thedrifter
05-28-08, 08:34 AM
Nephew honors uncle's sacrifice
By JOHN HENSON/jhenson@c-dh.net
A natural-born leader, 1 Sgt. William E. “Ed” Moore held a company of Marines together through three campaigns in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, said his nephew Jim Jones, a resident of Columbia.
Moore, a tough youngster who loved to wrestle even though he was shorter than his brothers, joined the Marines when he was 19 years old and rose from private to first sergeant in only 3 years, Jones said.
He enlisted in Pascagoula, Miss. before the war started in the summer of 1941 and completed basic training, or “boot camp” as it was called by Marines in California, Jones said. Moore then was trained as a heavy weapons expert, trained to fire machine guns.
Jones said the baptism of fire for his uncle came at Guadalcanal, the first major offensive action of the Pacific War according to the Navy Department’s Web site. It was fought in the six months between August 1942 and February 1943.
After surviving that battle, Moore’s next test came at Bougainville, an island in the northern Solomans. Allied troops stormed the beaches at Cape Torokina on Nov. 1, 1943.
By this time, Moore was the senior non-commissioned officer in the company and was a gunnery sergeant, Jones said. During the campaign, all of the officers in the outfit were killed, and Moore was left to lead his company as Japanese troops made a desperate attempt to regain an airfield toward the end of the campaign.
Moore’s company held the airfield and he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” for Valor device for holding the airfield, Jones said.
In the spring of 1944, Moore and his Marine company landed on Iwo Jima for a campaign that would last almost a year. Jones said his uncle survived the landing and the fighting to secure the island.
“He was at an installation on the other end of the island from Mt. Suribachi when the Japanese launched an attack,” Jones said.
Moore, 22 at the time of the campaign, was the sergeant in charge and the Marines successfully defended the airfield on Iwo Jima, but Moore was killed in the fight on March 7, 1945, Jones said.
For his gallantry, Moore was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart posthumously.
Jones said his uncle had to be a great leader.
“He had to have a lot of leadership ability for his men to stick with him,” Jones said. “They had to be fighters, and they took care of each other.”
Jones, himself a veteran of the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, knows something about combat service.
“And isn’t Memorial Day what that’s all about?” Jones asked. “Isn’t it about remembering those who fought and died for this country?”
Yes, sir. It certainly is.
Ellie
By JOHN HENSON/jhenson@c-dh.net
A natural-born leader, 1 Sgt. William E. “Ed” Moore held a company of Marines together through three campaigns in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, said his nephew Jim Jones, a resident of Columbia.
Moore, a tough youngster who loved to wrestle even though he was shorter than his brothers, joined the Marines when he was 19 years old and rose from private to first sergeant in only 3 years, Jones said.
He enlisted in Pascagoula, Miss. before the war started in the summer of 1941 and completed basic training, or “boot camp” as it was called by Marines in California, Jones said. Moore then was trained as a heavy weapons expert, trained to fire machine guns.
Jones said the baptism of fire for his uncle came at Guadalcanal, the first major offensive action of the Pacific War according to the Navy Department’s Web site. It was fought in the six months between August 1942 and February 1943.
After surviving that battle, Moore’s next test came at Bougainville, an island in the northern Solomans. Allied troops stormed the beaches at Cape Torokina on Nov. 1, 1943.
By this time, Moore was the senior non-commissioned officer in the company and was a gunnery sergeant, Jones said. During the campaign, all of the officers in the outfit were killed, and Moore was left to lead his company as Japanese troops made a desperate attempt to regain an airfield toward the end of the campaign.
Moore’s company held the airfield and he was awarded the Bronze Star with “V” for Valor device for holding the airfield, Jones said.
In the spring of 1944, Moore and his Marine company landed on Iwo Jima for a campaign that would last almost a year. Jones said his uncle survived the landing and the fighting to secure the island.
“He was at an installation on the other end of the island from Mt. Suribachi when the Japanese launched an attack,” Jones said.
Moore, 22 at the time of the campaign, was the sergeant in charge and the Marines successfully defended the airfield on Iwo Jima, but Moore was killed in the fight on March 7, 1945, Jones said.
For his gallantry, Moore was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart posthumously.
Jones said his uncle had to be a great leader.
“He had to have a lot of leadership ability for his men to stick with him,” Jones said. “They had to be fighters, and they took care of each other.”
Jones, himself a veteran of the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, knows something about combat service.
“And isn’t Memorial Day what that’s all about?” Jones asked. “Isn’t it about remembering those who fought and died for this country?”
Yes, sir. It certainly is.
Ellie