THE WORLD WAR II GYRENE PHOTO ALBUM
Page 7
The photos that follow were taken in 1945 on Iwo Jima and at Camp Tarawa. They depict a Navy Corpsman, Sam Holman, and his buddies in Weapons Company, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Sam was the platoon Corpsman for the 75mm Gun Platoon, which was equipped with four halftracks.
Sam enlisted in the Navy the day after Pearl Harbor and spent four years in the Navy. He was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart on Iwo Jima. After the war, he went to veterinary school and practiced for over 50 years in his home state of South Dakota. He is still alive and well, as is Mrs, Holman. The pictures that follow came from Sam's son, John Holman, who is just as proud as he can be of his dad!
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(left) Halftrack crew in the 75mm Gun Platoon, Weapons Co, 28th Marines
on Iwo Jima–1945
Sitting on hood, L-R:
Pfc Roland "Mooch" Day, Pfc Benjamin Meadows
Standing, L-R:
PhM1c Sam Holman, Sgt Henry Backlund, Pfc Chester Nahajewski, Pfc Bernard Weslowski, Cpl Jason Woody
(Sgt Backlund was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action on Iwo Jima)
(Pfc Weslowski is wearing a Japanese field cap. Pfc's Nahajewski and meadows are both wearing baseball caps)
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I receivied the following in an e-mail from John Holman regarding the above photo:
"Weslowski took off one day to relieve himself. He ran around a big boulder and ran
into a Japanese soldier. While the Japanese soldier was distracted by the field hat, Weslowski shot and killed him. Sgt. Backlund says Weslowski was deeply troubled by the incident.The hat probably saved him, and that’s after everybody kept telling him the hatwas going to get him killed." |
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(left) Marines of the 75mm Gun Platoon, 28th Marines in their bivouac area on Iwo Jima–1945
L-R: Pfc Emmet Zellin, Pfc Gorin Rutherford, PhM1c Sam Holman
The 75mm Gun Platoon had four halftracks and a strength of 38 Marines. The platoon Corpsman
was assigned from Weapons Co. headquarters platoon, so he was an additional member.
In addition to the halftracks, the platoon had four bazookas, and 5 .30 machine guns. Every halftrack was equipped with a vehicular radio.
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(eft) Marines interrogating a Japanese POW, Iwo Jima–March 1945. He was captured by a reconnaissance patrol.
There is a photo of this POW on pg. 114 of The Spearhead but that photo appears to have been taken at a different location.
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Letter written by Sam Holman to his wife about a captured POW
March 21, 1945
My beloved wife,
I was on a… patrol with a MP unit yesterday. (Far behind enemy lines) and we took a wounded [Japanese] prisoner. He is one of the highest ranking Jap[anese] taken in the war so far. Can't mention his name or unit for if his family in Japan were notified [about him] all of his immediate family would be killed. Imagine having
that to look forward to.
Everything is running smoothly and soon we will be back at a rest camp.
At least there is one thing about this and that is we move around in this war don't we?
Sure wish some word would come from you and the baby. I am growing rather impatient. Each day I build up more hope for a boy.
There will be nothing for me to do but get a transfer if the baby is a girl.
All my love,
Sam
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(left) Hot Chow on Iwo Jima, always
a welcome change from a steady diet
of c- and k-rations.
L-R: PhM2c James Fisher, PhM2c Irving Potter, Cpl James Dolan, PhM1s Sam Holman, ACook Lawrence Riskey
From John Holman: James Fisher was in charge of getting the medical supplies, and dad said Fisher got them everything they needed by the boat load. They remained friends forever. He says Potter was a genuine character. He was from Boston. So far he has no memory of Dolan and Riskey.
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(left) Marines of Weapons Co, 28th Marines
with a captured Japanese battle flag.
Iwo Jima–1945
L-R: PhM2c Irving Potter, Lt Charles Hatch, USN, PhM2c James Fisher, Cpl James Dolan, Pfc Lucket Henderson(?), S/Sgt James Schaffer
Doc Fisher and Doc Potter both were awarded the Bronze Star Medal for valor on Iwo Jima
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(left) Corpsmen and doctors of H & S, 28th Marines reviewing captured Japanese medical documents on Iwo Jima, March 1945.
From L-R:
Lt Charles W. Hatch, USN
(wearing camouflaged helmet)
PhM2c Alfred C. Ronstrom
Lt William F. Lynn, USN
(standing - Lynn was a surgeon)
PhM2c Joseph B. Johnson
(reading captured Japanese documents)
PhM3c Gordon L. Waller (man under the cap, with an ear showing)
PhM2c Jack C. Luse (sitting far right, holding captured Japanese medical documents) |
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(left)Lt Charles Hatch, USN, Regimental Dentist for the 28th Marines, performing oral surgery on a Marine during the campaign for Iwo Jima–1945 PhM2c Jack Luse stands to Lt. Hatch's left.
Doc Luse received the Silver Star for his actions on a reconnaissance patrol during the campaign for Iwo Jima.
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(left) Regimental headquarters for the 28th Marines late in the battle for Iwo Jima–1945
The terrain mass in the background may be Hill 362A. Please contact me
if you can definitively identify this terrain feature.
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PHOTO ALBUM PAGE 8
PHOTO ALBUM INDEX PAGE
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