Chevrons and Diamonds

A moment in time, frozen in a photograph that was captured in a combat theater thousands of miles removed from the domestic diamonds where the men in the image spent their youth. Standing on the island soil in the Solomon Islands where more than 1,200 Marines were killed in combat during the taking of Guadalcanal in 1942, the silence of the sandlot surrounding these men was a far cry from the cacophony of a battle that began a year before these men stood for the camera.

The game, borrowing a line from the Terance Mann character in the Field of Dreams film, “reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again,” and that baseball was being played where so much blood was shed in order to wrest the island from the oppressive grip of enemy occupiers, reflected that sentiment. This scene, depicted upon the gelatin silver surface of the four-by-three-inch photograph, shows ten ballplayers appearing to take instruction from their backstop: their on-field commander. Without peering at the inscription on the verso, one would imagine the setting to be anywhere within the shores and borders of the United States. However, by the details inscribed, the diamond is half a world away.

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Acquired in February 2014, the men shown in the photograph, despite the information inscribed on the verso, remained unidentified beyond their surnames and their baseball positions. In a different hand and pen, “Guadalcanal Sept 1943” was inscribed beneath the names. Also present is the Naval Censor stamp, his initials, “LW,” and “Not For Publication,” written by the censor.

The manner in which the men are kneeling and standing in a semicircle, gathered around the catcher and yet perfectly arranged for the camera to capture, may be an impromptu image. True to the time, half of the men have cigarettes lit, as if drawing from a recent K-ration lunch enjoyed before or after their game.

For years, the image was maintained within our archive, properly stored after being digitized. Several attempts were periodically made to identify the men but were unsuccessful. Based upon the Navy-pattern herring-bone-twill uniform shirt worn by “Rott” seemed to indicate the men were from a Navy unit, but that was merely and educated guess.

Nevertheless, the cycle continued until we were recently prompted to discuss the image with a colleague who subsequently took swing at identifying any of the players. Starting with the surname of the first player listed on the verso, our colleague poured through online databases and found a potential connection. Within a few moments, we were able to confirm his findings did indeed correlate with the player in the photo. Working together, we pursued additional leads, complete with cross-references, which confirmed the unit all ten men were assigned to: Headquarters and Service Company, Ninth Marine Regiment, Third Marine Division.

Ten men, all linked as a team both on the diamond and in their unit, whom in that moment shared a bond that was yet to be tested and forged in the fires of combat. Leading up to this September 1943 moment was an aggregate accumulation of years of training in preparation for the battles to come.

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(No) Ordinary Marines
Every service member has their reason for entering the armed forces and for many during World War II were motivated to seek justice for the Americans who were killed on December 7, 1941. Regardless of geography, demographics, or family status, prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, young men had similar life experiences with athletics being a central part of their adolescence whether they participated in scholastic or organized amateur sports and baseball, with few exceptions, was universal.

Corporal William Charles Taylor, Jr., First Baseman
With the Selective Service implemented starting October 1940, the ranks of the U.S. Armed Forces began to swell. The peacetime draft impacted William Charles Taylor Jr., pictured standing second from the left, was inducted November 21, 1941. Born in Wichita, Kansas, February 26, 1921, Taylor spent his high school years in Midian Township, 28 miles to the east, where he excelled in football, basketball, baseball and track and field.[1] After high school, William attended Butler Junior College in Butler, Kansas[2] as the war raged in Europe and the Far East. While winter and early springtime wea in San Diego was an improvement over that of southeastern Kansas, Taylor, along with his fellow Marines, was focused on the task at hand.

After completing bootcamp at the Recruit Depot at Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California, Private Taylor attended line-communications training at the base.[3] After his communications training, Taylor was assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, Ninth Marines, Second Marine Division at Camp Elliott, San Diego.[4]

Corporal John Davis Malone, Third Baseman
Like thousands of young Americans, Malone wasted no time enlisting into the Marine Corps December 13, 1941, six days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.[5] John, the youngest of four children, was born in Edmond, Kansas to Harry and Hazel Malone who, by 1930, followed the oil boom in the southwest, settled in Enid, Oklahoma. Harry provided for his family as foreman at an oil refinery cracking plant.[6] A 1940 graduate of Enid High School, John Malone followed his older brothers Robert and Richard, into the armed forces: his older brothers enlisted together into the Army’s Coast Artillery Corps January 6, 1941, and were stationed in the Philippines for duty.[7]

Malone was assigned to the Fifth Recruit Battalion at Recruit Depot at Marine Corps Base for bootcamp.[8] After graduating, PFC Malone was assigned to the Headquarters and Services Company in the Ninth Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division at Camp Elliott, San Diego, California in April,[9] which was assigned to the Third Marine Division upon its activation on September 16.[10]  During John Malone’s training, news reached the homefront regarding Sgt. Richard Malone’s capture by the Japanese in early April. Three weeks later, his parents learned the same fate befell PFC Robert Malone.[11]

Corporal Warren F. Perkins, Second Baseman
Warren Frank Perkins, son of Frank E, and Zora I. (née Tubbs) Perkins in Denver, Colorado. When he was a child, the family relocated to Casper, Wyoming where Warren spent his youth deeply involved in athletics including football, basketball, track, baseball, softball, tennis and excelled in golf.[12] He had a passion for the arts, performing in several plays and playing the drums[13] in band. He was a Boy Scout[14] and joined his high school’s R.O.T.C. unit where he was promoted to second lieutenant in charge of company “B” at Natrona High School.[15]

After graduating high school, Perkins starred for the Knights of Columbus baseball team[16] in the Casper amateur league during the summer before starting his freshman year at the State College of Education, Greeley, Colorado.[17]

Late in the fall of his collegiate junior year, Perkins’ plans were changed following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Despite being eligible for a draft deferment to complete his college degree, Perkins enlisted into the Marine Corps on January 1, 1942, and reported for duty three weeks later.[18] After completing bootcamp in San Diego, Private Perkins was assigned to the Signal Battalion where was trained as a radioman.[19] In July, he was assigned to the Headquarters and Services Company in the Ninth Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division at Camp Elliott, San Diego, California. On September 16, the Ninth Marines were reassigned  to the Third Marine Division when it was activated at Camp Pendelton.[20]

Corporal William R. Ralls, Center Fielder, was born March 5, 1923, in Monmouth, Illinois to  Elizabeth L (Connell) and William Adelbert Ralls.[21] William R. Ralls was raised in the small Illinois town, 200 miles north of St. Louis, Missouri. His father provided for his family of seven, working as a switchman for the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway.[22] Young Bill was oldest of the three sons and two daughter, and like most boys, enjoyed athletics, starring in Miller Vocational High School (Minneapolis) football team’s backfield in his junior and senior year of high school.[23][24]

Bill Ralls enlisted into the U.S. Marine Corps on January 17, 1942, and was transferred to the Recruit Depot at Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California. Upon arrival, Private Ralls was assigned to the Fourth Recruit Battalion as he underwent basic training.[25] Upon completion of training, he was initially assigned to Company “G,” Second Battalion, Ninth Marines of the Second Marine Division at Camp Elliot, San Diego[26] which today is occupied by  Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. He was transferred to Headquarters and Services Company of the Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division at Camp Pendleton when the division was activated on September 16.

Pitcher Corporal Rudolph Rott
Raised in Greenwood Township, Wisconsin, Rudolph Rott worked on his family’s farm. Born December 29, 1914, to Anton and Anna (Haugh) Rott, Rudy was the fourth of eight children and the second oldest of the three Rott brothers.[27] By 1940, Rudy was living and working in the nearby Vernon County town of Hillsboro and playing baseball.[28] In 1941, Rudy signed on with the Albion Tigers, historically a semi-professional ballclub, as they began their first amateur season in the 12-team Central Wisconsin League.[29] Rott had been with Albion for several years and served as the team’s batting practice pitcher.[30] Albion finished tied for last place in the Southern Section, falling six games behind Milton-Junction.[31]

A week after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Rott joined 26 young men from Vernon County as they traveled by bus to Madison for their induction physicals on December 16, 1941.[32]  On February 2, 1942, Rudy was inducted into the U.S. Marine Corps and sent to San Diego for bootcamp. After his training, Private Rott was assigned to “E” Company, Second Battalion, Ninth Marines in the Second Marine Division at Camp Elliott.[33] During the Ninth’s continued training at Camp Elliott and Camp Pendleton, Rott served as an instructor at Scout Sniper School.[34]

Corporal Leeland E. Nelson, Shortstop
Leeland E. Nelson was a second-generation American and the grandson of four Danish immigrants. He was the youngest of five children raised in Viborg, a small town in southeastern South Dakota, about 40 miles south of Sioux Falls. Nelson’s grandparents had settled in the Danish farming community in the early 1870s, establishing roots in what was then known as Daneville Township. He was born June 29, 1921, to Annie (Frederickson) and Frederick Nelson, June 19, 1921, and was the youngest of three boys.[35]

Three weeks shy of his 21st birthday, Leeland Nelson was one of three Viborg young men to enlist into the Marine Corps on May 28, 1942.[36] His friend, Merle G. Hansen, one of the other two men, remained with Nelson from enlistment, training, and unit assignments through every engagement of the war. After completing bootcamp and radio communications training,[37] Nelson was assigned to the Headquarters and Services Company, Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division.[38][39]

Private First Class John H. Brewer, Jr., Right Fielder
Of the ten Marines on the team, John H. Brewer was the only one who originated outside of the Midwest. He was the oldest of two children born to Londa (Adcock) and John Henry Brewer, Sr., September 23, 1923, in Knoxville, Tennessee. After his three-year-old sister was killed in an accidental firearm discharge in 1928,[40] John was left an only child. The devastating loss, no doubt placed considerable strain on his parents’ marriage which ended in divorce, three years later.[41]

John Jr., the son of a World War I veteran who was wounded during the Great War, enlisted into the Marine Corps May 30, 1942, attending bootcamp in San Diego.[42][43] After completing communications training, Private First Class Brewer was assigned to Headquarters and Services Company, Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division.[44]

Sergeant George D. Moore, Third Baseman/Right Fielder
A star on the Missouri University’s wrestling team, George D. Moore, was a college graduate before the war. By the fall of 1940, Moore was working in a rural café 115 miles south of Kansas City in El Dorado, Missouri when he registered for the 1940 Selective Service in October. He was born and raised in another small Missouri town, Marion, which lay midway between Kansas City and St. Louis. Born May 3, 1917, in Urbana, George was the youngest of four siblings and the third son of Sally (Hutchinson) and Joseph W. Moore.

Private 1st Class Jasper Jacques, Left Fielder
Born January 27, 1922, in Bayfield, Colorado, Jasper Peter Jaques was the youngest of two children of Edward R. and Fidelina “Freda” Jacques. Edward, a native of New Mexico and the son of a Spanish immigrant, owned a farm in Durango, Colorado where Jasper and his older sister, Mary were raised.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, Jasper was attending Regis College in Denver. Though he registered for the selective service in October 1940 and was eligible for a draft deferment while he was attending college, he volunteered to serve at end of the 1941-42 school year, enlisting July 21, 1942, in Denver, Colorado.[45][46]

After completing bootcamp in San Diego, Private Jacques attended wired communications training in October before being assigned to Headquarters and Service Company, Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division.[47][48]

Sergeant Major Wilbur Bestwick, Catcher
Four years after she arrived from Ireland, Bertha Curren traveled to Kansas to join her mother who immigrated years earlier and settled in the state. Bertha met and soon after, married Albert “Ab” Bestwick, a farmer. Their son Wilbur, born November 11, 1911, in Sabetha, Kansas, was the second of five children and the oldest of two sons. Children of farmers follow in their parents’ footsteps, sharing various responsibilities and chores along with attending school. Sports were a significant part of Wilbur’s young life and by 1930, he was boxing while attending Sabetha High School.[49]

Wilbur Bestwick graduated from Sabetha High School in 1932.[50] Two years later, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and shipped out in November 1934 to San Diego to attend boot camp. After completing training, Private Bestwick was assigned to the USS Lexington (CV-2) Marine Detachment until that spring. From 1935-1941, Bestwick served aboard the USS Lexington; USS Louisville (CA-28); Marine Barracks Puget Sound Navy Yard; USS Lexington; Marine Corps Reserve Districts in Bremerton, Washington and San Diego before finally with Guard Company Number One in Bremerton again. He was promoted to first sergeant and transferred to the newly formed Headquarters and Service Company, Ninth Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division at Camp Elliot in July 1942.[51]

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Ninth Marine Regiment
Two months after the Pearl Harbor attack and subsequent declaration of war, the 9th Marine Regiment was established February 12, 1942, within the Second Marine Division at Camp Elliot, San Diego. The nucleus of the regiment was the Headquarters and Service Company of the Division’s Third Battalion. By early April, the Ninth’s strength was 3,003 enlisted men and 99 officers as intensive amphibious training commenced in the vicinity of San Diego an La Jolla though June. On August 9, the Ninth Marine Regiment was detached from the 2nd Marine Division and assigned to the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet. The following month, the Third Marine Division was established with the Ninth Marine Regiment assigned on September 8, as its core.[52]

By January 1943, all of the players in our photo completed their initial training and were serving in the Headquarters and Services Company (Hq & Svc Co) of the Ninth Marine Regiment as the entire Third Marine Division was preparing for its deployment to the Pacific.

The attack transport ship USS Mount Vernon (AP-22) moored alongside San Diego’s Broadway Pier, January 21[53] and began taking on equipment, supplies and fuel as she embarked the Ninth Marine Regiment. Major General Charles D. Barrett, Third Marine Division’s commanding general, and his staff joined Colonel Lemuel C. Shepherd, commander of the Ninth, led the regiment aboard the ship.

On January 24, the ship pulled away from Broadway Pier heading for the Pacific carrying 4,176 enlisted and 174 officers bound for Auckland.[54] Zig-zagging its way across the Pacific, USS Mount Vernon moored at Queen’s Wharf after the 13-day transit to New Zealand.[55]

Once disembarked, Third Division was quartered throughout the region with Hq & Svc Co. assigned some twenty miles away from the city at the Pukekohe horse race track with the entire headquarters battalion.[56] For the next four months, the division  commenced rigorous training, focusing on jungle warfare training, several 60-mile hikes, and practice in the seizure of a beachhead. The entire division loaded aboard five transport ships, departing New Zealand on June 29, bound for Guadalcanal, Solomons Islands.[57] Secured months earlier, Guadalcanal and its Japanese-built airstrip, renamed Henderson Field after its capture, served as the Allies’ foot-in-the door to wrest the enemy from their Solomon Islands strongholds.

The Ninth landed on Guadalcanal and set a base of operations and encampment near Tetere Village, inland from Koli Point, midway on the island’s north shore. Continued jungle warfare training and conditioning in addition to garrison duty, the men of the regiment were increasingly aware that their turn to fight was drawing close.[58]

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Volunteer Raider
As the Third Marine Division trained on Guadalcanal, Allied leadership were planning for the next step in pushing the Japanese out of the Solomons with the principal focus being the Japanese stronghold and airbase at Rabaul on the island of New Britain. Located in the Northern Solomons, Bougainville offered strategic value: if captured from the enemy, the island would give the Allies a foothold within 200 miles of Rabaul and a base from which to conduct aerial bombing missions against it. In addition, the contiguous islands of Bougainville, Buka, and Shortland had six large Japanese airfields and numerous naval installations. The area was used as a major staging and supply point for support of operations against the Allies in the southern Solomons.[59]

Ahead of the upcoming full-scale assault on Bougainville, allied planners required intelligence on enemy fortifications in the vicinity and surrounding islands and the optimal approaches for landing amphibious forces.

One of the HQ and Service Company nine’s players, Corporal Rudolf Rott, was transferred to a regimental scout platoon in July training for a highly specialized mission that would collect combat intelligence in advance of the November Bougainville operation.[60] Corporal Rott, along with a handful of teams, would be sent to reconnoiter Bougainville and the surrounding islands.

Under cover of darkness on the night of August 23, the Gato-class submarine USS Greenling (SS-213) surfaced off the coast of Shortland Islands to launch inflatable boats that carried a small, seven-man team to shore. Led by First Lieutenant William G. Shoemaker, the team consisted of Platoon Sergeant James M. McGee, Sergeant Jack Z. Boyd, Corporals Thomas J. Belt, Jr., Waldo D, Humphrey, Rott, and Private First Class Paul A. Crokie, was one of three separate teams inserted to reconnoiter the Shortland and Treasury Islands southeast of Bougainville.[61]

Though Lt. Shoemaker was the officer in charge of the Shortland Island patrol, Sergeant Boyd of the Third Raider Battalion, First Marine Raider Regiment,[62] possessed the extensive training and experience and served as the mission lead. The three corporals, Rott, Belt and Humphrey, were from the same Headquarters and Service Company in the Ninth Marines[63] while Lt. Shoemaker and Sergeant McGee were borrowed from the Twenty-First Marine Regiment.[64] The men on the patrol reportedly were made aware they had 2-to-1 odds of successfully returning from the mission.[65]

For three days, the Shortland Island patrol gathered specific information relating to terrain, hydrographic conditions, enemy dispositions and defenses, and other strategic information that might be of use to the planners. The patrol departed Shortland in the same manner in which they arrived, returning to Guadalcanal. Their reports identified the best landing beaches in the area as those between the Saveke River mouth and Falamai Point. These beaches were suitable for all types of landing craft and offered nearby water, as well as sufficient space for dispersal and bivouac areas. The party saw signs of Japanese activity but reported no sightings of the enemy.[66]

Planners considered the intelligence  data covering the Shortland area, the Treasury Islands, Choiseul, southern and northern Bougainville, and the Kieta and Numa Numa, collected from the patrols combined with aerial reconnaissance and reports from Australian Coastwatchers and, on the basis of careful analysis, Bougainville’s Empress of Augusta Bay was ultimately selected as the most suitable landing area. Shortland Island was rejected due to its insufficient beach area.[67]

When the patrols returned to Guadalcanal, they were treated to a turkey dinner, no doubt unable to speak about the mission with others due to operational security.[68]

Each of the seven men received the Silver Star Medal on October 17, 1943, from the Commander South Pacific. Corporal Rott’s citation stated:

“The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Corporal Rudolph Rott (MCSN: 3655661), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as member of a reconnaissance patrol landed by submarine on enemy-held Shortland Island, Solomon Islands, 23 August 1943. Voluntarily and with utter disregard of personal safety, Corporal Rott embarked upon an extremely dangerous mission into Japanese-occupied territory for the purpose of securing vital information with regard to terrain, hydrographic conditions, and strength and disposition of hostile forces. Undeterred by the isolation of his position and by the full knowledge that no assistance could be expected from outside sources, he nevertheless remained on the island for three days, successfully carrying out an important assignment under hazardous conditions where discovery by Japanese troops would undoubtedly have resulted in his capture or death. His courageous devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”

Armed with Intelligence gathered by the Raider missions, the Third Marine Division continued with training and preparations. In their off time, no doubt baseball continued to be a significant activity on Guadalcanal.[69]

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Bougainville
On November 1, the full-scale amphibious assault commenced at Cape Torokina in the Empress Augusta Bay on the southwestern shore of Bougainville. After securing the island with minimal casualties and inflicting heavy losses upon enemy forces, the Third Marine Division, relieved by the Army’s 23 Infantry Division, commenced a slow withdrawal back to Guadalcanal on Christmas Day that wrapped up in early January 1944.[70]

His First Foe
Third baseman Private First Class Malone was a member of a patrol penetrating deep into enemy held territory on Bougainville. Assigned as point man, Malone was sent ahead of the group to reconnoiter when he encountered a lone Japanese soldier who was armed with only a bayonet suspended from his belt. Seeking to take the enemy prisoner, rifle in hand, PFC Malone signaled with his finger to the Japanese soldier to approach. Instead of following the instruction, the enemy began fumbling with the bayonet.[71]

Recognizing the Japanese soldier had no intention of being a prisoner of war deciding instead to lead a one-man bayonet charge, Malone raised his carbine and fired a shot that grazed the enemy’s ear. The Japanese soldier began yelling loudly, perhaps to alert his comrades, prompting Malone to fire a second shot which struck the target between his eyes. It was Malone’s first kill of the war.[72]

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Guam
Following the Bougainvile campaign, the Ninth Marines participated in their second major battle in the Pacific Theater’s island-hopping campaign: the Battle of Guam, July 21, 1944, to February 8, 1945.

“I guess I can get a job riveting now.”
The amphibious landings in the battle for Guam commenced the morning of July 21, 1944, as units of the Ninth Marines came ashore with the division. After six days of intense fighting, center fielder William Ralls, now a sergeant, was part of an eight-man team joined by Navy Chaplain Reverend Leonard White on a mission to retrieve the body of a fallen comrade. Pharmacist’s Mate Neal Nichols was driving an ambulance as close to their position as the group traversed an open field towards the body.[73]

“One of the fellows spotted a mine and warned the rest of us,” Nichols told Minneapolis Morning Tribune war correspondent Leonard Welch. “He marked the spot with two sticks. As Bill [Ralls] came by, he walked around it about seven feet ahead,” Nichols continued, “he stepped on another.” The ensuing detonation was devasting for Ralls.[74]

“After the explosion, he called to me,” stated PFC Howard W. Larson, another Marine in the group. “’Are my legs gone?’ he asked,” Larsen recalled. “He must have known they were, but I couldn’t tell him and said, ‘no.’” Amid the excruciating pain, that was all that Ralls wanted to know.[75] Ralls’ wounds sustained in the blast were compound fractures of both legs and his left arm.[76]

Larsen continued, “I knew he must be in a great deal of pain and yet not once did he complain or get hysterical.” He was conscious and coherent until he was taken back to the aid station and later moved to the USS Rixey (APH-3), a casualty evacuation transport ship.[77] “Even before he died, I was told he appeared in good humor. He kept kidding attendants saying, ‘Well, I guess I can get a job riveting now.’”[78]

The blast of the mine knocked Chaplain White off his feet. As soon as he regained his senses, the chaplain rushed to Ralls. “He was conscious and repeating some prayers,” said White. “No one in his condition showed more fortitude than he did.”[79]

Sadly, Ralls would not leave the Rixey alive as he passed away from his wounds later that day. His body was removed back to the island where he was laid to rest in grave number 2, row 17 at the Army, Navy, Marine Corps Cemetery Number one on July 29, 1944. After the war, Ralls’ body was exhumed for reburial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery on May 14, 1946.[80]

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Iwo Jima
The Ninth’s last campaign was the Battle of Iwo Jima, which for them lasted from February 19 through April 1945 when they returned home.

The volcanic island of Sulfur Island (Iwo Jima) was fortified with hundreds of bunkers, pillboxes and hidden artillery positions carved into the rock and connected by a network of roughly 11 miles of tunnels. This subterranean system afforded the Japanese concealment and protection and the ability to move troops freely and without detection to reinforce positions rapidly. In advance of D-Day and the amphibious assault of the island, the Navy bombarded Iwo Jima with naval gunfire from battleships, cruisers, and destroyers in addition to aerial bombing missions for three days. According to the War Department, thousands of tons of ordnance were dropped onto the island in order to soften Japanese defenses and to limit American casualties. Battleships fired 203 rounds of 16-inch projectiles while the balance of the fleet fired 6,472 eight-inch and 15,251 five-inch rounds with more than 14.6 tons of explosives. While the island’s surface was heavily cratered and hardly any sign of life remained, the Japanese subterranean network was virtually undamaged.

D-Day on Iwo Jima, February 19, 1945, was a massive amphibious operation. Despite the anticipated enemy resistance, the first wave of Marines landed uncontested…until they moved inland from the beach. Not only did the Marines take fire from the front, but the enemy opened fire from their hidden positions, hitting them behind, making advancement a deadly struggle.

“I’ve an idea of what Hades is like…”
On D-Day plus-four, Marines scaled Mt. Suribachi and planted the flag on its summit. As Associated Press correspondent Joe Rosenthal captured the moment, Marines below continued to press inland.

Serving as a scout and observer, HQ & Svc Company’s third baseman Corporal John D. Malone took a position in a foxhole atop a hill. Unbeknownst to him, some 20 Japanese were trapped in a cave beneath his position with plans to blast their way to the surface. After detonating a 125-pound aerial bomb, opening a massive crater where Malone’s hill once stood. Several of Malone’s squad were buried in the rocks and dirt with one Marine severely wounded. Disoriented but unhurt by the blast, Malone began to engage the enemies as they began their futile attempts at fighting their way to the surface.[81]

“I’ve an idea what Hades is like after last night,” Corporal John Davis Malone said following a massive explosion beneath his Iwo Jima foxhole. “Flames and smoke shot out from cracks in the ground,” Malone stated. “The setting would have been complete if there’d have been little devils with pitchforks,” he stated.[82]

While the details are presently unknown, first baseman William Charles Taylor, Jr., then a sergeant and serving on the island as a regimental wire chief, was wounded by Japanese artillery fire on Iwo Jima and was subsequently presented with a Purple Heart Medal.[83] Sergeant Taylor was also awarded a Letter of Commendation from the division’s commanding general for his actions on the island from February 24 to March 16.[84]

“It was just bloody.”
In a 1977 interview, 54-year-old bank executive Warren Perkins reflected upon the day he landed on Iwo Jima, “The first waves landed fine,” Perkins remembered, “but we were in the fifth or sixth. We landed on D-Day plus three and they had lifted the offshore fire,” the sergeant remembered as the naval gunfire bombardment fell silent. After the initial waves of Marines and Seabees landed and established a beachhead without enemy resistance, the enemy waited for the Americans to move inland before they sprang their defensive trap from within the hidden caves and tunnel network beneath offensive, “The Japanese came out and all hell broke loose,” Perkins said. “The Japanese were all dug in underground. When we moved in, there was this big hole. We tossed in grenades, thought we got them all, and shoved-up boulders to block the hole.”[85]

Marine Corps veterans’ recollections of the first several days of fighting on the tiny volcanic island all bear similarities in how the enemy was able to move unseen and seemingly emerge from thin air to attack from the American’s most vulnerable points. “We set up a switchboard and dug in and in the middle of the night, when everyone was half asleep, it seemed like the whole island blew up,” Perkins said.” The enemy triggered explosive charges to destroy the blocked cave opening, “The switchboard was blown up and the communications chief was in the same foxhole with me when one of those big boulders rolled over and hit him right in the gut. It tore up his insides and he was evacuated,” Sgt. Perkins concluded.[86]

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Home Alive by ‘45
Researching the rest of the HQ and Svc Company team did not yield war accounts for the other players. However, what some of the men in this group did with their post-war lives was nothing short of impressive. After returning to the United States Brewer, Nelson, Perkins, Rott and Taylor returned to civilian life working to put the war behind them.

The residual effects of living through heavy combat service impact veterans in many different ways. After PFC Brewer returned to the United States, he spent the next few months in stateside Marine Corps units while he awaited his discharge. In October, Brewer was subjected to non-judicial punishment for wearing unauthorized rank (chevrons) on his uniform and sentenced to a loss of pay: $10 per month for three months.[87]

Brewer returned to Knoxville after he received his discharge in July 1946. On election night, August 1, John H. Brewer, Jr., his father, John H. Sr., and two other men, were creating a disturbance at Thorn Grove School, Knoxville’s 15th Precinct polling place. Deputy Sheriff Walter Maples, who was on the ballot for a constable position, gave the men a warning to cease. After the polls closed, Deputy Maples approached the men who again were continuing in their activity. The three men attacked Maples, disarmed him of his handgun and commenced beating him on the head with the weapon as the ballots were being counted inside the building.[88] The resulting legal actions against Brewer and his father were reduced charges and $25 fines for each.[89] Brewer retired from manufacturing after 30 years. He and his wife had two daughters and were married 50 years when he passed at the age of seventy.[90]

Corporal Leeland Nelson returned to Viborg, South Dakota after his October 1945 discharge. By the spring of the following year, he was playing semi-professional baseball for the Baltic team in the Little Sioux Baseball League, joining several other returning war veterans on area diamonds.[91] Nelson married, had a son and daughter, and worked for 29 years, managing an electric cooperative company for 29 years. He passed away in 1977 at 56 years of age.[92]

Athletics was a central aspect of Sergeant Perkins life following the war. Discharged September 1, 1945, He returned to Casper, Wyoming and competed heavily in tennis and golf throughout his life. He began his 43-year career in banking with the Casper National and First Interstate Banks. He married in 1948 and had three children. He was active in Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Marine Corps League, and the Disabled American Veterans. [93]

Of the ten ballplayers in our photo, Silver Star recipient Platoon Sergeant Rudolph Rott lived a baseball life after the war. Discharged from the Marines in October 1945, he arrived at Joe Stripp’s baseball school in Orlando, Florida in early January 1946 both as an employee and to regain his pre-war form. Stripp, a former National League infielder with Cincinnati, Brooklyn, St. Louis and Boston, ran the top-rated baseball school for current and aspiring professionals seeking to sharpen their skills. The school was also frequented by scouts and baseball executives who were in search of prospects.[94]  The following May, Rott signed with the class “D” Orlando Senators[95] of the Florida State League helping to pitch the Washington Nats farm team to a league championship.[96] Rott’s professional ballplaying career lasted into the 1951 season having spent time with Deland and Leesburg after his Orlando season along with winter league ball in Florida..[97] During his time in Florida, Rott continued his employment at the Stripp School.

Back in Wisconsin in 1953, Rott signed on to pitch for the Hillsboro club in the Wildcat Baseball League. When he was not playing or working in the game, Rott was employed in the dairy industry in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He and his wife had a son and a daughter, and he was active in Veterans of Foreign Wars. Rudoph passed away at the age of 49 after a lengthy illness on May 9, 1964.[98] Rott’s baseball torch was passed onto his grandson. Rudy Rott, who was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 9th round of the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Ohio University.[99] The younger Rott played 69 total professional games with Williamsport in 2019 and Jersey Shore in 2021[100]; both seasons in Advanced class “A.” He was elected to the Ohio Athletics Kermit Blosser Hall of Fame in 2025.[101]

For Sergeant Taylor who survived his wounds sustained on Iwo Jima, his life was cut short at age 39 when the truck he was driving collided with a tractor-trailer rig on U.S. Highway 160 outside of Meade, Kansas, August 21, 1960.[102]

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Continued Service
While most service members sought to return to home and put the war behind them as the military ranks contracted over the next few years. Four of the Marines in our photo made careers of serving in the armed forces though each took different paths.

Malone and his bride, who served in the Marine Corps in Virginia from 1944 to 1946, were marred in Honolulu in 1947. [103] The couple raised their three children; two daughters and a son, in California as Malone finished out his time in uniform, retiring in 1961.[104] Malone passed away in 1981.[105] Malone’s brothers, Sgt, Richard R. and Pfc Robert M. Malone survived the Bataan March, internment in the Philippines, transit to Japan aboard a “hell ship,” and more than three years in forced labor in camps located in in Niigata, Japan. Both men returned to the U.S. after liberation.[106]

Corporal Jacques was discharged from the Marines at Naval Air Station Alameda in the summer of 1946. The veteran spent the next two years finishing his college education, graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles with a BS and an MS from the University of Alabama in 1957. He was commissioned as a reserve second lieutenant in the Army’s Quartermaster Corps in 1949.[107] Colonel Jacques served in the Army until 1973 including as the commanding officer of the 4th Support and Transportation battalion of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam. At the age of 87, Jacques passed away in 2009.[108]

Before the Iwo Jima battle, Sergeant Moore was sent to Camp Lejune, North Carolina to attend Officers Candidate School.[109] Afterwards, Sergeant Moore was transferred to Quantico, Virginia for further officer’s training which, upon completion, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. Captain Moore transferred to the Army years after serving in the Korean War and retired on January 12, 1963, at the rank of major.[110][111] Moore continued serving his country, working in security for the Federal Government from which he retired. George Moore passed on March 4, 2005, leaving behind his wife of 44 years and two sons.[112]

Following the Guam campaign, Sergeant Major Bestwick returned to the U.S. in December 1944 serving as the Sergeant Major of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard followed by the same billet for the Marine Corps Depot of Supplies in San Francisco.

Bestwick served as Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island until the start of the Korean War. Bestwick was assigned to the First Marine Division (1stMarDiv) in Korea for a year starting in October 1952 when the division was engaged in the First Battle of the Hook, northeast of Panmunjom. He remained with the 1stMarDiv through the July 27, 1953, Armistice before transferring back to the States.[113]

Like war, the practice of capturing trophies its trophies is a practice that is as old as mankind. The act of one soldier taking something from a deceased enemy soldier to serve as a reminder was a common practice that only recently has been curtailed by military regulations. Sergeant Bestwick’s war trophies captured from the Bougainville campaign along with artifacts given to him by Guadalcanal natives were on display at the Venice Branch Library in Southern California as part of the 5th War Loan Campaign (June 12 – July 8, 1944) exhibited by the Venice District War Services.[114]

Seeking to bridge the communication gap between Marine Corps senior leadership and the enlisted ranks, by order of Commandant of the Marine Corps General Randolph M. Pate, the Marine Corps established a new position on May 23, 1957,[115] Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps (SMMC), that would serve as the senior most enlisted person reporting directly to the branch’s top officer, the Commandant of the Marine Corps. The SMMC would be the voice of the enlisted and liaise between the two bodies and advocate on behalf of the enlisted regarding their issues. Highly regarded by both enlisted and officer personnel, Sergeant Major Bestwick was the first Marine named to the prestigious position.

SgtMaj Bestwick laid the foundation for the Marine Corps and for the other branches of the U.S. Military. Recognizing the success of the position and the impact the SMMC had for the Marines led to the establishment of similar positions across the other service branches of the armed forces in the mid-1960s. Sergeant Major Bestwick completed his tour and his career on September 1, 1959, when he retired from active duty. Nineteen Marines followed the trail he blazed.

“Returning to the United States in December of 1944, he served in various capacities including Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, South Carolina. SgtMaj Bestwick later served as a division Sergeant Major in Korea with the 1st Marine Division, receiving the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V.” In June 1956, he was transferred to Headquarters Marine Corps to serve as Sergeant Major to the Secretary of the General Staff, which post he held until taking up duties as the first Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.”[116]

For the last decade of his life, Sergeant Major Bestwick lived in Palo Alto, California with his wife, Florence. He spent part of his post-service career working in civilian logistics, specifically in inventory control. He died July 10, 1972, and was laid to rest at Skylawn Memorial Park in San Mateo, California.[117][118]

Thirty-seven years after the Marine Corps’ first SMMC passed, David Lee, the 1st Sergeant of a San Jose USMC unit was prompted to honor a tradition that was written into the Marine Corps Casualty Procedures Manual mandating that wreaths be laid at the graves of all former commandants and sergeants major of the Marine Corps on the Corps’ birthday. Understanding that Bestwick was laid to rest in Palo Alto, Sergeant Lee referred to the Marine Corps official bio of Bestwick for specific details. However, the information inaccurately showed his grave to be in Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto prompting multiple week search in the area, contacting his predecessors and former commanding officers, and even enlisting the services of a local genealogist, all to no avail.

After an epiphany prompting him to request burial records from the county, records provided the anticipated details. After a visit to Bestwick’s grave, Sergeant Lee noted the poor condition of his marker prompting a Marine Corps work detail to clean and re-level Sergeant Major Bestwick’s grave marker. On November 10, 2008,  Sergeant Lee and Marines from his unit gave proper honors to Bestwick, for what Lee thinks was the first time. Since honors had never been rendered, Lee said they wanted to do something extra, so in addition to laying the wreath and playing Taps, a rifle detail gave a 21-gun salute.[119]

Bestwick’s legacy lives on in today’s Marine Corps. His name is a fixture as it is one of the Corps’ prestigious annual awards. The Sergeant Major Wilbur Bestwick Award is presented to an enlisted Marine in a ground combat element of the operating forces who has made an outstanding contribution to increased combat readiness within the organization.[120]

Bestwick’s hometown in Sabetha, Kansas, honors his legacy in the naming of a beautiful baseball field at their athletic complex, not far from the sandlots and ball fields on which he played nearly a century ago.

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“Photography is a powerful tool for conveying the essence of a moment, freezing it in time for all to see and feel.” –  Mathew Brady

Each Marine in our photo left an indelible legacy of service and dedication to their country. The photo captured their convergence both in the Headquarters and Service Company of the Ninth Marines and on the baseball diamond. After the image was captured, these men all had divergent paths through the Marine Corps and in life. Although their identities were lost to time, the essence of that August 1943 moment cemented these ten Marines together on the diamond ultimately leading to their stories being told 83 years later.

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[11] “PFC. Robert Malone Prisoner of Japs,” The Enid Morning News, April 18, 1943: p.5.

[12] “Clare Advances to Semi-Finals of Golf Tourney,” Casper Star-Tribune, September 27, 1935: p.10.

[13] “Special Program, Staged At St. Anthony’s School,” Casper Star-Tribune, March 17, 1931: p.12.

[14] “Leon Goodrich in Charge of Troop,” Casper Star-Tribune, October 16, 1932: p.12.

[15] “Military Department Hits Stride; Matches Scheduled,” Casper Star-Tribune, November 13, 1936: p.11.

[16] “Knights of Columbus Beat Elks, Clothiers Also Win,” Casper Star-Tribune, July 12, 1938: p.7.

[17] “Warren Perkins has passed his examinations at State College of Education, Greely, CO,” Casper Star-Tribune, October 6, 1938: p.4.

[18] “Warren Perkins Departs this Evening,” Casper Star-Tribune, January 23, 1942: p.2.

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[23] Bill Carlson, “Unbeaten ’40 Prep Coaches Are Worried,” The Minneapolis Star, September 3, 1940; p.22.

[24] Leonard Welch, “With Legs, Arm Blown Off, Bill Bravely Awaits Death,” Minneapolis Morning Tribune, September 12, 1944: p.1.

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[29] “Albion Tigers To Enter Central Wis. League This Year,” The Stoughton Courier (Stoughton, WI), April 25, 1941: o.6.

[30] “Albion to Play Amateur Baseball,” Wisconsin State Journal, April 26, 1941: p.20.

[31] “Milton Junction Routs Jefferson in Playoff 12-0,” The Capitol Times, (Madison, WI), August 25, 1941: p.7.

[32] “27 Vernon Youths Will Get Exams,” The Capitol Times, December 14, 1941: p.3.

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[34] “Rudolph Rott, of Wonewoc, Wins Award,” Wisconsin State Journal, February 6, 1944: p.13.

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[41] “Domestic Relations Docket,” The Knoxville Journal, November 22, 1931: p.5.l

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[57]  “A Brief History of the 9th Marines.”

[58] “A Brief History of the 9th Marines.”

[59] Charles L. Updegraph, Jr., “U. S. Marine Corps Special Units of World War II,” History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., 1972: p.32.

[60] John M. Rentz, Major, USMCR, “Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, (https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-NSols/USMC-M-NSol-1.html)” Historical Section, Division of Public Information, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, accessed July 2, 2026.

[61] John M. Rentz, Major, USMCR.

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[63] Marine Corps Muster Sheet, July 1943.

[64] Marine Corps Muster Sheet, July 1943.

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[66] John M. Rentz, Major, USMCR, “Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, (https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-NSols/USMC-M-NSol-1.html)” Historical Section, Division of Public Information, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, accessed July 2, 2026.

[67] “The Bougainville Landing and the Battle of Empress Augusta Bay,” Office of Naval Intelligence, U.S. Navy, March 1, 1945.

[68] “Rudolph Rott, of Wonewoc, Wins Award,” Wisconsin State Journal, February 6, 1944: p.13.

[69] As of this writing, no details have been uncovered regarding any games played by the Headquarters and Services Company nine while on Guadalcanal or prior, however the exploits of these players were nothing short of incredible.

[70] John M. Rentz, Major, USMCR, “Bougainville and the Northern Solomons, (https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-NSols/USMC-M-NSol-1.html)” Historical Section, Division of Public Information, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, accessed July 2, 2026.

[71] “Enid Marine Shot Down His Jap Foe,” The Enid Daily Eagle, January 24, 1944: p.8.

[72] “Enid Marine Shot Down His Jap Foe.”

[73] Leonard Welch, “With Legs, Arm Blown Off, Bill Bravely Awaits Death,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 12, 1944: p. 1.

[74] Leonard Welch.

[75] Leonard Welch.

[76] Casualty Card, United States Marine Corps, November 15, 1944.

[77] Casualty Card.

[78] Leonard Welch, “With Legs, Arm Blown Off, Bill Bravely Awaits Death,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, September 12, 1944: p. 1.

[79] Leonard Welch.

[80] Casualty Card, United States Marine Corps, November 15, 1944.

[81] “Enid Marine Was in Iwo Campaign,” The Enid Daily Eagle, March 24, 1945: p.3.

[82] “News Of Our Men and Women In Uniform,” The Enid Events (Enid, OK), March 30, 1945; p.6.

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[86] Phil McAuley.

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[88]“ Three Fined In Assault on Deputy,” The Knoxville Journal, November 1, 1946: p.20.

[89] “Election Day Fight Brings $25 Fines to 3,” The Knoxville News-Sentinel, October 30, 1946: p.17.

[90] “Brewer, John Henry, Jr.,” The Knoxville News-Sentinel, January 6, 1994: p.28.

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[92] “Leeland E. Nelson,” Argus-Leader, September 12, 1977: p.2.

[93] “Warren F. Perkins,” Casper Star-Tribune, March 18, 1998: p. 13.

[94] Wyndham Rayward, “Sporting Around,” Orlando Evening Star, January 14, 1946: p.8.

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[96] “Senators End Seas Here Monday Against Saints,” Orlando Star, August 31, 1946: p. 6.

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[99] “Mitch Rupert, “9th round pick Rott makes Crosscutters debut, (https://www.sungazette.com/sports/local-sports/2019/06/9th-round-pick-rott-makes-crosscutters-debut/)” Williamsport Sun-Gazette, June 23, 1919.

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[114] “War Display at Venice Library,” Evening Star-News (Culver City, CA), June 30, 1944: p.7.

[115] Helen Lashua, “Picking first sergeant major is no easy task,” Daily News (Jacksonville, NC), April 30, 1982: p.13.

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[119] Gunnery Sgt. F.B. Zimmerman, “Marines use resources to locate, properly honor first sergeant major of the Marine Corps,” Headquarters Marine Corps, March 10, 2009. Accessed July 12, 2026.

[120] Solicitation for 2024 Marine Corps League Enlisted Awards (https://www.marines.mil/News/Messages/Messages-Display/Article/3663444/solicitation-for-2024-marine-corps-league-enlisted-awards/), Marines.mil, February 2024, Accessed July 11, 2026.