Master Technical Sergeant Edward Casaly Jr
Edward Joseph Casaly Jr was born on October 1st, 1912 in Louisiana to Noemie Trege and Edward Casaly Sr. He attended local schools while simultaneously working at an oil refinery, but eventually decided it was not enough. On March 31st, 1938, Edward enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and was placed on active duty by June of the same year. For the next year, he attended regular drills in Quantico, Virginia and Pensacola, Florida before the increasing possibility of the United States getting involved in World War Two led to his transfer to the Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas on March 8th, 1941. It was here where Casaly received the news that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th and that the United States was now at war. Although he was eager to get into the fight, it took another seventeen months before he transferred to Company F, 20th Marines (Engineers), 4th Marine Division at Camp Lejeune. By that time Casaly was a Mess Sergeant, but shortly after arriving he gained another promotion to Staff Sergeant in July. During this period, he was granted leave to marry Lottie Gray. The following months were filled with training, organization, and field exercises in preparation for deployment to the Pacific. Finally, on January 11th, 1944, Staff Sergeant Casaly left California aboard the USS La Salle for the invasion of Roi Namur, part of the Kwajalein campaign.
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Roi Namur
The 20th Marines arrived offshore of Roi on the 31st, while the division’s artillery sections had already seized the surrounding small islands in preparation to lend support to the assault landings. The very next morning, the main assault began. The Marine infantry climbed aboard LVTs, but rough waves, wind, and other difficulties forced H Hour to be delayed later and later into the day. At around 11:00 AM, the LVTs were finally cleared for landing and hit the beaches at 11:57 AM. The beaches were very lightly defended and the Marines moved inland with ease, reaching the northeast corner of Roi by 2:38 PM. Staff Sergeant Casaly’s 20th Engineers landed later in the day and immediately set to work repairing the island’s crucial airfield after it was damaged while rooting out Japanese defenders intricately camouflaged along the runway. It was back up and running on February 2nd, the same day that Roi Namur was declared fully secure. The engineers carried out other duties on the island, such as burying thousands of Japanese dead, until leaving on the 14th and arriving at Maui, Hawaii on March 6th. Casaly’s first taste of Pacific combat happened to be a quick one, but his next invasion would not let the Marines off so easily.
Saipan
In late May of 1944, Casaly, now a Technical Sergeant, left Hawaii for the voyage to their next objective: Saipan. The island had been constantly bombarded and strafed for days leading up to the attack, so when Casaly and the Marine arrived offshore before dawn on June 15th, they prayed the landings would go smoothly. At 8:12 AM, the first waves of marines steamed towards their beaches on LVTs and upon landing, were immediately met with intense artillery and small arms fire. The 4th Marine Division fared better than its counterparts and were able to ignore their casualties and land over 8,000 troops in just 20 minutes. Technical Sergeant Casaly’s 20th Engineers landed shortly after the beaches were relatively secure and immediately assigned his 2nd Battalion as shore party for beaches Blue 1 and 2. Sporadic artillery fire landing on the beaches hindered the 20th Marines from landing heavy machinery and large cargo, but they managed to transport much needed ammunition and lighter supplies to the Marine infantry as they pushed into Saipan. This issue was resolved after the destruction of enemy artillery positions on the 17th, but as the campaign drew on, a new issue arose; transporting supplies to the ever increasing front line. This problem continued throughout the campaign, but determined work by Technical Sergeant Casaly and the shore party ensured that the Marines fighting across Saipan rarely were short of supplies. After a long and bloody battle, Saipan was declared secure on July 9th, but the 20th Marines’ were not done yet. The next weeks were used to prepare for the assault on the neighboring island of Tinian.
Tinian
The 4th Marine Division arrived offshore Tinian during the night of July 23rd and the following morning, landed the assault forces at the White Beaches by 7:50 AM. While the initial contact with the Japanese defenders was vicious, it was a far cry from what had been experienced on Saipan, and the Marines quickly moved inland. Technical Sergeant Casaly’s 20th Marines were once again assigned to the shore party, with his battalion on the newly cleared White Beach 2. LVT ramps and pontoon bridges meant to expedite the unloading of supplies needed to be installed quickly, but the Japanese had other plans. White 1 was completed by the following morning, but deadly accurate artillery fire caused a large number of casualties amongst the construction and engineers on Casaly’s White 2, postponed its completion until the 27th. Regardless, the shore party were able to continue the flow of combat supplies from the unusually small beach without clogging or interruption for the entire campaign, which ended on August 1st shortly after the capture of Tinian Town. Casaly left the island on August 10th aboard the USS Typhoon and returned to Maui by the 25th.
Iwo Jima
September of 1944 brought about a series of changes. Firstly, the 2nd Battalion, 20th Marines was redesignated as the 4th Pioneer Battalion, with Casaly now in its Company C. Secondly, he was promoted to Master Technical Sergeant on the 18th, and the division as a whole resumed training and preparations for what would be their bloodiest battle yet, Iwo Jima. Casaly left Hawaii on January 27th, 1945 and after a brief stop at Eniwetok and Sapian, converged with the invasion force on February 19th. The island was bombarded for days prior to the assault, which began at 8:30 AM when the fist waves began their drive to the beaches. Resistance was initially very light, but it was all part of the Japanese’s plan. Once the beaches were clogged with Marine personnel, the island erupted with artillery and machine gun fire, inflicting heavy casualties on the men present. MTSgt Casaly’s Company C, 4th Pioneers was attached to 3/25 and landed at Blue Beach 2 during the 8th wave and began difficult shore party duties while under fire. Without heavy machinery and trucks, all they could do was stack the supplies on the beach and hand deliver them to units struggling to fight across the island. The situation fared slightly better during the coming days as pressure on the beaches shifted while Marines took the fight farther inland, and the shore party worked tirelessly to keep these units well supplied against the onslaught of enemy emplacements. Eighteen days later, MTSgt Casaly’s unit was relieved by an Army shore party, and shortly after a period of rest, the 4th Pioneer Company left the horrors of Iwo Jima on March 20th to return to Hawaii. This marked the end of Casaly’s long service in the Pacific, and he was honorably discharged on November 17th, 1945
Edward returned to his wife in New Orleans, Louisiana and regained a job as a welder at Pan American Petrol for a few years, until using his Marine Corps experience to become a guard at Louisiana State University. Edward sadly passed away on February 12th, 1982 in New Orleans and is buried at the Jefferson Parish Cemetery near his father.
The 20th Marines arrived offshore of Roi on the 31st, while the division’s artillery sections had already seized the surrounding small islands in preparation to lend support to the assault landings. The very next morning, the main assault began. The Marine infantry climbed aboard LVTs, but rough waves, wind, and other difficulties forced H Hour to be delayed later and later into the day. At around 11:00 AM, the LVTs were finally cleared for landing and hit the beaches at 11:57 AM. The beaches were very lightly defended and the Marines moved inland with ease, reaching the northeast corner of Roi by 2:38 PM. Staff Sergeant Casaly’s 20th Engineers landed later in the day and immediately set to work repairing the island’s crucial airfield after it was damaged while rooting out Japanese defenders intricately camouflaged along the runway. It was back up and running on February 2nd, the same day that Roi Namur was declared fully secure. The engineers carried out other duties on the island, such as burying thousands of Japanese dead, until leaving on the 14th and arriving at Maui, Hawaii on March 6th. Casaly’s first taste of Pacific combat happened to be a quick one, but his next invasion would not let the Marines off so easily.
Saipan
In late May of 1944, Casaly, now a Technical Sergeant, left Hawaii for the voyage to their next objective: Saipan. The island had been constantly bombarded and strafed for days leading up to the attack, so when Casaly and the Marine arrived offshore before dawn on June 15th, they prayed the landings would go smoothly. At 8:12 AM, the first waves of marines steamed towards their beaches on LVTs and upon landing, were immediately met with intense artillery and small arms fire. The 4th Marine Division fared better than its counterparts and were able to ignore their casualties and land over 8,000 troops in just 20 minutes. Technical Sergeant Casaly’s 20th Engineers landed shortly after the beaches were relatively secure and immediately assigned his 2nd Battalion as shore party for beaches Blue 1 and 2. Sporadic artillery fire landing on the beaches hindered the 20th Marines from landing heavy machinery and large cargo, but they managed to transport much needed ammunition and lighter supplies to the Marine infantry as they pushed into Saipan. This issue was resolved after the destruction of enemy artillery positions on the 17th, but as the campaign drew on, a new issue arose; transporting supplies to the ever increasing front line. This problem continued throughout the campaign, but determined work by Technical Sergeant Casaly and the shore party ensured that the Marines fighting across Saipan rarely were short of supplies. After a long and bloody battle, Saipan was declared secure on July 9th, but the 20th Marines’ were not done yet. The next weeks were used to prepare for the assault on the neighboring island of Tinian.
Tinian
The 4th Marine Division arrived offshore Tinian during the night of July 23rd and the following morning, landed the assault forces at the White Beaches by 7:50 AM. While the initial contact with the Japanese defenders was vicious, it was a far cry from what had been experienced on Saipan, and the Marines quickly moved inland. Technical Sergeant Casaly’s 20th Marines were once again assigned to the shore party, with his battalion on the newly cleared White Beach 2. LVT ramps and pontoon bridges meant to expedite the unloading of supplies needed to be installed quickly, but the Japanese had other plans. White 1 was completed by the following morning, but deadly accurate artillery fire caused a large number of casualties amongst the construction and engineers on Casaly’s White 2, postponed its completion until the 27th. Regardless, the shore party were able to continue the flow of combat supplies from the unusually small beach without clogging or interruption for the entire campaign, which ended on August 1st shortly after the capture of Tinian Town. Casaly left the island on August 10th aboard the USS Typhoon and returned to Maui by the 25th.
Iwo Jima
September of 1944 brought about a series of changes. Firstly, the 2nd Battalion, 20th Marines was redesignated as the 4th Pioneer Battalion, with Casaly now in its Company C. Secondly, he was promoted to Master Technical Sergeant on the 18th, and the division as a whole resumed training and preparations for what would be their bloodiest battle yet, Iwo Jima. Casaly left Hawaii on January 27th, 1945 and after a brief stop at Eniwetok and Sapian, converged with the invasion force on February 19th. The island was bombarded for days prior to the assault, which began at 8:30 AM when the fist waves began their drive to the beaches. Resistance was initially very light, but it was all part of the Japanese’s plan. Once the beaches were clogged with Marine personnel, the island erupted with artillery and machine gun fire, inflicting heavy casualties on the men present. MTSgt Casaly’s Company C, 4th Pioneers was attached to 3/25 and landed at Blue Beach 2 during the 8th wave and began difficult shore party duties while under fire. Without heavy machinery and trucks, all they could do was stack the supplies on the beach and hand deliver them to units struggling to fight across the island. The situation fared slightly better during the coming days as pressure on the beaches shifted while Marines took the fight farther inland, and the shore party worked tirelessly to keep these units well supplied against the onslaught of enemy emplacements. Eighteen days later, MTSgt Casaly’s unit was relieved by an Army shore party, and shortly after a period of rest, the 4th Pioneer Company left the horrors of Iwo Jima on March 20th to return to Hawaii. This marked the end of Casaly’s long service in the Pacific, and he was honorably discharged on November 17th, 1945
Edward returned to his wife in New Orleans, Louisiana and regained a job as a welder at Pan American Petrol for a few years, until using his Marine Corps experience to become a guard at Louisiana State University. Edward sadly passed away on February 12th, 1982 in New Orleans and is buried at the Jefferson Parish Cemetery near his father.