The Wilmington morning star., 1945-07-06
DEFENSE OF RIDGE
ON 0KINAWA FINDS
3 OF SO WOUNDED
BY ROBERT GEIGER

nese counter attacks on Kakn,n
ridge, only three men of CompanS
l. of the 96th Infantry Division,
383rd regiment remained unwourd
ed-three of 80 who had seized I'll.
ridge II hours earlier
The full story of the Companv,,
gallantry was disclosed when mi.
Presidential citation was rpsd
July 4 and received by Capt. VII.
liam M. Mitchell of Ponchatoul,
La, the company's only remainn,
officer.
Japanese mortar and heavy A.
tillery shells pounded the ridge dur.
ing the fierre battle April g.
THE charging japanese cam.
within three feet of US and threw
satchel charges that looked as hi,
as a box of apples" recalled ST
Marshall w. Waiver of LaCrosS.
Ark.
Three times Company L held and
drove the japanese back Tn.
fourth charge was ferociouS and
fanatical. A few of the Americans
started to retreat.
Then S-Sgt. Billq Stubbe Ayr
Neh.. stood up with automatic rifle
in hand, defying the vicious fire
around him.
sHe yelled like an Indian" said
T-5 Walter M. ChristopherSon Ct
Epping, N. D., company cook who
volunteered as a rifleman that day
.eHe fired rom the belt, spraying
lead. The other guys saw him and
came back
The Americans stayed until
nm. Il hours after Selling the
ridge.
Pic. Murlin ]. Baler of Tetonia,
Idaho, said there never was
single moment of quiet.
81 could see the whites Of the
Japs' eyes most of the time, and
when they weren't laying down ar
tillery fire they were firing point
blank with rifles and machine.
guns" Baler said. ''This went on
all day."
Mitchell ordered the withdrawal
under smoke and mortar screen
after it became obvious, the Presi-
dental citation said, only after
companies or his right and left
were unable to advance to his sup
port.
The survivors Of Company L
came off the ridge carrying their
dead and the wounded unable 10
walk. They were met by medical
corpsmen.
Pic. Joseph Solch Of Flushirg
: N. Y, one Of the heroes of this
} rescue work himself was WOUNDED
: a few days later.
Mitchell, reluctant to talk about
himself, was full of praise for his
] men. Only 20 remained Of the l4
$ who came ashore on Easter Sunday
! April 4, Okinawa's D day.
"Put in something about Cpl Al
! bert C.. (Pop) Talbot of d4l8 Third
S street, northwest) Minneapolis.
Minn.,'' said Mitchell.
Y "He's the mailman and bar0er
2 and he's 43 and could 60 home
on points or age, but he won't
Pfc. Mcdowell Binkley (s|
0 Townsend St. Lansing, Mich,
|, said: add the names of these
r other guys. They were at KaHaza
r too, but they've been here not say
! ing word.
e ''There's Pfc. Brown L. Tate Of
], Trenton, Mo-; Pfc. Chester E. VIII
kowski, of Lemont, ILL.,, Pfc. Travis
Keller of New Plymouth, Idaho
and Pfc. Stanley Walker of sc.
! IL Bement ST. Lansing, Mich
t The men said that Mitchell once
: crawled out GOO yards through a
e field under fire to bring back
: wounded man. He declined to say
t anything about that.
&. Instead ne mentioned: Frank
: Kleynowski, a boy from PennSy'
vania, and Arnold Small from
< Bridgeport, Corn. -,
"They were needles who b 0 n
: were seriously wounded-one WIN
: his eye shot out-and they keq'
trying to crawl over and help oln9,
! wounded. Kleynowski finally haa
: seven bullet holes in him and KEEP
r trying to give the other guys meof
: cal aid.
"Put in about Sgt. Nolan P. Pas
chal of West Monroe, La. our sup'
ply sergeant, and driver vida.
: Wiesbrook of Wheaton, ILL.,,
! groceryman, whose ieep got far'n'
err out front than a lot of lnfan'IJ,
men when my guys were hunsH
) and he had to get us something
to eat.
And put in about Sgt. SaA
) Chambless Of Little Rock, AlA'
| who kept us in cakes and COOKIES
even in the front lines"