Sergeant Merle M Redding
Merle Marvin Redding was born on November 3rd, 1920 in Burt County, Nebraska to Lydia Knapp and Glen Redding. Merle completed Decatur high school like the rest of his six siblings, but instead of going to college, he enrolled in the Civilian Conservation Corps in January of 1939 along with three other friends. With World War Two breaking out abroad, the Federal Security Agency took over the CCC and began shifting its focus to national defense in addition to forest protection. So for the next two years, Merle helped build military training facilities and structures while also learning skills such as craftsmanship, all of which transformed him into an experienced, physically fit man. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, these skills became even more valuable. Wasting no time to the call to arms, Merle enlisted in the Marine Corps six days later and breezed through basic training in San Diego. Private Redding then completed field telephone school by March 6th, 1942 and transferred to his first assignment, Company A, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division the very next day. As part of the unit’s communication section, he was regularly attached to other units of the division as a telephone man, such as the 2nd Marines in April. His next assignment would see him deployed to the Pacific for the assault on Guadalcanal.
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Guadalcanal
In mid July, Private Redding shipped off with Headquarters and Service Battery, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines, accompanied by other elements of the 2nd Marine Division and the 1st Marine Division, and began the nerve racking trip to face the feared Japanese Army. Once they arrived on August 7th, naval gunfire began their preliminary bombardment of the island as the assault forces loaded into landing craft and began making their way to the beaches. While the Marines encountered little resistance on Guadalcanal, the landings at the neighboring island of Tulagi encountered stiff resistance when they began pushing inland. Private Redding and H&S Battery, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines were not committed however, and remained aboard their ship to coordinate the Marines until the 9th, when they sailed to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides to reinforce the garrison there. Redding rejoined Company A, 2nd Pioneers upon arriving on the 17th, but his time in the Solomon Islands was not yet over. On October 7th, he left aboard the USS Fuller and arrived back at Tulagi on the 9th, which had become a rest camp and a point of departure for patrols on the island of Florida, and for marines reinforcing positions on Guadalcanal which was still locked in bitter fighting. Redding received a promotion to Private First Class on the 25th, and two days later was sent to Gavutu islet for temporary duty in connection with communications with the Marine units locked in combat. As months went by with more and more Japanese soldiers falling from combat, disease, and malnutrition, the Japanese began withdrawing from the island by late December and Marine units began mop up operations. Guadalcanal fell into allied hands shortly after.
PFC Redding finally left Tulagi on January 31st, 1943, and during transit to Camp Judgeford, New Zealand, his unit was redesignated to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 18th Marines (Engineer). While at the Camp, the 2nd Marine Division enjoyed the company of locals before continuing a rigorous training schedule for their next invasion. Redding was promoted to Corporal on March 17th, but a month later was reduced back to PFC for disorderly conduct. Soon, he was temporarily assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines as a telephone man and left New Zealand aboard the USS Harry Lee on October 17th for the invasion of Tarawa. The Marines’ previous landings had all been relatively unopposed, and they hoped this assault would be no different. It was not to be.
Tarawa
In the early morning hours of November 20th, PFC Redding and the invasion force had taken their assigned stations, and ships began pounding away at enemy defenses before the first wave of attackers assaulted the beaches at 9:10 AM. Immediately, enemy fire decimated the advancing Marines, causing an upward of 50% casualties amongst most of the units. As the situation continued to deteriorate, Colonel Shoup ordered his reserve unit, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, to land at Red Beach 2 at 9:58 AM. PFC Redding loaded into LVTs with his attached unit and began landing at 11:00 AM. They did not fare any better. Enemy fire forced a portion to veer off and land at Red 1, while the rest hit Red 2 after suffering immense casualties. The beachhead was chaotic; Marine units were unable to advance further into the island due to a lack of manpower and murderous Japanese fire. As a telephone man, PFC Redding assisted his unit in communicating with those nearby and to command, but the responses were the same, if any came at all. By nightfall, the Marines clung to the beach and set up defenses. If the enemy counterattacked, they would be driven into the sea and slaughtered. It was an immense relief to PFC Redding and the Marines when this attack never materialized, and in the morning they got back to work.
After reinforcements from the 8th Marines, the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines were ordered to drive across the airfield towards the south, and by the afternoon had occupied the abandoned enemy positions along the south shore. The remainder of the battalion moved to reinforce units south of the airstrip, but broken telephone lines from continuous shelling prevented them from contacting other units. Instead, they consolidated their positions and prepared for the attack on the 22nd. In the morning, elements of the 6th and 8th Marines fought to PFC Redding’s positions with orders to pass through and continue advancing. The 6th Marines were counterattacked twice shortly after but suppressed it quickly. The last enemy counterattack occurred at 4:00 PM that saw similar results. Thankfully, no enemy troops broke through towards the 2nd Marines, and the Marines once again settled in for the night. November 23rd saw an all out attack by the division to wipe the remaining Japanese resistance from the island. After 3 days of particularly bloody combat that took the lives of over 1,000 Marines, Tarawa was declared secure at 2:30 PM. PFC Redding’s temporary assignment had placed him in one of the most deadly assaults of the war, and it was miraculous that he had emerged unscathed. He remained on the island until the 27th as final mop up operations came to a close, and boarded the USS Feland for transport to Camp Tarawa, Hawaii where he rejoined his unit in December.
As the 2nd Marine Division rested, they were joined by replacements to bolster their strength back to normal before resuming training. Redding was promoted to Corporal on January 1st, 1944 and this time, he kept his rank. In March, he transferred to his unit’s Headquarters Company and once again accompanied the 2nd and 8th Marines in amphibious training operations in Hawaiian waters for most of the month. This would be in preparation for the division's next assault on the islands of Saipan and Tinian.
Saipan
On May 7th, Corporal Redding boarded the USS Clay with HQ Co, 2nd Battalion, 18th Marines and began the journey towards the Mariana Islands. As allied naval ships and planes bombarded the island of Saipan on June 15th, the USS Clay participated in a feint demonstration off Tanapag Harbor in support of the real invasion forces. By remaining in the area and sending empty landing craft near the shore, they effectively contained at least one Japanese regiment from reinforcing other units while Marines landed elsewhere. Still, enemy fire was constant and deadly, but most units managed to begin pushing inland. By the afternoon, most of the men aboard the USS Clay landed on Red 2 to reinforce the 6th Marines, but Corporal Redding and the 18th Marines remained offshore to await orders. They finally landed a few days later and immediately began offering their services as part of the shore party. Many 18th Marine members were stationed around supply dumps for protection if another Japanese counterattack occurred after the events of June 21st-22nd. As the Marines fought across the island and sustained casualties, elements of the 18th Marines became a reserve force in addition to engineering duties and followed the 2nd Marine Division as they pushed towards Garapan and Tanapag, the former being seized on July 4th. Thankfully for Corporal Redding, his unit did not see much combat on the island by the time it was officially declared secure on the 9th. However, they remained on the island until the 21st, during which he was promoted to Sergeant and boarded the USS Bell for the invasion of Tinian, a smaller island between Saipan and Guam.
Tinian
The 18th Marines took part in another diversionary operation at the southern end of Tinian on July 24, successfully tricking the Japanese that they had thwarted an invasion. Instead, the real landing force hit the beaches on the northern end with little resistance. Sergeant Redding and his Headquarters Company made landfall at 8:00 AM two days later and since there was no need for another shore party, moved to an assembly area to await orders. These orders ended up being to work in the division supply dumps to facilitate materials to the combat troops, and when Ushi Point Airfield became operable, took on the role of unloading planes. Redding worked in this capacity until the island was declared secure on August 1st.
Home
With four campaigns under his belt, Sergeant Redding finally transferred out of his unit and began the long journey back to the states. After seeing his family on furlough, he reported to the 3rd School Company, Field Signal Battalion at Camp Pendleton on October 17th to undergo further training, and upon completion, was sent to Camp Lejeune to complete a telephone electricians course for five months. By that time, it was April of 1945 and due to his new courses, the Marine Corps decided to send him to Headquarters and Service Squadron, 1st Marine Air Warning Group in Cherry Point, North Carolina as a radio technician. Cherry Point was where he learned of the Japanese surrender on September 2nd, officially ending WW2 and any chances of Redding returning to combat in the Pacific, a huge relief to all and means for celebration. Sergeant Redding was honorably discharged from the Marines on December 12th, 1945 upon the end of his four year enlistment and returned to his home in Decatur, Nebraska. Here he would marry Joyce Mathes in 1947 and use his skills learned in WW2 to get a job with Contel Telephone Company as an outside plant engineer. His family moved to Knoxville, Iowa in 1971, where he joined the First United Methodist Church and the Chariton American Legion. Sadly, Merle passed away after a long battle with lung cancer on October 7th, 1997, leaving behind his wife and three daughters. He is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Knoxville.
In mid July, Private Redding shipped off with Headquarters and Service Battery, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines, accompanied by other elements of the 2nd Marine Division and the 1st Marine Division, and began the nerve racking trip to face the feared Japanese Army. Once they arrived on August 7th, naval gunfire began their preliminary bombardment of the island as the assault forces loaded into landing craft and began making their way to the beaches. While the Marines encountered little resistance on Guadalcanal, the landings at the neighboring island of Tulagi encountered stiff resistance when they began pushing inland. Private Redding and H&S Battery, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines were not committed however, and remained aboard their ship to coordinate the Marines until the 9th, when they sailed to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides to reinforce the garrison there. Redding rejoined Company A, 2nd Pioneers upon arriving on the 17th, but his time in the Solomon Islands was not yet over. On October 7th, he left aboard the USS Fuller and arrived back at Tulagi on the 9th, which had become a rest camp and a point of departure for patrols on the island of Florida, and for marines reinforcing positions on Guadalcanal which was still locked in bitter fighting. Redding received a promotion to Private First Class on the 25th, and two days later was sent to Gavutu islet for temporary duty in connection with communications with the Marine units locked in combat. As months went by with more and more Japanese soldiers falling from combat, disease, and malnutrition, the Japanese began withdrawing from the island by late December and Marine units began mop up operations. Guadalcanal fell into allied hands shortly after.
PFC Redding finally left Tulagi on January 31st, 1943, and during transit to Camp Judgeford, New Zealand, his unit was redesignated to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 18th Marines (Engineer). While at the Camp, the 2nd Marine Division enjoyed the company of locals before continuing a rigorous training schedule for their next invasion. Redding was promoted to Corporal on March 17th, but a month later was reduced back to PFC for disorderly conduct. Soon, he was temporarily assigned to 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines as a telephone man and left New Zealand aboard the USS Harry Lee on October 17th for the invasion of Tarawa. The Marines’ previous landings had all been relatively unopposed, and they hoped this assault would be no different. It was not to be.
Tarawa
In the early morning hours of November 20th, PFC Redding and the invasion force had taken their assigned stations, and ships began pounding away at enemy defenses before the first wave of attackers assaulted the beaches at 9:10 AM. Immediately, enemy fire decimated the advancing Marines, causing an upward of 50% casualties amongst most of the units. As the situation continued to deteriorate, Colonel Shoup ordered his reserve unit, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, to land at Red Beach 2 at 9:58 AM. PFC Redding loaded into LVTs with his attached unit and began landing at 11:00 AM. They did not fare any better. Enemy fire forced a portion to veer off and land at Red 1, while the rest hit Red 2 after suffering immense casualties. The beachhead was chaotic; Marine units were unable to advance further into the island due to a lack of manpower and murderous Japanese fire. As a telephone man, PFC Redding assisted his unit in communicating with those nearby and to command, but the responses were the same, if any came at all. By nightfall, the Marines clung to the beach and set up defenses. If the enemy counterattacked, they would be driven into the sea and slaughtered. It was an immense relief to PFC Redding and the Marines when this attack never materialized, and in the morning they got back to work.
After reinforcements from the 8th Marines, the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines were ordered to drive across the airfield towards the south, and by the afternoon had occupied the abandoned enemy positions along the south shore. The remainder of the battalion moved to reinforce units south of the airstrip, but broken telephone lines from continuous shelling prevented them from contacting other units. Instead, they consolidated their positions and prepared for the attack on the 22nd. In the morning, elements of the 6th and 8th Marines fought to PFC Redding’s positions with orders to pass through and continue advancing. The 6th Marines were counterattacked twice shortly after but suppressed it quickly. The last enemy counterattack occurred at 4:00 PM that saw similar results. Thankfully, no enemy troops broke through towards the 2nd Marines, and the Marines once again settled in for the night. November 23rd saw an all out attack by the division to wipe the remaining Japanese resistance from the island. After 3 days of particularly bloody combat that took the lives of over 1,000 Marines, Tarawa was declared secure at 2:30 PM. PFC Redding’s temporary assignment had placed him in one of the most deadly assaults of the war, and it was miraculous that he had emerged unscathed. He remained on the island until the 27th as final mop up operations came to a close, and boarded the USS Feland for transport to Camp Tarawa, Hawaii where he rejoined his unit in December.
As the 2nd Marine Division rested, they were joined by replacements to bolster their strength back to normal before resuming training. Redding was promoted to Corporal on January 1st, 1944 and this time, he kept his rank. In March, he transferred to his unit’s Headquarters Company and once again accompanied the 2nd and 8th Marines in amphibious training operations in Hawaiian waters for most of the month. This would be in preparation for the division's next assault on the islands of Saipan and Tinian.
Saipan
On May 7th, Corporal Redding boarded the USS Clay with HQ Co, 2nd Battalion, 18th Marines and began the journey towards the Mariana Islands. As allied naval ships and planes bombarded the island of Saipan on June 15th, the USS Clay participated in a feint demonstration off Tanapag Harbor in support of the real invasion forces. By remaining in the area and sending empty landing craft near the shore, they effectively contained at least one Japanese regiment from reinforcing other units while Marines landed elsewhere. Still, enemy fire was constant and deadly, but most units managed to begin pushing inland. By the afternoon, most of the men aboard the USS Clay landed on Red 2 to reinforce the 6th Marines, but Corporal Redding and the 18th Marines remained offshore to await orders. They finally landed a few days later and immediately began offering their services as part of the shore party. Many 18th Marine members were stationed around supply dumps for protection if another Japanese counterattack occurred after the events of June 21st-22nd. As the Marines fought across the island and sustained casualties, elements of the 18th Marines became a reserve force in addition to engineering duties and followed the 2nd Marine Division as they pushed towards Garapan and Tanapag, the former being seized on July 4th. Thankfully for Corporal Redding, his unit did not see much combat on the island by the time it was officially declared secure on the 9th. However, they remained on the island until the 21st, during which he was promoted to Sergeant and boarded the USS Bell for the invasion of Tinian, a smaller island between Saipan and Guam.
Tinian
The 18th Marines took part in another diversionary operation at the southern end of Tinian on July 24, successfully tricking the Japanese that they had thwarted an invasion. Instead, the real landing force hit the beaches on the northern end with little resistance. Sergeant Redding and his Headquarters Company made landfall at 8:00 AM two days later and since there was no need for another shore party, moved to an assembly area to await orders. These orders ended up being to work in the division supply dumps to facilitate materials to the combat troops, and when Ushi Point Airfield became operable, took on the role of unloading planes. Redding worked in this capacity until the island was declared secure on August 1st.
Home
With four campaigns under his belt, Sergeant Redding finally transferred out of his unit and began the long journey back to the states. After seeing his family on furlough, he reported to the 3rd School Company, Field Signal Battalion at Camp Pendleton on October 17th to undergo further training, and upon completion, was sent to Camp Lejeune to complete a telephone electricians course for five months. By that time, it was April of 1945 and due to his new courses, the Marine Corps decided to send him to Headquarters and Service Squadron, 1st Marine Air Warning Group in Cherry Point, North Carolina as a radio technician. Cherry Point was where he learned of the Japanese surrender on September 2nd, officially ending WW2 and any chances of Redding returning to combat in the Pacific, a huge relief to all and means for celebration. Sergeant Redding was honorably discharged from the Marines on December 12th, 1945 upon the end of his four year enlistment and returned to his home in Decatur, Nebraska. Here he would marry Joyce Mathes in 1947 and use his skills learned in WW2 to get a job with Contel Telephone Company as an outside plant engineer. His family moved to Knoxville, Iowa in 1971, where he joined the First United Methodist Church and the Chariton American Legion. Sadly, Merle passed away after a long battle with lung cancer on October 7th, 1997, leaving behind his wife and three daughters. He is buried at Graceland Cemetery in Knoxville.