Land Ops, Marines, WWII Pacific

                        19 FEBRUARY 1945

                  THE FIGHTING FIELD MUSICIAN

Darrell Samuel Cole could see the war clouds on the horizon in the Fall of 1941.  Wanting to be ready to fight himself, on 25 August 1941 he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.  But upon graduation from basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina, to his utter disappointment he was assigned to Field Musician School to address the shortage of buglers.  He completed musician school only to request a transfer to line duties.  Assigned as bugler for the 1st Marines, 1st MarDiv, he shipped out in 1942 to the first Allied offensive of the Pacific at Guadalcanal.  Here, the loss of a machine gunner gave Cole the opportunity for which he longed.  But his second request for transfer was torpedoed again by the shortage of buglers.

Cole’s second combat tour in the Pacific saw the 1944 assaults on Kwajelein and Roi-Namur.  Again, Cole stepped up when a regular gunner fell, contributing to the American victory on Roi-Namur that left only 51 surviving Japanese from the original garrison of 3500.  At Saipan, Cole’s prowess with a machine gun caught the attention of his company commander, who detailed Cole as a gunner despite his Field Musician MOS.  When Cole’s squad leader was killed, Cole assumed command of the entire squad, executing successful machine gun support of the infantry advance.  Cole received the Bronze Star for his machine gunnery, as well as the Purple Heart!

Again at Tinian, Cole led a machine gun squad, at the same time submitting his third request to be redesignated from musician duties.  This time the Corps could hardly ignore the spirit and skill of the “Fighting Field Musician.”  Now SGT Cole readied himself next for the coming assault on Iwo Jima.

Cole’s squad hit the beach on D-Day, advancing toward a key Japanese airfield.  But the airfield was heavily defended with well dug-in bunkers.  Cole’s men became pinned-down by two enemy pillboxes, prompting Cole to lead an attack in which he personally destroyed the positions.  On they advanced, until again this squad was pinned under three enemy bunker positions.  One was neutralized by a gunner from the squad.  But when Cole’s gun jammed, he leapt from cover with just his pistol and grenades.  He charged the enemy bunkers, returning to his lines twice for more grenades.  Finally on his third parry, the Japanese positions were destroyed.  However, as Cole triumphantly stepped back to his lines an enemy grenade landed nearby, killing him instantly.

As a result of Cole’s actions his squad was able to support the ultimate capture of the enemy airfield.  Cole received the Medal of Honor for his actions this day.  Our modern Arleigh Burke-class destroyer COLE (DDG-67) remembers SGT Cole.

Watch for more “Today in Naval History”  25 FEB 23

CAPT James Bloom, Ret.

“Sergeant Darrell S. Cole, USMCR, (1920-1945).”  Naval History and Heritage Center website.  AT: www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-c/d-cole.html, retrieved 19 April 2013.

United States Congress.  United States of America’s Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients and their Official Citations.  Columbia Heights, MN: Highland House II, 1994, p. 282.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:  USS COLE was the destroyer attacked by a suicide boat in the harbor at Aden, Yemen, on 12 October 2000 in which 17 American sailors lost their lives and 39 were injured.

DDG-67 is the first warship to remember SGT Cole.  The earlier Wilkes-class destroyer COLE (DD-155) remembers a WWI USMC Major who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions at Belleau Wood.