who lives nearCarl, the latter claims full credit for this victory. Carlalso claims credit for a "Betty" on 24 August 1942,which would be his fifth victory. However, as far as Ican ascertain from Japanese records, the aircraft at-tacked by Marines that day were "Zeros" and single-engine bombers from the carrier Ryujo. Carl hascredit for two single-engine bombers and one "Zero"on that date. As mentioned earlier, his victories on26 August are frequently said to be his victoriesnumbers 5 and 6. The missing victory, whether itwas on 24 August or later, was apparently confirmedwhile Carl was still at Guadalcarial. The extra 1/2credit for the victory with McLennan would have tohave been confirmed later, since he left Guadalcanalwith 16 victories and returned to the Solomons in1943 with 16 1/2.

Two pilots at Guadalcanal may have one more vic-tory than they are credited with on the Sherrod list.Robert Galer (13) and Kenneth Frazier (12 1/2) mayeach have one more, but this could just reflect theconfusion of the times. Most of their victories appearin both the MAG-23 and their respective squadronwar diaries. A few appear in only one or the other.

After the furious action at Guadalcanal in1942-43, the records were generally kept with muchgreater care, there being more time and energyavailable for such non-immediate tasks. However,James Cupp is credited with 13 victories, but I can

find only 12. Nevertheless, his "Sherrod card" states:"Actually a 13-plane ace but squadron records onlyaccount for 12."

Robert M. Baker is listed with seven victories, butI can find only five plus a "probable." Some sourcessay he shot down six planes, and his "Sherrod card"gives him two victories on the date of the"probable." It references the war diary, but I cannotfind it there. Baker himself says he believes that thetwo victories were confirmed later.

Finally, Jack Pittman is listed with seven victories,but I can find only five, plus two "probables" for1943. The VMF-224 war diary for August 1945 saysseven victories, which was accepted as his final total.

During World War II, several Marine pilots servedtemporarily with Navy units, but none were aces.However, there was an Army pilot who flew with theMarines at least once and he was an ace. Paul S.Bechtal, of the USAAF, had four victories with anArmy fighter squadron in 1942-43. On 2 September1943, he flew a mission with VMF- 124 to Kahili, andshot down a "Zeke." This was carried on theVMF-124 records as one of the unit's claims, creditedto Bechtal. However, since he was flying with theMarines at the time, the victory has not beenrecognized by the Air Force, and he is not listed asone of their aces.

Any definitive discussion of Marine aces shouldconsider victories from the Korean War which do notappear on Sherrod's revised list of World War II aces.John Andre claimed four victories in the Philippinesin 1944; his fifth victory was in Korea in 1952.Several aces on Sherrod's list gained additional vic-tories in Korea. Philip DeLong shot down two YAKSwhile flying with VMF-312. Bolt, Wade, and Durn-ford claimed six, one, and 1/2 MIG-15s, respective-ly, while flying on exchange duty with the Air Force.

Aces List Compared(Totals in parentheses include Korean lVar victones.)

Sherrod's Olynyk'sRevised List

List

1. Boyington, Gregory 28* 28*

2. Foss, JosephJ. 26 263. Hanson, Robert M. 25 254. Walsh, Kenneth A. 21 215. Aldrich, Donald N. 20 206. Smith,John L. 19 197. Carl Marion E. 18 1/2 18 1/2

8. Thomas, WilbutJ. 18 1/2 18 1/2

10. Spears, Harold L. 15 1511. Donahue, Archie G. 14 1412. Cupp,JamesN. 13 13"13. Galer, Robert E. 13 13**

14. Marontate, William P. 13 1315. Shaw, Edward 0. 13 14 1/216. Frazier, Kenneth D. 12 1/2 12 1/2''17. Everton, Loren D. 12 10

11

(continued on next page)

18. Segal, Harold E.19. Trowbridge, E.A.20. DeLong, Philip C.21. Snider, William N.22. Bauer, Harold W.23. Sapp, Donald H.24. Conger, Jack E.25. Long, Herbert H.26. DeBlanc, Jefferson).27. Magee, Christopher L.28. Mann, Thomas H., Jr.29. Overend, Edmund F.30. Thomas, F. C.,Jr.31. Loesch, Gregory K.32. Morgan, John L.,Jr.33. Case, William N.34. Dobbin, John F.

35. Gutt, Fred E.36. Hernan, EdwinJ.,Jr.37. Hollowell, George L.38. Kunz, Charles M.39. Nan, Joseph L.40. Post, Nathan T.41. Warner, Arthur T.42. Yost, Donald K.43. Baker, Robert M.44. Brown, William P.45. Caswell, Dean46. Crowe, William E.47. Haberman, Roger A.48. Hamilton, Henry B.49. Jensen, AlvinJ.50. McClurg, Robert W.51. O'Keefe, Jeremiah).52. Owens, Robert G.,Jr.53. Pittman,Jack,Jr.54. Reinburg, Joseph H.55. Ruhsam,)ohnW.56. Wade, Robert57. Williams, G. M. H.58. Mullen, Paul A.59. Durnford, Dewey F.60. Dillard,JosephV.61. Axteli, George C.,Jr.62. Baird, Robert63. Bolt, John F. Jr.64. Chandler, Creighton65. Conant, Roger W. *

Conant, Arthur R.66. Dillow, Eugene67. Dorroh, Jefferson D.68. Drury, Frank C.69. Fisher, Don H.70. Fraser, Robert B.71. Hall, Sheldon 0.

Both Boyington and Overend are credited with six planes whilewith Flying Tigers in China.

Indicates unresolved problems with documentation.

12

72. Hundley, John C.73. Jones, Charles D.74. McManus, John75. Percy, Gilbert76. Pierce, Francis E.,Jr.77. Pond, Zenneth A.78. Presley, Frank H.79. Shuinan, Perry L.80. Stout, Robert F.81. Terrill, Francis A.82. Valentine, Herbert J.83. Vedder, Milton N.84. Hansen, Herman85. Hood, William L.86. Kirkpatrick, Floyd C.87. Lynch, Joseph P.88. Maas,JohnB.89. Payne, Frederick R.,Jr.90. Sigler, Wallace E.91. Alley, Stuart C.,Jr.92. Balch, Donald L.93. Baldwin, Frank B.94. Bate, Oscar M.95. Braun, Richard L.96. Carlton, William A.97. Davis, Leonard K.98. Doyle, CecilJ.99. Drake, Charles W.

100. Elwood, Hugh Mc).101. Farrell, William102. Finn, Howard).103. Fontana, Paul).104. Ford, Kenneth M.105. Freeman, William B.106. Hacking, Albert C.107. Ireland, Julius W.108. Kendrick, Charles109. laird, Wayne W.110. McCaxtney, H.A.,Jr.111. McGinty, Selva E.112. Olander, Edwin L.113. Owen, Donald C.114. Phillips, Hyde115. Porter, Robert B.116. Foske, George H.117. Powell, Ernest A.118. Ramlo, Orvin H.119. Scarborough, H.V.,Jr.120. Scherer, Raymond121. See, Robert B.122. Synar, Stanley123. Weissenberger, G.J.124. Wells, Albert P.125. Yunck, Michael R.126. Andre, John

• * * Since World War U, Sapp changed his name to Stapp.

Dr. Olynyk found that the wrong Conant was induded onSherrod's list.

12

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New ComputerEnhances AccessTo Collection

by Kenneth L. Smith- Christmas

The Marine Corps Museum's long-awaited com-puterized artifact records system is now in operation.Using a "mini" computer, the Sperry-Univac BCI7,the new system has significantly increased the ac-curacy and accessibility of artifact records. Newly ac-quired artifacts are being accessioned via the com-puter and work has been underway to add the acces-sion records of previous years.

The system, known as the Marine Corps MuseumCatalog and Inventory Control System (MCMCICS),resembles an "invisible" library card catalog system.The information on each accession is broken downinto more than 30 categories. Among them are such"data fields" as geographical reference, method ofacquisition, donor's name, and accession number.Each of the 30-plus categories can be cross-referenced to the others in a multitude of combina-tions.

The system's ultimate capabilities can be il-lustrated by a hypothetical situation involving aresearcher desiring material for an article on the

Museum Registrar Kenneth L. Smith- Christmasenters data on an artifact into the Center's newSperry-Univac BC/7 computer. He designed theprogram that permits data retrieval through videodisplay or printer (foreground).

13

Guadalcanal campaign. If such a researcher wantedto examine the Museum's entire holdings on thesubject, the computer could print out all records inwhich Guadalcanal appeared in the geographicalreference category. The resulting list might containuniforms, weapons, personal papers, photographs,art, or even aircraft.

If the researcher took a narrower approach, a morerefined list could be provided. For example, by cross-indexing the categories "Guadalcanal" and"uniforms," the researcher could receive a listing ofthe Museum's holdings of uniforms worn atGuadalcanal.

This versatility permits a rapid search for data witha great savings in physical space. A manual cross-index system, using file cards and having the samecapacity, would require approximately a millioncards in 30 file cabinets. The museum's new com-puter, however, takes up no more space than an of-fice desk.

The top of the "desk" contains a television-likescreen on which information in the system can bedisplayed. A keyboard, identical to that of an elec-trical typewriter, permits communication with thesystem. Data is stored on "diskettes" about the sizeof a 45-rpm record and each capable of storing onemillion characters of information. Each year's acces-sions are stored on a single diskette in the order inwhich they were received. From these, "vertical" col-lections files, such as small arms, photographs, per-sonal papers, and uniforms, are formulated andstored on additional diskettes. The appropriatediskettes are easily slipped in and out of ports on topof the computer.

The Registrar accessions each new item acquiredby the Museum. Normally, the item is unwrappedand inspected, along with its accompaying cor-respondence, on a table adjacent to the computer.No worksheet need be filled out since the data canbe typed directly on the computer screen before be-ing stored on a diskette. Once the data is entered,the page printer automatically types a paper record.One copy is filed with the correspondence and a se-cond sent, along with the item, to the appropriatecurator.

Only a portion of the Museum's total accessionshave currently been entered into the system. This in-cludes all items received from January 1977 to pre-sent and the majority of both our edged weaponsand medals collections. The Museum's experience,however, in retrieving currently computerized datahas been most satisfactory.

Tehran Hostages'Experiences Told

by Danny J. Crawford

Asked by the Center's oral historians why he in-itially volunteered to go to Tehran, returned Marinehostage Sgt Kevin J. Hermening answered, "I

figured if I ended up going there it would be anadventuresome experience. Well, it was!"

In the last six years we have interviewed more than50 Marine security guards on their experiences invarious embassies as part of our on-going effort todocument the long-standing relationship betweenthe State Department and the Marine Corps (seeFortitudine, Winter 1979-80).

The take-over of the embassy in Tehran inNovember 1979 presented a special and extremecase. Soon after their release in late November 1979,we interviewed the four black members of thedetachment. When the remaining nine Marineswere released in January 1981, we knew we wouldhave to compete with the national news media,among others, for time with the returned hostages.

Along with Benis M. Frank, head of the OralHistory Section, I went to Quantico on 25 Februaryto begin the interviews. After several attempts to in-terview Sgts Hermening and Steven W. Kirtley, wedecided to avoid the frequent interruptions by thenews media and arrange to meet with some of theMarines later at the Marine Corps Historical Center.With the help of Capt Patrick E. Donahue of theMarine Security Guard Battalion, Sgts James M.Lopez and Paul E. Lewis came to the Center on 6March 1981 for a tour of the Marine Corps Museumand for oral history interviews.

Sgt Lopez told us how he helped a number ofAmericans to slip out the side door of the Consulateand subsequently to find refuge at the CanadianEmbassy. Sgt Lopez, who was a military policemanand worked in corrections before becoming a Marinesecurity guard, said he used his Marine Corps train-ing to stay one step ahead of his captors. "I knew the

14

SSgt MichaelE. Moeller (right), the senior Marine inthe Tehran embassy detachment, gave Mr. Crawforda long oral history interview about his experiences asa hostage.

ropes—they didn't; I could pull fast ones on themthat they had never even imagined because its beenpulled before. I knew what to look for." He pointedout that although the Marines were young, like theircaptors, they were more disciplined and had ex-perienced hardship in their Marine training whichenabled them to withstand the treatment theyreceived.

Sgt Lewis, in his interview, told how he had arriv-ed in Tehran just 12 hours before the 4 Novembertakeover. "I landed at the Tehran airport and arrivedat the Embassy about 2300. The NCOIC gave me atour of the Embassy grounds and I was glad he didthe next morning." On his treatment as a hostageLewis said "The first couple of weeks there was a lotof slapping and pushing around. They tried to in-timidate us. But I was never beaten or tortured."

On 10 March 1981, I returned to the MSG Schoolat Quantico to interview the remaining Marines afterthey returned from the Mardi Gras in New Orleansas honored guests. Sgt John D. McKeel, Jr., whoreigned as "Bacchus XIII" at the parade, told me ofthe harsh treatment that his captors periodicallymeted out including fake firing squads and inter-rogations where he was falsely told that his motherhad died. Of his often-quoted statement made atthe West Point news conference about being readyto "get back to chasing women," he said, "I didn'trealize what I had said until after I made the com-ment—but it was a lot of fun; people associate mewith that comment."

Sgt Rodney (Rocky) V. Sickmann talked about hisdaily diary and how he was able to get it out of

Tehran. "I think they knew I had my diary all along.They would go through our stuff in our rooms whenwe went outside. At the end, one of the studentscame in and told me to put it (the diary) in my lug-gage."

The luggage never did leave Iran, but Sickmannwisely ignored the advice he received and broughtthe diary out in his pants.

In his interview, SSgt Michael E. Moeller, NCOICof the detachment, talked of learning that theywould finally be released. He was told that he hadbeen "nominated as a possible candidate forrelease," was given a physical and "prepped" for atelevision interview. His cellmate was told to "Justremember the good things." SSgt Moeller said all hisMarines were tired, exhausted, and had lost weight(he himself had lost 40 pounds) at the time of theirrelease.

The Marines of the Tehran Detachment all feltthat the period of "depressurization" in Wiesbaden,Germany, was beneficial and several said they wish-ed they had spent more time there. In our interviewwith Col James L. Cooper, commanding officer ofthe MSG Battalion, he talked of his perceptionsupon greeting the returned Marines in Frankfurt,Germany.

"I said to them, 'Welcome home, Marine!' I

thought that was the greatest compliment I couldgive any one of them. I didn't give them any orders.I never had to do anything like that. I was quick tofind out that they never left the Marine Corps." He

Mr. Frank managed only a short oral history inter-view with Sgt Steven W'. Kirtley on 25 Februarybecause of interruptions related to the intense newsmedia interest in the former hostages.

15

Capt Robert T. lVolfertz (left), the former opera-tions officer of the Marine Security Guard Battalionat Quantico, provided Mr. Crawford background in-formation on the handling of the iranian crisis.

went on to say that on their own volition, two hoursafter they arrived in the hospital, they had MarineCorps haircuts, they had shaved, they were in pa-jamas, and they had a Marine Corps skivvy shirt on.From that time on the Marines always practicedmilitary courtesy, they stood tall, they stood proud.

Col Cooper went on to say, "The Marinesdisplayed no bitterness. Hell, they were glad to behome, obviously. There was nothing but absolutejoy in being free and being back home again."

Asked why the Marines survived the period of cap-tivity better than some of the other hostages, CotCooper noted that the Marines were younger, inmuch better physical condition, and they were anorganized unit, although while in captivity, the Ira-nians went to great lengths to break up thatorganization. In addition, he said "A Marine learnsto be flexible, to live with frustration, and he learnsto be an optimist. Marine training enables them towithstand hardship and frustration that the averageAmerican is never trained to do."

Col Cooper continued, "These guys had beentrained, selected, and had already demonstratedleadership ability and maturity before they went outthere. They were put in a position where they wereable to use that judgement and maturity. I had oneelderly hostage tell me, 'If it had not been for thatMarine who was in the cell with me, who made meeat and exercise and do things, I would never havesurvived captivity. I was quite willing to just roll overand die, but that Marine wouldn't let me do it.'

Former MarineDonates PhotosOf Her Service

When Mrs. Violet Van Wagner Lopez recentlyvisited the Center she saw a photograph of herself ondisplay in the "Time Tunnel" of the Marine CorpsMuseum. Mrs. Lopez met with Col Whipple, Depu-ty Director for History, and later donated several ofher photographs to the Center.

Mrs. Lopez was one of eight "Reservists (F)" swornin at the recruiting station at 24 East 23rd Street inNew York on 17 August 1918. One of six children,she grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where she at-tended Public School 134 and was graduated fromBay Ridge High School. Her commercial course therefitted her to meet the rigorous selection standards forMarine Corps stenographers.

Mrs. Lopez served as a stenographer in the Adju-tant and Inspector's Department of Headquarters,Marine Corps, then located in "Main Navy" onAvenue B near 17th Street in Washington. Prior tothe Armistice on 11 November 1918, Mrs. Lopez wasadvanced to the rank of sergeant, the highest rankthen accessible to Reservists (F). As such she paradedbefore Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels andhis Assistant, Franklin D. Roosevelt, at the final

Mrs. Violet Van JVagner Lopez (second from left)was one o(the first women enlisted from New York

This section of a panoramic photograph of womenassigned to Headquarters Marine Corps duringW7orld W"ar I includes Mrs. Lopez (circled).

review of the Navy and Marine Corps women on 30July 1919.

Mrs. Lopez continued at Headquarters as a civilianuntil 1926. Her service spanned the commandanciesof MajGens Barnett and Lejeune. She especiallyremembers Gen Barnett's displeasure with the press'ssobriquet "Marinettes" for the women. He insistedthey should be (then, as now) simply styled"Marines."

Mrs. Lopez was employed by the public relationsdepartment of the Long Lines Division of theAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company inNew York from 1928 to 1965. She is an activemember of the New York Metropolitan Chapter ofthe Women Marines Association and has attendednational meetings in Boston and the Bahamas. Mrs.Lopez was accompanied on her visit to the Center byher grandnephew, Lt George W. Chandler III, USN,who was then stationed at the Washington NavyYard. —EFW7

during Vorld W'ar I. The new recruits donnedMarine uniform coats for this publicity picture.

World War II ChronologyDecember 1941

Fortitudine plans to publish, beginning with thisissue and continuing through 1985, a quarterlychronology of significant events involving Marines inWorld War II. Future chronologies should reachreaders in time to serve as reminders of upcominganniversary dates.

7 December A Japanese carrier force inflictedheavy casualties on the American forces at Pearl Har-bor. Marine losses included 111 men killed or miss-ing and 75 wounded, with 33 aircraft destroyed and12 damaged. Elsewhere in the Pacific, Japanesedestroyers Akebono and Ushio bombarded MidwayAtoll; the Marine garrison suffered 14 casualties andconsiderable damage to equipment. Subsequent toattacks in the Pacific,Japan declared war on the U.S.and Great Britain.

8 December The U.S. declared war onjapan. ColWilliam W. Ashurst, senior Marine officer in China,surrendered Marine detachments at Tientsin, Pei-ping, and Camp Holcomb to the Japanese. Japaneseaircraft bombed Wake Island, Guam, and thePhilippines.

10 December A Japanese naval landing party of6,000 invaded Guam. Capt George J. McMillan,USN, governor of the island, surrendered to theJapanese naval commander. A Japanese naval forceseized Makin Island and the Imperial Japanese Navyproclaimed Tarawa Atoll occupied.

11 December Germany and Italy declared war onthe U.S., which in turn recognized a state of warwith these nations. An attempt to land a force of 450men on Wake and Wilkes Islands from JapaneseDestroyer Squadron 6 failed, with the loss of twoJapanese destroyers. Pilots of Marine FighterSquadron 211 strafed and bombed the retiring force.

12 December Effective U.S. air support ended inthe Philippines; Japanese naval planes of theEleventh Air Fleet attacked Luzon in force and straf-ed the naval station at Olongapo. The advanceassault detachment of the Japanese 16th Divisionlanded unopposed in southeastern Luzon, took itsairfield objective and moved north.

15 December RAdm Frank J. Fletcher's Task Force14, carrying a Marine expeditionary force which in-

17

cluded elements of the 4th Defense Battalion andMarine Fighter Squadron 211, left Pearl Harbor onthe USS Saratoga, Astoria, and Tangier for the reliefof forces on Wake Atoll.

19 December Japanese bombers from Roi seriouslydamaged defense battalion facilities at Camp Oneon Wake Island. Other Japanese planes bombedOlongapo.

21 December Intelligence information arriving atPearl Harbor indicated that a large force of shore-based Japanese planes was building up in the Mar-shalls and that enemy surface forces might be east ofWake where they could detect the approach of TaskForce 14 carrying reinforcements to the atoll. OnWake Island, a U.S. Navy PBY departed with thelast U.S. personnel to leave the atoll. Japanese airraids seriously damaged defenses on Peale Island.

21 December The reinforced Japanese 48th Divi-sion landed at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon, Philippineswith Manila as its objective.

23 December The Maizuru Second Special NavalLanding Force executed a predawn landing on Wakeand Wilkes Islands while carriers launched air strikesagainst Wilkes, Peale, and Wake Islands in supportof the landing force. After almost 12 hours offighting, all islands surrendered. The relief expedi-tion, Task Force 14, received orders to return to base.In the Philippines, General MacArthur decided towithdraw to Bataan.

26 December The 4th Marines moved all men ofthe 1st Separate Battalion (later the 3d Battalion,4th Marines) from Cavite to Corregidor. Americanofficials declared Manila an open city.

27-28 December The 4th Marines moved to Cor-regidor with the exception of Batteries A and C andthe radar detachment which remained on Bataan.

29 December Forty bombers of the Japanese 5thAir Group attacked Corregidor, ending "normal"above-ground living there.

-DJC

Center Loses Photo Archives

The Defense Audio-Visual Agency (DAVA),which absorbed the former Marine Corps still andmotion picture depositories, moved these functionsto new locations in September. Marine Corps stillphotographs dating from 1941 to the present arenow located at the new DAVA facility at theAnacostia Naval Station in Washington, D.C.Marine Corps motion pictures that date from 1960have been moved to the DAVA facility at NortonAir Force Base, near Riverside, California.

The Department of Defense created DAVA in Oc-tober 1980 to provide centralized management andcontrol of all the armed forces' still and motionmedia depositories. The agency also will provide acentralized office for motion picture productionwithin the Department of Defense. Another goal isto provide cost savings by eliminating duplication ofpersonnel and audio-visual equipment and byreducing the number of DoD depositories fromeight to two. The agency will be staffed essentiallyby civilians, with all junior military personneltransferred by October 1982.

GySgt William K. Judge, who headed the stillphoto depository when it was here at the Center,said the move itself would have little effect onDAVA's response to customer requests. By contrac-ting with professional movers, DAVA moved itsMarine Corps Still Photo Branch to its new offices

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and was fully operational four days after movingfrom the Center. A longer hiatus is to be expectedfor motion pictures since the move was from Quan-tico, Virginia, to California, with 15 November 1981set as the target date for full operations at NortonAFB.

GySgt Judge said the new DAVA facilities areorganized for maximum customer convenience. Adepository employee will be assigned to each re-searcher to provide dedicated assistance in meetingthe researcher's requirements. In addition, resear-chers will have "one-stop shopping" providing accessto the still or motion picture holdings of the entireDepartment of Defense. Of course, the Center'shistorical and museum personnel no longer will en-joy the convenience of having the Marine Corps stillphoto collection within our own building. All re-searchers, including our own, are advised to call theappropriate DAVA facility in advance to determineif the desired materials are available.

According to GySgtJudge, DAVA expects to fur-ther improve its services to customers. The existingfiles of the various military services will remain in-tact. Marine Corps materials, for instance, will con-tinue to have the familiar "M" number indicatingtheir origin. However, the filing records will beautomated in the future to speed up the retrieval ofmaterials. — VKF

Addresses for Audio- Visual Materials

To obtain audio-visual materials relating tothe Marine Corps, researchers should write theproper NARS or DAVA activity.

For still photographs dating from 1941:DAVA Production, Distribution, and Depository ActivityBl g. 168Anacostia Naval StationWashington, D.C. 20374Telephone: (202) 433-2080/3634

For still photographs taken prior to 1941, aswell as motion pictures taken prior to 1960:National Archives and Records Service (NARS)Audio-Visual DepartmentWashington, D.C. 20408

For motion pictures dating from 1960:DAVA Production, Distribution, and Depository ActivityNorton Air Force Base, California 92409Telephone: (714) 382-2513

Oral History Report

While visiting Washington recently, Col RuthCheney Streeter, USMCR (Ret), first Director ofWomen Marines, visited the Marine Corps HistoricalCenter to donate a bound copy of her transcribedmemoirs to the Marine Corps Oral History Collec-tion. This interview, conducted by Dr. John 1.Mason, Jr., Director of the Naval Institute OralHistory Program, joins an earlier interview with ColStreeter conducted by Col Mary Stremlow for heryet-to-be published history of women Marines in the1946-1977 period. Dr. Mason interviewed ColStreeter for the Radcliffe College-Schlesinger Libraryprogram of interviews with prominent Americanwomen.

In the Naval Institute interview, Col Streeterspoke of her life, interests, and accomplishments todate, and only one part of the memoir is concernedwith her 1943-1945 tour of active Marine Corps dutyand subsequent interest in and relations with theMarine Corps. The Streeter interview is a fittingcompanion to the interview with Col KatherineTowle, USMCR (Ret), who was Col Streeter's assis-tant and post-World War II Director of WomenMarines. This interview was conducted by theUniversity of California, Berkeley, Oral HistoryResearch Office and donated to the Marine Corpscollection.

Since the last Oral History Report, a number of in-terviews were begun and several completed. InMarch, Mr. Frank began interviewing Col justice M."Joe" Chambers, USMCR (Ret), who was awardedthe Medal of Honor for heroism on Iwo Jima. His in-terview will be concerned not only with his MarineCorp career, but also with his involvement with theMarine Corps Reserve Officers' Association, his roleas advisor to the Senate Armed Forces Committeeduring the enactment of the National Security Act of1947 and the so-called "unification fight." In Marchalso, Mr. Frank interviewed Maj Norman 1. Hatch,USMC (Ret), who, as an enlisted Marine and warrantofficer, was a combat motion picture photographerin World War II. His pictures of D-Day on Tarawa

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CoI Ruth Cheney Streeter

helped to bring home to the American public thegrim realities of the Marines' fight in the Pacific.Coincidentally, the following month, the OralHistory Section interviewed another World War IImotion picture photographer, Karl Thayer Soule,who was in the Guadalcanal operation and laterreturned to the U.S. to train other Marine combatphotographers.

Another interview of interest joining the collec-tion is one with Maj Edna Loftus Smith, USMCR(Ret), better know as "Eddie" to her legion offriends. The wife of a Navy pilot, she was one of thefirst women commissioned in the Marine Corps inWorld War II. Her first assignment was to AdmJohnS. McCain's Naval Aviation History Unit, where shewas the only Marine. In this billet, she received andread every war diary submitted by naval aviationunits in the Pacific. Released from active duty afterthe war, she was recalled to active service in 1947 todo the research for Robert Sherrod's History ofMarine Corps Aviation in lVorld W7ar II. Althoughthis was to be only an 18-month tour, she didn'treturn to civilian life until 1954. In her interview,Maj Smith tells of the renowned Marine and Navyaviators she has known and of her involvement in theproduction of Bob Sherrod's epic work.

Added to the interviews Mr. Frank had conductedin cooperation with the Marine Corps AviationAssociation, is a recent one with Col William K. Pot-tinger, USMC (Ret), who, as operations officer ofAircraft Solomons, controlled the first close airstrikes directed at Helizapoppin Ridge on Bougain-yule from an SBD. —BMF

In Memoriam

MajGen Robert B. Bell,USMCR (Ret), died inNew Canaan, Connecticuton 4 August 1981. He wasa native of Illinois whograduated from HarvardUniversity in 1930. Whilean undergraduate, in1928 he enlisted in theMarine Corps Reserve at

the Squantum, Massachusetts, Naval Air Station,where he received his primary flight training. He wascommissioned in 1935 and, until World War II, wasactive with Marine Reserve Squadron VMS-2R atFloyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York. Lt Bellwas mobilized in 1940 and remained on active dutyuntil released to civilian life in September 1945. Atransport pilot, he served overseas with Marine Air-craft Group 25 and South Pacific Combat AirTransport (SCAT). Gen Bell remained in the reserveprogram after World War II and was promoted tobrigadier general in 1961. He retired as a majorgeneral in July 1968. He was also active in theMarine Corps Reserve Officers Association. Gen Bellwas buried in St. Mark's Episcopal Church Cemeteryin New Canaan on 7 August, with simple militaryhonors.

BGen John C. Beckett,USMC (Ret), died 26 Julyat La Jolla, California. Hewas cremated and hisashes were interred at FortRosecrans NationalCemetery, San Diego. Anative of Oregon, he at-tended the University ofOregon, where he was an

All-American football player in 1917. He enlisted inthe Corps that year, and was commissioned in 1918.Lt Beckett was assigned to the 13th Regiment inFrance. In his early Marine Corps years following thewar, he was an active football player and coach andwas an assistant coach at the Naval Academy in themid-1920s. During the interwar period, he servedtours of duty both at sea and on land, and was an in-

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structor at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico. Shortlyafter the beginning of World War II, Cal Beckettwas executive officer and later commander of theReserve Officers Class at Quantico. He participatedin the Iwo Jima operation as division inspector andassistant chief of staff for personnel, 5th MarineDivision. At the time of his retirement in 1949, ColBeckett commanded the Marine Barracks, MareIsland. He was promoted to brigadier general uponretirement.

BGen Frank H. Wirsig,USMC (Ret), died 19 Julyin Wheaton, Maryland. ANebraskan, he was a

graduate of the Universityof Nebraska, where he wasan outstanding track star,and held the Americanrecord for the pole vaultin 1927. Following his

commissioning and completion of Basic School, LtWirsig tried out for the American team going to the1928 Olympics. He went through flight training in1929 and after receiving his wings, joined MarineFighting Squadron 9. He remained in aviationthroughout his 30-plus-year career. In the 1930s, heserved in squadrons on both coasts and in Nicaragua.At the outbreak of World War II, Maj Wirsig was incharge of the Materiel Section, Division of Aviation,HQMC, where he remained until June 1943, when,as a lieutenant colonel, he left to assume commandof Marine Aircraft Group 61, and subsequentlyMAG-32, which he took to Ewa from California. InJanuary 1945, Col Wirsig returned to Quantico tohead the Aviation Section at Marine Corps Schools,but left in September to command MAG-15 in thePacific and China. His post-World War II

assignments included duty as operations and train-ing officer, MCAS, El Toro; chief of staff, MarineAir Reserve Training Command, at Glenview, Il-linois; both student and instructor at the NationalWar College; and with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wingin Korea and Japan, first as G-3 and then as deputychief of staff. Gen Wirsig also commanded MarineWing Service Group 17 in Japan and was director ofinformation at HQMC. At the time of his retirementin 1958, he commanded Marine Corps Air Station,El Toro, California. He was buried with full militaryhonors at Arlington National Cemetery on 22 July.

BGen Julian P. Brown, USMC (Ret), died on 6March 1981 in Jupiter, Florida. His remains werecremated for burial in Fitzwilliam, N.H. Born in1897, Gen Brown was a native of Massachusetts,graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1917,and was commissioned that year. He served in Francewith the 74th Company, 6th Marines. Lt Brown firstsaw action in the Toulons sector, where he wasgassed. After returning to duty with his company, heparticipated in the Soissons, Champagne-BlancMont, and Meuse-Argonne offensives, during whichhe earned two Silver Stars and the Croix de Guerrewith Silver Star. Following the war, he was assignedto the MB, Peking, and to other tours of foreignshore duty, including posts in Puerto Rico,Nicaragua, and Shanghai. Lt Brown was BGenSmedley Butler's aide at Quantico for two yearsbefore a tour of sea duty in USS Pittsburgh. He nextserved in Nicaragua with the Marine Corps Expedi-tionary Force and the Nicaraguan Guardia Nacional,during which time he was awarded the Navy Crossfor inducing one of the bandit forces to lay down itsarms and for other meritorious service performedduring this tour. In June 1941, LtCol Brown becameForce Marine Officer and Intelligence Officer on thestaff of Adm Halsey's Aircraft Battle Force on boardthe carrier Enterprise. When Adm Halsey becameCommander South Pacific Area, Col Brown accom-panied him to Noumea as Officer in Charge of theSoPac Intelligence Center. Succeeding tours were atthe Naval War College as an instructor, and as amember of the Merger Board of the Navy Depart-ment. At the time of his retirement in June 1949,Col Brown was the Assistant to the U.S. NavalRepresentative on the United Nations SecurityCouncil's Military Staff Committee.

BGen James F. Moriarty,USMC (Ret), died inDallas, Texas on 30January. After being com-missioned in 1917, heserved with the 6thMachine Gun Battalion inFrance, participating inthe Chateau Thierry, Sois-sons, St. Mihiel, Blanc-

Mont, and Argonne operations, followed by occupa-tion duty in Germany. Between the wars he spentfour years as an aviator. During World War II, Col

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Moriarty commanded Marine Barracks both at PugetSound and the Canal Zone. Col Moriarty retired in1946 and was promoted to brigadier general on theretired list.

BGen Henry C. Lane,USMC (Ret), died 2lJunein Monroe, North Caro-lina. A graduate of theUniversity of Illinois in1931, he enlisted in theMarine Corps Reserve thatyear and was commission-ed in August 1932. Thefollowing month, Lt Lane

joined VO-7M at San Diego where he took his flighttraining. He remained an active reservist until 1939,when he went on active duty. A transport pilot,LtCol Lane commanded Marine Transport Squadron253 in the South Pacific, where he participated inthe Guadalcanal operation. He remained in theSouth Pacific flying transport aircraft until late 1943,when he returned to the States and commandedMCAS, Edenton, North Carolina, until May 1945.At that time, he once again went to the Pacific,where he was executive officer and commanding of-ficer of MAG-2 1. Col Lane received the Distinguish-ed Flying Cross for his accomplishments during theGuadalcanal campaign. Following the war, Col Lanecommanded Marine Corps Air Facility, Camp Le-jeune, and at the time of his retirement in 1958, hewas head of the Materiel Branch, Division ofAviaton, HQMC. He was promoted to brigadiergeneral upon his retirement for having been special-ly commended in combat. Gen Lane was buried withfull military honors on 24 June at Barranicas Na-tional Cemetery, Pensacola, Florida.

BGen Joseph H. Berry, USMC (Ret), died inJanuary in Honolulu. Born in Los Angeles, he wascommissioned in 1929. Following Basic School, hehad various assignments, including duty in Nica-ragua. In 1942, Maj Berry became aide to the Com-mandant, LtGen Thomas Holcomb, and his suc-cesser, Gen Alexander A. Vandegrift. LtCol Berrythen went to FMFPac as Assistant G-4 and then tothe 4th Marine Division for the Iwo Jima operation.In 1949, Col Berry became the Military Secretary tothe Commandant. Col Berry retired in 1954 and wasadvanced to brigadier general on the retired list.

Flag Raising 'Flop'Foments Flap

Marines have been raising flags over capturedpositions for a long, long time. Continental MarineCapt John Trevett raised the then-new Stars andStripes over New Providence in the Bahamas on 28January 1778 and it has been going on ever since.Okinawa was no exception.

The Spring 1981 issue of Fortitudine carried an ar-ticle by Maj William R. Melton about an Americanflag that was twice raised by the 2d Battalion, 22dMarines, during the battle of Okinawa. The secondraising, illustrated in the article, showing Marinesseemingly saluting left-handed, was in memory ofLtCol Horatio Cornick Woodhouse, Jr., the bat-talion's commander, who was killed in action. Thearticle generated considerable reader response:

According to its official caption, which some readershave questioned, this is a photograph of a flag rais-ing on Okinawa on 2 June 1945 in honor of LtCol

"Was the left-handed salute regulation for the Marineson Okinawa in 1945? It wasn't on Guam, Peleieu, or atQuancico

Daniel D. WarnerLiCol, USMCR (Ret)Seattle, Washington

It is not unusual in the naval service to render thesalute with the left hand. U.S. Navy Regulations,1973: "The salute by persons in the naval serviceshall be rendered and returned with the right handwhen practicable The fifth edition of NavalCeremonies, Customs, and Traditions, 1980, hasthis to say: "Salutes are always rendered with theright hand by Army and Air Force personnel. Navalpersonnel may use the left hand if the right hand isencumbered." The February 1959 issue of All Handscarried in its pages a section headed "NavalCourtesy" which dealt with saluting with the lefthand. It stated: "Yes. An instance of a left-handsalute is during 'side honors' when the boatswain'smate uses the boatswain's pipe. A hand salute isrendered at the same time the side is piped. Sincefew are skilled in using the pipe with the left hand,the pipe is held in the right hand and the salute is

Horatio C. W/oodhouse, Jr. The photograph wasprinted in reverse in the Spring 1981 issue of For-titudine.

given with the left." However, in the case of theSpring issue of Fortitudine, readers Ferguson andGregory suspected a simpler explanation:

"...did the Marines of the 2d Bn, 22d Marines, reallysalute with their lth hand? Or did the picture get flopped?

Larry FergusonPhoenix, Arizona

I presume that since the Marines are saluting left-handed, the negative is backward?"

James H. GregorySan Diego, California

Readers Ferguson and Gregory are correct. Thenegative was flopped.

Mr. Edward L. Fox, a member of the 2d Battalion,22d Marines, on Okinawa, took a more serious ap-proach:

"Marty [Martin Dawson] stood guard watch when the flagwas raised.... He questions the photo. Could it be ashot taken on Guam...? My general observation lookingat it. . . could it be one of the Iwo [Jima] raisings? I wasaround on 2lJune. . . this does not look familiar to me."

Edward L. Fox(Company G, 2d Battalion, 22d Marines)

Elizabeth, NewJersey

Unable to identify anyone in the reversedphotograph, he wrote several of his fellow 2d Bat-talion veterans. Their replies, which Mr. Fox for-warded to Fortitudine, were as follows:

'With regard to that Okinawa battle flag photo. . . notme, or anybody I can recognize. Our flag was on a woodpole.... I question this photo."

Daniel Dereschuk(Company G, 2d Battalion, 22d Marines)

Santa Rosa, California

"I wonder where Maj Melton got the flag raising pic-ture? I don't recognize anybody.. .. LtCol Woodhousewas awarded the Silver Star [Medal] posthumously, not theNavy Cross."

Edward DeMarKittery, Maine

"Thanks for the backward photo, but it's possible theman with the mustache might be 'Hymie' Crane, Actingc.O."

Martin DawsonAlbany, New York

Maj Melton did some further research and foundthat LtCol Woodhouse did indeed receive aposthumous Silver Star Medal, not the Navy Cross.In addition, the Defense Audio Visual Agency's col-lection of World War II Marine photographs con-tained negatives of several views of the same flag-raising shown in the reversed photograph. The cap-tions, written during World War II, all identify theflag-raising as occurring on Okinawa during theceremony honoring LtCol Woodhouse. If any readerhas a different identification, Fortitudine would ap-preciate hearing of it. — W"RM

Certificates of Appreciation

Recent awards of Certificates of Appreciationissued on behalf of the Commandant of the MarineCorps to persons who have made significant con-tributions to the Marine Corps Historical Programare as follows:

For service as museum docents:Donna AnthonyCammie Liddle

For donations of historical materials to the MarineCorps Museum:

Mr. Charles R. Bish

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For outstanding work as a historian intern:Susanne M. Tedeschi

For participation in the Marine Corps Oral HistoryProgram:

Col Angus M. Fraser, USMC (Ret)Maj Norman T. Hatch, USMCR (Ret)Maj Edna Loftus Smith, USMCR (Ret)

For volunteer work in public information;Mrs. Laura Dennis

For assistance in preparing captions for "Guides tothe Commandant's House":

Gladys Long

I I

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVYHEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20380

OFFICIAL BUSiNESS

PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE, $300

POSTAGE AND FEES PAID

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY

DOD-3 17

Eventsat theCenterArrivals and Departures

Sgt Marilia R. Guillen, a staff sergeant selecteeand the Center's former administrative chief,departed on 25 September. She will attend the Ad-ministrative Chiefs School at Parris Island prior toinspector-instructor staff duty in the Washington,D.C. area. Sgt Guillen came to the Center in May1978.

Sgt Donald Jackson, formerly with the MarineCorps Institute, reported to the Center on 9 Augustand received his promotion to sergeant shortlythereafter. He is serving as the Center's ad-ministrative chief.

Cpl Willis E. Spells recently joined the Divisionfrom the Enlisted Assignment Section at the NavyAnnex. A three-year veteran of the Marine Corps,the native Philadelphian is now assigned as a clerk-typist in the Collections Section here at the Center.

Ms. Faye A. Grant, newly assigned secretary to thedeputies and chief historian, joined the Divisionfrom the U.S. Department of Energy. A native ofHampton, Virginia, she graduated with honors fromthe College of Hampton Roads.

Assigned to the Reference Section is Mr. Robert V.Aquilina, who joined the Division from the Na-tional Archives where he worked in the Declassifica-

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tion Branch. Mr. Aquilina earned both bachelor'sand master's degrees in history from New York StateUniversity at Buffalo.

On 1 June, Mrs. CathleenJ. Solms transferred tothe Reference Section, where she now works as areference historian. Mrs. Soims, a graduate of theUniversity of Maryland, was formerly with the OralHistory Section, where she was the editorial assis-tant.

LtCol Martino Retires

Upon his retirement on 1 August 1981, after morethan 26 years service, LtCol Frank W. Mortinoreceived the Meritorious Service Medal for hisoutstanding performance of duty as the Center's Ex-ecutive Officer and Head of the Support Branch.