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On June 18, 1945, Simon Bolivar Buckner, American Lieutenant General of 10th Army, died in action during the Battle of Okinawa at the age of 58. He was the highest ranking American to die in combat during WWII. An excerpt from the introduction to the article:
"How Simon Bolivar Buckner fought to keep the services from fighting— each other.
MONDAY, JUNE 18, 1945, dawned hot and steamy on Okinawa. For 79 days, the American Tenth Army and Japan’s 32nd Army had been struggling for the island in a slow, bloody battle of attrition. Now the invading Americans, victory in their sights, were readying a final push at Okinawa’s southern tip, where Tenth Army commander Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. climbed to an 8th Marine Regiment observation post. The regiment had reached the endgame in a brutal clash in the valley below. Buckner, who had admired the unit’s vigor as it trained for the assault, wanted to watch the Marines eliminate enemy holdouts.
Buckner’s white hair and love of outdoor activity, particularly hiking rugged landscapes, inspired his troops to call the large-framed, amiable West Pointer the Old Man of the Mountain. Believing men at war needed to see their generals, the 58-year-old Buckner made a point of roving even the most remote corners of embattled Okinawa, often unannounced but usually wearing a helmet decorated with three stars and riding in a jeep with a flag to match. The display sometimes drew enemy fire, but Buckner thought the morale boost worth the risk. That Monday morning, he and his staff drove to the foot of the hill where the 8th Marines had their observation post. At the summit Buckner had just switched to a plain helmet when a Japanese barrage sent all hands diving for shelter behind the coral boulders that dotted the hilltop.
As quickly as it had struck, the enemy fire lifted. The rest of the men on the crest scrambled to their feet unhurt, but Buckner lay still. A sliver of coral had ripped into him, and he was bleeding badly from his chest. Marines wrestled the wounded officer onto a poncho and started for an aid station. The general asked if anyone else was hurt, then fell silent while his rescuers muscled him downhill."
"How Simon Bolivar Buckner fought to keep the services from fighting— each other.
MONDAY, JUNE 18, 1945, dawned hot and steamy on Okinawa. For 79 days, the American Tenth Army and Japan’s 32nd Army had been struggling for the island in a slow, bloody battle of attrition. Now the invading Americans, victory in their sights, were readying a final push at Okinawa’s southern tip, where Tenth Army commander Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. climbed to an 8th Marine Regiment observation post. The regiment had reached the endgame in a brutal clash in the valley below. Buckner, who had admired the unit’s vigor as it trained for the assault, wanted to watch the Marines eliminate enemy holdouts.
Buckner’s white hair and love of outdoor activity, particularly hiking rugged landscapes, inspired his troops to call the large-framed, amiable West Pointer the Old Man of the Mountain. Believing men at war needed to see their generals, the 58-year-old Buckner made a point of roving even the most remote corners of embattled Okinawa, often unannounced but usually wearing a helmet decorated with three stars and riding in a jeep with a flag to match. The display sometimes drew enemy fire, but Buckner thought the morale boost worth the risk. That Monday morning, he and his staff drove to the foot of the hill where the 8th Marines had their observation post. At the summit Buckner had just switched to a plain helmet when a Japanese barrage sent all hands diving for shelter behind the coral boulders that dotted the hilltop.
As quickly as it had struck, the enemy fire lifted. The rest of the men on the crest scrambled to their feet unhurt, but Buckner lay still. A sliver of coral had ripped into him, and he was bleeding badly from his chest. Marines wrestled the wounded officer onto a poncho and started for an aid station. The general asked if anyone else was hurt, then fell silent while his rescuers muscled him downhill."
The Peacemaker: Simon Bolivar Buckner
Posted from historynet.com
WWII World War Two
Marines
Soldiers
American History
Combat
Posted 3 y ago
Responses: 5
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