PREFACE (1-3 pVII-VIII)

Major General Oscar F. Peatross, USMC (Retired)

Bless 'em All is the story of the four Marine Raider battalions of World War II; of their battles; and of the men who fought in them.  Its title is from the popular wartime song of the same name-a ballad type that lent itself to improvisation, and for which Raiders composed many dozens of verses to commemorate unique events in their history.  In a sense, this book is a continuation of that practice, since it also commemorates unique events in Raider history, even though not in ballad stanzas.

World Wai II had been over for many years before I came to realize how very little we at the bottom of the chain of command knew about battlefield events beyond our own foxholes and the scope of our responsibilities.  This fact was first impressed upon me a few years back at a reunion of Marine Raiders while talking with Calvin Inman, one of my very own Raiders and a combat veteran of Makin, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and Iwo Jima.  Speaking from experience, Calvin noted that the enlisted men seldom had known what was happening beyond the immediate range of their senses and almost never had known the "why" of operations.  Consequently, their knowledge of the war they fought was limited to mere fragments- personal snapshots that, unassembled into a meaningful mosaic, were rapidly fading from memory.  After attending more Raider reunions, I was convinced that Inman's observation was correct and, moreover, applied also to us officers, albeit to a lesser degree.   From that insight was born the idea for a book that would assemble and preserve these memory fragments.

The original plan was a very modest one: to assemble the experiential "snapshots" of the Raiders of Company "B", 2d Marine Raider Battalion, into an historical mosaic that would tell the story of their contribution to our victory in the Pacific.  Soon, however, I came to realize that the story of Company "B" was inextricably linked to that of the other companies and expanded my study to include the entire battalion.  After completing a draft of the history of the 2d Raiders under the title, One More Hill, I found myself in a dilemma similar to that encountered when trying to write only of Company "B." The story of the 2d Battalion is inextricably linked to that of the 1st and the 3d and the 4th, and to write only of one would be to denigrate the accomplishments of the others.   Each battalion was great; at times one was greater than the others, and to write of all four was the only way.  Accordingly, I expanded and revised the draft and in the process, on the recommendation of John Sweeney, changed its title to Bless 'em All.  

My initial approach to compiling the history of the Marine Raiders was based on the Duke of Wellington's observation that the business of war and life is trying to find out what you don't know by what you do. Operating from this premise, I assumed that, having served with the Raiders during the two years of their existence, what I knew would take me quickly and easily to what I didn't know.   How wrong I was!  My first major discovery was that I had a lot to learn, and very little of it was to be found in official histories. Although their contribution to Marine Corps battle honors was far out of proportion to their numbers, the Raider battalions generally have received short shrift in major unit histories and in the official history of U.S. Marine Corps operations in World War II.

My second major discovery was that the popular histories that claim to provide "true accounts" of Marine Raider operations are mostly half-assed mishmashes of fact and fiction.  Consequently, to obtain the detail I needed for my Raider "mosaic," it was necessary to search out primary sources: muster rolls, official reports of combat actions, and the Raiders themselves: their diaries, memoirs, personal narratives, etc.

Although it took many years to complete the detailed research for this book, this time was greatly reduced by the totally unselfish, direct contributions of dozens of Raiders and non-Raiders, whose efforts I should like to recognize.  First, however, I should like to acknowledge my gratitude to the Raiders with whom it has been my pleasure and privilege to serve in war and peace, whether in Raider units or elsewhere in the U. S. Marine Corps. Our association, whether brief or long, has been a positive influence on my life and has contributed in no small way to this history.  

Next, I should like to thank those Raiders who contributed directly to this book: those who loaned me their diaries and personal memoirs of their experiences as Raiders; those whose responses to my many questions provided masses of invaluable detail on Raider operations; and those who read all or parts of the draft manuscript, correcting my many errors of commission and omission, recommending changes, and often providing additional supporting detail.  This large group includes: Tony Antonelli, John Apergis, Ray Bauml, Jerry Beau, DeVillo Brown, Sam Brown, Lowell Bulger, Bob Burnette, Ben Carson, Frank Cannistraci, Tom Cleary, Ralph Coyte, Orin Croft, Charles Dawson, Cleland Early, Walter Elterman, Jim Faulkner, Bert Gary, Chester Goll (Golaczewski), Joe Griffith, Charles Harris, Ray Hayes, Clyde Henderson, Fran Hepburn, George Herring, Jay Hubbard, Dick Hudman, Calvin Inman, Fred Kemp, Foster LaHue, Glen Lincoln, William McCall, Mac McCullough, Bob McMaster, William Murphree (Howard Craven), Bill Nugent, Bill Orrick, Henry Poppell, John Wesley Potter, Jr., Brian Quirk, Archie Rackerby, Rudy Rosenquist, Ken Seaton, Steve Stigler, Stormy Sexton, Mel Spotts, Buck Stidharn, John Sweeney, Tony Walker, Dick Washburn, Dean Winters, Howard Young, Sam Cone and Bob Neuffer.

Among the non-Raiders who are to be thanked for their contributions are: Bob Barrow for his long-time friendship, frequent encouragement, and recommendations- Inez Bulger (the widow of Raider Lowell Bulger) for the copy of Lowell's memoir of his Raider experience- R. A. Clark for the copy of Edson's Marine Corps' Gazette article "The Coco River Patrol;" John Greenwood for running a condensation of Chapter 4, "The 2d Raiders on Makin," in Leatherneck,- Jane Hayes and J. P. Spence of the Titusville (Pennsylvania) Herald for tracking down and sending me a copy of Corporal Charles J. Hedinger's cartoon history of the I st Marine Raider Battalion (also called Bless 'em All); Verle Ludwig for providing copies of rare, official documents on the Makin Raid; Jarvis Lynch for taking time from his onerous duties as commanding general at Parris Island to read and comment on the draft of my manuscript; Richard Payette for the biblical quotations that appear as the epigraph of each chapter- Paul Sayers for extracting from the files of the Library of Congress a complete copy of Lieutenant LeFrancois's 1943 Saturday Evening Post article, "We Mopped Up Makin Island;" and Ed Simmons and his folks in the Marine Corps Historical Division for their courteous and expeditious response to my many requests for historical documents.

Last, but by no means least, I should like to thank my beloved wife, Marie, for her unwavering support, constant devotion, and patient understanding for the many hours I spent away from her, staring into the Cyclops eye of my computer monitor.  

It has taken me far, far longer than I had anticipated to complete this book, for which I make no apologies, but sincerely hope that you who read it will agree that the additional time was well spent.  Throughout, Il have tried to follow Dick Washbum's advice "to tell it the way it was" and to present an honest, straightforward account of events and individuals-warts and all.  If I have not done so, it was unintentional; nevertheless, I accept full responsibility and apologize for any hurt feelings. To anyone whose contribution to Bless 'em All has not been acknowledged herein, I plead non compos mentis as a result of encroaching senility and humbly beseech your pardon. To all those whose encouragement, loyal support, and generous assistance lifted my often flagging spirits and motivated me to carry on, I say from the bottom of my heart: "bless 'em all!"

Frogmore, South Carolina, March, 1992