"C" company had been on the line steady for several days, digging in and cutting fields of fire every night and moving out early the next morning pressing the enemy back. The Japanese had been counter attacking during the night against other units. We had heard their tanks moving about and the enemy soldiers getting worked into frenzy like they did prior to an offensive. On the 3rd we occupied a razor back ridge expecting the Japanese to attack but they did not. Our foxholes on the ridge nearly covered its width of 5 to 15 feet.

Our battalion held the left flank of the division and to our left were elements of the Army's 27th Division. We were pleased to have the 27th take over our position on the ridge on the morning of the 4th. While they came in to take over our foxholes we made our way off the ridge and to a gravel roadway expecting to be off the line for a day or two. However about 2 miles from the ridge we had held up for a ten minute break when we got the word to get back to the ridge we had just left from. Because of the urgency of the situation we were alternately double timing and forced march. We weren't told why it was so important so we assumed the enemy had attacked and we were needed to back up the men on the ridge

On D+3, I had taken charge a Colt 45, the personal side arm of our Fire Team Leader, Merrill Quick, when he had been killed. The 45 had been given to him by his parents when he joined the Marine Corps. I had thought that if I survived the war I would make an effort to return it to his parents, if I could locate them. On our route to the ridge, loaded down as I was with my BAR, ammunition, grenades, machete, K-bar and regular gear, I was near exhaustion. I could not stop but had to do something so I could keep up. The pistol was at that time a non essential item and I decided to lay it along the road where I could come back for it at a later time. There were bushes lining the road and I selected one I thought I could locate again so hurriedly I stowed the 45 with its holster within the base of the bush.

Expecting to come under fire as we neared the top of the ridge, we approached with a bit of caution even though we heard no firing by the men on the ridge and the ridge was definitely not under siege. What we found on the ridge was 5 or more dead soldiers and several more wounded soldiers that Army Medics were bandaging, and administering plasma to some. Stretcher bearers were working at preparing to remove the wounded from the ridge. It was complete mayhem but it appeared there were no enemy troops involved. We wanted to know what had happened and were told that a mortar barrage had been ordered to clear the area ahead of the ridge of enemy soldiers and that these troops had been caught in the open by their own mortar shells that fell short and along the ridge not forward of it.

Captain Eberhardt, our CO gave an ultimatum, "Before I take command of this sector, the mortar squad responsible for this accident must be ordered to stand down and give control to our mortars. I would rather subject my company to the Japanese than to take up positions under the protective screen of your mortars." Whether this was the proper attitude of a Marine Officer or not, we heartily agreed with our CO. With that assurance that our mortars would have control, orders were given to take over the defense of the ridge and to assist the 27th with the evacuation of their dead and wounded from the ridge.

We remained on the ridge until late afternoon, when we were directed to take over a hill to our foreground that over looked the ridge we were on to prevent the enemy from having that high ground from which to fire upon the ridge line. To take that hill a reinforced combat patrol was detailed. Our squad was included in the patrol.

Enemy soldiers could be heard but we were unsure exactly where they were. So as not to alert the Japanese of our movement, there was no machine gun or artillery barrage called for. As we stared down the steep bush and vine cover forward slope from the ridge, we were trying to be especially cautious so as not to fall or cause rocks to tumble down into the ravine. I was generally quite sure footed - but not this day. In attempting to find solid footing and keep my balance my one foot got caught in a vine and while trying to get my foot free, I tripped and tumbled headlong down the slope to the bottom of the ravine. Although there had been no gun fire, my assistant BAR, Ray Parnitzke told me later he thought I had been shot and had passed the word that I had.

The irony of my fall was that Ray had a trick knee that gave out on him ever so often and down he would go but this time it was me that went down. Since I did not want to draw any more attention to my predicament than had already taken place, I laid where I ended up and listened for sounds of the enemy. All remained quiet except for the sounds of our patrol descending into the ravine. When my squad got to me, they found I was all right and we proceeded along the ravine's bottom toward our objective, Hill 767 as it turned out later.

To our surprise, we were in a well camouflaged Japanese aid station. Into the sides of the ravine we found 6 or 7 foxhole type alcove bunks. Each large enough to hold one man in each. Brush pretty well hid each of these bunks. There were no medical supplies for us to see but one of the alcoves held the body of a Japanese soldier, who looked to be very dead. He was not disturbed as we passed and turned to the slope we must climb to get atop Hill 767. Like the slope we had just descended the trail to the top was like a jungle. I recall it was necessary to use branches and roots to pull ourselves through to reach the top. The crest was unoccupied and we quickly set out to prepare to defend it from take over by the Japanese.

During the night we could hear the enemy soldiers in the jungle underbrush below us. We believed they were drinking for they were creating quite a lot of noise and we thought an attack was eminent. Morning came without incident and about mid morning we were ordered to return to the ridge from which we had come. The attack was to resume with a barrage of shelling and mortars walking ahead of our advance and it would not be wise to be in that forward position. So we began our advance by going back. We picked our way down into the ravine, along its bottom past the dead soldier in the aid station and up the steep slope of the ridge in reverse order we had taken the evening before. It was said enemy troops had moved in and taken possession of the Hill 767 after we had left. The hill was taken from them by the 24th Marines on 5th of July.

Shortly after our return to the ridge, C company was informed it had been relieved of the same position we had been relieved from 24 hours earlier. This time we were placed in reserve and treaded back down from the ridge to the same road where I had hidden the 45 in a bush. The bush was located but its treasure, the 45, was nowhere to be found. This was the second hand gun that I had acquired in the war and lost both.