April 14, 2024: an incredible short, short essay in the May, 2024, issue of The Atlantic: "The Man Who Died for the Liberal Arts," David Shribman, May, 2024, p. 34. Not yet posted on line, interestingly enough.
Genealogy:
- Max and Anna Shribman: grandfather, Salem, Massachusetts
- two sons: Philip and Dick
- Philip: age 22, or thereabouts, killed, Guadalcanal area, PT-111, February 1, 1943
- brother Dick survived the war; had a son, David who wrote the essay.
It connects many, many dots for me personally.
This essay could have been a chapter in Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead.
Dots:
- Salem, Massachusetts: Max and Anna Shribman, grandparents of author; father of Phil who died at Gaudalcanal
- Phil attended Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire; author attended Dartmouth
- one of the first pediatricians after residency I ever worked with also went to Dartmouth: Andrew J. Shulman (see below)
- Philip met the love of his life, Bertha Lou Logan, at Grand Canyon, cross-country trip
- visited Chicago when Philip was in mid-shipmen's school
- not sure where she was originally found; she took a waitress job at Loch Lyme Lodge, wiki, near Dartmouth
- after the war, lived for "some while" with Phil's parents in Salem; all three had great difficulty getting over Phil's death; author of essay met Bertha Lou Logan in Kansas decades later
- Jewish
- Russian
- Pi Lambda Phi, first fraternity at Dartmouth to accept Jewish students
- USS Crescent City; Wiki entry;
- January 5, 1943, transferred to the PT-boat squadron;
- grandfather Max has since donated money to Dartmouth to establish a scholarship for a student from the Salem area
Like Phil Shribman, I had my "own" Bertha Lou Logan (her name was Linda Fisher) but we separated, under very different circumstances.
David Shribman, the author of this essay, was for many years the executive editor of the Pittsburg Post-Gazette. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for his writing on American political culture.
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Andrew J. Shuman
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Any connection between Norman Mailer The Naked and the Dead and the USS Crescent City (a nickname for New Orleans, at the time)? See this link.
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My Notes On The Naked And The Dead
Rank in US Army, US Marines -- from Quora -- link here.
The Continental Marines (forerunner of the United States Marines) were modeled after the British Marines (they did not become the Royal Marines until 1802), which were originally formed as an infantry regiment of the English Army in 1664—the "Duke of York and Albany's maritime regiment of Foot." So, since the British Marines used “army” ranks, the Continental (and later, the U.S. Marines) did as well.
While originally the U.S. Marine Corps enlisted grade structure was virtually identical to that of the U.S. Army, over the years, certain variations have existed (and continue to do so today), making the modern U.S. Marine Corps enlisted grade structure markedly different in some grade titles, as well as in the color and design of all of the the insignia, from those used by the U.S. Army. While there are slight design differences used in the various insignia for officers (except for warrant officers, which are all completely different between the Army and the Marine Corps warrant officer grades), the basic pattern of bars, leaves, eagles, and stars are used by both services for officers ranking from second lieutenant through general.
So, the U.S. Marine Corps truly exists as a “hybrid” service—”naval” in character, but essentially “military,” viz., “army,” in organization. And, while the U.K. Royal Marines are one of the “five fighting arms” (along with the RN Surface Fleet, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, the RN Submarine Service, and the Fleet Air Arm) of the UK Royal Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps exists as a separate, distinct, and co-equal service to the U.S. Navy (as well as the other U.S. armed services), and along with its “sister” service, the U.S. Navy, serves as one of the services within the Department of the Navy (DoN). (The U.S. Marine Corps served in the Department of War, along with, but not “under” or a “part of” the U.S. Army, until 1834 when it was transferred to the DoN.)
And then this, same link:
Well, we really did stumble into a hornets nest full of hate and Hellfire now, didn't we?
Of course the obvious reason is for disambiguation. If, you called airmen and Sailors, “soldiers,” nothing would ever get done, because they'd keep sending in soldiers.
But, in the interests of comparison and disambiguation, let’s look at the chart:
- We are a dept. of the Navy
- We are and elite amphibious fighting force indoctrinated in maritime warfare.
- We are the smallest branch of service, because we are an elite fighting force. (Basically, it takes fewer of us to get the job done.)
- Since, our funding gets handed down by the Navy, we get way less funding for weapons, gear and everything else.
- The Army has many different M.O.S.’s for jobs. Our main function is fighting. So, you're either a grunt or supporting the grunts.
- We don't even have our own medics. The Navy assigns us Navy Corpsman. (Whom we promptly douse with whiskey, torture, interrogate, humiliate, brainwashe and then finally indoctrinate into our cause.
- Every Marine is first trained as an 0311 (Read as, basic rifleman or grunt)
- Marines don't start off as Marines in bootcamp. We start of as recruits and must earn the title of Marine.
- If you get out of any other branch of service and cross deck to another, you'll be expected to go through basic training again. Unless, you're a Marine.
- Our enemies have nicknames for us that we like to call each other: Teufel Hunden, aka. Hell hound or Devil Dog, Leather necks, Jarheads, Shock troops, Yellow legs, Americans 911, and my favorite “OHSHITRUN!!!”
- We are the official guards of the President and American Embassies world wide.
- The Marine Corps Band is the only official band of the President.
- We are the Presidents only personal 911. By Presidential order and with out Congress and without declaring a state of war, he can send us to fight anyone, anywhere, at anytime and we will be there within 24hrs or less. Or, you can have your country back for free and the next assault is on us.
Marines are steeped in military history and Marine traditions from bootcamp and expected to be America's little torch barriers of history and customs.
- If you ask a Marine what Smith the purpose of a particular implement on there uniform, you will get a detailed history of the name, purpose, significance, and history of it. If you as someone in the Army, they will probably look at you like you're a weirdo. (By the by the birth place of the Marines was Tun Tavern (a bar!!), Philadelphia, Nov. 10th 1775. The first recruiter was the bartender.
We have the strictest standards and punishments.
My head hurts now, but the list goes on and on to infinity… Hope this helps.
All of the answers I have seen are basically correct. But, I love this one the most:
We stole the rope from the Army, the anchor from the Navy, the Eagle from the Airforce. And on the 7th day, while God rested, we OVERRAN HIS PERIMETER, STOLE THE GLOBE AND WE'VE BEEN RUNNING THE DAMN WHOLE SHOW EVER SINCE.
Other internet URLs
projectmailer;
New edition with letters, many never before published, and extensive notes.
US Army organization (may have been somewhat different in WWII Pacific):
- team: four soldiers;
- fire team: leader, sgt/cpl; rifleman, grenadier, automatic rifleman
- sniper team: same, but one sniper
- squad: nine soldiers
- two teams and a leader (SSgt/Sgt)
- section: 12 - 24 soldiers, in conjunction with platoons at the company level
- platoon: 42 soldiers (in USAF, a flight?)
- three squads and platoon headquarters; platoon leader (2 Lt) and platoon sgt (Sgt 1st Class)
- company: 62 - 190 soldiers (in USAF, a squadron?)
- designated A - C or A - D, plus support elements
- battalion: 300 to 1,000 soldiers (in USAF, a group?); led by Lt Col and a command sgt major)
- three companies and support elements
- regiment: somewhat obsolete but historic connections (see below)
- brigade (or group): 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers (in USAF, a wing):
- three battalions; led by a BG or a colonel
Regiment:
The Army, for the most part is no longer organized by regiments.
Rather, battalions and squadrons maintain regimental affiliations in that they are called (for example), 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry (Regiment is implied) and is written 1–8 Inf. In this case, there is no regimental commander and the battalion is organized as part of a brigade for combat.
The exceptions are those units, such as armored cavalry regiments which remain organized, and fight, as a regiment and have a regimental commander. The written designation is easy to distinguish and commonly misused. A "forward slash" ("/") separates levels of command. 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment is written 1/3 ACR whereas the 1st Battalion, 6th Field Artillery (again, Regiment is implied) is written 1–6 FA.
Part 1: Wave
Clearly the island "Anopopei" is Guadalcanal.
Anopopei: "Popeye" --
Guadalcanal:
Chapter 1:
Some things to notice:
- shape of fictional island (Anopopei); looks just like main island of the Solomons, Guadalcanal
- Australian connection
- number of men mentioned by name: seven plus two orderlies, one name Levy
- the age of the men; 24 years of age to 38 years of age; all junior enlisted
- first page: naked and the dead
- vocabulary: military words o/w not known to civilians, e.g., stanchion
10: Wilson, Gallagher, SSgt Croft, playing craps
SSgt Croft: platoon sergeant (p. 22); loves combat
16/18: Red / Hennessey -- conversation
20: Sgt Brown / Stanley -- conversation
21: General Cummings
22: platoon, assigned to Baker Company; so it looks like one platoon on one landing boat
two squads of eight men apiece -- p. 23 -- wow!! -- see how the platoon is short-manned and not being reinforced, due to shortage of men, and this was an I & R platoon
"two undersize cavalry squads" -- p. 23
compares to an "infantry platoon"
24: Sgt Julio Martinez; short mention; closes out the chapter; the scout for the I&R platoon;
of headquarters company of the 460th Regiment Infantry (see above)
So, of the eight men, about three NCO's and five junior enlisted.
ocarina: instrument shaped like a bird; the island was shaped like an ocarina
49: initial move into the island
51: 2/3rds of his force of 6,000 men -- in the rear; facing Japanese, at least 5,000
- General Toyaku
- strategy: bottom of page
- the Toyaku Line
Chapter 2
In Norman Mailer's book it was Mt Anaka. The real mountain on the Solomon Island Guadalcanal was Mt Popamanaseu. Height: 2,335 m or about 6,000 feet.
References the first invasion at Motome. Was that Ratoul?
Synopsis:
I&R platoon with comm team land on beach
assigned "unloading detail"
occasional Japanese mortar fire
men dig holes
main body of platoon temporarily seek safer location; leave two of their men behind
Hennessey killed by Japanese mortor
platoon returns to find Hennessey's body
Details:
300 replacements awaiting assignments to their companies
Labor details in combat zone
Croft: needed 8 replacements; got only 4;
-- full platoon: 17 men
-- now, only 13 men
-- paper strength: 20 men, but 7 of his men at HQ squad remained at Motome -- assigned personally to the regimental intelligence section.
25. 0400 -- naval bombardment begins; Mount Anaka -- volcanic island;
big boat (carrying many platoons) --> individual landing craft
26. Martinez -- first mention
small platoon compared to other platoon
Croft / Red / Sgt Brown
28. Move to their small landing craft boat -- Deck 15 on the big boat
29. Reed / Gallagher / Croft
30. Davit Machinery
Sgt Brown
31. first wave had landed 15 minutes earlier
32. Corporal Toglio / Gallagher / Red
Corporal Toglio: OCD; calculates it's safer to be in little boat on the water than in big boat
33. Croft
34. Hennessey / Croft
Martinez
their landing boat has arrived / ramp down / five other craft had landed at the same time
Croft tells officer on beach that their platoon is an I&R platoon
36. Task Force Headquarters
37. Sgt Brown / Red / Stanley / Croft / Valsen -- likely Red's last name -- first mention
S-four
38. Oscar Ridges
39. Stanley, Ridges, Red -- Stanley / Red verbal altercation
Brown / Wilson
42. Hennessey -- literally shits his pants
Toglio and Ridges
Hennessey: killed, shrapnel; pretty vivid account
Time maching: 69 - 73
Chapter 3: p. 74
Lt Col Conn
Lt Hearn
the two arguing
mess test
General also in the tent
Part Two
Argil and Mold
argil: potter's clay
- the mold: current events; war; specifically, a remote island in the Pacific
- the potter's clay: sailors/soldier, WWII, far from home
Chapter 1
Synopsis: a very short chapter. Mailer describes the island, the jungle, the commander's plan to take the island.
49. MG Edward Cummings
ocarina: small musical instrument shaped like a bird
56. Cpt Mantelli, Croft
57. Roth / Goldstein; securing tents in the sand
8. Anti-semiten
59. tsoris
62. Buddy Wyman -- new soldier arrives
63. Polack / Minetta
66. Croft / Martinez
Croft to divide the squadron in half
old men in one squae, with Brown
the other squad with Martinez and Toglio
divides up Red, Galagher, Wilson, Stanley
Chapter 2
Synopsis: Platoon sgt Croft surprises Sgt Martinez. Croft will organize platoon back into two squads again, with Croft getting one squad with the "old men" and Martinez and Toglio getting the new men.
Replacements: anxious until they are assigned to their new companies.
SSgt Croft would need 8 replacements. He was given only four. Full complement if he had it: 17 men (a platoon). With four replacements, he had 13 men in his platoon. Paper strength: 20.
Labor details vs combat.
54. Headquarters Company / CC: Captain Mantelli
55: Croft: the platoon sergeant
-- CofC: Capt Mantelli -->Major Pfeiffer -->Colonel Newton (Ops /CC) --> General Cummings
56. Croft gets his 5th man: Roth (was Mailer, Roth?) Roth's MOS: clerk.
62. Then, Buddy Wyman. Goldstein's first name, Joe (p. 63).
63. Polack talking to Steve Minetta. Minetta: looked like Willliam Powell.
66. Now, SSgt Croft talking with Sgt Martinez about reorganizing the platoon. Again, a reminder: five replacements when he needed eight for a full complement. Croft's plan: back to two squads again. Most of the old men stay together; the new men (5) to Martinez and Toglio.
The Time Machine
69.
Synopsis: short bio of Julio Martinez, San Antonio.
Chapter 3
Synopsis: Officers' mess. Introduces officers through mundane political chatter.
74. Combined Headquarters
Major General Cummings, Lt Col Conn; General's aide: 2 Lt Hearn;
Lt Col Webber, etc., etc.
Chorus
the enlisted mess
compare and contrast chatter from Officers' mess with that of the enlisted
Chapter 4
Campaign: first month completed; road completed to where peninsula joins main body of island; reached the cliffs of the "Watamai Range" ("what am I" range).
p. 96: back to the I&R platoon: 14 men (with the five replacements)
p. 96: recap -- brings us up to date
I&R still building the road; not accomplishing their core competency; remember, 2 squads; one old; one new.
Red, Wilson, Gallagher: share foxhole.
p. 102: Goldstein / Ridges
Wyman, Toglio
huge rainstorm
p. 109: MG Cummings arrives; in jeep with Maj Dalleson and Lt Hearn
p. 118: front line needs reinforcement. Dalleson suggests I&R and general agrees. Question: which squad will go: the old, seasoned one, or the new one.
Chapter 5 -- p. 119
Roth / Minetta
The"old" squad -- ("R")
Red, Gallagher, Croft, Wyman, Toglio, Martinez, Ridges, Wilson (9 of 17)
The new:
Roth, Minetta, Goldstein, Stanley, Sgt Brown, Polack
perimeter
Convoy of trucks, p. 128
p. 136: about 50 men in the column
p. 149: map; 1/2 mile between 1st Battalion and A Company
p. 150: C Company
p. 157
Japanese start time change / flare gen.
Toglio -- minor -- shot in elbow
The Time Machine -- p. 161
Sam Croft
Chapter 6 -- p. 169
2nd Battalion HQ
the general at the 151st
game of GO; p. 170
p. 171 -- dividing rations equally
p. 173: begining of contempt for the enlisted
p. 174: Mantelli - one of Hearn's few friends in HQ
Mailer: really had it right-- generals' aides: no friends!!
General C tent auster
the west incident
US Navy: Force,Space, and Time, p. 185
Chapter 6 syopsis: conversation between General Cummings and Hearns
Chorus: women -- p. 189
2nd squad: Minetta, Polack, brown, Stanley
Chapter 7
1st Battalion recon with Company A
sea; river; mountains
Ration detail of RECON
e.g. Croft, Red,Gallagher
water and rations to a platoon of A Company
Croft kills a prisoner
1st Battalion, then 2nd Battalion, p. 201
Croft,Wilson, Red, Gallagher, Martinez
back to the Jap killed -- p. 203 -- Red
p. 210: Goldstein
p. 212: back to Wilson, Battle -- results -- p. 213
p. 222: back at 2nd Battalion -- Wyman, Goldstein, Ridges
Had been away 7 days / 8 nights -- p. 226
The Time Machine, p. 227
Red Valsen
The Wandering Minstrel
Red -- miner; leaves home, p. 228; starts at age 13 -- p. 229, 18 y/o
!!!! "False dawn" -- p. 235 -- near the top
hoboes -- 1931 -- p. 230
Hoover is president; Rd is 20 years old
about age 23 -- truck driver -- p. 235
Boston -- Providence --> Groton --> New London -->New Haven -- Stamford --> Bronx --> the markets --> home (on west 48th near 10th avenue)
last two years before the war -- p. 236
1939 - 1941 (?); about 26 y/o
WWII: p. 238 -- ships out of San Francisco -- p. 239 -- reminesces about San Francisco; need to read again; reminds me of Hunter S Thompson
P. 240: "the band still playing." - WOW --
Chapter 8 -- p. 241
Sunday at the beach
Beach party; at the tip of the peninsula; landing zone; 25 miles away from the base of the front-line troops who were patrolling against the Toyaku Line
Mentions the Wardman Park Hotel. Washington, DC.
Delta Kappa Epison (DKE); Yale.
New names:
Lt (SG) Dove, USNR; a Cornell man;
Lt Col Conn -- 20 years in the military; started out as a non-com (now a lt col?) for background on Conn, see chapter 3, p. 74.
Lt Col Conn, Major Dalleson and Major Hobart: always grouped together -- p. 76; Hearn's point of view.
Explanation of Lt (SG) in the US Navy:
Lt (SG) Dove has been assigned to the division as an interpreter at almost the same time Hearn had come in (p. 243.)
Lt (sg) Dove:
O-1: ensign
Lt (jg) junior grade -- a first lieutenant; O-2;
Lt (sg) senior grade -- O-3 -- a captain
I assume, ensign, Lt (jg) and Lt in the vernacular.
This is so cool; this. is why O-3 in the US Navy can't be a Captain -- the Navy O-6 is a Navy Captain.
Now, does this mean that Lt (sg) Hearn is US Navy and the rest of the military are US Army
Conn and Hearn hate each other, but grudgingly now get along.
Dove and Hearn on the beach
Hearn stared at Dove, a Cornell man, yes a DKE chapter at Cornell; description of Dove, p. 242.
Conn and Dove get a long now; close to each other, p. 243.
Major Dalleson
at the beach -- landing
extreme tip of the peninsula -- 25 miles from front line at Toyaken line, p. 242
Apparently they all get along with each other now, p. 243.
Hearn went with the men to find the general
Lt (SG) Dove, USNR, p. 242
interpreter; newly assigned, p. 243
The G-2 tent p. 243.
Chit dit (?)
the type of parties back in the states.
p. 249-- Lt Wakara -- Jap-American relocation camp p 250
OSS mission.
Hearn (general's aid); Dove (interpreter) and Conn
p. 248: Conn in service 20 years; last five years as an officer
Dove: interpreter
Lt Wakara: Japanese; also an interpreter
Conn -- racist; as they probably all are, but Conn particularly awful human
Ishimara's diary -- the dead Japanese soldier
Wakara: American-Japanese, Berkeley; relocation camps, p. 251
Major Dalleson / his assistant Capt Leach
Chapter 9 p. 257
Building the road
Mail call
Red -- Wilson -- Gallagher
Wyman
Croft -- Martinez
The Time Machine, p. 271
Gallagher
The Revolutionary Reversed
Boston
Chapter 10 -- p. 284
Roy Gallagher -- learns of his wife's death, Mary
"lay a corduroy" -- p. 284
tent-mate Wilson
Baby survived but Mary died in childbirth
5279 Quartermaster Trucking Company, p. 288
reminder of Hennessey's death, p. 288
Boston Harbor memories
Roth -- friend of Gallagher's, p. 291
Roth's wife, Dora -- p. 293
Polack and Minetta
Stanley and Brown, p. 296
Stanley married at age 18, p 299
Croft - Japanese in jungle -- p. 300
Minneta hit in leg
all the platoon mentioned in this chapter?
Chapter 11, p. 305
Military ops -- failing -- General Cummings in foul mood.
Troops weakening; dogs in their kennel
Lt Hearn humiliated, exhausted
General Cummings, fresh flowers, Clellan, p. 307
General's driver: Richman, p. 311
To 2nd Battalion
Supply officer on ship: Kerrigan, p. 312
SPAM: p. 313
Lt Robert Hearn
p. 315: Major Binner g-1 Tent
Sgt Lanning
Cummings visiting
false patrol reports
Hearn fired by General Cummings;
sent to work for Major Dalleson
The Time Machine
Robert Hearn
The Addled Womb
A long bio of Bob / Bill Hearn. Rich family from Chicago. Went to school with all the rich kids -- to Yale, Harvard, etc. I have to re-read the section but it sounds like he graduated from Harvard. Wanted to be a doctor. Couldn't handle the academics. Failed vision test to join Canadian Army when war broke out and US had not yet joined the fight. Eventually, enlisted in the US Army a month before Pearl Harbor. Shipped out from San Francisco.
Chapter 12 -- p. 357
Minetta -- Divisioin Clearing Hospital -- near the landing zone at tip of peninsula -- small hospital -- p. 357. Tries to stay in hospital. Fakes Section 8 craziness. Ultimately returned to unit. Sees Red Wilson first.
Wilson with kidney pain -- sick call.
The Time Macihne-- p. 377
Woodrow Wilson
The Invincible
Red Wilson
golden-brown hair -- "red"
ruddy complexion
married early; poor side of town; lives near black neighborhood; very, very poor; drunkard
Alice, several kids
oldest is May, six years old -- his favorite daughter / child?
buys a doll for $4.97 though he has only $5 that has to last to end of week
then gets drunk
he and May are joined at the hip
Chapter 13 -- p. 384
begins with General Cummins, busy week
Hearn has been transferred to Major Dalleson's division -- p. 384
avvv
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