James Gann sits for an interview in 2015. Source: Dave Colamaria.
(L to R) James Gann, Allen Moore, Carl Fowler, taken in 1943 (likely Fiji). Source: James Gann Collection.
Company street, Headquarters Company, 182nd Infantry Regiment, Bougainville. Source: James Gann Collection.
James Gann on Cebu, 1945. Source: James Gann Collection.
Last week, I traveled to Arizona to visit with James Gann, who served in the 182nd Infantry during World War II. He joined Company G in 1943 on Fiji, survived the Battle of Hill 260, and finished the war (Leyte, Cebu, and Japan) in the Wire Section of 182nd Regimental Headquarters. James was kind enough to allow me to interview him about his experiences, and we recorded 90 minutes of his detailed first hand accounts of the war. He also allowed me to digitize his photographs from the war, which include many of the men of Company G in various Pacific locations. Some years ago, James had sent me photocopies of these pictures, but now we have the ability to share them in digital high resolution. Of particular importance to me was to get a good scan of his photos of James “June” Edwards, one of the men who was killed in action during the war.
I’ve included a few of James’ photos on this page. In the future I hope to upload either a transcript of the full interview, or perhaps the interview itself to YouTube. I’m still working out the best strategy on that, so please stay tuned.
Six World War II veterans of the Americal Division gather at the 2015 Americal Division Veterans Association Reunion in Norfolk, VA. (Source: Dave Colamaria)
Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 2015 reunion of the Americal Division Veterans Association (ADVA), held in Norfolk, VA. There was a great crowd for the event, somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 people. This was primarily comprised of Vietnam veterans of the Americal and their spouses. But we were lucky to have 6 veterans of World War II on hand. One of the men, Ken Vander Molen (second from right in the above photo), is 182nd veteran from Company G – and a good friend. Ken made the trip down from Michigan with his two daughters. I also had the chance to meet another 182nd veteran, whose full name I believe was Devel McGriff (far left in the photo above). He served in Company G, and took part in the action on Cebu. He told me that he had not known about our trip earlier this year to Cebu, or he would have come along. What a shame, it would have been amazing to have him along with us. At dinner, I shared a table with Ken Vander Molen and a veteran of the 164th Infantry, Fritz Klein (far right in the photo), who attended with his wife and daughter. 70 years after the end of World War II, this was his very first reunion.
The ADVA treated the World War II veterans like royalty. Their rooms at the hotel were provided free of charge. And they were singled out and recognized at the Saturday evening banquet. Each was presented with a gift bag including an ADVA pocket knife and DVD. And most impressively, their great sacrifice and service was thanked with a booming, rousing, standing ovation from their veteran brothers from Vietnam. It was a real thrill to see these men treated like the heroes they are – particularly from a room full of fellow veterans.
(Incidentally, if Mr. McGriff or his family should read this story – please contact me if you feel like it, I would love to hear more about his war experiences.)
As we here on the east coast of the United States await the landfall of Hurricane Joaquin, it brings to mind another big storm that occurred on the other side of the world, 71 years ago this week. Deep in the jungles of Bougainville, in the Solomon Islands, Allied troops were locked in a long standoff with Japanese forces. The Allies had established a perimeter on the Japanese-held island in November 1943. Japanese forces planned and executed a huge offensive in March 1944, but this attack failed, and their remaining troops faded off into the jungle (read more here). Allied airstrips on the island remained safe and operational, and major fighting on the island was over. Yet thousands of Japanese soldiers lurked in the deep jungle and massive mountains beyond the American perimeter. U.S. Army units slowly expanded the perimeter, but there was no concerted effort to drive the Japanese off the island or wipe them out.
There were periodic small clashes. In late September1944, the 182nd Infantry set off into the jungle near the Laruma River to wipe out a reported Japanese encampment. The soldiers clawed their way up steep hills, and waded through chest-deep rivers. By 1 October, they were in position to launch what they referred to as “The Battle of Nip Gap” along the Doyabie River. PFC Arnold West of Company G was killed in attack on a pillbox, while Sergeants Jack Morton and Robert Egler of the company were awarded Silver Stars for their actions that day. The fighting continued for days, with the 182nd Infantry claiming nearly 200 enemy soldiers killed, and multiple pillboxes. On 6 October the American troops returned to camp to resupply, before heading out the next day to knock out another Japanese camp near the village of Piateripaia. As they moved in to encircle and attack the Japanese position, rain began to fall. This was a daily occurrence on Bougainville, but this storm strengthened and conditions worsened. The rain turned into a deluge, and the wind began to roar. The Laruma River flooded. Seven bridges built to cross the river were destroyed. Communication wires were ripped out. Trees were knocked down, and the 182nd began to take casualties – from the storm. Food spoiled, and supplies were washed away.
In the midst of this carnage, the 182nd Infantry kept advancing on the Japanese. But they soon found themselves out of position. The terrain, even in the best of conditions, was nearly impassable. Compounding that problem, some of the trails and roads had been washed away by the storm. Other routes were blocked by downed trees. The loss off food and supplies left the soldiers hungry, and emergency rations were being used. By 10 October, the 182nd Infantry offensive was called off, and the exhausted troops returned to their base behind the front lines. Their attack was over, defeated by a storm that laid waste to the battlefield.
Monument near the site where Japanese forces on Cebu surrendered to the Americal Division at the end of World War II. Source: Dave Colamaria.
Despite formal capitulation from Toyko, Japanese forces on Cebu continued to hold out for several days. This flyer was dropped all over the island in an attempt to convince the thousands of remaining Japanese soldiers to give up. Source: National Archives.
Japanese and American soldiers discuss plans for surrender of Japanese forces on Cebu in August 1945. Source: Under the Southern Cross.
Old sign marker along the road at the location of the Japanese surrender on Cebu at the end of World War II. Source: Dave Colamaria.
Panorama of the Japanese surrender site on Cebu. Japanese forces marched out of the hills north of Ilihan (at right in this photo) into the field. The well where they stacked their weapons is in the trees straight ahead. Source: Dave Colamaria.
Terry Davenport of VFW Post 12130 speaks at the dedication of the Japanese surrender monument on Cebu, 27 March 2015. Source: Dave Colamaria.
Members of the Americal Division Veterans Association and VFW Post 12130, and Mrs. Eusebia Ycot pose with the new Japanese surrender site monument near Ilihan, Cebu. Source: Dave Colamaria.
(Note: for a detailed introduction to the Americal Division Veterans Association’s 2015 trip to Cebu, along with links to other stories from the trip, read our introductory story Cebu 2015: The Ghosts of World War II, 70 Years Later. Learn more about the World War II battle for Cebu here.)
As World War II came to an end in August 1945, the island of Cebu was still divided. American forces had recaptured the central portions of the long thing island, including Cebu City. Japanese forces had retreated, consolidating in the north. Following the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Emperor Hirohito ordered the surrender of all Japanese military forces. Unfortunately, the remaining Japanese troops on Cebu were living primitively on the island, and did not have a working radio. Flyers were air dropped over their positions, indicating that the war was over (see Photo #2). A series of notes was exchanged, pinned to a tree, but the Japanese were skeptical. Finally, they were able to get in contact with their superiors, and confirm that the war was over. Arrangements were made for a formal surrender (see Photo #3). On 28 August, 2600 Japanese soldiers marched out of the hills to an open field near Ilihan. General Tadasu Kataoka presented his sword to Major General William Arnold. The Japanese piled their weapons on the ground, and the war on Cebu was effectively over. Over the next few days, thousands more surrendered. They were rapidly moved to the coast for travel back to Japan, under the watchful eye of Americal Division troops. This wasn’t so much for fear of Japanese treachery, but rather, to protect them from Cebuanos, angry at their brutal treatment during 3 years of occupation.
In March 2015, our group from the Americal Division Veterans Association spent a week on the island. On our last day, we traveled to the far north, to attend the dedication of a new monument near the spot of the Japanese surrender. This monument was the brainchild of members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 12130 – retired American servicemen living on Cebu. With assistance from the Americal Division Veterans Association, they steered the project from idea through completion.
On the morning of 27 March 2015, we arrived at Ilihan under gloomy, rainy skies. The gleaming black monument is erected by the side of the main road, on a raised platform (see Photo #1). The owner of the land, Mrs. Eusebia Ycot, greeted us on the morning of the dedication. She was a young girl when the surrender happened, and she remembers it well. She graciously donated the street frontage area for the monument. Previously, only a small, lonely, rusted sign marked this historic spot (see Photo #4).
Tables and chairs were arranged for the day’s ceremony, with a feast to close the event. We started with a tour of the nearby field where the surrender took place. It is an open field, with a few small buildings in the vicinity. Lush mountains can be seen in the distance. A well sits off to one side, under some trees. We were told that the Japanese soldiers neatly stacked their weapons around this well. To the north, we could see the hills where the enemy troops had marched down in formation. It is a quiet, peaceful spot (see Photo #5).
The dedication ceremony began with a blessing from a local Catholic priest. The prayer was followed by remarks by the precinct mayor, representatives and leadership of the VFW (see Photo #6), and Roger Gilmore, President of the Americal Legacy Foundation. Sam Arnold, great grandson of General Arnold, also spoke. With the monument formally dedicated, we all gathered around tables for a feast, featuring a roasted pig, or “lechon,” a local delicacy.
As the crowd enjoyed the meal, I took the opportunity to slip off to the quiet surrender field just 50 yards away. I reflected on my grandfather Ed Monahan‘s service in the 182nd Infantry. He was drafted in early 1941, and served with the unit until he was rotated home in May 1945. He survived the combat campaigns on Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Leyte, and Cebu. But he was sent home just a few months before final victory was achieved. In the months leading up to the trip, I’d begun to think of my attendance at the dedication as symbolic closure for him. I’m not a spiritual person, but as I stood alone in that peaceful, grassy field on that morning, I felt a powerful connection to him – a version of him that was finally at peace.
The monument dedication was our last stop as a group (see Photo #7). Our week long trip had been an eye opener, a connection to the men of the Americal Division who fought in World War II. We said our goodbyes and headed off to the hotel and the airport, back to our lives in the United States. Before returning home, I made a brief stop in Manila to visit men from Company G buried at the Manila American Cemetery (read that story here). My time in the Philippines had been brief, but I will never forget the history or the gracious people of Cebu.
(NOTE: You can see a brief comparison of the surrender site in 1945 vs. 2015 here.)
Tracked amphibious landing vehicles (LVT) make their way ashore. In the distance, Talisay Beach is masked in thick smoke. The larger craft at center is an LCI, the type of ship Company G landed in. Source: Naval History and Heritage Command, 80-G-259254.
Americal Division Veterans Association tour group at Museo Sugbo, Cebu City, 2015. Source: Americal Division Veterans Association.
Filipino military forces re-enact the Americal Division landing at Talisay Beach on the 70th anniversary of the battle. Source: Dave Colamaria.
Comparison of the landing at Talisay Beach in Cebu, with 1945 at top, and 2015 at bottom. Source: top photo Naval History and Heritage Command SC 264198, bottom photo Dave Colamaria.
Dave Colamaria at an overlook on top of Babag Ridge, looking down on the sprawl of Cebu City below. Source: Dave Colamaria.
Sam Arnold (left) and Dave Colamaria pose with the newly dedicated monument at the site of the Japanese surrender on Cebu. Source: Dave Colamaria.
In March 2015, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Cebu, an island in the Philippines. Along with a group of men from the Americal Division Veterans Association (all veterans of the war in Vietnam), I spent a week on the island touring sites with ties to World War II. This included several locations where the 182nd Infantry engaged in combat. It was a very emotional experience for me, retracing the footsteps of my grandfather, Ed Monahan. He served as First Sergeant for Company G of the 182nd on Cebu, from their amphibious landing in March 1945, until he was rotated home on points in May 1945, with the heaviest fighting completed.
Over the next few weeks, I plan to post a short series of stories on the Cebu trip. I am going to post them in an order approximating the sequence of events that the fighting on Cebu occurred, rather than how our trip was scheduled. The first piece will look at the extravagant ceremonies hosted by the people of the Philippines to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Americal Division’s landing at Talisay Beach, on 26 March 1945 (read Part I here). Next I’ll look at some of the sites in the urban center of Cebu City, which was seized shortly after the successful landing at Talisay (read Part II here). We’ll move from there into the imposing hills of Babag Ridge, scene of the bloodiest fighting of the campaign (read Part III here). A visit to the west coast of Cebu affords the chance to tour some World War II pillboxes and tank barriers (read Part IV here). And lastly, we’ll finish up with a piece on the dedication of a new monument at the spot where thousands of Japanese troops surrendered to the Americal at the end of the war (read Part V here).
The main purpose of our visit was to attend this new monument dedication. My grandfather was not present when the Japanese on Cebu surrendered to the Americal Division at the end of the war. So in a way, I saw this trip as a way for me to bring some symbolic closure to the war for him. On that last day in Cebu at the monument dedication, I did find that closure, in a deeply satisfying and emotional moment I’ll describe in my story on the ceremony.
After completing the Cebu portion of the trip, I had a brief stopover in Manila, where I visited the graves of men from Company G who were killed during the war. You can read that story here. To learn more about the battle for Cebu, read the story here. Please check back throughout the month as a I post the details of the 2015 trip. The journey begins with the reenactment of the Talisay Beach Landing.
The names of 53 men from Company G killed in action, in roughly chronological order. It remains uncertain whether this is a complete list of those killed in the company, but it is certainly a close approximation. Source: Edward Monahan Collection.
Just a few of the men from Company G, 182nd Infantry Regiment, killed during World War II.
Manila American Cemetery, 28 March 2015. Source: David Colamaria.
Manila American Cemetery, 28 March 2015. Source: David Colamaria.
Manila American Cemetery, 28 March 2015. Source: David Colamaria.
Just a few of the hundreds of panels inscribed with the names of Americans still Missing in Action from the Pacific during World War II, at the Manila American Cemetery, 28 March 2015. Source: David Colamaria.
Grave at Manila American Cemetery of Private First Class Carlton O. Duley, killed in action, Bougainville, 7 March 1944. Source: David Colamaria.
Grave at Manila American Cemetery of Private First Class Arnold M. West, killed in action, Bougainville, 1 October 1944. Source: David Colamaria.
I’ve spent a good deal of time this Memorial Day weekend finalizing the Killed in Action page for the Company G website. It was important to me to have it finished for Memorial Day. The foundation for this list of KIA is my grandfather Ed Monahan‘s handwritten list of men, numbering 53 dead (see Photo #1). Based on the list of the dead in the back of the Americal Division’s book Under the Southern Cross, as well as an initial scan of Company G’s morning reports, and of course the burials listed by the American Battle Monuments Commission, I feel that this list is a nearly complete accounting of the dead for Company G. I’ll continue to investigate this as part of my ongoing research. I suspect that there may be some names missing from the list, but I am quite comfortable stating that those listed were in fact the names of those killed during the war. Just a few of their faces can be seen in Photo #2.
In March, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Cebu, in the Philippine Islands, as a part of a trip with the Americal Division Veteran’s Association, to witness the dedication of a new monument at the spot of a major Japanese surrender at the end of the war (read about it here). The final stop on my trip was the Manila American Cemetery, final resting place for over 17,000 American casualties in the Pacific during World War II. On the strikingly beautiful grounds of this cemetery (see Photo #3, Photo #4, Photo #5) lie the remains of 10 men from Company G. On the walls of the missing, the names of 4 other men from Company G are inscribed (see Photo #6). During my visit on 29 March 2015, I stopped to pay respects to each man. It was a powerful, emotional morning, under a bright sun, with a brisk wind coursing over the quiet cemetery grounds. With the help of my mother, Claire Ciampa, my wife Angie, and the son of another Company G man, Ed Gekosky, we had assembled small ribbons prior to my departure for the Philippines. I left a ribbon with the Americal Division insignia and a symbol of each man’s home state at each grave (see Photo #7, Photo #8). It felt like a very small gesture to me, inconsequential when measured against the sacrifice these men had made. For weeks, I had been conscious of the fact that these men had likely never had a personal visitor, given the thousands of miles separating them from home. I wanted my visit to mean something – for these men to be remembered.
I hope that others out there will see and visit the Killed in Action page on this site, to remember the great sacrifice these men made. And I hope that some will read this story on Memorial Day, to help keep all of their memories alive.
I am very pleased to announce a relaunch of this website. The original site was launched in 2010, using the Omeka platform from George Mason University. For a few years now, I’ve wanted to migrate to a newer format, with a blog. This blog will allow me to post updates and news story about my research. It will also hopefully be a good way to connect veterans of the unit and their families. In 5 years of being online, I’ve made so many connections to other Company G men and their families, but the old website format made it difficult to talk about it. I hope to do more of that in the future.
The newer, streamlined format should also make it easier to navigate the site, and will allow me to make easier and more frequents updates and corrections. Stay tuned for more to come shortly!
New 182nd Infantry website, launched May 2015.Old 182nd Infantry website, launched in 2010.
