Sergeant Patrick E Gallagher
Patrick Elroy Gallagher was born on October 24th, 1915 in Cleveland, Ohio to Irish immigrants Annie Cafferty and Patrick J Gallagher, their fifth child. After completing high school, Patrick found a job as a policeman and later worked in the Cleveland City Hall as tensions in the United States slowly grew due to the Second World War raging abroad. In 1941 it finally boiled over with Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor naval base and the US declared war. Although Patrick was exempt from the draft because of his government worker status, he quit and immediately joined the Marines on January 2nd, 1942 and completed boot camp. Instead of the normal infantry class, Private Gallagher was assigned to the Marine Detachment on the new USS Alabama battleship on August 11th and gained a promotion to Private First Class the following year.
USS Alabama
For the next few months and into the following year, the USS Alabama was busy training for her eventual deployment. Finally on April 2nd, she left for Britain and joined the Royal Navy Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, Scotland on May 19th, 1943. PFC Gallagher’s ship was organized into Task Force 61 and traveled to Iceland for a brief period to await orders. Later in the month, the USS Alabama covered the landings of Allied troops on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen for Operation Gearbox, and then retired to Scapa flow. Gallagher was promoted to Corporal on July 1st, just prior to the USS Alabama redeploying to Iceland by the 12th and participating on Operation Governor, aimed to divert German attention to southern Norway while the Allies prepared for the invasion of Sicily. After remaining in these waters for three months, the USS Alabama began her return to the US on August 1st and arrived in Virginia for overhaul on the 10th.
To the Pacific
On August 20th, Corporal Gallagher and the USS Alabama finished resupplying and deployed to the Pacific, arriving at Havannah Harbor, New Hebrides on September 15th, and the following month moved to the Fiji Islands in preparation for the Gilbert Islands campaign. With the landings growing closer, she departed with Task Group 50.4 on November 11th for the Gilberts. She escorted aircraft carriers as they launched attacks on nearby islands in the Marshalls that could potentially interfere with the landings, and then steamed towards Tarawa. Arriving on November 20th, she participated in the softening up of the island before the landings with her 16 inch guns and anti aircraft fire support for the fleet carriers. When her job was done, Corporal Gallagher and the USS Alabama sailed to the nearby Makin Atoll and provided gunfire support to the allied landing there on the same day until it was secure. Eventually, the Task Force began moving again and on the night of December 26th, the USS Alabama helped repulse Japanese aircraft that engaged the fleet as they traveled to their next target. Nauru Island was a small, lightly defended speck in the Pacific, yet on December 8th, Gallagher’s and five other battleships pummeled its entirety for forty minutes and then returned to New Hebrides on the 14th. With the dawn of a new year, the USS Alabama left the Pacific for Pearl Harbor on January 5th, 1944 and arrived on the 12th. This marked the end of Corporal Gallagher’s time aboard the ship as he transferred to a San Diego casual company the very next day. Another month passed until he joined the brand new Regimental Weapons Company, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton on March 6th.
Iwo Jima
Switching to an infantry unit after being at sea for nearly a year was apparently not that difficult for Gallagher, and he was trained as an anti tank crewman quickly and gained a promotion to Sergeant a few months later. The regiment eventually moved to Camp Hilo, Hawaii and started their training for the Battle of Iwo Jima. On January 4th, 1945, Sergeant Gallagher was temporarily assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines for the invasion and boarded the USS Darke for the long journey ahead. After a month of travel, rehearsals, and training, the USS Darke arrived offshore of Iwo Jima on February 19th as battleships and aerial attacks pummeled the island in preparation for the invasion. The 26th Marines, less 1st Battalion, were designated as the reserve force for the assault which hit the beach at 9:02 AM. The Marines took heavy casualties almost immediately upon landing, necessitating Sergeant Gallagher’s regiment to land at 5:32 PM. They quickly moved to defensive positions near Airfield Number 1 but so far had escaped the brutality of the battle shared by the other marine units. By the end of the first day, Marine casualties had been extremely high, but a foothold had been gained. The next morning saw the 28th Marines attacking towards Mount Suribachi and the other regiments pushing to the O-1 line in the north, but the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines remained in reserve until relieving the depleted 25th Marines located on the left flank on the 22nd.
Their zone was hotly contested and any advances were met with immediate enemy fire. As a result, Gallagher’s battalion only advanced 400 yards by nightfall, and were unable to capture further ground the next day. On the 24th, the Marines attacked Airfield Number 2 in the face of heavy machine gun fire. The 26th Marines easily captured the ground in front of their positions, but the 3rd Battalion came under deadly flanking fire from a bluff on the right after passing the 21st Marines’ line. Nevertheless, they pushed 400 yards ahead until halting at nightfall. The attack resumed at 8:00 AM supported by tanks from Company A, and the 26th Marines succeeded in gaining 300 more yards until being relieved for much needed rest. On March 1st, Sergeant Gallagher reentered the line in place of the 21st Marines on the 3rd Marine Division’s left flank. Their attack began at 8:00 AM with the 3rd Battalion leading the assault towards Motoyama Plateau.. Throughout the day, they slowly pushed against determined Japanese resistance, carving out 500 yards by nightfall. It was during this action that Sergeant Gallagher was shot in the right shoulder and quickly evacuated off the island via the USS Feland to USNH #10. His wound proved to be serious enough for transfer back to Hawaii where he arrived on March 20th for further treatment.
By the time he fully recovered in late April, the 26th Marines had returned from Iwo Jima to Camp Hilo, and he rejoined the Weapons Company on May 2nd. Upon the news of Japan’s unconditional surrender that ended World War Two, Gallagher and the 26th Marines sailed to Sasebo, Japan on the USS Tallon for the occupation. He only spent a short time in this capacity before returning to the United States by December 15th, and was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on January 2nd, 1946, exactly four years after his original enlistment. Returning to Cleveland, he married Joyce Hastings and had three children. Patrick also rejoined the police force, eventually becoming a detective. He sadly passed away at a young age on April 7th, 1968.
USS Alabama
For the next few months and into the following year, the USS Alabama was busy training for her eventual deployment. Finally on April 2nd, she left for Britain and joined the Royal Navy Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, Scotland on May 19th, 1943. PFC Gallagher’s ship was organized into Task Force 61 and traveled to Iceland for a brief period to await orders. Later in the month, the USS Alabama covered the landings of Allied troops on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen for Operation Gearbox, and then retired to Scapa flow. Gallagher was promoted to Corporal on July 1st, just prior to the USS Alabama redeploying to Iceland by the 12th and participating on Operation Governor, aimed to divert German attention to southern Norway while the Allies prepared for the invasion of Sicily. After remaining in these waters for three months, the USS Alabama began her return to the US on August 1st and arrived in Virginia for overhaul on the 10th.
To the Pacific
On August 20th, Corporal Gallagher and the USS Alabama finished resupplying and deployed to the Pacific, arriving at Havannah Harbor, New Hebrides on September 15th, and the following month moved to the Fiji Islands in preparation for the Gilbert Islands campaign. With the landings growing closer, she departed with Task Group 50.4 on November 11th for the Gilberts. She escorted aircraft carriers as they launched attacks on nearby islands in the Marshalls that could potentially interfere with the landings, and then steamed towards Tarawa. Arriving on November 20th, she participated in the softening up of the island before the landings with her 16 inch guns and anti aircraft fire support for the fleet carriers. When her job was done, Corporal Gallagher and the USS Alabama sailed to the nearby Makin Atoll and provided gunfire support to the allied landing there on the same day until it was secure. Eventually, the Task Force began moving again and on the night of December 26th, the USS Alabama helped repulse Japanese aircraft that engaged the fleet as they traveled to their next target. Nauru Island was a small, lightly defended speck in the Pacific, yet on December 8th, Gallagher’s and five other battleships pummeled its entirety for forty minutes and then returned to New Hebrides on the 14th. With the dawn of a new year, the USS Alabama left the Pacific for Pearl Harbor on January 5th, 1944 and arrived on the 12th. This marked the end of Corporal Gallagher’s time aboard the ship as he transferred to a San Diego casual company the very next day. Another month passed until he joined the brand new Regimental Weapons Company, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division at Camp Pendleton on March 6th.
Iwo Jima
Switching to an infantry unit after being at sea for nearly a year was apparently not that difficult for Gallagher, and he was trained as an anti tank crewman quickly and gained a promotion to Sergeant a few months later. The regiment eventually moved to Camp Hilo, Hawaii and started their training for the Battle of Iwo Jima. On January 4th, 1945, Sergeant Gallagher was temporarily assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines for the invasion and boarded the USS Darke for the long journey ahead. After a month of travel, rehearsals, and training, the USS Darke arrived offshore of Iwo Jima on February 19th as battleships and aerial attacks pummeled the island in preparation for the invasion. The 26th Marines, less 1st Battalion, were designated as the reserve force for the assault which hit the beach at 9:02 AM. The Marines took heavy casualties almost immediately upon landing, necessitating Sergeant Gallagher’s regiment to land at 5:32 PM. They quickly moved to defensive positions near Airfield Number 1 but so far had escaped the brutality of the battle shared by the other marine units. By the end of the first day, Marine casualties had been extremely high, but a foothold had been gained. The next morning saw the 28th Marines attacking towards Mount Suribachi and the other regiments pushing to the O-1 line in the north, but the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines remained in reserve until relieving the depleted 25th Marines located on the left flank on the 22nd.
Their zone was hotly contested and any advances were met with immediate enemy fire. As a result, Gallagher’s battalion only advanced 400 yards by nightfall, and were unable to capture further ground the next day. On the 24th, the Marines attacked Airfield Number 2 in the face of heavy machine gun fire. The 26th Marines easily captured the ground in front of their positions, but the 3rd Battalion came under deadly flanking fire from a bluff on the right after passing the 21st Marines’ line. Nevertheless, they pushed 400 yards ahead until halting at nightfall. The attack resumed at 8:00 AM supported by tanks from Company A, and the 26th Marines succeeded in gaining 300 more yards until being relieved for much needed rest. On March 1st, Sergeant Gallagher reentered the line in place of the 21st Marines on the 3rd Marine Division’s left flank. Their attack began at 8:00 AM with the 3rd Battalion leading the assault towards Motoyama Plateau.. Throughout the day, they slowly pushed against determined Japanese resistance, carving out 500 yards by nightfall. It was during this action that Sergeant Gallagher was shot in the right shoulder and quickly evacuated off the island via the USS Feland to USNH #10. His wound proved to be serious enough for transfer back to Hawaii where he arrived on March 20th for further treatment.
By the time he fully recovered in late April, the 26th Marines had returned from Iwo Jima to Camp Hilo, and he rejoined the Weapons Company on May 2nd. Upon the news of Japan’s unconditional surrender that ended World War Two, Gallagher and the 26th Marines sailed to Sasebo, Japan on the USS Tallon for the occupation. He only spent a short time in this capacity before returning to the United States by December 15th, and was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on January 2nd, 1946, exactly four years after his original enlistment. Returning to Cleveland, he married Joyce Hastings and had three children. Patrick also rejoined the police force, eventually becoming a detective. He sadly passed away at a young age on April 7th, 1968.