Fourth Recruit Battalion, Training Regiment, Recruit Depot, Mcb, San Diego, Calif
3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion (3rd AABn) is one of two active duty assault amphibian battalions in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion's primary weapon system is the Amphibious Assault Vehicle or AAV. The AAV is a 27.5-ton armored vehicle that carries up to 21 combat-loaded Marines and is armed with the UGWS (UpGunned Weapons Station), which mounts a .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2HB machine gun and a Mk-19 40 mm grenade launcher. The battalion is also equipped with the Amphibious Combat Vehicle or ACV, a rather new variant to the USMC’s amphibious armament which will replace the AAV in years to come. The AAV ACV are the only armored vehicles in the U.S. inventory that are fully capable of operations both on land and in the ocean. The battalion is part of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The unit is based in Camp Pendleton, California.
The first wave of U.S. Marines in LVTs during the invasion of Peleliu on 15 September 1944
Marines waiting in their fighting holes
LVT-Amphibious-Assault-Vehicle
J
oseph Barham Hargis "Jodie" was born July 11, 1925 in Martinsville, Nacogdoches County, Texas, USA.. The son of Thaddeus Adelbert Hargis (1885–1973) and Annie M Kendrick (1889–1949). Jodie attended Nacogdoches High School. He married Eva Louise Perry (1925–2000). Jodie entered the Marines in October of 1943. He trained in Camp Elliote in San Diego California. He was assigned to the 1st. Division 3D Assault Amphibian Battalion. US Marines of the 1st Marine Division and then soldiers of the US Army's 81st Infantry Division fought to capture an airfield on the small coral island of Peleliu. The battle was part of a larger offensive campaign known as Operation Forager, which ran from June to November 1944 in the Pacific Theater. Jodie was killed in action on Peleliu on October 16, 1944. On 27 November the island of Peleliu was declared secure, ending the 73-day-long battle. The reduction of the Japanese pocket around Umurbrogol mountain has been called the most difficult fight that the U.S. military encountered in the entire war. the 1st Marine Division suffered over 6,500 casualties during its month on Peleliu, over one third of the entire division. The battle was controversial in the United States because the island lacked strategic value and yet cost so many American lives. The defenders lacked the means to interfere with potential US operations in the Philippines, and the airfield captured on Peleliu did not play a key role in subsequent operations. Instead, the Ulithi Atoll in the Caroline Islands was used as a staging base for the invasion of Okinawa. The high casualty rate exceeded all other amphibious operations during the Pacific War. Jodie was brought back to Nacogdoches County, and buried at Black Jack Cemetery. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart, a Presidential Unit Ciatation, and a Asian Pacific of Operations Ribbon.
Louis Lafayette "Billie" Haltom was born June 14, 1919, in Nacogdoches County to Henry Grady and Callie Spinks Haltom. He grew up in Melrose, Texas, and graduated from the Stephen F. Austin Demonstration High School in Nacogdoches. Following graduation he attended Stephen F. Austin College. Billie entered the Army Air Corp in 1940, trained in Muskogee, Randolph Field and Kelley Field. He served in Europe and the South Pacific, Belgium, France, Germany, and Tokyo. His Air Force service spanned a twenty-year period and his military decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, 4 battle Stars, He was wounded over France in 1943 for which he recived the Purple Heart. After retiring from active military duty in 1960, he worked in the oil industry in Wichita, Kansas, before returning to government service with USAID as the director of aid for the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. In this role, he was responsible for programs that built schools and roads serving the people of the region. He later worked for the United States Postal Service and for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the Department of the Treasury.
Billie Haltom a Sophemore at Stephen F. Austin 1939
Billie Haltom 1940
On back Margr and Jeeter Lindsey
The Story of Billie Haltom's being shot down over France, and his evasion of being captured and making it to Gibraltar. Told in his own words. (This is a copy of a classified file of the report Billie had to make about being shot down. that has been declassified and is now available in PDF form on Line.)
Louis Lafayette "Billie" Haltom, 87, a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel, died March 13, 2007, while visiting family in Beaumont, Texas. Col. Haltom, who lived in Alexandria, Virginia, was born June 14, 1919, in Nacogdoches County to Henry Grady and Callie Spinks Haltom. He grew up in Melrose, Texas, and graduated from the Stephen F. Austin Demonstration High School in Nacogdoches. Following graduation he attended Stephen F. Austin College prior to serving in the Air Force during World War II. His Air Force service spanned a twenty-year period and his military decorations included the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. After retiring from active military duty in 1960, he worked in the oil industry in Wichita, Kansas, before returning to government service with USAID as the director of aid for the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. In this role, he was responsible for programs that built schools and roads serving the people of the region. He later worked for the United States Postal Service and for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the Department of the Treasury. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by sisters, Louise Haltom and Zenie Williams. He is survived by his sister, Sue Jean Dunn; and his niece, Betty Dunaway; and nephews, Ronnie Williams, Kevin Dunn and Kyle Dunn. Services will be held in Nacogdoches at 2 p.m. Friday, March 16, 2007, at Laird Funeral Home with visitation beginning at 11 a.m. Col. Haltom will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Melrose Cemetery Fund or the American Heart Foundation. Laird Funeral Home.
