Evening star., 1943-11-04
Back From the Wars
Poromorine Wounded as Unit
Gavotu in Borqes
CorpI. Leonard Kiese|
Hospito|ized q Year.;
Now Stationed Here

y
business, according to Corpl Leonard
Kiesel, who trained for two years as
a paramarine only to land on enemy
soil from Higgins invasion boat,
Corpl. Kiesel was part of the first
wave of marines to land on Gavatu
Island in the SolomonS on August
II, 1912 Although paratrOoperS, his
OUTFIT was used as part of regular
landing party, because the island was
too small for parachute landings.
We left the transport early in
the morning in Higgins boats and
headed for the 900 by 900 yard
island" Corpl Kiesel said.
AS we came close, everything
started coming at us. 1t was diff
cult landing because the large coral
reefs made walking hard. Our cap
tain was killed just as he went over
the side of the boat.
L jumped out loaded with equip
ment and found myself in water up
to my neck From my neck to the
top of my head I seemed to be sur
rounded by machine gun bullets.
When I had Wadcd in to where
the water was up to my knees. a
bullet grazed my left leg but didn t
do much damage.
High Hill on Island
We had been told that there was
a slight rise on the island which
turned out to be a 3OO-foot hill a
few steps from the shore. Knowing
the size Of the island YOU can see
it was mostly all hill
Jap fire mostly from machine
guns and ri1eS-WaS so thick We
couldn't get off the beach. I took
what little cover there was and kept
firing with my light machine gun.
Finally l got hit in the right
thigh and this time l was really hat.
I dragged myself over to an empty
5O0-gallon gasoline drum that the
Japs had left on the beach and using
my belt as tourniquet stopped the
flow Of blood in my injured leg.
AT first l was so weak l could
only get one leg behind the drum
and the Japs kept firing at the ex-
posed one"
Rescued by Corp>men.
Corpl kleSel lay helpless for about
five hours talking to one of his bud
dies who had been hit in the col
larbone by bullet Finally two
Navy Hospital COrpSmen came BY
and carried him on a StretCher up
the side of a cliff to a captured
warehouse the marines were using
for hospital
II had always kiddcd the cOrp>men
about being pillrollers' Corpl Kies-
q said. but I never was so GLAD
10 see two guys
For while it looked rs THOUGH
the whole outfit was coming into
the warehouse. We were on stretch
crS which raised Us q short distance
off The floor Bullets kept coming
through the warehouse at lust about
this height so most of us got off
the Stretchers and lay on the floor.
where il was safer.
After dark We We're talrn ollt
in boats and put on the transport
This was worse than the beach be-
cause Of the constant attacks bv
enemy torpedo planes. We were of
shore for five days. We 2ot plenty
Of their planes though. Finally three
aircraft carriers came by and I knew
We were safe.
In Hospital Year.
Corpl. KieSel spent TWO months in
hospital behind the lines. He was
then brought back to the United
States and spent 10 months in a
West Coast hospital. He learned Ia
ter that II had taken the marines
two and half days TO take the is
lands and relnfOrCementS were nee
eSSarY. They had expected about
200 Japs on the island when there
were actually I500.
One OF the greatest thrills Corpl
kleSel got was when he was in the
hospital and his leg had been numb
Tor a number of months. One dav
he managed to Wiggle his little toe
and he let out Yell of JOY which
woke the whole ward
For the last five months he has
been attached to the Navy Annex in
Arlington. A former SteelWOrker in
Cleveland he hopes to be transferred
back TO the paratrOOps after the cir
cuIatlOn IN his leg improves.