This Week in Marine Corps History (09/08 - 09/14)

8 September 1942: On Guadalcanal, the 1st Raider Battalion and the 1st Parachute Battalion, carried out a successful raid on a Japanese supply base.

9 September 1968: The 1st Marine Division ended Operation Sussex Bay. The combination of Operation Sussex Bay and Typhoon Bess had taken the fight out of the Communist units which had originally struck Da Nang on 23 August.

10 September 1926: Birthday of 2nd Lt. George H. O’Brien, Jr. who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism against enemy forces in Korea. His MOH citation reads in part: “Struck down by the concussion of grenades on three occasions during the subsequent action, he steadfastly refused to be evacuated for medical treatment and continued to lead his platoon in the assault for a period of nearly four hours, repeatedly encouraging his men and maintaining superb direction of the unit.”

11 September 2001: During the attacks on the United States Cpl. Sean Tallon of Weapons Company 2/25 USMCR was killed during rescue operations at the World Trade Center while working as a member of the FDNY’s Ladder 10.

12 September 1917: U.S. Army General John J. Pershing selected the 7th Marine Company to guard his headquarters in France.

13 September 1951: The last Marine Corps offensive action in the Korean hills taken by 2nd Bn.1st Marines after several days of assault by 7th Marines.

14 September 1951: PFC Edward Gomez was killed when he smothered a hand grenade with his own body to prevent destruction of his Marine machine gun team in Kajon-ni, Korea. PFC Gomez was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism.