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Let’s jump back to Peleliu for a couple minutes, partly because this island war is so unknown compared with other Pacific battles, but also because I want to touch on the exploits of Arthur Jackson, a 19-year old Private First Class (PFC) from Portland, OR.
The 7th Marine Regiment (of which Jackson was a member) had been given their orders for September 18, 1944: drive the Japanese from Ngarmoked, a small island-esque peninsula at the very southern end of Peleliu. The orders also included the directive to bypass small pockets of resistance and go for the big kills, because more Marines would be following to mop up. But it hadn’t taken much time on this blood-stained island for the men to realize that leaving even single enemies alive (and at your back) was a recipe for disaster. But orders were orders, and it didn’t take long for dozens of troops to be confronted with deadly crossfires (from the front and rear).
Until Jackson took the initiative. Trapped between a network of pillboxes in front and gunfire from the rear, the football player/track star flanked the first fortification, then crawled to the gun slit. Jumping up, he poured an entire magazine from his BAR into it. He then grabbed thermite grenades and tossed them in, followed by three TNT charges. The pillbox exploded in a mass of fire, heat, and chunks of concrete. Inside, all thirty-five enemy soldiers lay dead.
With the rest of his platoon now somewhat freed to provide covering fire, Arthur Jackson continued his exploits, single-handedly knocking out another eleven strongpoints. When it was over, Jackson’s buddies celebrated like he’d scored the game’s winning touchdown.
Jackson, careful to give due credit, simply said, “Afterward, I was so exhausted I just fell down, and the only thing I wanted to do was go to sleep. The action I was involved in was just one small part of what happened on Peleliu that day, and the only reason I was able to do some things was because I got a lot of help from my buddies. I never considered myself a…hero. I was just a good Marine, trying to do what any other good Marine would’ve done under the same circumstances.”
The military disagreed, and awarded Arthur Jackson the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award that can be given by the United States. Jackson’s award is all the more meaningful because he is one of the very few soldiers alive to receive it.
Peleliu would eventually be conquered, but it took the exploits of Jackson, and thousands of others, to make it happen.
Recommended Reading: To the Far Side of Hell: The Battle for Peleliu 1944 - Another in my collection and a worthy read.
Sir,
With regards to the above article, you referrence to PFC Jackson and his fellow Marines as ‘soldiers’. He and his comrades who fought on Peleliu are Marines, not soldiers. This is a serious discredit to a gallant Marine and to our Marine Corps! It also highlights the shallowness of the author.
My father fought along side Jackson on Ngarmoked Island and probably would come back from the grave if he was ever referred to as a soldier.
As you can tell we Marines are touchy about this!
Semper Fi,
D. Jeffrey Sheldon
USMC 1965/1969
D. Jeffrey Sheldon,
Thanks for reading and thanks for the comments. And I appreciate your strong feelings!
First off, I am shallow…I make no bones about that and I knew I couldn’t hide it forever. I am a person with a great interest in History who loves to read (and talk and write) about World War II, but I am not an historian. When I write, mistakes are inevitable.
Second, there was no discredit intended to PFC Jackson, you, your father, or any Marine. I’m sorry you came away from PFC Jackson’s story (with which you are quite familiar) with that impression. I refer to Jackson, first and foremost, as a Marine. To date, I’ve written three pieces concerning Peleliu, and I think anyone that reads them knows that it was a Marine operation. The term “soldier” was used merely to avoid repetition, something I’ve almost certainly done elsewhere. My wife and I have a son in the military (the Army), so I mean no disrespect to anyone in uniform, regardless of branch or responsibility.
But now you’ve piqued my interest. I want to go back and peruse some of the books I’ve recently completed, as a good number deal with Marine operations. I wonder if those authors consistently refer to the Marines as “Marines” or if other words are intermingled (soldiers, troops, etc…).
In the future, I will try to be more careful with the language I use. Thanks again, and thank you for your service to our country.
One other thing…if you don’t mind. The first piece I wrote on Peleliu received an inquiry about a Combat Communications Unit that landed on Peleliu. I’ve not been able to find any information in my searches. You have anything? Here’s the link to the story and Mr. Lopresto’s subsequent question.
Regards,
Joel
Joel,
We’re just beginning a geneology search on our grandfather, Cpl. Arthur William Jackson, who has since deceased in 1962. Supposedly he was born in a town in New York called Adams Center and enlisted in the Army around 1900. He was stationed in the Philippines for a couple of years. Supposedly he was transferred to the Marine Corp and was transferred to the island of Guam. He retired prior to WW2 but remained on Guam (as a civilian) until his death.
Just a yea or nay would suffice, but this couldn’t possibly be the same person as in your article? Thanks for your help.
Erwin
Thanks for reading and for the questions. It sounds as though your grandfather is not the Arthur Jackson that fought on Peleliu. PFC Arthur Jackson was born in 1924 in Cleveland and moved to Portland, Oregon at an early age. He had just turned 20 when he performed his heroics in September of 1944. And, as far as I know, Jackson is still alive today.
All the best as you track down your grandfather’s history.
Regards,
Joel
Joel,
My dad passed away 10 years ago this past March. He would talk to me time to time about his experiences at Pelelieu and Okinawa. I just had a passing interest but have recently brought his memoirs out of storage and the stories are pretty amazing. It seems that his Company might have fought along side with Eugene Sledge’s Company. I am trying to accumulate as much information as I can on his company and their days on Peleleiu and Okinawa. Any help on where I can look would be very help
Due to the recent series on HBO, I recently pulled out of storage my Dad’s memoirs pertaining to his service in the USMC. He was very active in the various Marine Corp associations until his death in 2000. He also was a frequent contributor to Bob Truitt’s articles in the Houston Chronicle during the early 1990′s pertaining to the 50th year anniversary of the Pacific battles. Based on his memoirs, it appears that he was one of the few Marines that actually landed on D-day both on Pelelieu and Okinawa.
My dad, P.F.C. Warren Edwin Dalton, USMC-827-857, rifle expert, L Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, sailed out of Parry Island in the Marshalls on the USS Sea Pike, dropped anchor about 5 miles off Babelthuap, Palau Islands, for a few days waiting to go into Peleliu. According to his memoirs, they waded ashore on the night of September 15, 1944. He would stated they were pinned down for almost a week near the airstrip. He said to me that after they took the airstrip a lone Jap Zero came in for a landing and the pilot got out either not knowing the Marines had taken over the airstrip or he had a death wish but when he got out of the airplane with a pistol at least several thousand Marines opened fire on that pilot. His memoirs also stated that after leaving Peleliu to go to Ulithi Atoll, they were caught in a 135 mph typhoon in which 3 destroyer escorts were sunk, resulting in the drownings of 790 sailors, the 13th largest marine disaster since 1850. My dad would later sail on USS Sam Fuller APA-7 and see engagement in Okinawa on April 1, 1945 near Naha. In 1987, he donated his service rifle and uniform to the Admiral Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Tx. He said to me that upon their return to the US they were not allowed to have their rifle but he decided to dismantle the rifle and store it in his gunny sack. It was used on several occasions as his deer rifle but it was so inaccurate because of the all of the tracer ammo being shot being used in battle. His rifle at the museum represents probably one of the more significant items being presented on display pertaining to the Peleliu battle. He would later become a member of the Devil Dogs Marine Corp League in Victoria, Texas, a member of the local Marine Corps League serving as its Commandant during 1985 through 1990 and was a member of the First Marine Division Association since 1982 through his death in 2000. If anyone served with my dad or knew my dad through these various associations, I would appreciate if you could contact me.
ful. Here is some of his information. Thanks. WD