3 Sept 2024 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Leathernecks get their first good look at a new base in the South Pacific from a Higgins boat. These Marines made the initial landing with full pack, rifles BAR's and other equipment essential to a landing party. Samoa Area - October 1942

[browningautorifle]

What would we make of that M1917 helmet? A sailor I suppose...no gear either.

[fjruple]

Jim-- Probably right. naval personnel or a coast guardmen.

[Sapper740]

Not the coxswain anyway. He'd be on the Port side of the boat.

[fjruple]

The barrels of what appears to be two aircraft lewis guns are pointing upward. The early Higgins boats had two gun tubs on the front, one on either side of the boat.

[CINDERS]

One guy without a lid on the left front and another which appears to have a pith helmet on top of his pack left side also!

[fjruple]

Cinders great spot! Probably definitely US Marines as you can barely make out the Globe and Anchor on the front of the Pith helmet.

[Bob Womack]

Didn't combat engineers wear the pith helmets in back areas as well?

Bob

[Sapper740]

Jim-- Probably right. naval personnel or a coast guardmen.

^^^^this^^^^ Coasties manned many of the ships and landing craft that unloaded soldiers in Normandy and on just about every island in the South pacific. One Coastie, Coast Guard Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor after he steered his LCVP between the evacuating Marines they had just deposited on Guadalcanal and the Japanese. By interposing his craft between the men on the beach and the enemy, Munro allowed the landing craft to safely evacuate all the Marines, including the wounded. Unfortunately, as Munro steered his craft away from the beach Japanese gunfire struck Munro and killed him instantly.

[Bob Seijas]

There's a statue of him at the Coast Guard base in Cape May, NJ... here is the Commandant standing in front of it. In 2008 we wrote it up for the GCA Journal when the trainees were still being taught the M1.