R.V. enlisted in the Marines in November 1942 at the age of 20. He enlisted in this branch of the service because he believed that, “I thought the Marines were the best fighting branch of serviceman we had.”
R.V. was featured in the HBO series “The Pacific.” He also is the author of the book, “Islands of the Damned.”
After basic training, R.V. was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Regiment, and 1st Marine Division. His unit eventually fought in the battles at Cape Glouster, and New Britain, both in the Solomon Island chain that included Guadalcanal.
Later R.V. participated in the ferocious battles at Peleliu and Okinawa. Peleliu was particularly tragic. Some historians believe that the heroic performance of the Marines was largely unnecessary. General MacArthur wanted Peleliu so the Japanese could not use the island as a base when MacArthur invaded the Philippines. Some high ranking military brass at the time believed that Peleliu could be by-passed, to wither on the vine so to speak, since the Japanese would no longer be able to supply its troops because its navy was being beaten at every turn.
R.V. and the other Marines knew nothing of this debate when they landed on Peleliu’s beaches. They fought heroically. R.V. at this time was a Sergeant over a mortal platoon. At one point, R.V.’s company was pinned down by a Japanese machine gun squad that was firing from a reinforced pillbox. R.V. made his way up to the pillbox, maneuvering all the way to avoid the Japanese fire. R.V. approached the pillbox and eventually killed 17 Japanese, effectively knocking out the fortified location and allowing the Marines to advance.
In the spring of 1945, R.V. and the rest of his Marines landed on the island of Okinawa. This was the southernmost island in Japan. The Marines knew that the Japanese would fight particularly hard for this piece of their homeland since the next stop after Okinawa would be the invasion of Japan on the island of Kyushu, the third largest island of Japan. This was to be called Operation Olympic, tentively scheduled for the fall of 1945.
As R.V. and his fellow Marines feared, the Japanese fought with a ferocity not seen so far in the war. The Japanese had told the civilian population that the Americans were “devils.” Many civilians, Okinawan’s, Korean laborers, and Japanese killed themselves, many by jumping off seaside cliffs in sight of the Marines, rather than face capture. The Marines used loudspeakers in the vain attempt to convince the civilians that they would be safe.
R.V. was wounded on Okinawa and spent 20 days in a hospital. He was awarded the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star.
He was discharged from the Marines in 1945. He currently lives in Lancaster Texas.
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