July 18, 2005
Lore of the Corps
A Medal of Honor, 53 years delayed
By Keith A. Milks
Special to the Times

A retired Marine made a startling discovery in 1980 while sorting his personal papers. Among the reams of paper was the faded recommendation nominating another Marine for the Medal of Honor for his heroism on a battle-scarred hilltop in the closing days of World War II.
Eighteen years of combing through files, finding witnesses and pushing the long-forgotten recommendation through government channels eventually culminated in a ceremony Jan. 20, 1998, at which President Clinton presented James L. Day with the Medal of Honor.

“So many died in the fighting and so many reports were lost in the battle, the paperwork simply never went forward in 1945,” Clinton said during the ceremony, according to www.medalofhonor.com.

Fifty-three years earlier, Day was a 19-year-old corporal serving with the 6th Marine Division during the invasion of the Japanese-held island of Okinawa. A two-year veteran of the Corps, Day had already seen heavy fighting on Guam and the Marshall Islands.

On May 14, 1945, his company was attacking heavily fortified enemy positions on Sugar Loaf Hill. After an intense mortar and artillery barrage, Day’s squad was attacked by about 40 Japanese troops.

Ignoring the incoming fire and the loss of half of his squad, Day met the enemy attack with a barrage of hand grenades and the direct fire of his remaining Marines. Over the next several hours and far into the night, Day’s depleted squad repelled three more enemy attacks and held the line.

With casualties mounting, Day made repeated trips to bring his wounded Marines to safety, often under fire, and always returned to his squad.

At one point in the night, Day was severely wounded by white phosphorous chemicals. Ignoring his wounds, he reorganized his defensive position and successfully fought off a fifth enemy attack.

The next morning, Day organized what remained of his shattered squad into a cohesive defense that repulsed several more Japanese attacks. He remained in control of his corner of the battlefield throughout a third day and almost single-handedly threw back the enemy’s final assault.

When reinforcements finally reached his position and Day was evacuated, more than 100 Japanese soldiers lay on the ground around his position, a feat that contributed to the Marines eventually overwhelming Sugar Loaf Hill.

After World War II, Day was commissioned as a Marine officer. He saw combat in the Korean War and later served in Vietnam. During his first tour of Vietnam in 1966-67, he commanded 1st Battalion, 9th Marines. He returned in 1972 as the operations officer for the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade.

Day retired as a major general on Dec. 1, 1986, after more than four decades of uniformed service. In addition to his Medal of Honor, Day’s combat awards included three Silver Stars, the Legion of Merit with combat “V,” the Navy Commendation Medal with combat “V,” and six Purple Hearts.

Six months after Clinton awarded Day the Medal of Honor, the 73-year-old died of a heart attack in Cathedral City, Calif.

The writer is a gunnery sergeant stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He can be reached at kambtp@aol.com.

Ellie