thedrifter
12-13-05, 07:33 AM
At last, a Marine salutes his war
Six decades later, he accepts medals
By Megan Tench, Globe Staff | December 13, 2005
FALL RIVER -- Edgar ''Jim" Moore has spent the past 60 years trying to forget.
The World War II veteran, who served on the front lines with the First Marine Division, fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the war in the Pacific, including Okinawa, Peleliu, and Guadalcanal.
He was shot in the foot, he suffered from malaria 27 times, and he watched hundreds of men die, including one who expired in his arms.
For Moore, the pain was so raw that when he was discharged in 1946, he refused to accept his service medals, including the Purple Heart.
But yesterday the 86-year-old wiped away tears as he accepted the awards in a modest ceremony at the office of US Representative James P. McGovern, who represents parts of Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester counties.
''I accept these medals, not for myself but for State Trooper Edward Larkin, who died in my arms," Moore said. ''This is for him, not for me. I was lucky. I'm still here."
Moore's wife, Faith, 84, and their children, Robert Moore and Sharon Zitano, expressed surprise to hear him recall the events that, for so long, he had kept locked inside.
''He never talks about it," said Sharon, a retired schoolteacher.
''All he would give me was a geography lesson about where he was. I'd say, 'Dad what did you do there?' and he'd say, 'I fought a war.' I'd say, 'Yeah, but what did you do?' He would never tell us."
Moore, a retired Fall River police officer, said he had decided to accept his medals so his grandchildren might have a reminder of their grandfather's legacy.
Moore was 20 years old when he joined the Marines on Jan. 15, 1940. He met his wife, Faith, when he was stationed stateside. After a whirlwind romance, they married in 1941.
''That's the only thing I do remember," he said.
By 1943, Moore had earned the rank of sergeant, and he was sent to the South Pacific to Guadalcanal, a brutal air, land, and sea campaign that left 6,000 Americans and 24,000 Japanese dead.
Moore's fellow Marines called him Pops.
''That was because I was the oldest man around," he said, wearing a red First Marine Division cap and a brown tweed blazer.
After a six-month campaign in Guadalcanal, Moore was sent to New Britain, part of Papua New Guinea, and then off to Peleliu in September 1944. It was known as one of the most ferocious battles of WWII. American forces were sent to capture the island as a steppingstone to return to the Philippines. More than 12,000 Americans were killed. Moore was shot in the foot.
''We were getting shelled and mortared when it happened, " he said. But Moore thought the bullet went clear through his foot.
''Nobody knew there was a bullet in my foot for six weeks. An infection set in, and doctors said they'd have to cut my leg off. But they did an X-ray and discovered the bullet near my toe."
Moore went back to the front lines two months later, this time Okinawa, where 12,000 Americans were killed.
''One time I heard my father talk about having to walk over dead bodies," said Moore's daughter. ''He also talked about the Marines. When they got dropped off in the ocean to head toward the battle, they had to carry these huge heavy packs. But some of them couldn't swim. He watched people drown right off the lift."
Moore came home in 1946, to his wife and a 3-year-old son he hadn't seen since birth. It was 2 a.m.
''He opened his eyes," said Moore. ''She asked him who I was and he said, 'That's my dad.' "
Moore has spent the rest of his life in Fall River raising money to build an Iwo Jima Monument downtown, giving underprivileged children clothes for school, and working as a Fall River police officer, all the while refusing to talk about the war,
Once he even got a lifetime membership at the Department of Veteran Affairs.
''I went to one meeting," he said. ''It brought back too many memories, stuff that was too painful. I never went back."
Megan Tench can be reached at tench@globe.com.
Ellie
Six decades later, he accepts medals
By Megan Tench, Globe Staff | December 13, 2005
FALL RIVER -- Edgar ''Jim" Moore has spent the past 60 years trying to forget.
The World War II veteran, who served on the front lines with the First Marine Division, fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the war in the Pacific, including Okinawa, Peleliu, and Guadalcanal.
He was shot in the foot, he suffered from malaria 27 times, and he watched hundreds of men die, including one who expired in his arms.
For Moore, the pain was so raw that when he was discharged in 1946, he refused to accept his service medals, including the Purple Heart.
But yesterday the 86-year-old wiped away tears as he accepted the awards in a modest ceremony at the office of US Representative James P. McGovern, who represents parts of Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester counties.
''I accept these medals, not for myself but for State Trooper Edward Larkin, who died in my arms," Moore said. ''This is for him, not for me. I was lucky. I'm still here."
Moore's wife, Faith, 84, and their children, Robert Moore and Sharon Zitano, expressed surprise to hear him recall the events that, for so long, he had kept locked inside.
''He never talks about it," said Sharon, a retired schoolteacher.
''All he would give me was a geography lesson about where he was. I'd say, 'Dad what did you do there?' and he'd say, 'I fought a war.' I'd say, 'Yeah, but what did you do?' He would never tell us."
Moore, a retired Fall River police officer, said he had decided to accept his medals so his grandchildren might have a reminder of their grandfather's legacy.
Moore was 20 years old when he joined the Marines on Jan. 15, 1940. He met his wife, Faith, when he was stationed stateside. After a whirlwind romance, they married in 1941.
''That's the only thing I do remember," he said.
By 1943, Moore had earned the rank of sergeant, and he was sent to the South Pacific to Guadalcanal, a brutal air, land, and sea campaign that left 6,000 Americans and 24,000 Japanese dead.
Moore's fellow Marines called him Pops.
''That was because I was the oldest man around," he said, wearing a red First Marine Division cap and a brown tweed blazer.
After a six-month campaign in Guadalcanal, Moore was sent to New Britain, part of Papua New Guinea, and then off to Peleliu in September 1944. It was known as one of the most ferocious battles of WWII. American forces were sent to capture the island as a steppingstone to return to the Philippines. More than 12,000 Americans were killed. Moore was shot in the foot.
''We were getting shelled and mortared when it happened, " he said. But Moore thought the bullet went clear through his foot.
''Nobody knew there was a bullet in my foot for six weeks. An infection set in, and doctors said they'd have to cut my leg off. But they did an X-ray and discovered the bullet near my toe."
Moore went back to the front lines two months later, this time Okinawa, where 12,000 Americans were killed.
''One time I heard my father talk about having to walk over dead bodies," said Moore's daughter. ''He also talked about the Marines. When they got dropped off in the ocean to head toward the battle, they had to carry these huge heavy packs. But some of them couldn't swim. He watched people drown right off the lift."
Moore came home in 1946, to his wife and a 3-year-old son he hadn't seen since birth. It was 2 a.m.
''He opened his eyes," said Moore. ''She asked him who I was and he said, 'That's my dad.' "
Moore has spent the rest of his life in Fall River raising money to build an Iwo Jima Monument downtown, giving underprivileged children clothes for school, and working as a Fall River police officer, all the while refusing to talk about the war,
Once he even got a lifetime membership at the Department of Veteran Affairs.
''I went to one meeting," he said. ''It brought back too many memories, stuff that was too painful. I never went back."
Megan Tench can be reached at tench@globe.com.
Ellie