Chief Cook Donald C Crawford
Donald Clinton Crawford was born on October 22nd, 1916 in Hooker Texas, Oklahoma to Delila Moore and James Crawford. After completing High School, he moved to Rio Arriba, New Mexico by himself and purchased a small farm near his brother in law. With tensions rising abroad due to World War Two breaking out in 1939, Donald signed up for the draft in 1940, but when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, he wasted no time enlisting in the Marine Corps nine days later. Private Crawford completed boot camp in three months in San Diego, California and was then sent to the newly formed 9th Marine Regiment on April 1st, 1942 located at Camp Elliott. During the next eight months, Private Crawford underwent training to become a clerk, was designated a messman, and joined Company E of his regiment. Finally, on January 24th, 1943, the 9th Marines, now part of the 3rd Marine Division, sailed from the United States for New Zealand, arriving on February 7th. Even though training resumed, the Marines enjoyed the country and its locals who were especially welcoming.
Bougainville
Shortly after Crawford was promoted to Assistant Cook (Private First Class), the 9th Marines reluctantly left the island in June for Camp Tetere, Guadalcanal, where for the next few months, they trained in jungle warfare in preparation for the Bougainville Campaign. While the 9th Marines left Guadalcanal with the 3rd Marine Division in October, Assistant Cook Crawford remained on the island with his unit’s rear echelon while the invasion force landed on Bougainville on November 1st. By the time he finally landed on the 22nd, the Marines had secured a beachhead and the 3rd Marines were engaged in fighting at the Piva Forks. Crawford quickly rejoined Company E, and on the 25th, the 9th Marines launched their attack on the series of enemy occupied ridges which were all captured by the next day.
Although he entered late, the Battle of Piva Forks forced the Japanese to evacuate east of the Torokina River and wiped out an entire enemy regiment. For the next few weeks, Assistant Cook Crawford’s 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines only experienced light resistance during further pushes across the island, and on December 28th, they boarded the USS President Jackson and returned to Camp Tetere for rest and training. Shortly after, Crawford was promoted to Field Cook (Corporal) on January 17th, 1944. While the 9th Marines were spared hard fighting on Bougainville, their next offensive would not be as kind.
Guam
After five months of vigorous training, Field Cook Crawford left on June 2nd, joined up with the invasion force, and steamed towards Guam. As US Navy planes and ships bombarded the island, the Marine assault waves rushed towards their assigned beaches in the early morning hours of July 21st, 1944. Field Cook Crawford’s 9th Marines landed at Blue Beach near Asan Point and were stalled by frontal and flanking fire almost immediately. Only after tank support was given, along with a quick advance by Company K, did the regiment begin pushing inland, reaching their Day 1 objective by 1:45 PM. Crawford’s 2nd Battalion took initiative and began to cross the Nidual River bridge for their Day 2 objective, but well camouflaged Japanese machine gun emplacements forced them to stop 400 yards short and dig in for the night. The next few days revealed that the Japanese had mostly abandoned the areas in front of them, so they advanced and consolidated their lines although the Marines were spread very thin.
Field Cook Crawford’s 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines was attached to the 3rd Marines on July 25th for their attack towards Fonte Plateau. 2/9 spearheaded the assault at 9:30 AM and captured Mt Tenjo Road, then waited for friendly artillery to soften up what lay ahead. At 3:30 PM, the 2nd Battalion surged forward and were met with stubborn opposition. Nevertheless, Crawford and the Marines held a foothold on the slopes of Fonte Plateau after an hour and dug in for what would be a horrific night.
The Japanese had been meticulously planning the largest Banzai attack experienced in the Pacific theater which aimed to exploit weak points in the Marine lines, reach the beaches, and destroy allied artillery and supplies. It all started with probing attacks on the Marine front line, which were not seen as anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, at 4:00 AM, shouts of “Banzai” tore through the air as around 5,000 Japanese soldiers violently assaulted Marine lines in the darkness. Unparalleled chaos erupted as Marines fought for their lives while Japanese soldiers rushed through gaps and towards the rear. Crawford’s 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines’ exposed position was especially hard hit. Seven times the enemy attacked, but each was repulsed with no loss of ground. The night of July 25-26th had cost them over 50% casualties, but when the fighting subsided at 9:00 AM, they still stood firm at the slopes of Fonte Plateau with 950 enemy bodies scattered around them.
By morning, the Marines on Guam managed to stop the Japanese advance with heavy casualties, and their actions in wiping out over 3,000 enemy troops marked the end of organized resistance on the island. However, there was still work to do. The attack towards the FBL renewed a few days later, with 2/9 as the assault battalion. Light resistance was encountered in the beginning but on the 29th, a series of 11 counter attacks were launched at Crawford’s unit while they struggled to take the Fonte hill mass. A fierce hand to hand battle ensued, and two companies of the 2nd Battalion suffered 75% casualties, 40% as a whole for the battalion, but they succeeded in taking the FBL. Crawford and the exhausted 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines were relieved and sent to positions along the Asan River to rest. As division reserve, they followed behind the 3rd Marine Division as it pushed across the island and took Agana-Pago Bay Road, Finegayan, and reached the coast. On August 10th, 1944, the island was finally secure after a particularly bloody campaign for 2/9.
Iwo Jima
For the time being, the 9th Marines remained on Guam for rest, to keep tabs on remaining enemy soldiers hiding in the jungle, and to resume training. Replacements arrived for the depleted 3rd Marine Division shortly after, and veterans such as Field Cook Crawford did their best to educate them before their next assignment. Preparations were complete five months later and the 3rd Marine Division departed from Guam on February 16th, 1945 aboard the USS Knox and made their way to the island of Iwo Jima. The invasion kicked off on the 19th after a terrific and lengthy preliminary bombardment, with the 3rd Marine Division offshore as reserve. However, the 5th and 4th Marine Divisions immediately encountered brutal casualties hitting the beaches due to new tactics by the Japanese that were meant to maximise casualties at every step of the advance. Once they were finally able to establish a beachhead and slowly move inland, the 3rd Marine Division was needed to offset the casualties. So, on the 24th, they began to land and wasted no time getting involved.
The next day, Crawford and the 9th Marines regiment began their first action on the island by attacking the critical central position of the Motoyama Plateau. After a 20 minute bombardment of enemy positions, the 9th Marines jumped off and were immediately met with high casualties as they pushed across the airfield by enemy positions in the bluffs overlooking their line of attack. After 5 hours of attacking, the 2nd Battalion was only able to advance 100 yards, but by nightfall, had managed to capture the rising ground north of the airfield, but still needed to clear Hill Peter and 199 OBOE. At 8:00 AM the following day, the attack resumed and was once again met with fierce enemy fire that prevented significant gains. Finally, on the 27th, the Marines got the break they needed and overran both hills, and secured the airfield.
Bougainville
Shortly after Crawford was promoted to Assistant Cook (Private First Class), the 9th Marines reluctantly left the island in June for Camp Tetere, Guadalcanal, where for the next few months, they trained in jungle warfare in preparation for the Bougainville Campaign. While the 9th Marines left Guadalcanal with the 3rd Marine Division in October, Assistant Cook Crawford remained on the island with his unit’s rear echelon while the invasion force landed on Bougainville on November 1st. By the time he finally landed on the 22nd, the Marines had secured a beachhead and the 3rd Marines were engaged in fighting at the Piva Forks. Crawford quickly rejoined Company E, and on the 25th, the 9th Marines launched their attack on the series of enemy occupied ridges which were all captured by the next day.
Although he entered late, the Battle of Piva Forks forced the Japanese to evacuate east of the Torokina River and wiped out an entire enemy regiment. For the next few weeks, Assistant Cook Crawford’s 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines only experienced light resistance during further pushes across the island, and on December 28th, they boarded the USS President Jackson and returned to Camp Tetere for rest and training. Shortly after, Crawford was promoted to Field Cook (Corporal) on January 17th, 1944. While the 9th Marines were spared hard fighting on Bougainville, their next offensive would not be as kind.
Guam
After five months of vigorous training, Field Cook Crawford left on June 2nd, joined up with the invasion force, and steamed towards Guam. As US Navy planes and ships bombarded the island, the Marine assault waves rushed towards their assigned beaches in the early morning hours of July 21st, 1944. Field Cook Crawford’s 9th Marines landed at Blue Beach near Asan Point and were stalled by frontal and flanking fire almost immediately. Only after tank support was given, along with a quick advance by Company K, did the regiment begin pushing inland, reaching their Day 1 objective by 1:45 PM. Crawford’s 2nd Battalion took initiative and began to cross the Nidual River bridge for their Day 2 objective, but well camouflaged Japanese machine gun emplacements forced them to stop 400 yards short and dig in for the night. The next few days revealed that the Japanese had mostly abandoned the areas in front of them, so they advanced and consolidated their lines although the Marines were spread very thin.
Field Cook Crawford’s 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines was attached to the 3rd Marines on July 25th for their attack towards Fonte Plateau. 2/9 spearheaded the assault at 9:30 AM and captured Mt Tenjo Road, then waited for friendly artillery to soften up what lay ahead. At 3:30 PM, the 2nd Battalion surged forward and were met with stubborn opposition. Nevertheless, Crawford and the Marines held a foothold on the slopes of Fonte Plateau after an hour and dug in for what would be a horrific night.
The Japanese had been meticulously planning the largest Banzai attack experienced in the Pacific theater which aimed to exploit weak points in the Marine lines, reach the beaches, and destroy allied artillery and supplies. It all started with probing attacks on the Marine front line, which were not seen as anything out of the ordinary. Suddenly, at 4:00 AM, shouts of “Banzai” tore through the air as around 5,000 Japanese soldiers violently assaulted Marine lines in the darkness. Unparalleled chaos erupted as Marines fought for their lives while Japanese soldiers rushed through gaps and towards the rear. Crawford’s 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines’ exposed position was especially hard hit. Seven times the enemy attacked, but each was repulsed with no loss of ground. The night of July 25-26th had cost them over 50% casualties, but when the fighting subsided at 9:00 AM, they still stood firm at the slopes of Fonte Plateau with 950 enemy bodies scattered around them.
By morning, the Marines on Guam managed to stop the Japanese advance with heavy casualties, and their actions in wiping out over 3,000 enemy troops marked the end of organized resistance on the island. However, there was still work to do. The attack towards the FBL renewed a few days later, with 2/9 as the assault battalion. Light resistance was encountered in the beginning but on the 29th, a series of 11 counter attacks were launched at Crawford’s unit while they struggled to take the Fonte hill mass. A fierce hand to hand battle ensued, and two companies of the 2nd Battalion suffered 75% casualties, 40% as a whole for the battalion, but they succeeded in taking the FBL. Crawford and the exhausted 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines were relieved and sent to positions along the Asan River to rest. As division reserve, they followed behind the 3rd Marine Division as it pushed across the island and took Agana-Pago Bay Road, Finegayan, and reached the coast. On August 10th, 1944, the island was finally secure after a particularly bloody campaign for 2/9.
Iwo Jima
For the time being, the 9th Marines remained on Guam for rest, to keep tabs on remaining enemy soldiers hiding in the jungle, and to resume training. Replacements arrived for the depleted 3rd Marine Division shortly after, and veterans such as Field Cook Crawford did their best to educate them before their next assignment. Preparations were complete five months later and the 3rd Marine Division departed from Guam on February 16th, 1945 aboard the USS Knox and made their way to the island of Iwo Jima. The invasion kicked off on the 19th after a terrific and lengthy preliminary bombardment, with the 3rd Marine Division offshore as reserve. However, the 5th and 4th Marine Divisions immediately encountered brutal casualties hitting the beaches due to new tactics by the Japanese that were meant to maximise casualties at every step of the advance. Once they were finally able to establish a beachhead and slowly move inland, the 3rd Marine Division was needed to offset the casualties. So, on the 24th, they began to land and wasted no time getting involved.
The next day, Crawford and the 9th Marines regiment began their first action on the island by attacking the critical central position of the Motoyama Plateau. After a 20 minute bombardment of enemy positions, the 9th Marines jumped off and were immediately met with high casualties as they pushed across the airfield by enemy positions in the bluffs overlooking their line of attack. After 5 hours of attacking, the 2nd Battalion was only able to advance 100 yards, but by nightfall, had managed to capture the rising ground north of the airfield, but still needed to clear Hill Peter and 199 OBOE. At 8:00 AM the following day, the attack resumed and was once again met with fierce enemy fire that prevented significant gains. Finally, on the 27th, the Marines got the break they needed and overran both hills, and secured the airfield.
Due to the high casualty rate in Crawford’s battalion, they were placed in reserve for the attack on Motoyama Village, but were called back to the front on March 2nd to attack to the left of the 21st Marines. For the next few days, they battled it out against a maze of pillboxes, caves, tanks, and trenches that blocked their advance towards Motoyama Plateau. It was determined that Hill 362C was a main contributor to this difficulty, but their advance towards the hill on March 6th yielded less than favorable results. Plans were made for a predawn attack in the morning of the 7th without any artillery preparations. The Japanese on Hill 331 were caught completely by surprise and annihilated and Hill 362C was captured shortly after. However, the quiet advance by 2/9 and 3/9 through their tough sector was foiled when alerted enemy troops suddenly poured devastating fire on the exposed Marines, forcing them into a desperate fight for survival. Crawford’s Company E were nearly surrounded, and only after tank support arrived were they rescued from annihilation.
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Although heavy losses were suffered, they succeeded in taking 200 yards worth of land that had been holding them up since March 1st. As they continued to battle it out against stubborn resistance in their sector, Field Cook Crawford was badly wounded by gunshot wounds to his face and left side and evacuated the same day to a General Hospital to treat his wounds. This would mark the end of the Battle of Iwo Jima for Crawford as he spent the next 14 days recovering until finally making his way back to his unit on April 9th at Guam.
Home
After experiencing three bloody campaigns with the 9th Marines, Crawford returned to the United States on May 17th and was discharged from the Marine Corps on September 14th, 1945. He returned to his farm in New Mexico and eventually married Claudene, having three children. Donald eventually moved to Nevada later in his life where he sadly passed away on September 1st, 2004 and is buried next to his wife in Davis Memorial Park.
Home
After experiencing three bloody campaigns with the 9th Marines, Crawford returned to the United States on May 17th and was discharged from the Marine Corps on September 14th, 1945. He returned to his farm in New Mexico and eventually married Claudene, having three children. Donald eventually moved to Nevada later in his life where he sadly passed away on September 1st, 2004 and is buried next to his wife in Davis Memorial Park.