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Old 10-05-2003, 06:27 AM
thedrifter thedrifter is offline
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Cool Marine Raiders: A band of brothers - Warriors grow grayer; reunion proves camaraderie

Marine Raiders: A band of brothers - Warriors grow grayer; reunion proves camaraderie, pride vibrant as ever
Submitted by: MCRD San Diego
Story Identification Number: 2003103183028
Story by Lance Cpl. Jess Levens



MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif.(October 3, 2003) -- "Tonic and vodka please. Hold the tonic," said an aged warrior from inside the doorway as an almost-wheezing laugh ended with a faint cough. Beside the doorway hung a blue shield with a skull surrounded by a five-star constellation. The Marine Raiders had arrived - the same Raiders who secured the ridge on Guadalcanal, cleared Midway and plowed through Japanese forces on the Pacific Islands in World War II.

Although not in their strong-backed, flat-stomached form of yesteryear, these Raiders brought with them the same petrifying glares, true grit and pure hearts from their victorious war days.

World War II was alive and raging, and the Allied Forces seemed pinned under the Axis' treacherous thumb. America was set on creating a commando-like force to replicate that of the Chinese guerillas and British commandos.

After careful planning, the War Department brought the Raiders to life. The new fighters soon became the Corps' priority. Marine Corps officials began combing the ranks of the Corps and the recruit depots for men fit to join.

The Raiders trained in advanced hand-to-hand combat and extra tactics to make them the paramount ground unit. The idea was to make them "paratroopers of the sea," according to the Raiders' Web site.

Their small, high-speed transports couldn't unload vehicles, so like the paratroopers, the Raiders moved completely by foot.

With their training accomplished and their field skills honed, the Raiders lunged into the Pacific Islands, face-to-face with Japanese soldiers, yelling their battle cry, "Gung ho," which is Chinese for "work together," along the way.

The Raiders battled on an island called Guadalcanal and a particular ridge became a very important position, according to retired Col. John B. Sweeny, who was a major at the time and in the thick of it all.

The Raiders' supplies were limited and the terrain was unfamiliar. They relied on the loyalty of local islanders to help them along the way.

"Men of the island trusted us and became scouts," recalled Sweeny. "We didn't have a map of the island, but one fellow knew it so well he made a sketch of the whole island. That was our map."

After a trek through the jungle, Sweeny and his men captured two artillery pieces from the Japanese and engaged in several firefights before they made their way up the ridge.

The Raiders set up shop on the right side of the ridge, and the paratroopers positioned themselves on the left. The Japanese were coming up the back of the ridge and getting in position.

As the Japanese advanced, they bombed the Americans from the front, but ended up bombing themselves, according to Sweeny. However, it didn't seem to affect Japanese strength. They spread through the ridge like wildfire, consuming everything in their way.
"The Japanese had about 4,000 men," said Sweeny. "We had about 650, and a lot of us were wounded or suffering from malaria."

After falling back and reestablishing their positions, the Raiders found a way to stop the Japanese banzai rushes.

"I turned and fired a full magazine into the bushes to stop the Japanese from following us," said Sweeny. "I put in my other magazine and tried to fire, but all I heard was a clunk."

Sweeny's magazine bottom had broken off and his ammunition fell out.

"That was the end of my heroic effort," chuckled Sweeny.

When the morning birds began to sing their chipper tunes and the fog of war lifted, the Raiders stood - damaged, but not depleted. They stood atop the ridge and looked down at the entourage of destruction left in their wake. The Marines reigned victorious.

The brutal memories of war are not a twinkle in the Raiders' eyes, but rather a benign lump in the back of their minds.

Their trip to San Diego and the Marine Corps Recruit Depot had a much happier connotation as they got together to celebrate the good times, according to Sweeny.

A fancy hotel and cocktails replaced shelter halves and muddy water, and the pain of witnessing fellow Raiders die was substituted by warm handshakes of those who still live.

Raiders told war stories, but the real purpose of this bittersweet reunion was to have a good time with like-minded people, according to Sweeny.

"Only Raiders can truly understand what Raiders lived through," said Sweeny. "We are here now to celebrate our lives, catch up with old friends and live it up for a few days."

Most of the youngest Raiders are in their 80s, and the soon all that will be left is the legacy of their past. These men helped make the world what is today and many paid the ultimate price for it.

Sweeny said any of the Raiders would do it all again. The memories are cherished in knowing the freedoms of today were secured by their blood.

"Hold the tonic?" By all means, Marine.



John E. Finelli, a Raider who joined the Marines in 1942 when he was 20, wears the Raider logo on a ring he bought in Tijuana, Mexico. Finelli, who hailed from Bogota, N.J., fought with 3rd Raider Battalion, Company E.
Photo by: Sgt. Scott Dunn




Buck Delay, a former Marine Raider, talks about World War II-era weapons in the Raider Room of the command museum during the Raider reunion here Sept 19.
Photo by: Lance Cpl. Jess Levens

http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn20...1?opendocument

Sempers,

Roger
__________________
IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY HUSBAND
SSgt. Roger A.
One Proud Marine
1961-1977
68/69
Once A Marine............Always A Marine.............

http://www.geocities.com/thedrifter001/
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