Corporal Charles Markle
Charles Markle was born on July 8th, 1924 in Butler Morris, New Jersey to Charles and Lillian Markle. He was joined two years later by a sister, but shortly afterwards his parents were divorced. His mother remarried in 1934 and had two more children. Charles attended grammar school and high school in Boonton and was an avid baseball, basketball, and softball player. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Charles wasted no time in dropping out and enlisting in the Marine Corps before his 18th birthday. Private Markle shipped off to Parris Island for boot camp and later joined the 1st Guard Company in Norfolk, Virginia through the end of 1942, gaining a promotion to Private First Class in the process. During his time in Virginia, a new branch of the Marines came to interest Markle; the Paramarines. When recruiters came to ask for more volunteers, he eagerly signed up and on April 22nd, 1943 PFC Markle joined the Parachute School at Camp Lejeune for the 16 week course. After multiple training jumps, he earned his wings on May 4th and graduated in July with his unit being redesignated as Company C, 4th Parachute Battalion . Unfortunately for Markle and the new paramarines, command was reevaluating the need and cost of such a unit, causing many of the new graduates to be sent elsewhere. PFC Markle transferred to the 5t Separate Medical Company, 7th Defense Battalion on August 2nd, and five days later boarded the USS La Salle for American Samoa. While enroute, their ship was harassed by Japanese aircraft, but they arrived safely on the 19th. Their stay was not long, and they relocated to Nanumea, Ellice Islands by October 10th. Their job of defending the islands were rather uneventful, save for an air attack on November 10th which was repelled. Markle was promoted to Corporal one week later.
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Off to War
As 1943 drew to a close, the 5th Separate Medical Company began packing up, and on March 13, 1944, they boarded the SS Mormacport and arrived at Hawaii on the 21st. With the island hopping campaign in the Pacific ramping up with landings at Guam, Saipan, Kwajalein, and more, fresh replacements were needed to bolster divisions back up to strength. Corporal Markle boarded LST 687 in early August and left for Guadalcanal, where he joined Company E, 2nd Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division on September 4th. The regiment had just returned from heavy combat on Guam and wasted no time in training for their next campaign; Okinawa.
Okinawa
On March 14, 1945, the 29th Marines boarded the USS George Clymer and sailed with the invasion force toward the Ryukyus, spending days rehearsing the landings. Finally, on April 1st, Corporal Markle arrived offshore of Okinawa. The island had been relentlessly pounded for days prior to DDay, and at 5:30 AM, the Navy lobbed a further 50,000 shells in preparation for the landing as the Marines entered their amphibious vehicles and began to go ashore. Resistance was expected to be the fiercest encountered, yet when Corporal Markle hit the beach around 8:30 AM, there were no Japanese to be found. Puzzled yet grateful, the Marines swiftly moved inland and captured Yontan-Zan, then pushed 7,000 yards through resistance to the division’s L+15 line by the 3rd. Command was hopeful that the rest of the campaign would be like this, but it was all part of the Japanese’s new plan. Instead of defending the beachhead to the death, they would save their men and create strongholds of resistance inland to maximize American casualties, and Corporal Markle’s 29th Marines were about to run into it.
For the time being, the 6th Marine Division drove up the Ishikawa Isthmus through April 7th and encountered growing but still light resistance, cutting off Motobu Peninsula. Markle’s 2nd Battalion advanced up the north coast while the others moved to surround Mount Yae-Take which was completed with difficulty by the 15th. However, it was learned that Yae-Take was heavily fortified by the Japanese, causing an attack to be planned the following day. Markle’s 29th Marines began probing actions as 1/4 fought to the crest of the hill and destroyed a counterattack at nightfall. The 29th Marines slowly pushed up the ridge, met with 4th Marines, and swept north in pursuit of the retreating Japanese. Yae-Take had fallen.
Sugar Loaf
For the rest of the month, Corporal Markle pushed south on the western part of the Allied line until eventually relieving the 1st Marine Division on May 8th for the push towards Shuri. Unfortunately their line of advance placed them in the path of Sugar Loaf Hill, a heavily fortified hill surrounded by others that wreaked havoc on the 22nd Marines who ran into it on the 12th. The first assault completely underestimated the Japanese strength and was repelled, and further attempts were futile. Meanwhile, Corporal Markle’s 29th Marines entered the battle in the east on the 13th to seize the Asato high ground and then moved into position to assault Sugar Loaf. The crest had been reached multiple times by members of the 29th and 22nd Marines, but each was eventually thrown off. On the 16th, Corporal Markle experienced a close call when an enemy artillery shell exploded nearby and almost buried him alive. This caused an upset stomach and frightened him badly, yet he had to bear with it as his battalion was ordered to take Sugar Loaf the next day. Their close flank effort and using a railroad cut failed, but Markle’s Company E used the northeast slopes and eventually reached the top. Immediately, the Japanese struck hard and drove them off the hill. Three times Company E and Corporal Markle fought to the hilltop, and twice they were thrown off after hand to hand combat. The third time they repelled the counterattack but ran out of ammunition in the process and were forced to withdraw after 160 casualties. The hill was taken the following day after roughly 2,000 casualties suffered by the 6th Marine Division in the surrounding area and an additional 1,289 cases of combat fatigue. One of those cases was Corporal Markle on the 19th, who was evacuated to Guam and then shipped back to the United States by June 24th.
As 1943 drew to a close, the 5th Separate Medical Company began packing up, and on March 13, 1944, they boarded the SS Mormacport and arrived at Hawaii on the 21st. With the island hopping campaign in the Pacific ramping up with landings at Guam, Saipan, Kwajalein, and more, fresh replacements were needed to bolster divisions back up to strength. Corporal Markle boarded LST 687 in early August and left for Guadalcanal, where he joined Company E, 2nd Battalion, 29th Marines, 6th Marine Division on September 4th. The regiment had just returned from heavy combat on Guam and wasted no time in training for their next campaign; Okinawa.
Okinawa
On March 14, 1945, the 29th Marines boarded the USS George Clymer and sailed with the invasion force toward the Ryukyus, spending days rehearsing the landings. Finally, on April 1st, Corporal Markle arrived offshore of Okinawa. The island had been relentlessly pounded for days prior to DDay, and at 5:30 AM, the Navy lobbed a further 50,000 shells in preparation for the landing as the Marines entered their amphibious vehicles and began to go ashore. Resistance was expected to be the fiercest encountered, yet when Corporal Markle hit the beach around 8:30 AM, there were no Japanese to be found. Puzzled yet grateful, the Marines swiftly moved inland and captured Yontan-Zan, then pushed 7,000 yards through resistance to the division’s L+15 line by the 3rd. Command was hopeful that the rest of the campaign would be like this, but it was all part of the Japanese’s new plan. Instead of defending the beachhead to the death, they would save their men and create strongholds of resistance inland to maximize American casualties, and Corporal Markle’s 29th Marines were about to run into it.
For the time being, the 6th Marine Division drove up the Ishikawa Isthmus through April 7th and encountered growing but still light resistance, cutting off Motobu Peninsula. Markle’s 2nd Battalion advanced up the north coast while the others moved to surround Mount Yae-Take which was completed with difficulty by the 15th. However, it was learned that Yae-Take was heavily fortified by the Japanese, causing an attack to be planned the following day. Markle’s 29th Marines began probing actions as 1/4 fought to the crest of the hill and destroyed a counterattack at nightfall. The 29th Marines slowly pushed up the ridge, met with 4th Marines, and swept north in pursuit of the retreating Japanese. Yae-Take had fallen.
Sugar Loaf
For the rest of the month, Corporal Markle pushed south on the western part of the Allied line until eventually relieving the 1st Marine Division on May 8th for the push towards Shuri. Unfortunately their line of advance placed them in the path of Sugar Loaf Hill, a heavily fortified hill surrounded by others that wreaked havoc on the 22nd Marines who ran into it on the 12th. The first assault completely underestimated the Japanese strength and was repelled, and further attempts were futile. Meanwhile, Corporal Markle’s 29th Marines entered the battle in the east on the 13th to seize the Asato high ground and then moved into position to assault Sugar Loaf. The crest had been reached multiple times by members of the 29th and 22nd Marines, but each was eventually thrown off. On the 16th, Corporal Markle experienced a close call when an enemy artillery shell exploded nearby and almost buried him alive. This caused an upset stomach and frightened him badly, yet he had to bear with it as his battalion was ordered to take Sugar Loaf the next day. Their close flank effort and using a railroad cut failed, but Markle’s Company E used the northeast slopes and eventually reached the top. Immediately, the Japanese struck hard and drove them off the hill. Three times Company E and Corporal Markle fought to the hilltop, and twice they were thrown off after hand to hand combat. The third time they repelled the counterattack but ran out of ammunition in the process and were forced to withdraw after 160 casualties. The hill was taken the following day after roughly 2,000 casualties suffered by the 6th Marine Division in the surrounding area and an additional 1,289 cases of combat fatigue. One of those cases was Corporal Markle on the 19th, who was evacuated to Guam and then shipped back to the United States by June 24th.
As stated by his doctor, Markle “complains of a knot in his stomach before meals, nervousness, insomnia and occasional battle dreams” from his experience on Sugar Loaf, and stated “I’m all mixed up, I would like a discharge but it doesn’t make too much of a difference whether I do or I don’t” when asked about his anxiety. After examination, Markle was deemed fully competent but unfit for duty due to his condition, and was discharged on October 26th, 1945, just a month after Japan unconditionally surrendered, ending WW2. Charles moved to Boonton, NJ and married Dorothy Metz. He also founded Boonton Auto Parts Inc and ran it until his passing on October 11th, 1996.
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