By Jim Daly
On Aug. 8, 1950, the 150 members of Company B, 11th Battalion, 7th Naval Reserve District, United States Marine Corps Reserve of Aberdeen, Washington, were ordered to active duty in support of the Korean Conflict.
In those days, reserve training was not quite as organized as it is today. Many of these men were World War II veterans, but some of them were still in high school, and all levels in between. Some were minors, some had jobs, some had careers, some had families. They had many and various reasons for joining the Marine Corps Reserve, from providing extra money to support their families, to learning a trade, to serving their country, to playing basketball at a competitive level against local high school teams.
Few were prepared for the “call up” to serve in combat in Korea.
Because they were at many different levels of training (some having not even been through boot camp), they were not deployed as a unit. They were ordered individually into many different units. Some were sent to boot camp, some to Military Occupational Specialty training, some directly to combat units in the field — and in Korea.
Their stories are diverse. Some served in the states, but most eventually served in combat units in Korea. Seven were killed in action, 44 were wounded in action and two were missing in action (later determined to be KIA). Some received high-level awards for heroism in combat.
Many were members of the 18,000 “Chosin Few,” who defended at the Chosin Reservoir for 14 days against 120,000 Chinese Regulars that came across the 38th Parallel on Nov. 2, 1950, in support of the North Korean Army.
Not many of the Boys of Company B are left on Grays Harbor. Those who are, are mostly members of the Twin Harbors Marine Corps League, Detachment 442, headquartered in Raymond. But they remember those days.
The book “The Boys of Company B” by Ted Reynvaan (who very recently passed away) details the stories of the deployment of these Grays Harbor boys. It details personal stories of these men, including Hospitalman Apprentice “Doc” Norman “John” Leeson, a Fleet Marine Corpsman.
Fleet Marine Corpsmen are Navy Medical Corps technicians who deploy embedded in Marine Corps units. They are typically non-combatants who are responsible for keeping wounded Marines alive until they can be “Medevacked” to a medical facility. Some defend themselves and their comrades, as “Doc” Leeson is known to have done, having been trained as a Browning Automatic Rifleman.
All of the members of Company B remember “Doc.” A few years ago, a package addressed to him arrived in Grays Harbor. It had a return address identifying four Marines who had served with him in G Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division: Col. Carl Sitter (MOH), CWO4 Harold Wilson (MOH), Sgt. C.W. Johnson, and PFC George Sullivan. This package contained an engraved, chromed Marine Corps Non-Commissioned Officer sword labeled: “A gift from my fellow Marines.”
MOH stands for Medal of Honor, the highest award presented to combat veterans of the United States for heroism in combat. The members of the Marine Corps League do not know the details, but they assume that these distinguished heroes were at some point treated by “Doc” Leeson. It should also be noted that Leeson was awarded the Silver Star (the second highest medal awarded) for heroism in combat.
The Twin Harbors Detachment of the Marine Corps League wants to memorialize “Doc” Leeson and this gift. They asked me if the Aberdeen Veterans of Foreign Wars post would host a memorial to “Doc” Leeson and a second one for the members of Company B. We were very proud to agree to do so.
The memorial plaques are complete and ready for presentation at the VFW. But after conversation between the Marine Corps League and the VFW, the plan is to host the 243rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball at the Aberdeen VFW on the Marine Corps Birthday, Nov. 10.
These two memorials will be unveiled at the ball and dedicated in honor of these almost forgotten heroes. These memorials will have a perpetual place of honor in the Aberdeen VFW.
All members of Company B, all United States Marines, all Fleet Marine Corpsmen, their families, all veterans, and any interested parties who would like to attend will be welcomed. The menu and costs are not yet finalized, but if you would like to get on a list for information, please leave a message at the VFW: 360-533-9863.
We all need to remember the sacrifice of these forgotten heroes. They defended the democracy of one of our allies: South Korea. All the veterans of the United States military service who have served and died have defended democracy, our freedom, and have made our way of life possible.
Memorial Day is the perfect day to honor them by participating in one of the many Memorial Day ceremonies in Grays Harbor. The Marine Corps League and the Aberdeen VFW will be participating in the ceremony at Fern Hill Cemetery at 11 a.m. Monday. Please join us.
Jim Daly is Past Commander of the Aberdeen VFW post.
