Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:31 | On the way to Iwo Jima, the Marines were told to expect new tactics from the Japanese defenders, who had studied the previous American landings and were eager to correct their mistakes. Their deadliest move was to survey the entire island and pre-target every spot for their artillery and mortars. Marine Everett Hampton recalls the withering fire and how the enemy used the extensive tunnel network for cover.
Keywords : Everett Hampton Iwo Jima Japanese banzai Mt. Suribachi artillery mortar battlefield commission Frank Sullivan shrapnel cave tunnel flame thrower tank
Everett Hampton enlisted in the Marines after the attack on Pearl Harbor and after basic training was made a squad leader. His division became the first military unit to deploy directly from American soil into combat. They sailed from San Diego and stormed ashore at Roi-Namur in the Pacific.
On Saipan, his mortar crew fired so many rounds so fast that when they fell back to regroup, they had to leave the mortar because it was too hot to pick up. After a successful campaign, Everett Hampton received a battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant.
Everett Hampton's unit lost nine officers in nine days on Iwo Jima. The 2nd Lieutenant was the only officer left so he was made company commander. His first task was to take a hill which he did but the Marines were forced to withdraw and that hill would be taken seven times before it was secure. Wounded by shrapnel, he had to evacuate.
Iwo Jima veteran Everett Hampton returned to the Marines when the Korean War broke out and commanded a company there on the static front line. His career continued with recruit training and contingency deployments until he retired as a Major.
