We were on Bloody Ridge with [the] 1st Battalion, and we learned there [was] a bunch of [Japanese] coming from the other direction. We were asked to go, man, this other ridge and left 1st Battalion to man Bloody Ridge by themselves. It was difficult. But we did man the ridge.
After a day or two on there, the Japanese hit F Company and broke through their lines. Our commanding officer gathered a bunch of cooks and whatever he could get, and they went back onto the ridge and eliminated the Japanese. They restored the position.”
The Battle of Guadalcanal had already commenced weeks before the 7th Marine Regiment reached the island, and they were thousands and thousands of lives taken already from both the US and Japanese troops.
Their participation in one of the most epic battles in the Pacific campaign didn’t go unappreciated. They were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their “extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enemy.”
Russell and his comrades were tasked to stand guard at the claimed Japanese-built airfield, which they named the Henderson Field, before turning it over to the US Army around January 1942.
“I had the opportunity to go back behind the lines. I grabbed three or four canteens from the other guys and was filling them with water and bringing them back,” explained Russell. “When I was down there, I saw a lot of Japanese, all deceased. I had to walk right by them coming back.”
They left the island, boarded ships, and headed to Melbourne, Australia, where they were welcomed as “saviors.” After recuperating, the unit eventually moved on to support another bloody battle in Cape Gloucester against the Japanese.
“We landed on Cape Gloucester on December 26. Our Battalion was charged with establishing the beachhead and protecting it,” Russell recalled.
Unfortunately, Russell got critically wounded nine days into the battle when a mortar landed near him that shattered his knee. He eventually got evacuated and admitted to a hospital away from the battlefield for five months. He received a Purple Heart.
Russell recovered and was reunited with his Division in Guadalcanal, which had already established encampments on the island. But his recovery was insufficient, and he was discharged and sent home.
“I had mixed feelings,” said Russell. “I hated to leave all those guys because I knew where they were going; they were headed to Peleliu. That’s where I lost two of my very good friends.”
Now 100, Russell expressed gratitude for what the Corps has given him, especially for “shaping up his youth,” despite the scarring memories from the Marines’ “bitterest battle” of all time.
“I was part of a very important part of the Marine Corps. It makes me very proud,” Russell expressed. “The Marine Corps taught me everything I know; respect for my superiors… just taught me to be a good man. I have had a good life.”
The USMC celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Guadalcanal Battle last week, which several top military officials held on Skyline Ridge, the site of the World War II Guadalcanal American Memorial.
MARFORPAC Commander Steven Rudder emphasized the battle’s significance to the long-standing partnership between the US and the Solomon Islands, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand nations.
“So we’re here to remember those sacrifices that were made; it changed the history of the Solomon Islands, and it changed the history of our nation. I do not want to pass up the opportunity to show my dear appreciation for the Solomon Islanders. They were instrumental in everything we did and they endured hardships that we can’t imagine. But it makes no sense to remember those sacrifices without looking to the future; and we pledge from Indo-PACOM and the United States Marine Corps, that we will look forward.”
Source: USMC
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