FOURTH INFANTRY COLORFUL UNIT
Has Been Identified
With. All of the
Campaigns Except One
By Cpi. ALLAN MERRITT
(Army Correspondent)
(Editor’s Note: Herewith The
Nugget presents to its many
readers a seiries of five articles
dealing with the activities of the
far-famed Fourth Infantry, one
of the oldest of regiments which
help make up the United States
Army. Until recently this unit
spent some time in Alaska, and
the many interesting things un
dergone by its members while in
the Territory, shall long be re
membered by them after the
war is over.)
HEADQUARTERS, ALASKAN
DEPARTMENT — Veterans of
three Long years in the bitter
cold of Alaska and the lashing
winds of its Aleutian Islands,
the ‘‘Fighting Fourth Infantry”
which pioneered military de
velopment of this strategic terri
tory has returned to the United
States after one of the war’s
longest tours of overseas duty.
The first units of the famed
regiment, which dates back to
the time of George Washington,
disembarked from a ship at
Seward in June, 1940—the very
month the world was stunned
by the fall of France to German
military' might. As the remain
der of the regiment arrived and
started clearing ground for what
is now Fort Richardson, Con
gress passed the Selective Ser
vice Act.
It was the first organization
of such size to arrive in Alaska,
and formed the nucleus for the
old Alaska Defense force. Since
that time, the regiment has writ
ten another colorful chapter to
its history.
Its first battalion, the first to
arrive in Alaska, played a de
cisive role in the bloody Battle
of Attu. The graves of many of
its officers and men are marked
by wooden crosses in that bleak
island’s Little Falls Cemetery.
The second battalion took part
in what was perhaps the largest
movement of troops and equip
ment by air up to that time. That
was last year when the Japanese
moved into the Aleutians and it
appeared they might attack
Nome, on the mainland in the
far north. More than 2,000 fully
equipped troops were moved
there by Army and civilian
planes in an 18-day period. The
battalion later helped to estab
lish the chain of bases out on
the Aleutian archipelago.
The regiment’s third battalion,
whiolh includes two companies
that were stationed at Clvilkoot
Barracks for many years before
the war when that was the larg
est Army garrison in the terri
tory, helped establish the two i
big bases at Ladd Field and Fort
Richardson.
Col. Gregory Hoisington, (1225
41st St. N., Edgewater Park)
Seattle, Wash., who had been
commander of the garrison at
Chilkoot Barracks, assumed com
mand of the regiment when it
came to Alaska, holding that
post for about a year and a half
until he was succeeded by Col.
P. E. Le Stourgeon, (209 Wood
point Rd.) Lexington, Ky„ the
present commander.
j Few of the regiment’s soldiers
had furloughs during this long
stay in Alaska—the job they !
were doing was too important
—-and today they are seeing I
their wives, friends and relatives
for the first time in three years.
Some of them are meeting young
sons and daughters they had
never seen.
A few of them, who have come
to know Alaska as home, asked i
to remain in the territory and
were transferred to other Alas- |
kan organizations. In a few
cases, they had bought property ;
here and married Alaska girls, i
When they bade Alaska good
| bye, none had the slightest idea 1
what the future held in store |
for them. Many who spent years i
at isolated points, naturally !
enough, hope to be stationed in 1
the States near a fair-sized city '
where they can once again en- !
joy the comforts and entertain
ment offered by civilization. A
number of them expressed a de
sire that the regiment be attach
ed to a division for duty in a
more active theatre of war.
Were On Attn Island
HEADQUARTERS. ALASKAN
DEPARTMENT — Soldiers of
the Fourth Infantry regiment’s
first battalion, who were already
overseas veterans when the
United States entered the war,
acquitted themselves well at
Attu, where they saw action in
one of the strangest and blood
iest battles of the war.
They were called in at a criti
cal point in the campaign, exact
ly a week after the first Ameri
can troops had landed on that
fog-shrouded island. They did
not even know what p>art they
were scheduled to play in the
battle wrhen they climbed over
the sides of their transport ship
last May 18 to land at Massacre
Bay, for they had not originally
been slated for action at Attu.
Maj. John D. O'Reilly of (4132
Burke Ave.) Seattle, Wash.,
commander of the battalion who
was later to receive a battle
field promotion to lieutenant
colonel for outstanding leader
ship. reported to Maj. Gen. Eu
gene Landrum. Carrying extra
rations and ammunition, tha
troops were marched directly to
a battle sector, and they had en
gaged the enemy less than 24
hours after they landed.
They fought the Japs at alti
tudes of 2,000 feet or more, in
snow-(blanketed mountain areas
high above the clouds. But these
men already were acquainted
with Alaska weather and were
more inured to the hardships
than other American troops on
the island.
Moving north along the high
ridge west of Chichagof Valley
on May 21, the battalion came
up against strong enemy oppo
sition from machine gun and
sniper positions. Many of the
Japanese were killed, the re:
mainder driven off. and the
Fourth moved along the ridge
to a point late that day where
vL.-iuiil oo ' oac % was db'tsid kitted
| with other American forces
! which had pressed inland from
| the Ho Hz 3a y area, on. the op
: pasite side of the island
The battalion, fought for five
(days without rest and then was
: given 24 hours 5>r its members
to rest and get. ready &>r one of
the tougheatt u£Mgnmer.fci of the
campaign—wrestling the high,
peaks of Fish Hook Ridge from
the Japanese
| The battalion pro video its own.
I barrage of corvcenrtraetd machine
; gun and morftar Sire, while its
I soldiers seated the 30-degr^e
cliffs in the face of enemy fire
from prespared pouitions high,
j above them. This wa& part of
’the movement that dm;/* the
[Japanese msto Chichagof VaLley,
1 from, where they made their fi
! nal, suMirtal counter-attack
Observers waWhirig the Actidn
from a distance were fbacmateid
by the spdfctacte, with jmall
groups of troop* clearfy -visible,
as they clankbered up the steep
shapes Other troops i»Wf evacu
a ting the wounded, era wlin£
; painfully down the almost m
poas&le n-wr/am sides with
their Amman burdens.
. It impressed the observers an
being mere like a scene from a
Hollywood thriller than the gr«n
reality' that it was
After suffering many casual
ties, the 'battalion on May 37
finally took a portion of a high
peailr. on the northeast en/d of
the ridge, giving the Yanto? a
commanding position over Mak
ing the main ridge running shst
toward the Chichagof Valley,
The fighting continued through
that night, and by 5:30 p.m., the
next day, the Fourth Infantry’*
battle-weary troops had accom
plished their mission. They had
sei:zed the high pea#: and wiped
out .ill enemy resistance on the
sldide
The next day, after the final
bag eoanter-attack by more th hr
1,004 Japanese, two companies
of the fourth were sent to help
clehr the enethy but of Sarlna
Continued on i^age Fight)
■ ■■■> wii Wih —m *sni iru ■ mm \mm
■
MERRY
CHRISTMAS
m