By Pastor Dave Farmer
This is the story of Mitchell Paige from Charleroi, Pennsylvania who fought on Bloody Ridge in Guadalcanal, Solomon Island, South Pacific, and the events of October 26, 1942.
October 26, 1942
On the 26th of October, 1942, there was a fierce battle fought between the Ă©lite Sendai division of Japanese forces and the Marines on a ridge defending Henderson field, on the Island of Guadalcanal. The raid the night before left the defenses in shambles. The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines were called in to reinforce and defend the ridge. F Company that evening would be completely wiped out. They were on the left. On the right was E Company, and that evening, they would be overrun and had to push back. In the middle was a Machine Gun Platoon. This is the story of Sergeant Mitchell Paige who led his men up to the saddle, which they called the nose.1
He said, "before they could get set up darkness came and it began raining, a heavy downpour. I crawled out to the ridge's edge in the blackness to make sure we were in the right place. I felt with my hand until the ground began to fall off. I established the gun placements, set the watches, and it was time for chow. We had one can of spam and one can of peaches. Then I found out that someone dropped the can of peaches over the ridge. So I cut up the spam and feeling for a hand dropped a portion into their hand. The next morning I sent out a patrol to look over the terrain, and we got our peaches back."
Once settled in Paige continued, "Smitty and I crawled out toward the edge of the nose, laying on our backs, while the rain was driving into our faces, every so often I would life up and call some of the boys by name to see if they were still awake and reassured them myself as well as they. It must have been around 2:00 in the morning when I heard a low mumble. I got Smitty up, and a few minutes later we hear the same noise again. I crawled over to the men and told them to standby. As soon as my men heard the click of the pin coming out of my grenade, they let loose their grenades too. Smitty was pulling out the pins, and I threw them over the ridge. The Japs withdrew, but about the same time the next night they returned."
"Again, we began throwing grenades because to open fire would give away our positions and we could be basted and smothered by a hail of Jap fire. Stansbury, who was in a hole next to me, was pulling out pins with his teeth and rolling them down the side of the nose. Then I gave the word to fire. Machine gun and rifle fire let go and the whole line lite up. Pettijohn yelled to me that his gun was out of action. In the light from the firing, I could see several Japs a few feet from Leipert. Apparently, he had been hit because he was on one knee. I knocked off two Japs with my rifle, but the third drove his bayonet into Leipert. Leipert was dead. Seconds later so was the Jap."
"After a few minutes, I wouldn't swear how long it was, the blitz of Jap soldiers became a hand to hand battle. Gaston was having trouble with a Jap officer; I remember that much. Although his leg was nearly hacked off, Gaston finally connected his boot to the Jap's chin; the result was a broken neck. The Firing died down, and evidently, the first wave was a flop. I crawled over to Pettijohn while he and Faust covered me and worked on the damaged machine gun. Just as I was feeding the ammo into the gun, I felt something hot on my hand and a sharp vibration. A Jap with a light machine gun, got off a full burst hitting the gun, wrecking it." The second wave had begun.
"Things got pretty bad on the second wave. On our left, the Japs penetrated the lines carrying away all opposition, and this left our rear exposed. On the left, Grant, Payne, and Hensen stood by. Lott, Swannic, and McNabb got it and were carried away to the rear by Navy Corpsmen. This meant that all my men were casualties and I was on my own. It was lonely up there, and I couldn't tell you what I was thinking about accept worrying about my gun shooting as fast as I could and getting a bead on the next and nearest Jap."
"Dawn was beginning to break, and I saw my gun on the center of the nose. It was still in working order, and some Japs were crawling toward it. I ran over to it. For too many moments it seemed that the whole Jap army was firing at me. Nevertheless, three men on the right thought I might need ammunition and volunteered to run it up to me. The first brought one belt and went down with a bullet to the stomach. Reilly brought up another, and he was hit in the groin. His feet flew up and almost knocked me off the gun. The third came up with a belt and took a bullet in the shoulder. As I turned, I saw a piece of flesh disappear from his neck. I order him to back to get medical attention.
"I decided it was too unhealthy to stay in any one place for too long, so I would fire a burst and then move. Each time I shifted, a grenade fell where I was. Just in front of me was tall grass, about thirty Japs stood up, and one was looking at me through field glass. I let him have it with a full blast and then began to fire at the others. They went down like grass being mowed by a machine."
"After that, I guess I was so wound up that I couldn't stop. I rounded up some men to form a skirmish line and told them I was going to charge up the nose and wanted them to be right behind me. So I picked up my machine gun and cradled it in my arm and took two belts of ammo, a total weight of 150 pounds, but I felt I could have carried three more without a problem. I fed one of the belts into the gun and started forward. The Marine skirmish line came to the ridge whopping like a bunch of wild Indians. When we reached the edge of the clearing where the jungle began, there was nothing to shoot at. The battle was over, and that strange quiet that usually follows was all there was.
"The first thing I did was sit down. I was soaked with perspiration and steam was rising in a cloud from my gun. My hand felt funny, and I looked down and saw through my tattered shirt a blister which ran from my finger up to my forearm. Captain Ditta came running up, slapped me on the back, and gave me a drink from his canteen."
For his actions on Bloody Ridge, Platoon Sergeant Mitchell Paige received the Congressional Medal of Honor. His citation reads:
For extraordinary heroism and conspicuous gallantry in action above and beyond the call of duty while serving with a company of Marines in combat against enemy Japanese forces in the Solomon Islands on 26 October 1942. When the enemy broke through the line directly in front of his position, P/Sgt. Paige, commanding a machine gun section with fearless determination, continued to direct the fire of his gunners until all his men were either killed or wounded. Alone, against the deadly hail of Japanese shells, he fought with his gun and when it was destroyed, took over another, moving from gun to gun, never ceasing his withering fire against the advancing hordes until reinforcements finally arrived. Then, forming a new line, he dauntlessly and aggressively led a bayonet charge, driving the enemy back and preventing a breakthrough in our lines. His great personal valor and unyielding devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. 2
I am thankful every day for men like Sergeant Paige and his courageous Machine Gun Platoon for their great sacrifice on the battlefield, especially to those who died that day. Their victory is the basis for our freedom. Freedom is won on the battlefield. We salute you, the brave men and women, of our armed forces for their bravery and standing in the line of fire for us.
ENDNOTES
1 Mark Cerasini, Heroes: Marine Corp Medal of Honor Winners,(Berkley Publishing Group, New York, New York, May 2002)p.200.
2. www,cmohs.org (Website dedicated to those who have received medals of honor.)