|
With more than 16 million Americans who served in World War II,
only a fraction of them still live today. Even fewer can claim to
have reached the age of 100. John J. O'Leary, a retired Marine first
lieutenant, is one of the lucky few.
He celebrated his 100th
birthday at the Evergreen Community of Johnson County, Olathe,
Kansas, Dec. 23, 2016.
O'Leary saw combat on Guam and
witnessed the bombardment on Iwo Jima. Even after the war ended, his
pride for the Marine Corps never faded.
|
December 21, 2016 - Retired 1st Lt. John J. O'Leary, a Marine
veteran of World War II, looks at pictures on his dresser at the
Evergreen Community of Johnson County, Olathe, Kansas. O'Leary
fought on Guam and witnessed the bombardment of Iwo Jima as a member
of 3rd Joint Assault Signal Company. He celebrated his 100th
birthday on December 23, 2016. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ian
Leones)
|
“The first time I met him I was immediately impressed by his love
for the Marine Corps,” said Col. Thomas M. Fahy, commanding officer
of Combat Logistics Regiment 4, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine
Forces Reserve. “We are losing World War II veterans every day. I
think it is important to have their stories memorialized.”
Fahy learned about O'Leary through a website his unit was using to
promote their 241st Marine Corps Birthday Ball in November. O'Leary
reached out to the unit and Fahy traveled to the Evergreen Community
to meet him.
“I knew we had to have him as the guest at our
birthday ball,” Fahy said. "He is very enjoyable to be around, he is
very sharp and he has a great sense of humor."
With his wife
Dixie accompanying him as his date, O'Leary attended the ball as the
oldest Marine present and the only person in attendance to have
served in World War II. His story dates back almost 75 years.
When John J. O'Leary enlisted in the Marine Corps in the
aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, he had no idea what was in
store for him.
“I didn't know anything about the military,”
O'Leary said. “I was the first of three brothers to serve in World
War II. I joined because of all the good publicity the Marine Corps
was getting at the time.”
In 1942, after attending recruit
training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and radio operator school
in New York, O'Leary volunteered to be part of the newly formed 4th
Raider Battalion at Camp Pendleton, California. There O'Leary served
as Col. James Roosevelt's personal radio operator.
|
Retired 1st. Lt. John J. O'Leary, a Marine veteran of World War II,
in his Marine Corps uniform during the WWII era with date and
location unknown. O'Leary fought on Guam and witnessed the
bombardment of Iwo Jima as a member of 3rd Joint Assault Signal
Company. He celebrated his 100th birthday on Dec. 23, 2016. (Photo
courtesy of John J. O'Leary)
|
“He was the president's son,” O'Leary said. “He was a nice guy
and a good officer.”
However, O'Leary was not fated to stay
with the Raiders. The colonel learned O'Leary had a college degree
and sent him to officer candidate school in Quantico, Virginia.
“I was a private first class and had been in the Corps for 18
months,” O'Leary said. “Our entire class was made up of all enlisted
men.”
In June 1944, after finishing all of his training,
O'Leary was sent among the first replacements for the 3rd Marine
Division in Guam. He was assigned to take over a shore beach party
with 3rd Joint Assault Signal Company. His company was there through
the retaking of the island from the Japanese.
“I had to
become a good ducker,” O'Leary said with a wry smile. “I spent a
year and a half on Guam. That's a long time. I have a lot of
memories.”
On Feb. 19, 1945, O'Leary was assigned to 3rd
Marine Regiment and waited from a troop ship to land on Iwo Jima.
What he didn't know at the time was that his regiment was the only
regiment out of the nine present that was held in reserve. Although
he witnessed the battle from the sea, he never saw the shore.
“His ship became a hospital ship,” Fahy said. “Many of the dead
and wounded from Iwo Jima were transferred to his ship.”
As
the battle continued, O'Leary witnessed tables in the galley
converted into operating tables.
“Those were rough times,”
O'Leary said. “There were a lot of dead and injured.”
In his
room, among images of friends and family, hangs an original copy of
the photograph of the second flag-raising on Iwo Jima, signed by
photographer Joe Rosenthal.
“One morning on Guam, after Iwo
Jima, I looked out my tent and saw a small guy signing photographs
which he had just made of the flag raising,” O'Leary said. “At the
time, I didn't know how significant the photo would become.
|
December 21, 2016 - Retired 1st Lt. John J. O'Leary sits in front of
his signed photo of the second flag-raising on Mt.
Suribachi at the Evergreen Community of Johnson County, Olathe,
Kansas. O'Leary was given the photo by the photographer Joe
Rosenthal a week after the flag raising. O'Leary fought on Guam and
witnessed the bombardment of Iwo Jima as a member of 3rd Joint
Assault Signal Company. He celebrated his 100th birthday on December
23, 2016. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Ian Leones)
|
More than 70 years after the photo was taken and the war
ended, in a small retirement home room, O'Leary still holds
the Marine Corps and his memories of his service close to
his heart.
"His love of his country and his love of
his Marine Corps is undying," Fahy said. "I'm very
proud to have met him and honored to have spent the short
amount of time I have spent with him. I look forward to
seeing him at our next birthday ball."
This year also
marks the 100th anniversary of the Marine Corps Reserve. By
the end of World War II, Reserve Marines made up 70 percent
of total wartime Marine Corps personnel, including O'Leary.
Having witnessed generations of Marines put on the uniform
after him, O'Leary is confident that the Corps is still in
good hands.
"The Marine Corps is a great
organization," O'Leary said. “It's full of a lot of
dedicated individuals. I'm very proud of my time as a
Marine.”
By U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Ian Leones
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
The U.S. Marines
|
Comment on this article |
