Nightmare on Iwo Jima: A Marine in Combat

13. Wounded

Chapter 13 Wounded A fter capturing Hill 362-C, we managed to push to the northern end of the island and reach the ocean, our battalion having the distinction of being the first to reach the north beach. K Company probably had only 50 of the original 230 men left by this time. I Company and L Company of our battalion were hit just about as badly as we were, so the three companies, assisted by the remnants of B Company of the Twenty-first Regiment of the Third Marine Division, secured a position on the high cliffs overlooking the sea to the northeast. We now felt that all we had to do was to wait for the adjacent units to catch up to us and the campaign would be over. The sight of the ocean from that cliff is what all of us had struggled for, and for which many of us had been killed. Originally, it was a question of how long it would take before reaching the other end of the island. Then it became a question of how many would be alive by the time it was reached. Now it was ours. It had required 92 THE LAST PATROL nothing less than the fiercest fighting of the war to reach this objective. Those of us who were left were exuberant but displayed mixed emotions; we were glad for ourselves but sad for those who did not make it. We now had a new lease on life. No longer did we look like the walking dead. No longer did we remain motionless and expressionless for spells of time (the Asiatic stare is what we called it); anticipating proper food and rest, we talked about getting aboard ship, enjoying a prolonged shower, eating a hot meal, and sleeping. Everyone's interest in life was restored. Some of the men filled their canteens with salt water to prove that we had reached the end of the island. We spoke about our return to Guam and discussed some changes for our camp. We even received word from the higher echelon of a "job well done," and were notified to hold our position on the cliff until the flanking units were abreast of us. We were not to move out again-just sit and wait until the others could join us-then it would all be over. It seemed too good to be true; at last, we had achieved the final phase. But our peace and jubilation lasted only a few hours. There was no sign of an adjacent unit. Colonel Boehm ordered me to take out a two-platoon patrol to assist the unit on our right to move up. Our mission was to wipe out the caves that were holding back the advance of the flank company. The Japanese had retreated to a network of connected caves in the northern cliffs, where they were lying in wait for the advancing Marines. The colonel advised me that another battalion had sustained heavy losses in that area the previous day. He added that the Marine detail that had gone out to retrieve their dead and wounded had reported that the bodies were gone and that there were signs that they had been dragged into the caves. He stated the obvious conclusion: the Japanese were desperate for food and water because their supply line had been cut off from the outset of the battle and thus had resorted to acts of cannibalism . I received my instructions and relayed them to Sgt. Gordon Schisel and told him to get the men ready to move out at any moment. Sergeant Schisel acknowledged and said, "You know, Lieutenant, all the men who The northern caves. Lt. Gen. Tadamichi Kuribayashi supervised the construction of an intricate maze of caves on Iwo Jima. As our forces advanced, the Japanese retreated to the caves in the northern cliffs where the lieutenant general's headquarters was located. The ISO-foot-long headquarters was protected beneath 7S feet of solid rock and reached only by way of a SOO-foot tunnel. Wounded 93 94 THE LAST PATROL are here now have come all the way. Wouldn't it be hell if someone were to get hurt on a little patrol like this, especially after reaching this north beach?" I agreed with him, but at the same time didn't think much of the risk. My preference was to...