"THEY WILL LIVE A LONG TIME THESE MEN OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
THEY HAD AN AMERICAN QUALITY.
THEY, LIKE THEIR VICTORIES, WILL BE REMEMBERED AS LONG AS OUR GENERATION LIVES.
AFTER THAT, LIKE THE MEN OF THE CONFEDERACY, THEY WILL BECOME STRANGERS.
LONGER AND LONGER SHADOWS WILL OBSCURE THEM, UNTIL THEIR BATTLE SOUNDS DISTANT ON THE EAR......
LIKE SHILOH AND VALLEY FORGE."
JAMES A. MITCHNER - "TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC"
 | Private First Class Bill Pierce "Weapons Company" 29th Marine Regiment Sixth Marine Divison Participated in the battles of: Sugar Loaf Hill Half Moon Hill Naha Oroku Peninsula Kunishi Ridge Currently: Public Relations 6th MarDiv Bill's email: GYRENE629@aol.com |  USMC Ball Nov 2010 |
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| In depth interview: William Pierce - Weapons Co. 37 mm anti tank gunner & Machine Gunner Dick Whitaker - click |
 | Marines of the 5th Marine Regiment 1st Marine Divison fight for Wana Draw ***Viewers - Notice the .45 caliber pistol sticking out of the gunner's rear pocket.*** "That's good combat thinking. Japs would zero in on those wearing shoulder holsters, dead giveaway he was a officer. It paid for officers to dress exactly like we did. If we had a .45 on us we usually stuck it in the belt in back under the blouse". - Pfc Bill Pierce |
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 | 37mm Gun - Okinawa We never used cannister on the southern end...only on the northern end... at Nago we faced inland in the valleys at night...put out trip wires and they were usually tripped. In the light one could see 100 bodies advancing. Four 37's would open up with cannister. In the morning all were dead... shredded horribly....almost all were civilians but among them were 4 or 5 Japanese soldiers. I think there were 150 small ball bearings in each round. We also never used AP (Armor Piercing)....we had em for tanks but never saw one. We prayed one would come along! We used all H.E. (High Explosive). The gun was deadly at 500 yards and could put H.E. in a porthole! Machine Guns AT THE TIME WE FELT THE JAP BULLETS WERE VERY LIGHT, HENCE MANY MARINES SO CALLED 'STITCHED' LIVED AS THE BULLETS MUCH INFERIOR TO OURS...WE ALWAYS KNEW WHEN A NAMBU WENT OFF AS IT SOUNDED LIKE BRRRRPPPPP A SEWING MACHINE...OURS WAS A HEAVY SOUND...THE ONE THING THEY HAD AND IT ALWAYS ANNOHYED US WAS THE HANDLE ON THEIR MACHINE GUNS..THEY COULD PICK IT UP ONE HANDED AND RUN WITH IT...WE NEEDED TO GET OURS OUT OF THE TRIPOD AND THEN CARRY IT LIKE A BABY. THE AIR COOLED DID HAVE A HANDLE ON IT AND ALSO A BIPOD INSTEAD OF A TRIPOD...ALSO HAD A FLASH SURPESSOR ON END OF MG...BUT THE US ARMY DID NOT APPROVE..THEY WANTED NO HANDLE, AND WANTED A TRIPOD...AND WE GOT WHAT THEY GOT. I DO KNOW IN THE KOREAN WAR THE AIR COOLS FINALLY GOT THE HANDLE, THE FLASH SUPRESSOR AND BIPOD ON MANY ARMY MACHINE GUNS....MANY MARINES FASHIONED A HANGAR OF SORTS AS A HANDLE. MY BAR WHEN I PUT THE COLT BAR TRIGGER ASSEMBLY ON NOW HAD A HANDLE JUST LIKE A TOMMY GUN..I LOVED IT! BUT AS I MENTIONED TO YOU IT CAUSED THE WEAOPON TO JAM EVERY 5 OR SO ROUNDS.. RE AND S/F BILL |
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 | Bob Wilke- I was curious about USMC heros, because in today's corps old breed Marines such as Dan Daly and Smedley Butler are used prolifically as motivating verbage. I proposed a question to Bill on just who back in the day the Marine Corps used as examples of hero's/role models. "Only Marine we ever heard of was Lou Diamond who put a mortar down a chimney..probably when he was playing Santa Claus on Christmas". - Bill Pierce On the picture to the left provided by Bill Pierce, are the signatures of : Captain Joe Foss Catus Air Force Guadalcanal, Corporal Jim Chaisson, Col. Carl Sitter, Master Gunnery Sergent Dick E. Bush Major Robert E. Galer |
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Okinawa - June 1945 Weapons Company 29th Regt 6th MarDiv Standing L to R - Vic Salvini, Al Salukas, Marty Sokoloff Kneeing L to R - Bill Pierce, Bob Henn | Souvenirs "We did hang Japanese Canteens and such off tree limbs after a battle. Navy guys would drive by, and for a bottle of medicinal brandy we would trade em.... They would buy a burnt match! The machine gun and the flag were simply props that were in the area. Probably came from our weapons company tanks as no way we could handle the MG unless trucked..... There were plenty lying around at the time...note all the guys are from N.Y. as per the photographer's request. I am wearing an Army blouse I picked up without a name...new... and note bandage* still on neck after one month. - Bill Pierce *Bill got shot by nambu on the outskirts of Naha, after getting patched up at the rear area medical facility he went UA from the treatment area, and hitchhicked his way back to the front and his unit. Current MIA recovery on Kunishi Ridge "Quinn and several others entered the cave at the end of the battle.... and.... were souvenir hunting....shots rang out..... some Marines went in as no one answered their calls... they were fired on so they exited. Some Officer came by and ordered the cave sealed." - Bill Pierce Caves were dangerous...many went in for souvenirs and got KIA or WIA as a result...we did try to entice the women and kids out, and many times it worked... But usually if the cave was in the attack area no questions were asked...many time a satchel charge (was used) if a demo guy was around.... a grenade or wp went in no matter who was in there...... we took no chances....nor prisoners." Bill Pierce |
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CORRESPONDENCE: OCTOBER 2011 THAT CONCRETE CAUSWAY CONNECTED ONA YAMA ISLAND AND MAINLAND....(MIDDLE OF PICTURE ON RIGHT) WHEN JAPS CRAWLED OUT TO BLOW IT I WAS HIT IN NECK WHILE FIRING B.A.R AT THEM....ONLY NICKED ME THANK THE LORD...ONA YAMA ISLAND TODAY IS GONE..ENTIRE HARBOR FILLED IN.....AND...A MONO RAIL RUNS THRU NAHA TODAY!!! AFTER BEING WOUNDED ALONG WITH 2 OTHER RECON GUYS WE WERE ALL ABLE TO GET OUT THE BACK AND HEAD FOR AN AID STATION AFTER THE CORPSMAN HAD BANDAGED US UP.... WE HAD ONE MARINE ASIGNED TO US TO HELP US GET THERE...ANYHOW..DOWN CAME A CORSAIR AS WE CROSSED AN OPEN FIELD. I GUESS SINCE WE WERE IN FRONT OF THE LINES AT WATERS EDGE WE APPEARED TO LOOK LIKE JAPS JOGGING TOWARD MARINE LINES...HE OPENED UP ON US AND FORTUNENETLY HIS AIM WAS OFF...BULLETS DUG INTO THE MUD A FEW YARDS FROM US. THE SAME MUD WE DOVE DOWN INTO AS WE SAW THE PLANE. WE NOTICED HE IMMEDIATELY BANKED AROUND SO NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES WE HEADED TO THE NEAREST WOODED AREA WE COULD FIND...CLOSE CALL ...RECON IN FRONT OF THE LINES IS NOT THE HAPPIEST ASIGNMENT ONE CAN GET... RE AND S/F BILL PIERCE |  |
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 | Bob Wilke - Bill was a Corporal on Guadacanal until one day when he decided to run his truck up the river which seemed shallow. However, what was unknown was that the natives had dug a hidden swimming hole in the middle of the river! "None of us ever got into that swimming hole in the middle of the river.. high banks on each side with natives yelling or cheering at our dilema...I guess. I can still see the motor sputtering... and as we left the truck it was at a 45 degree angle ..front down...ass up... didn't get far before peep site* (Captain James Petrie) nailed us". "The Jeep came up looking for us, and (Peepsite) was in it. He arrested us all. I was the driver so I went to the brig.... all the others got EPD. The brig was canvas 5' by 4' by 5 foot. You crawled into it thru chicken wire and sat on a board, it was 120 in the shade and the sweat was awful.... A hot box just like the Bridge over the River Kwai... Three pieces of bread with a canteen of water 3 times a day for 5 days - Bill Pierce * "Captain Petrie got his nickname for always looking at you with one eye closed, like looking down the barrel of a rifle". - Bill Pierce |
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Off Duty and Liberty Call!
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