Sergeant Major Roy E Vogel
Roy Ernest Vogel was born on April 10th, 1902 in Stockton, California but his parents and siblings are unknown, along with everything about his early life. However, something about his life changed after his 21st birthday that prompted him to join the Marine Corps on September 11th, 1923. After completing boot camp, Private Vogel went through an additional three months of Sea School before leaving the United States aboard the USS Chaumont on March 27th, 1924 for Guam. Upon his arrival on April 16th, Vogel joined the 41st Company, Marine Barracks, Guam as the post electrician and carried out his duties while awaiting further orders. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the Pacific was where a vast majority of his service was carried out, and he would grow accustomed to the life of a Marine. Private Vogel eventually left Guam on January 23rd, 1925 for the Philippines, where he joined the Marine Detachment, USS Huron the following month, which experienced a slight delay when it ran aground on the 25th. Nevertheless, Private Vogel visited places such as Singapore, Saigon, and China for the next year aboard the USS Huron, gaining a promotion to Private First Class, until returning to the Philippines on February 23rd 1926. The very next day he boarded the USAT Thomas bound for China.
China
Arriving in Peking, China on March 5th, PFC Vogel joined the Marine Detachment, American Legation, Peking, a square compound made up of the West Barracks, a hospital, offices, a tennis court, and much more that surrounded the embassy. Assignment here was highly sought after by Marines due to the luxuries it provided along with the beautiful landscape. PFC Vogel was stationed at the compound’s ice plant almost immediately and qualified as a sharpshooter, rifleman, and pistol expert in July. By the time he left Peking on February 23rd, 1927, Vogel had become a coveted North China Marine, but his service was not over. Chinese Nationalists began attempting to take control of the Yangtze River Valley and attacking foreigners, which eventually led to clashes between those loyal to Chiang Kai Shek and Communists in March. In response, the 4th Marines were ordered to China to protect American property. Vogel transferred to the 32nd Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, CCEF at San Diego and left for the Pacific aboard the SS President Grant on April 17th, stopping in the Philippines briefly before arriving at Shanghai, China on June 13th. However, tensions were high by the time they arrived, and Vogel’s unit was diverted for duty at Tientsin by late July with Smedly Butler’s expeditionary force due to fears of it cutting off Peking. During the transit, Vogel was promoted to Corporal. While at Tientsin, Vogel’s unit was redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment and spent the majority of their time here training for possible civilian rescues, parading, competing, and helping the local populace. Thankfully, the fears of Peking falling were extinguished in the fall of 1927, and Corporal Vogel’s 3rd Brigade returned to the US by May 29th, 1928.
Nicaragua
Vogel enjoyed his time in the Marine Corps and planned on making a career in the military. He reenlisted on June 26th, 1928 and took a few months of leave to visit his family before heading back overseas in September. Corporal Vogel boarded the USS Nitro and sailed for Nicaragua, where rebel leader Augusto Sandino had restarted his revolution which threatened local elections. Vogel joined the Nicaraguan National Guard Detachment at Managua on October 4th, but was detached for cadet duty with the 13th Company, Guardia Nacional, at Rivas. Seven months later, he became the acting 2nd Lieutenant of the 17th Company, GN who helped train the Guard for possible run-ins with bandits after transferring to the 23rd Company, 5th Marine Regiment. His superb work led to a promotion to Sergeant on July 3rd, 1930, shortly before he left the country in October and returned to the United States. While his time in Nicaragua was relatively uneventful due to Sandino taking a year's leave in Mexico, the return of the rebel leader meant Sergeant Vogel was heading right back into the fight.
On April 16th, 1931, he sailed to Managua once again to rejoin his old company and resume command of a Guardia Nacional unit as a 2nd Lieutenant in northern Nicaragua. Unlike his last deployment, he would see plenty of action. On September 19th, Vogel and the GN engaged Sandino’s bandits who launched an attack on Jicarito, killing one, wounding another, and fending off the raid with no casualties. His biggest fight came on April 26th, 1932 when his force of forty five Guardsmen surprised 250 bandits near Ocotal.
“Patrols discovered and attacked what it thought to be Sandino’s camp…Bandits estimated at 250, formed firing line 600 yards in length while the Guardia occupied a well-prepared bandit defense position of rocks and logs about 200 yards away…the bandits had no time to occupy their defense point and retired across a ravine over which the firing took place. Bandits tried to attack from a flank but were driven off…scattered in all directions…across the border into Honduras.”
The surprise attack cost one Guardia wounded, but had killed Florencio Silva, chief of Sandino, and many other bandits. For his superb leadership of the attack, Sergeant Vogel was decorated with the Nicaraguan Cross of Valor by the time he left Nicaragua for good on January 2nd, 1933.
China Part Two
On par with his earlier service, Sergeant Vogel’s stay in the United States was extremely short. The USS Henderson welcomed him aboard on March 2nd, 1933 for China, arriving in Shanghai by the end of April where he joined Company K, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, MCEF on May 1st, later switching to its Headquarters Company as assistant to the battalion athletics officer. The Shanghai International Settlement had just been under high alert when Japanese forces clashed in the city following aggression in Manchuria, but it had died down by the time Vogel arrived. Instead, he enjoyed the luxuries of a China Marine, who were frequently invited to functions in the city, along with competitions that balanced out military activities. It was here that Vogel met his future wife Linbov, a Russian woman residing within the settlement. Besides a nice social life, Sergeant Vogel took on the duties as chief of the battalion’s intelligence section in addition to being the company gas NCO. On August 7th, 1934, he switched to Company M, then to Company D, 1st Battalion in December. This led to temporary duty as the NCO in charge of the armed guard aboard merchant vessels M/V Chi Ta and M/L I’Kiang during January and February of 1935. The rest of his time in China was relatively uneventful, besides a promotion to First Sergeant on February 7th, 1936 and extra courses in reconnaissance activities in the city. Eventually, First Sergeant Vogel boarded the USS Chaumont with his girlfriend Linbov and returned to the United States by June, where he promptly reenlisted and went on furlough to marry her. Once his leave ended, Vogel found a new home with Battery F, 2nd Marine Anti Aircraft Battalion, 2nd Marine Brigade which participated in FLANEX 3 before heading to China in August of 1937.
China Part Three
Fighting had broken out in the city once again as the Chinese resumed their efforts to drive Japanese forces out of Shanghai. First Sergeant Vogel arrived in the city with reinforcements meant to protect the international settlement on September 19th, 1937, but the crisis was nothing that he had experienced during earlier stays in China. The Marines were on continuous alert as Chinese and Japanese bombs fell near the settlement while the buildings around them burned. Patrols frequently found citizens who died of starvation, were ripped to shreds, or simply shot in the street as fighting raged. Finally, Japanese forces defeated the Chinese guerillas by November, and things calmed down drastically. However, it was abundantly clear that Japanese aggression was likely to spill over into the International Settlement in the coming years, but for now, 1st Sergeant Vogel returned to the United States in March of 1938 for a period of peace. In September of 1939, Germany launched their invasion of Poland which eventually led to all out war in Europe that for the moment, did not involve the US. Nevertheless, the military began to prepare for the possibility by increasing training and reinforcing their territories.
China
Arriving in Peking, China on March 5th, PFC Vogel joined the Marine Detachment, American Legation, Peking, a square compound made up of the West Barracks, a hospital, offices, a tennis court, and much more that surrounded the embassy. Assignment here was highly sought after by Marines due to the luxuries it provided along with the beautiful landscape. PFC Vogel was stationed at the compound’s ice plant almost immediately and qualified as a sharpshooter, rifleman, and pistol expert in July. By the time he left Peking on February 23rd, 1927, Vogel had become a coveted North China Marine, but his service was not over. Chinese Nationalists began attempting to take control of the Yangtze River Valley and attacking foreigners, which eventually led to clashes between those loyal to Chiang Kai Shek and Communists in March. In response, the 4th Marines were ordered to China to protect American property. Vogel transferred to the 32nd Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, CCEF at San Diego and left for the Pacific aboard the SS President Grant on April 17th, stopping in the Philippines briefly before arriving at Shanghai, China on June 13th. However, tensions were high by the time they arrived, and Vogel’s unit was diverted for duty at Tientsin by late July with Smedly Butler’s expeditionary force due to fears of it cutting off Peking. During the transit, Vogel was promoted to Corporal. While at Tientsin, Vogel’s unit was redesignated as the 2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment and spent the majority of their time here training for possible civilian rescues, parading, competing, and helping the local populace. Thankfully, the fears of Peking falling were extinguished in the fall of 1927, and Corporal Vogel’s 3rd Brigade returned to the US by May 29th, 1928.
Nicaragua
Vogel enjoyed his time in the Marine Corps and planned on making a career in the military. He reenlisted on June 26th, 1928 and took a few months of leave to visit his family before heading back overseas in September. Corporal Vogel boarded the USS Nitro and sailed for Nicaragua, where rebel leader Augusto Sandino had restarted his revolution which threatened local elections. Vogel joined the Nicaraguan National Guard Detachment at Managua on October 4th, but was detached for cadet duty with the 13th Company, Guardia Nacional, at Rivas. Seven months later, he became the acting 2nd Lieutenant of the 17th Company, GN who helped train the Guard for possible run-ins with bandits after transferring to the 23rd Company, 5th Marine Regiment. His superb work led to a promotion to Sergeant on July 3rd, 1930, shortly before he left the country in October and returned to the United States. While his time in Nicaragua was relatively uneventful due to Sandino taking a year's leave in Mexico, the return of the rebel leader meant Sergeant Vogel was heading right back into the fight.
On April 16th, 1931, he sailed to Managua once again to rejoin his old company and resume command of a Guardia Nacional unit as a 2nd Lieutenant in northern Nicaragua. Unlike his last deployment, he would see plenty of action. On September 19th, Vogel and the GN engaged Sandino’s bandits who launched an attack on Jicarito, killing one, wounding another, and fending off the raid with no casualties. His biggest fight came on April 26th, 1932 when his force of forty five Guardsmen surprised 250 bandits near Ocotal.
“Patrols discovered and attacked what it thought to be Sandino’s camp…Bandits estimated at 250, formed firing line 600 yards in length while the Guardia occupied a well-prepared bandit defense position of rocks and logs about 200 yards away…the bandits had no time to occupy their defense point and retired across a ravine over which the firing took place. Bandits tried to attack from a flank but were driven off…scattered in all directions…across the border into Honduras.”
The surprise attack cost one Guardia wounded, but had killed Florencio Silva, chief of Sandino, and many other bandits. For his superb leadership of the attack, Sergeant Vogel was decorated with the Nicaraguan Cross of Valor by the time he left Nicaragua for good on January 2nd, 1933.
China Part Two
On par with his earlier service, Sergeant Vogel’s stay in the United States was extremely short. The USS Henderson welcomed him aboard on March 2nd, 1933 for China, arriving in Shanghai by the end of April where he joined Company K, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, MCEF on May 1st, later switching to its Headquarters Company as assistant to the battalion athletics officer. The Shanghai International Settlement had just been under high alert when Japanese forces clashed in the city following aggression in Manchuria, but it had died down by the time Vogel arrived. Instead, he enjoyed the luxuries of a China Marine, who were frequently invited to functions in the city, along with competitions that balanced out military activities. It was here that Vogel met his future wife Linbov, a Russian woman residing within the settlement. Besides a nice social life, Sergeant Vogel took on the duties as chief of the battalion’s intelligence section in addition to being the company gas NCO. On August 7th, 1934, he switched to Company M, then to Company D, 1st Battalion in December. This led to temporary duty as the NCO in charge of the armed guard aboard merchant vessels M/V Chi Ta and M/L I’Kiang during January and February of 1935. The rest of his time in China was relatively uneventful, besides a promotion to First Sergeant on February 7th, 1936 and extra courses in reconnaissance activities in the city. Eventually, First Sergeant Vogel boarded the USS Chaumont with his girlfriend Linbov and returned to the United States by June, where he promptly reenlisted and went on furlough to marry her. Once his leave ended, Vogel found a new home with Battery F, 2nd Marine Anti Aircraft Battalion, 2nd Marine Brigade which participated in FLANEX 3 before heading to China in August of 1937.
China Part Three
Fighting had broken out in the city once again as the Chinese resumed their efforts to drive Japanese forces out of Shanghai. First Sergeant Vogel arrived in the city with reinforcements meant to protect the international settlement on September 19th, 1937, but the crisis was nothing that he had experienced during earlier stays in China. The Marines were on continuous alert as Chinese and Japanese bombs fell near the settlement while the buildings around them burned. Patrols frequently found citizens who died of starvation, were ripped to shreds, or simply shot in the street as fighting raged. Finally, Japanese forces defeated the Chinese guerillas by November, and things calmed down drastically. However, it was abundantly clear that Japanese aggression was likely to spill over into the International Settlement in the coming years, but for now, 1st Sergeant Vogel returned to the United States in March of 1938 for a period of peace. In September of 1939, Germany launched their invasion of Poland which eventually led to all out war in Europe that for the moment, did not involve the US. Nevertheless, the military began to prepare for the possibility by increasing training and reinforcing their territories.
Wake Island
Vogel’s unit was redesignated as Battery H, (.50 Cal AA Machine Guns), 1st Defense Battalion in November of 1939 before he transferred to San Diego to await further assignment. Knowing war was on its brink, First Sergeant Vogel reenlisted on June 26th, 1940 and was ready to do his part. In April of 1941, he joined the 5” Artillery Group, 1st Defense Battalion at Pearl Harbor, but received orders to join the unit’s Marine Detachment bound for Wake Island shortly after. Wake Island was a brand new US military base in the Pacific Ocean which required a defense force to occupy, the same force Vogel was now a part of. On August 8th, he boarded the USS Regulus for the voyage there and arrived on the 19th for duty. It was clear that the force of 450 men was not enough to man all their positions, plus they did not arrive with all of their equipment. Unknown to Vogel and the Marines at the time, their new station placed them directly in the path of the Japanese invasion just a few months later. By a stroke of luck, First Sergeant Vogel was sent back to Pearl Harbor to join his old unit, the 5” Artillery Group, on November 30th, 1941 aboard the USS Wright. While steaming back to Pearl Harbor during the night of December 6th-7th, the crew spotted an aircraft carrier that overtook it as it sailed towards Hawaii. What they had just witnessed was one of the Japanese aircraft carriers that, just a few hours later, helped launch the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor which forced the United States into World War Two. Arriving at the base the following day, they were greeted with the destruction of the US Navy and the floating bodies of those who paid the ultimate price during the battle. Wake Island was attacked the same day and fell to the Japanese on December 20th. By just one sudden, well timed transfer, Vogel escaped capture on Wake and avoided death at Pearl Harbor. |
Back to the Pacific
With the country now at war, First Sergeant Vogel traveled to Johnston Island, an isolated atoll used as a refueling base for planes, with Machine Gun Group, Marine Defense Force on January 8th, 1942. The island experienced minor shelling by Japanese submarines prior to his arrival, but much to his dismay, nothing eventful happened during his long stay there, besides a promotion to Sergeant Major. “In the 28 months, I did not hear a shot fired in action under the American Flag,” stated Vogel begrudgingly upon his return to the states in June of 1943. And it would be much longer until he did. At the training center in Camp Elliott, Sergeant Major Vogel became an instructor for new marine recruits along with being in charge of company personnel. In December, he was detached to the 35th Replacement Battalion’s Administrative Group 1 which left aboard the USS Rochambeau on January 1st, 1944 to shuttle Marine replacements to Guadalcanal. Vogel made one more trip to Guadalcanal with the 54th Replacement Draft from May to September before he finally got his wish for action.
Iwo Jima
On October 30th, 1944, Sergeant Major Vogel was assigned to the 24th Replacement Draft upon its activation, and traveled to Kahului, Hawaii where the unit fell under command of the 4th Marine Division. The draft was created in anticipation of casualties sustained during the upcoming Iwo Jima invasion, removing the extended wait of reinforcements by simply having them offshore already. The mainly green personnel of the draft began training immediately and left on the USS Logan on December 29th for landing exercises. After brief stops at Eniwetok and Saipan, the 24th Replacement Draft arrived at Iwo Jima on February 19th, 1945. Once the landings began, it was extremely clear that reinforcements were needed almost immediately. The assault troops suffered immense casualties attempting to advance past the beach, and the situation grew worse as the battle raged during the coming days. Sergeant Major Vogel landed with his unit on the 24th and helped piece out badly needed replacements to the 23rd Marine Regiment, later becoming temporarily attached to the Provisional Battalion, 4th Marine Division on March 9th to 11th. This new unit made up of men from the division support group mopped up the division’s rear areas and swept the ground behind the front line for enemy stragglers until disbandment on the 12th. Vogel finally left Iwo Jima on March 18th on the USS Sevier and landed at Kahului in mid April for a brief period of rest before shipping out to Tinian to join the Light AA Group, 17th AAA Battalion preparing for the invasion of Japan. To the relief of all, Japan announced their unconditional surrender in September, ending World War Two for good. Sergeant Major Vogel returned to the United States for the last time to join the 11th Reserve District and later was discharged in 1947 with the rank of Master Sergeant. This marked the end of Roy’s twenty four year career in the Marine Corps as he settled in California with his wife. He sadly passed away on October 14th, 1976 in San Diego.
With the country now at war, First Sergeant Vogel traveled to Johnston Island, an isolated atoll used as a refueling base for planes, with Machine Gun Group, Marine Defense Force on January 8th, 1942. The island experienced minor shelling by Japanese submarines prior to his arrival, but much to his dismay, nothing eventful happened during his long stay there, besides a promotion to Sergeant Major. “In the 28 months, I did not hear a shot fired in action under the American Flag,” stated Vogel begrudgingly upon his return to the states in June of 1943. And it would be much longer until he did. At the training center in Camp Elliott, Sergeant Major Vogel became an instructor for new marine recruits along with being in charge of company personnel. In December, he was detached to the 35th Replacement Battalion’s Administrative Group 1 which left aboard the USS Rochambeau on January 1st, 1944 to shuttle Marine replacements to Guadalcanal. Vogel made one more trip to Guadalcanal with the 54th Replacement Draft from May to September before he finally got his wish for action.
Iwo Jima
On October 30th, 1944, Sergeant Major Vogel was assigned to the 24th Replacement Draft upon its activation, and traveled to Kahului, Hawaii where the unit fell under command of the 4th Marine Division. The draft was created in anticipation of casualties sustained during the upcoming Iwo Jima invasion, removing the extended wait of reinforcements by simply having them offshore already. The mainly green personnel of the draft began training immediately and left on the USS Logan on December 29th for landing exercises. After brief stops at Eniwetok and Saipan, the 24th Replacement Draft arrived at Iwo Jima on February 19th, 1945. Once the landings began, it was extremely clear that reinforcements were needed almost immediately. The assault troops suffered immense casualties attempting to advance past the beach, and the situation grew worse as the battle raged during the coming days. Sergeant Major Vogel landed with his unit on the 24th and helped piece out badly needed replacements to the 23rd Marine Regiment, later becoming temporarily attached to the Provisional Battalion, 4th Marine Division on March 9th to 11th. This new unit made up of men from the division support group mopped up the division’s rear areas and swept the ground behind the front line for enemy stragglers until disbandment on the 12th. Vogel finally left Iwo Jima on March 18th on the USS Sevier and landed at Kahului in mid April for a brief period of rest before shipping out to Tinian to join the Light AA Group, 17th AAA Battalion preparing for the invasion of Japan. To the relief of all, Japan announced their unconditional surrender in September, ending World War Two for good. Sergeant Major Vogel returned to the United States for the last time to join the 11th Reserve District and later was discharged in 1947 with the rank of Master Sergeant. This marked the end of Roy’s twenty four year career in the Marine Corps as he settled in California with his wife. He sadly passed away on October 14th, 1976 in San Diego.