Twisted Bombshell: 7th Infantry Division

THE GREATEST GENERATION BATTLE OF THE PACIFIC DECEMBER 7, 1941

THE UNKNOWN HEROES OF THE 7TH INFANTRY DIVISION

The blessings of fate allowed me to write the book that my grandfather himself wanted to do. Through the publication of his story, I have been introduced to others who want to tell their family member’s story. This is the story of the unknown heroes of the 7th Infantry Division of World War II. This book is in loving memory of Doug Smith’s grandfather and his hero Horace D. Worley. May his memory and the memory of the 7th Infantry “Hourglass Division” live on forever in our hearts, in our minds, and in our history. They were the Greatest Generation and will never be replaced.

- Daniel Ramey

TWISTED BOMBSHELL

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1

The Uniform

CHAPTER 2

The 76th Field Artillery

CHAPTER 3

The 16th Field Artillery

CHAPTER 4

Field Artillery School

CHAPTER 5

Attack on Pearl Harbor

CHAPTER 6

Medical Field Service School

CHAPTER 7

The Aleutian Islands

CHAPTER 8

The Marshall Islands

CHAPTER 9

Leyte

CHAPTER 10

Operation Iceberg

CHAPTER 11

Medical Service

PHOTO GALLERY

Horace D. Worley

EPILOGUE

TWISTED BOMBSHELL

THIS IS THE STORY OF AN UNKNOWN HERO. THIS IS THE STORY OF HORACE DAVID WORLEY WHO WAS JUST ONE OF THOUSANDS OF BRAVE MEN JUST LIKE HIM.

PREFACE

My grandfather was the greatest man I have ever known. He was also the greatest loss I have ever had to endure. He passed away from leukemia when I was eleven and the hole in my heart has never healed. Even now, thirty one years later, I cherish every single memory I have of him. His name was Paul Joseph Guiton.

When I was young, my grandfather would always have me sit with him and watch black and white World War II documentaries. He would always emphasize to me how important they were and the history involved. As I got older, he would tell me bits and pieces why he made me sit and watch those

documentaries, but he never dove into the details. He would mention once in a while that he was in the Army and he drove truck. He told me that he was in Europe during the war and that was about the extent of it. I would see some items from his military locker from time to time like his uniform and some old black and white photos while in Europe.

It wasn’t until I started to research his true history in the military that it all started to make sense and come to light. As a matter of fact, the more I dug into his history, the more I found. The more I found, the more I was amazed by the details. It was like following a rabbit down the rabbit hole. The deeper I went, the more his story took twists and turns. The more it twisted and turned, the more I got lost in

one of the biggest and best history lessons of my life.

You see in the end, I found out that my grandfather was a bonafide war hero. In every sense of the word, he was a man that did more in his lifetime than most of us could do in multiple lifetimes. I was able to publish the book that he always wanted to do but never found the time. I was able to share his story and the story of those who fought alongside him.

As more people have read my grandfather’s story, they have come forward with their own desire to know what their loved ones did during the war and to honor their memory. They have shared with me similar fond memories of growing up with their fathers and grandfathers and the brave women who loved them and supported them, not really knowing

the extent of what they did during World War II. Little did they know, they were also unknown heroes. In honoring their memories and their heroic deeds, it has now become my mission to research, explore, and share what I have found and collected.

This is the story of another unknown hero. This is the story of my good friend Doug Smith’s grandfather, and his hero Horace D. Worley, who served in the 7th Infantry Division of World War II during the Pacifiic Campaign.

CHAPTER 1

THE UNIFORM

CHAPTER 1

THE MISSION NOW IS TO REMEMBER THEIR LIVES AND TO HONOR THEM FOREVER.

About a year ago, I took the time to explore my grandfather’s history in World War II. To make a long story short, I had no idea the rabbit hole that it would lead me down.

In the end, I found out that my grandfather was a bonafide war hero, and not only that, but it sparked a lot of my friends to ask me to help them research their family’s history. The best part of publishing the first book was that we were able to present it to the last surviving member of my grandfather’s Company. To see the smile on his face was priceless.

Shortly after, I had a friend come forward who wanted me to write a book about a man he was visiting weekly in a nursing home. He was a man who deserved more honor than we could ever provide. I obliged and fate continued to push me in the direction that I knew I was meant to go. I was able to finish the second book and with a room full of love and his wife by his side, the man passed away the day my friend gave him his copy of the book written about him and his life during World War II. That was truly a hard pill to swallow. Right before our eyes, we were watching the last of the Greatest Generation disappear-

ing from this world forever.

I knew that I wanted to do this third book for another friend of mine about his grandfather, but I won’t kid you, I just couldn’t get it started like I did the previous times. It

is really hard to relive the memories of these honorable men who gave everything.

However, my mission is now perfectly clear. It is not to just write their story. The mission now is to remember their lives and to honor them forever.

This book started out in a very similar way as the previous two. Completely random for the most part but sparked by a set of fateful events to the trained eye, which I have started to acquire. So let’s get down to it and start this third adventure.

Dough Smith, a good friend of mine, called me over to his house one day and told me he had some things for me that he knew I would take good care of. Not knowing what he was offering to pass on to me, I was intrigued. Before I knew it, I was sitting at his kitchen table and he was piling various documents, photos, awards, medals, and even family military heirlooms on the table before me. Most of which belonged to his grandfather. Just like the loving relationship that I had with my own grandfather, Doug shared the same childhood experiences. His

grandfather was his hero. To top it off, his grandfather was his inspiration for both Doug and Doug’s father to serve in the military. Doug’s father served in Vietnam and Doug ultimately served in the Gulf War. They were a family of military legacy.

So knowing that and knowing how much these items meant to Doug and his family, I couldn’t help but ask the question, why me? Why was Doug giving me these items? His response was simple. Doug said, “They aren’t doing me any good just sitting in a cabinet. Maybe you could find a use for them.” And with that, fate just knocked on my door. I honestly was stunned. Laying before me was a lifetime of memories, military service, and a family’s entire foundation. I did what I only know how, humbly accepted the offer. I took everything home to my evergrowing museum of military history and started the process of exploration.

In a nutshell, Doug’s grandfather was active in a part of World War II that I knew absolutely nothing about - the Pacific Campaign. I learned that his grandfather, Lieutenant Colonel Horace D. Worley, was an inspiration to his family and his community. A true American hero. He received the Bronze Star for his services in the Medical Corps throughout the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

He started his military career in the 76th Field Artillery and was one of the last original “Buffalo Soldiers” of the 2D Cavalry Division prior to being absorbed into the 7th Infantry Division. He was activated to serve amongst fellow soldiers of the Greatest Generation in World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Deployed to the Aleutian Islands, the Marshall Islands, Leyte, and under Operation Iceberg during the Allied Forces invasion of Okinawa, Japan, he provided essential medical services and aide to military soldiers and civilian casualties alike. Honoring his medical oath, he served and protected all human life, regardless of circumstance.

THE UNIFORM

CHAPTER 1

Lieutenant Colonel Horace D. Worley survived World War II and served in the United States Army actively for over 24 years. He retired with substantial awards and recognitions including the Bronze Star, Distinctive Unit Badge, American Defense Services Medal, National Defense Services Medal, Army Occupation Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, and Philippine Liberation Ribbon.

Just like the previous two books, the research always starts with the uniform and one of the items Doug handed me that day was his grandfather’s uniform, pressed to the best, and with all of his medals and awards. So a few things about the uniform that caught my eye were this number 2 patch on the arm and this red and black hourglass looking patch on the other arm. I also noticed a medical service pin on one of the lapels. I figured out that obviously Doug’s grandfather was in the medical field and the number 2 patch on one arm was for the HQ 2D Cavalry Division of the Office of the Surgeon. I found out that the cool looking red and black hourglass patch was for the 7th Infantry (quite an infamous Army unit as you will see later). So my brain started running wild. I was thinking Cavalry Division... what like horses and stuff? I couldn’t wait to find out more already.

Doug then gave me his grandfather’s foot locker, old camera he had during the war, and a lot of other unique items. Right there on his foot locker was painted the same red and black hourglass. There were even photos of his grandfather on horseback which immediately got me perplexed and confirmed my thoughts about old school Cavalry with horses. I only knew one thing, this adventure was going to be unique and what I was soon to find out even blew Doug away!

I took everything home and started sorting documents, photo-

graphs, and making various timelines to try to come up with a logical outline of how I would write this book in honor of Doug’s grandfather. To be honest, there have been several occasions where I just wanted to give up because there was just too much to cover.

I made myself a promise though. Actually, I made Doug a promise the day that he gave me all of his family’s military heirlooms. I told him one day he would see his grandfather’s uniform, medals, and story in a museum. I am writing and finishing this book in order to make that promise come true. I know that finishing this book will have a happy ending just like the other two did and I am more than excited to see how this adventure into history will yet again unfold. Fate will step in just like it always does.

THE UNIFORM

CHAPTER 1

THE UNIFORM

CHAPTER 1

THE 76TH FIELD ARTILLERY

CHAPTER 2

TURNS OUT, HIS GRANDFATHER SERVED ALMOST 25 YEARS IN THE ARMY...

To my benefit, Doug handed me more than enough documents, photos, and heirlooms to do my research on his grandfather’s history. Like I said before, maybe too much. Turns out, his grandfather served almost 25 years in the Army and to track down everything he did and every place he went was almost impossible. I was able to make a general timeline of where he was stationed and what he did during every enlistment. For your sanity and mine in following along on this journey, I will break it down easy and go one at a time.

The first thing you should know about the military back then was that you had mainly the Infantry (ground fighting forces with rifles) and then the Field Artillery (those with the bigger guns). In that time period, we didn’t have the big guns we have now. We had cannons, like old school cannons on wheels.

A little more modern than the Civil War time period but the general idea remained the same... and YES you guessed it, they were pulled and moved around by HORSES!

Doug’s grandfather first enlisted in the Army in 1929 at the age of 18 and his first enlistment was with the 76th Field Artillery, Battery C from 1929 - 1932. He was mainly stationed at Fort Francis E. Warren, Wyoming. This was obviously long after World War I (1914 - 1918) and before World War II (1939 - 1945). FYI, Fort Francis E. Warren was the largest Cavalry post in American History and home of the infamous “Buffalo Soldiers.” Don’t worry, I will discuss this at the end of this chapter.

One item that I forgot to mention that Doug handed me when this adventure began was a small photo album that his grandfather put together. It had dozens of photos of horses, soldiers with horses, mountains, some pictures of buffalo, and a few inscriptions on the photos that read “Pole Mt.”

Well, I did a little digging and Pole Mountain is indeed in Wyoming, and yes you guessed it, the closest military Fort to Pole Mountain back then was Fort Francis E. Warren, Wyoming where they were stationed. From the pictures, it looks like they trained and camped a lot in that area. So this started to put some pieces of the puzzle together, especially explaining the deal with all of these horse photos and me having questions about old school Cavalry with horses.

I dug up some information on the 76th Field Artillery thanks to the internet and this is what I found. Before returning to the United States in August 1919, the regiment from which the 76th Field Artillery emerged from served with the division as part of the Army of Occupation around Coblenz, Germany at the end of World War I. After returning to the United States, the regiment was stationed at Camp Pike, Arkansas from 1919 to 1921, and at Camp Lewis, Washington from 1921 to 1922, before being split up, with the 2nd Battalion, 76th Field Artillery moving to The Presidio at Monterrey, California, while the rest of the regiment moved to Fort D.A. Russell, Wyoming (which later the Fort was named Fort Francis E. Warren, Doug’s grandfather’s station location). Regimental headquarters and 1st Battalion may have been inactive as a cost-reduction measure during the 1930s.

Through the 1930s, the regiment supported Citizens’ Military Training Camps and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), with the 2nd Battalion in Monterrey often working with the Stanford University ROTC detachment. In 1939, the regiment was relieved from the 3rd Division, all regimental elements were consolidated at Fort Ord, California, and the regiment was brought up to a full war-time strength of three battalions. The regiment was briefly assigned to the 7th Infantry Division from 1940 - 1941. While assigned to the 7th Infantry Division, the regiment was broken up into three separate battalions,

THE 76TH FIELD ARTILLERY

CHAPTER 2

the 74th, 75th, and 76th Field Artillery Battalions, in accordance with the new “triangular” infantry division organization.

The newly reorganized 76th Field Artillery Battalion spent most of 1942 and 1943 training and garrisoning the San Francisco area, prepared to defend against an expected Japanese invastion (at least during the early part of this period). The battalion was relieved from the 7th Infantry Division, assigned as a General Headquarters unit, and converted from horsedrawn to motorized.

Even though Doug’s grandfather was only with the 76th Field Artillery during his first enlistment from 1929 - 1932, the history is important because it shows the chaotic changes that occur to military organization in and between times of war and due to changes in technology and advancements in warfare. During this time period, World War I was over and the country was going through a major shift in military advancements and changes. Not only were we fighting to retire our traditional methods of combat (the use of horses which the world has relied

on for thousands of years), we were in a battle of change within our own society. Within the 20 years leading up to World War II, the military was reorganized, restructured, dismantled, and reorganized yet again based on current needs and potential needs.

When World War II did arrive, it was chaos in that almost all divisions and units were reassigned based on immediate need and given a new training agenda. The country literally was trying to prepare for something that they had no idea what to prepare for nor did they really want to get involved in. Unfortunately, the attack on Pearl Harbor forced the United States’ hand into World War II.

Until that time though, Doug’s grandfather was moved around the country and literally lived through one of the largest evolutionary changes in American military history. He had to evolve and adapt. Not only did Doug’s grandfather witness the evolution of the United States Military, he lived through and became a part of American Western history.

As stated earlier in this chapter, Doug’s grandfa-

ther was stationed at Fort Francis E. Warren (which was previously Fort D.A. Russell) and this was the largest Cavalry post in American History and home of the infamous “Buffalo Soldiers.” From the Civil War, to World War I, and through World War II, the United States military continued to segregate African American soldiers within the ranks. If you do not know your history, the term “Buffalo Soldiers” was coined to the African American Cavalry soldiers by the Native Americans of the midwest for their tenacity to fight and never give up like the buffalo would do when hunted by Native Americans.

With one glance at the awesome photos of Doug’s grandfather on horseback and seeing the photos of Pole Mountain, Wyoming, and even random pictures of buffalo, I had this feeling that something very interesting would emerge while doing the research for this book, as it always does when doing these books. And here it is folks... I discovered that Doug’s grandfather was more than likely one of the LAST, historical “Buffalo Soldiers” in American military history. Now wait a minute, no Doug’s grandfather is not African American, but let me educate you on why I have come to this conclusion.

First, the term “Buffalo Soldier” has become glamourized over the decades and has become inappropriately only tagged to the African American Cavalry during that time frame. However, the entire United States Cavalry being trained and emerging from Fort D.A. Russell and Fort Francis E. Warren (being the same respectfully) were all deemed and nicknamed by the local Native Americans as the “Buffalo Soldiers” for their fighting sprit, tenacity, and never give up attitudes. The United States Cavalry during this time period was very segregated and most of the time, the African American soldiers were often their own units and utilized first for the often “not so promising battles.” This is why the term “Buffalo Soldiers” was MAINLY utilized to describe the African American Cavalry by the Native Americans because they were the first to be volunteered to battle.

The United States Cavalry, even after the time period where the term “Buffalo Soldiers” first emerged, never really stopped the segregation of African American Cavalry soldiers, even though they did

THE 76TH FIELD ARTILLERY

CHAPTER 2

put into place measures forcing the reunification of units and the merging of both African American and Caucasian soldiers into the same Cavalry divisions. But as we all know, what is done on paper is not necessarily what is practiced on base. The units were blended, then dismantled, and then reorganized. The “Buffalo Soldiers” were not completely their own units all the time and they were not strictly all African American soldiers. Ultimately, these blended Cavalry units were also deemed “Buffalo Soldiers.” Utilized properly, “Buffalo Soldiers” refers to any Cavaly soldier emerging from this post during that timeframe.

Like I said before, Doug’s grandfather was in the middle of all of it. So that leads me to my second point highlighting why I would consider Doug’s grandfather one of the LAST “Buffalo Soldiers” in American history. Doug’s grandfather somehow found himself in the 76th Field Artillery, one of the last units to utilize horses while at Fort Francis E. Warren. In fact, the last documented Cavalry units operating in Fort Francis E. Warren was in 1927, only two years prior to Doug’s grandfather’s arrival. So what do you think happened to all of those horses? Your guess is probably what I guessed. They were reorganized and utilized for what was now being needed the most at the Fort, the 76th Field Artillery.

This would explain why Doug’s grandfather had so

many pictures of horses, even more so just dozens of pictures of horses with their nicknames. I would wager everything I own that the horses were “Buffalo Soldier” Cavalry horses. After all, they were highly trained and at this point a very famous cornerstone of American Western military history. The military would never let them leave Wyoming.

I pulled out Doug’s grandfather’s pictures once again and in the largest group photo, you can identify African American soldiers on horseback. I can’t determine if these soldiers were once from the Cavalry divisions, but it was more than enough evidence for me to wonder, and possibly confirm, that the military reorganized as they always do. Also it should be noted that on the back of Doug’s grandfather’s enlistment papers it clearly designates that his grandfather was trained in “horsemanship.”

So what makes Doug’s grandfather one of the last infamous “Buffalo Soldiers” of Fort Francis E. Warren? By definition, Doug’s grandfather was stationed at the home of the “Buffalo Soldiers”, more than likely inherited the Cavalry horses from the “Buffalo Soldiers”, was more than likely reorganized with “Buffalo Soldiers” merging into his unit, and having the documenation of being trained in horsemanship at the famous Cavalary Fort itself, I would firmly conclude that Doug’s grandfather, Horace D. Worley graduated to a “Buffalo Soldier” status.

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 2

THE 76TH FIELD

CHAPTER 2

THE 16TH FIELD ARTILLERY

CHAPTER 3

THIS WAS THE PERFECT SPOT FOR FATE TO START KNOCKING ON THE DOOR...

Let’s continue on with the adventure. Let me just tell you, fate will soon be knocking on the door. As I continued to dive into the documents, pictures, and everything that Doug gave me, I found that Doug’s grandfather, Horace D. Worley’s second enlistment started from 1934 - 1937 and he was assigned to the HQ Battery, 1st Battalion of the 16th Field Artillery. He was sent to Fort Myer, Virginia where he remained until 1937. During his third enlistment from 1937 - 1940 he remained with the 16th Field Artillery but my research indicates that his Battalion was moved to Norwood, New York just prior to the kick start of our involvement in World War II.

Like I said previous times, the military moved people around a lot and they were reorganizing almost all the time. If you have ever tried researching a family member’s military history, especially during World War I and World War II, you will know what I mean.

This was the perfect spot for fate to start knocking on the door while writing this book. Well, low and behold one day while trying to find ANYTHING on the 16th Field Artillery, I stumbled upon a GEM!

I could not find much about the 16th Field Artillery during this period because it was an “inactive” time between World War I and World War II. I did however find a brief history stating that the 16th Field Artillery was relieved from assignment from the 4th Division and assigned to the 8th Division in 1933, was relieved from assignment from the 8th Division on October 16, 1939 (probably why they moved to New York), and was activated on January 3, 1941 at Fort Myer, Virginia.

As I was cruising the wonderful but often dead-end streets of the world wide web, I decided to mix up my Google search criteria just a little bit and typed in the word combination “16th Field Artillery + Fort Myer, Virginia”. All of a sudden, this really strange article popped up from a blog on an internet site called hoofcare.blogspot.com. It was some article about how the U.S. Army was testing artillery horses

marching on pavement.

I thought, well that’s ridiculous! I don’t need to waste my time looking at some old article about the development of horseshoes! Then, something nudged me to look at the article just a little more in depth. To my AMAZEMENT, the article was about the 16th Field Artillery using their horses to conduct this research on a 300 mile march from Fort Myer, Virginia to Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania.

All of a sudden my heart skipped a beat! Not only did it mention things about possible leads to Doug’s grandfather but if you know anything about my first book and my grandfather’s own World War II history, you would know that I used to work at Fort Indiantown Gap and that location played a huge role in my life as well as my grandfather’s. I couldn’t help but start to get that awesome feeling again when running into random coincidences while writing

these books. But... the biggest question was, was this during the time frame while Horace D. Worley was stationed there and was he involved in this awesome horse research experiment?

Within a few seconds, I found the answers. YES, the article was about the 16th Field Artillery, 1st Battalion (his Battalion) and the event occurred in 1935 during his enlistment while stationed there! Now I have to add a little something here. Doug and his grandfather, Horace D. Worley, are from Hanover, Pennsylvania. Hanover is a nice town along the Pennsylvania and Maryland border and pretty much dead smack middle ground between Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania and Fort Myer, Virginia. How cool it must have been for Horace D. Worley to not only go on this adventure with his Field Artillery brothers, but they were able to march on horseback from their Fort all the way through his hometown and surrounding areas with EVERYONE watching, waving, and celebrating like a parade, especially his family! I couldn’t even imagine the pride and joy they all must have felt!

I sure as hell couldn’t contain myself at this point so I immediately sent Doug a link to the article and told him that he had better read it. Within a few hours, Doug replied with a “mind blown” emoji symbol and started sending me photos of this old artillery shell that he had been holding on to. He said that he acquired it from his grandfather and that it has been sitting in his shop in Hanover for a long time. He didn’t know what it was but only that he should hold on to it. By the way, Doug is a mechanic and

THE 16TH FIELD ARTILLERY

CHAPTER 3

owns his own shop in Hanover which is another ironic coincidence that I will discuss later.

Doug sent me the photos of the artillery shell and said he never could figure out why there was a number “16” etched on the shell and “Fort Myer, VA” also etched on the artillery shell. Once Doug read the article and found out that his grandfather was in the 16th Field Artillery and that he was stationed at Fort Myer, Virginia, the mystery of the shell was solved... or was it?

To blow our minds even further, and yours too I would assume, the elephant in the room now wasn’t why there were the “16” and “Fort Myer, VA” both etched in the side of this artillery shell with painstaking little marks and chips, but WHY did Doug’s grandfather hold on to this PARTICULAR artillery shell for so long and WHY did he make sure it stayed in good hands?

Well, ladies and gentlemen, the answer to that question was answered when I randomly stumbled upon the article itself. This artillery shell has to be from that 300 mile march that Horace D. Worley and the 16th Field Artillery conducted so long ago in 1935!

Doug wasn’t just holding on to some random artillery casing that his grandfather swiped from an enlistment location, he was holding on to a piece

of certified local history! This was from an unknown event that his grandfather was a part of, and once again, something amazing that Doug had no idea about that could have only been discovered through random research, but more importantly, only discovered through fate!

Now I have to digress a little here and tell you how the irony is REALLY unfolding while doing this research. Especially the coincidences and similarities between Doug’s life and Doug’s grandfather’s life.

You see, within our local friend group we often pick on one another for what we have nicknamed each other’s “superpowers.” Mine for example is a “superpower” of no matter what I order at any fast food

restaurant, the order is ALWAYS wrong. It never fails. I can order the most basic item on the menu, and somehow I am the only one that continues to get a faulty order.

Doug’s “superpower” is ironically, horses. No matter where we go or what we are doing, if there is any horse in the local area, it will immediately run toward Doug and start acting completely out of the ordinary! They are literally drawn to Doug. I have witnessed this myself. Doug and I went on a local road trip with his Shelby Mustang (also ironically our choice of cars is a horse) and we decided to do a photo shoot at a local horse stable in Hanover. Well, while taking photos of the car, a horse ran full speed all the way across the pasture directly to Doug who was just minding his own business. We started laughing and joking about his “superpower” so Doug decided to just inch his way closer to the

fence. Well, the horse went out of his way to lean completely over the fence, almost as if escaping, and bit Doug as if trying to tell him something! We thought it was just the weirdest thing to see even to this day.

I firmly believe that Doug’s horse “superpower” comes from his family legacy and somehow the horses inherently know the family bond stemming from Doug’s grandfather’s lineage. As we discussed in the previous chapter, Horace D. Worley was a “Buffalo Soldier.” Not only that, but horses were a huge part of his life during the military while in the 76th Field Artillery and from what we were finding out while in the 16th Field Artillery. I should note here that his grandfather’s involvement with horses does not stop here either. In fact, it gets stronger. He is actually enlisted in a Cavalry division later in his military career!

This, however, happens later after a brief training departure for his third enlistment, and yet another coincidence and event that I will now highlight. Remember how I said earlier that Doug has his own garage in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Well that also runs in the family. As Horace D. Worley was ending his enlistment with the 16th Field Artillery in New York in 1940, he was shipped off for his third enlistment to Fort Sill, Oklahoma from 1940 - 1941. Guess what he was sent to Oklahoma for? You guessed it, Motor Mechanics!

As the military started to phase out the use of horses for field artillery purposes, motorized vehicles were taking over and so the Army needed trained

THE 16TH FIELD ARTILLERY

CHAPTER 3

soldiers to master the arts of mechanics. Doug’s grandfather was more or less voluntold that he was heading off to Motor Mechanics school. So as the adventure unfolds it looks like Horace D. Worley is heading back to the Midwest on yet another military journey.

Before we get there in the next chapter, It should be noted here that while enlisted in Fort Myer, Virginia with the 16th Field Artillery, Horace D. Worley was starting to move himself up the ranks by making a name for himself.

While enlisted with the 16th Field Artillery, Horace D. Worley earned and achieved Corporal status. He was promoted on April 26, 1938 at Fort Myer, Virginia. Also, on his next enlistment while remaining with the 16th Field Artillery (while stationed in Norwood, New York), Horace D. Worley was promoted to Sergeant on August 13, 1940.

To honor and preserve all of the documentation that Doug has been able to provide to me regarding his grandfather, I have scanned and added photos of almost everything I have to each corresponding chapter in this book as it relates to Horace D. Worley’s military timeline.

To me, each and every award and promotion is significant to note, especially for a man who earned the

rank of Lieutenant Colonel the hard way. He was not a commissioned officer, but earned officer status from enlistment. Horace D. Worley started from rock bottom and climbed his way to the top.

Here is another irony and fun fact for you: “An officer who has been promoted from the enlisted ranks is often referred to as a “MUSTANG” in the United States military. This term is used to describe an individual who has transitioned from being an enlisted service member to becoming a commissioned officer. “MUSTANG” officers are known for their unique perspective, having experienced both the enlisted and officer ranks.”

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

FIELD ARTILLERY SCHOOL

FIELD ARTILLERY SCHOOL

CHAPTER 4

WITH ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY, HORSES WERE NOW ALMOST OBSOLETE AND MOTOR VEHICLES WERE TAKING OVER.

It wasn’t long after Horace D. Worley’s promotion to Sergeant on August 13, 1940, that he was shipped off for another adventure in his military career. He soon received paperwork that he was enrolled in the Field Artillery School’s Enlisted Specialists Motor Mechanics’ Course and was to report to Fort Sill, Oklahoma for training from October 6, 1940 to January 3, 1941. With advances in technology, horses were now almost obsolete and motor vehicles were taking over.

Apart from the one photo and some school admission paperwork that Doug was able to provide me, I had very little to go on in regards to what transpired while Doug’s grandfather was being trained at the Field Artillery School. So I hopped on Google once again and I found some pretty cool stuff.

First and foremost, the Field Artillery School in Fort Sill, Oklahoma is a BIG DEAL. It continues to exist and has been training soldiers for decades. It is a pretty famous military foundation, especially for the United States Army.

I was able to find a digital copy of a document that

was written about the Field Artillery School’s history during World War I and World War II. It even listed how many soldiers were selected for each course, when they attended, and had copies of the course criteria.

In review of the criteria for the Motor Mechanics’ Course, it was funny to read that it literally was a course on basic operation, maintenance, and repair of motor vehicles. The Army was just starting to use trucks and I would gather that not too many people knew how to drive these big boys back then. So I found a few diagrams that even discussed gears, manual shifting, max speeds per gear, etc...

Also while looking for information on the Field Artillery School, I continued to stumble across digital copies of a journal that was published throughout World War I and World War II, specifically for the Field Artillery. The journal was called “The Field Artillery Journal” and I was able to find a copy of the publication that occurred during Horace D. Worley’s training period at the Field Artillery School. I was hoping to try to find some random photo of him in

the pages. Instead I found this article about the new Field Artillery transportation that was going to be used. It introduced the use of Dodge trucks and I found a cool photo of one pulling a Field Artillery cannon.

Also in the journal was an article on the new 75 MM gun that was going to replace all of the Field Artillery cannons. I want to mention here that by now, the Field Artillery was already using some big cannons, however the platforms that that cannons were mounted on were very primitive. The Army developed bigger and better platforms to mount the guns and ones that now could be towed behind motor vehicles at higher rates of speed. They had better suspension, recoil, and even operational capabilities.

Good thing the Army started to make these advancements in their military might. Little did they know, the Japanese were already training and about to attack Pearl Harbor in less than a year.

Horace D. Worley completed his training at the Field Artillery School and on January 3, 1941 he was pro -

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moted to Staff Sergeant in the Service Battery, 16th Field Artillery Battalion at Fort Myer, Virginia.

If you noticed, Doug’s grandfather was promoted and now stationed back at Fort Myer, Virginia. As I stated earlier in the 16th Field Artillery chapter, the Battalion was activated on January 3, 1941 (the same day as Doug’s grandfather’s promotion). It is my belief that the United States was already planning to engage in World War II at this point in time.

Thanks to military reorganization, the 16th Field Artillery was reassigned. On December 4, 1941 Horace D. Worley was promoted to Staff Sergeant, Medical Department (Temporary), under the HQ 2D Cavalry Division, Office of The Surgeon, at Fort Riley, Kansas. Three days later on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

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ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR

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“A DATE WHICH WILL LIVE IN INFAMY”.

- FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, dragging the United States into World War II. The attack began at 7:48 a.m. Hawaiin time and the base was attacked by 353 Japanese fighters, level and dive bombers, and torpedo bombers in two waves launched from six aircraft carriers. 2,403 people died in the attack on Pearl Harbor including 2,008 Navy personnel, 109 Marines, 218 Army personnel, and 68 civilians. The attack also wounded 1,178 people. The attack was the deadliest event ever in Hawaii, and the deadliest foreign attack on the U.S. until the September 11 attack in 2001 in New York City.

Of the eight U.S. battleships docked at Pearl Harbor, all were damaged and four were sunk. The USS Arizona was the site of nearly half the deaths after a bomb penetrated the ship’s deck and ignited its ammunition magazine. The USS Oklahoma was another battleship destroyed in the attack with 429 men dying and the USS Utah was also destroyed with 58 men dying.

The Japanese destroyed or damaged 19 U.S. Navy

ships, including the eight U.S. battleships. The Japanese sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, an anti-aircraft mining ship, and a minelayer. They also destroyed more than 180 U.S. planes on the ground. Luckily, the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s three aircraft carriers were out to sea on maneuvers and were not attacked. The Japanese lost a total of 29 aircraft, five midget submarines, and 130 men. All ships but the USS Arizona were later raised and six were returned to service during the war.

Later that day, Japan declared war on the United States and the British Empire. On December 8, 1941, the United States and United Kingdom declared war on Japan. On December 11, 1941, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States, which responded with an equal declaration of war against Germany and Italy. The lack of formal warning and the unprovoked attack from Japan on Pearl Harbor led the U.S. President at the time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, to famously label December 7, 1941 as “a date which will live in infamy”.

While writing this chapter for the book, Horace D. Worley’s grandson a.k.a. my friend Doug ironically took a trip to visit his daughter in Hawaii. Ironically yet again, he was visiting Pearl Harbor on its anniversary, 83 years later. He started sending me various photos and talking about how surreal it was to be there. Since I found it only fitting, I told Doug that he needed to write the rest of this chapter since Pearl Harbor played such a major role in his grandfather’s life and for all of those who were a part of the Greatest Generation. So with that in mind, I will let Doug take over from here and tell you more about Pearl Harbor.

December 7th, 2024 - Pearl Harbor Hawaii – It’s a morning exactly the way you would expect any morning in Hawaii to be. Blue skies, light breeze, high wispy clouds, birds chirping, the light lapping

of the waves, an immaculate start to the day. Overlooking Pearl Harbor, it’s an image out of paradise. However, there are views in the Harbor that stand out against this otherwise perfect landscape. Broken shapes, the silhouette of cannons, memorials, and something seems off. That’s when it starts to become surreal.

The absolute beauty and calming of Pearl Harbor makes it impossible to imagine or relate to that same day, 83 years earlier. It makes it impossible to imagine the sound of 353 enemy planes flying overhead at low level, dropping torpedoes, the sound of bombs and machine gun fire, the sky blackened by smoke, the chaos and confusion that was tearing through the community, and the aftermath of this attack.

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by the naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” These are the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. While the United States had stayed neutral in the opening days of World War II and did not get involved in the ongoing war in Europe, December 7th changed the entire war. This was a pivotal moment that drew the U.S., and its massive amount of resources, into the second World War, and reshaped the world stage into what we know it as today.

Hawaii has been sought after by many nations, including Japan for hundreds of years. It’s location in the middle of the Pacific between North America and Asia make it prime spot for trade, retail and most importantly, military activity. It’s the perfect stationary aircraft carrier. With islands able to support both Naval and Air capabilities, it was an ideal location and wanted by many countries. Interestingly, when the U.S. fleet was stationed at Pearl on December 7th, 1941, Hawaii was not a U.S. State. The United States annexed Hawaii in 1898 due to military leaders fearing the Japanese occupation of the islands. U.S. Naval and Air bases were set up all around the island of O’ahu, and it was not until August 21st, 1959, that Hawaii became the 50th State in Union. A little side note – the 1960s to 1970s police TV series was called “Hawaii Five-0” as tribute to Hawaii being the 50th state.

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The Hawaiian Islands were annexed by the United States in 1898 and made a U.S. territory in 1900. With this annexation, the U.S. saw the islands as its most strategic military asset. Presidents McKinley and Roosevelt expanded the military presence on the islands and by 1908, the entirety of O’ahu was being fortified. This included what was called the Ring of Steel, which was a series of gun batteries mounted on steel walls around the island. There were also train rails that circled the island, so mounted artillery and troops could be moved to any part of the island in a very short amount of time. Some of this old rail system still exists today. One of the gun batteries that was constructed was Battery Randolf right off

of the beach in Waikiki, the current site of the U.S. Army Museum of Hawaii. The battery consisted of two 14-inch guns on disappearing carriages and had a range of approximately 23 miles. So how well were these gun batteries built? Short answer – very well. In 1969 Battery Randolph was scheduled for demolition and a contractor was hired to tear it down. The problem was that they couldn’t. After months of brutal assaults from wrecking balls to tear it down, more wrecking balls were shattered than pieces of the battery. The idea of demolishing it was abandoned, and subsequently it was turned into the museum.

Japan had already launched invasions into China and Korea and was expanding its empire. Japan being an island, gives it limited resources so it was

looking to expand into Southeast Asia, the Philippines and gain as much territory as it could. The United States opposed the incursion into China and the rise of the Japanese Military in the area, but on the other hand, many thought that it had no vital interests in China worth going to war over. Because of this, few U.S. officials wanted to take a strong stance against Japan, for fear of stoking a larger war. This mindset began to change in 1937 when the Chinese and Japanese clashed on the Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing, throwing the two nations into a full-blown war. Tensions rose even higher when the Japanese bombed the U.S.S. Panay as it was evacuating U.S. citizens from Nanjing, China, killing thrree. Japan saw the power of the American Naval Fleet in Hawaii, with its battleships,

aircraft carriers, submarines and a multitude of other combat ships, as a severe threat to their goals of expansion and started to draw up plans to address this threat from the United States Navy. Once Japanese military command was confident in their plan, and their intelligence determined the best time to attack, the plan was set into motion.

The Japanese determined that on December 7th, 1941, the three aircraft carriers of the United States Navy would be at Pearl Harbor. These were critical targets, as destroying all of the carriers would cripple the Navy’s combat power in the Pacific. Japan launched a fleet of six of its own carriers along with some 24 support vessels from Japan on November 26th, 1941. Once within range of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese launched the attack in two waves, with the first planes arriving over the harbor at 7:55 in the morning. The initial wave of aircraft were actually detected by radar stations on the island, but were dismissed because there were fleet aircraft that were scheduled to arrive from the United States

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mainland around the same time. While U.S. service members were just waking up, or in church, or having just a normal Sunday morning, the bombs began to fall. Everyone rushed to their battle stations and manned whatever position they could to attempt to fend off this attack.

At the time of the attack, the United States military was employing hundreds of Japanese migrant workers on the islands. At the time, the military did not think Japan would be able to carry out such a large-scale attack, but rather thought the biggest threat was from the sabotage of aircraft by these migrant workers. Because of this, the air force and navy planes on the island were parked in very close proximity to each other, so they could be watched

and guarded to make sure they were not damaged. This proved to be of devastating consequence, as the Japanese planes were able to strafe and bomb closely parked planes on the tarmac.

The attack was not limited to Pearl Harbor. The military had multiple airfields on the island, and they were all attacked simultaneously in hopes that the United States could not get planes in the air to fight off the Japanese. Despite this onslaught, the U.S. did manage to launch six of its own aircraft, and did shoot down a few Japanese planes. The most fortunate turn of events for the Unites States was

that its aircraft carriers were not at Pearl Harbor. All three had deployed for exercises and suffered no damage.

In the end, an attack that lasted a mere hour and fifteen minutes destroyed 188 U.S. aircraft, damaged 159, sank 7 ships, damaged 26 and took the lives of 2,403 military and civilian personnel. There was no question that United States was at war with Japan and was about to take the fight to their doorstep.

The first attack by the United States against Japan was a mere four months later, with B-25 bombers launching off of the very aircraft carriers that Japan

sought to destroy at Pearl Harbor. The Doolittle Raids that launched on April 18th, 1942 were a direct attack against the Japanese mainland and sent a message that the United States was out for vengeance. The attack also put the industrial might of the U.S. into overdrive. A new series of Battleships, the Iowa Class, was already under construction on the U.S. east coast and were the most advanced and deadly battleships ever constructed. The attack on December 7th increased the speed of construction of the ships tenfold, with the USS Iowa (BB-61) being delivered in 1943, shortly followed by the USS New Jersey (BB-62), USS Missouri (BB-63) and the USS Wisconsin (BB-64).

With the might of its battleships, aircraft carriers, support ships and the dedicated military personnel that served them, the United States launched campaigns in Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, the Marianas, and countless others, to slowly beat back the Japanese threat, and force the total and unconditional surrender of the Japanese military on September 2nd, 1945. The documents of surrender were

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signed aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, with a delegation of the Japanese government and General McArthur and Admiral Nimitz as officials of the United States.

To this day, the USS Missouri sits docked at Pearl Harbor, directly behind the shrine that is the USS Arizona and her crew. The “Might MO’s” 16 inch guns standing guard over a fallen brother, forever. From where it began, to where it ended, a day which will live in infamy.

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MEDICAL FIELD SERVICE SCHOOL

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DOWN A PATH OF UNIMAGINABLE ADVENTURES...

As mentioned before, the military was moving people left and right during the war based on their needs at the time. Directly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the military went into a full frenzy. Doug’s grandfather Horace D. Worley was about to be moved around like you wouldn’t believe.

He started his career in Field Artillery (being stationed in Wyoming, Virginia, and New York) and then moved to Motor Mechanics (being stationed in Oklahoma). As mentioned right before the chapter on the attack on Pearl Harbor, thanks to military reorganization, the 16th Field Artillery was reassigned. On December 4, 1941 Horace D. Worley was promoted to Staff Sergeant, Medical Department (Temporary), under the HQ 2D Cavalry Division, Office of The Surgeon, at Fort Riley, Kansas.

This “temporary” promotion would soon lead Horace D. Worley down a path of unimaginable adventures and challenges, not to mention down a path of continuing to build his legend and legacy.

While at Fort Riley, Kansas, he was assigned to the HQ 2D Cavalry Division. You guessed it, he was back with horses and now officially a part of one of the last remaining “original” Army Cavalry units in history.

With a little research, I found a really interesting article discussing the fate of the 2D Cavalry Division while at Fort Riley, Kansas. The article reported that the 2D Cavalry Division was one of the least known U.S. Army formations of World War II and it ultimately enjoyed the dubious distinction of being inactivated twice. Initially, it combined an African American brigade with a Caucasian brigade, before it was reorganized as an all African American division in 1943. Some would say these were the last of the “Buffalo Soldiers.” Its short history offered an interesting look at the ongoing racial policies of the segregated Army during the early 1940s.

As we discussed in a previous chapter, Horace D. Worley during his first enlistment while in Wyoming, was a “Buffalo Soldier”, training and being absorbed in combined African American and Caucasian units that utilized horses. As he witnessed the evolution of the Army from using horses to motorized vehicles, he also witnessed and experienced the changes in military segregation.

As I always do when doing research, I want to highlight yet again that you can learn a lot about a unit’s insignia or patch. Guess what I found when look-

ing up the 2D Cavalry Division? Their insignia is pictured here to the right (a yellow Norman shield with a green border wth a blue chevron below two eight-pointed blue stars). The yellow is the color for Cavalry and the two blue stars are actually spur rowells (the round spiked portion of a spur that is used by the rider to tap the horse to make it move faster).

The 2D Cavalry Division was active from 1940 - 1944 and you guessed it... their nickname was “Buffalo Soldiers.”

Horace D. Worley from December 4, 1941 to June 3, 1942 was enlisted in the last of the “Buffalo Soldier” units at Fort Riley, Kansas. On March 10, 1942,

he was promoted from Staff Sergeant, Medical Department (Temporary) under the HQ 2D Cavalry Division, Office of The Surgeon to Technical Sergeant (Temporary) under the HQ & HQ Detachment, 2nd Medical Squadron. Not even three months later, on June 3, 1942, he was promoted to Master Sergeant, Medical Department (Temporary) and notified that he will be relocated back to Pennsylvania to complete Medical Field Service School.

Can you guess where the Medical Field Service School was located? Carlisle, Pennsylvania - home of the infamous Army War College and not even 30 minutes from his home town of Hanover, Pennsyl -

vania. Horace D. Worley was going home.

Among the stacks of photos and family heirlooms that Doug had of his grandfather was a Medical Field Service School group photo showing Horace D. Worley with his graduating class. On the back were all of their autographs. He graduated with the 3rd Platoon, 7th O.C.C. (Officer Candidate Course).

On August 24th, 1942, Horace D. Worley completed his term of enlistment and was honorably discharged from military service as a Master Sergeant with the Medical Department.

The following day, on August 25th, 1942, he reenlisted in the Army yet again, graduated from the Medical Field Service School as an Officer Candidate, and was promoted by the President to Second Lieutenant (Temporary) of the Medical Administrative Corps.

On August 28th, 1942, Horace D. Worley received a letter from the Brigadier General that he was to report for further training on September 3, 1942. On September 11, 1942 he was promoted from Second Lieutenant to First Lieutenant and on September 16, 1942 he was given special orders that he was being assigned to the 25th Evacuation Hospital and was to report to Fort Ord, California without delay for Active Duty.

Horace D. Worley was not only shipped all over the country during his early enlistments but he was promoted left and right due to his hard work and military dedication. He not only lived and experienced

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the massive changes in the Army, but he was soon to experience the major changes occurring in the world thanks to the United States getting pulled into World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

He would soon be deployed to various locations throughout the Pacific Campaign, experience combat in every difficult environment known to man, and will witness firsthand the victory of the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg.

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THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS

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“LIGHT, SILENT, AND DEADLY”.

On September 16, 1942 when Horace D. Worley was given special orders that he was being assigned to the 25th Evacuation Hospital and was to report to Fort Ord, California without delay for Active Duty, he was absorbed into the infamous 7th Infantry Division, explaining the red and black hourglass patches on his uniform and insignia on his foot locker. The 7th Infantry Division was nicknamed the “Hourglass Division”, “Bayonet Division”, “California Division”, and “Black Widow Division.” Their motto was “Light, Silent, and Deadly.”

From what I could find about the 7th Division during the time he was directed to report to Fort Ord, California, the division was currently training for an African Campaign. Here is just a briefing of what I found. On April 9, 1942, the division was formally redesignated as the 7th Motorized Division and transferred to Camp San Luis Obispo on April 24, 1942. Three months later, divisional training commenced in the Mojave Desert in preparation for its planned deployment to the African theater. It was again designated the 7th Infantry Division on January 1, 1943, when the motorized equipment was removed from

the unit and it became a light infantry division once more, as the Army eliminated the motorized division concept fearing it would be logistically difficult and that the troops were no longer needed in North Africa. The 7th Infantry Division began rigorous amphibious assault training under U.S. Marines from the Fleet Marine Force, before being deployed to fight in the Pacific theater instead of Africa.

From a map that I found regarding the 7th Infantry Division’s deployment to the Pacific, it looks like Horace D. Worley deployed from California on April 24, 1943 and arrived in Cold Bay, Alaska in May of 1943 in preparation to attack the Japanese who were maintaining a strong presence on the Aleutian Islands. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, it was believed that the Japanese were going to invade the United States by way of Alaska since they could not secure Hawaii or Midway.

Remember how I mentioned in the last chapter that Horace D. Worley would soon be deployed to various locations throughout the Pacific Campaign, experience combat in every difficult environment

known to man, and will witness firsthand the victory of the Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg? Well that should really sink in. Think about this. The man started his military career in the Midwest with horses and buffalo, moved around from Wyoming, to Virginia, to New York, to Oklahoma, to Pennsylvania, and then on to California to train for African (desert) combat, was switched over to start training for amphibious combat with the Marines, and now was about to be deployed to conduct arctic warfare on the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, jungle warfare on the Marshall Islands and the Philippine Islands in the Pacific, and ultimately engage in the largest amphibious assault to date in history - the invasion of Okinawa, Japan. If you do not know this, it should be noted here that Operation Iceberg was a larger invasion than that of Normandy, a.k.a D-Day.

From literally the only article I have found mentioning the name Horace D. Worley while searching the internet for almost two years, my research leads me to believe that Horace D. Worley was a part of the Task Force 59 that was previously mentioned to have departed San Francisco on April 24, 1943 and ar-

rived in Cold Bay on May 1, 1943. From there, preparations were being made to attack the Japanese on Attu, the farthest island west of the Aleutian Islands.

The article that mentioned his name, talked about the planning of the assault on Attu, but more specifically talked about Major Laurence A. Potter, Commander of the 7th Division Medical Battalion, being recalled from a training excercise aboard a ship off San Diego, and was returned to Fort Ord, California to be told in a private session that he was to become Surgeon of the 7th Infantry Division and that the division would form an independent task force for the recapture of Attu from the Japanese. It later mentioned in the article that neither the supply officer nor his assistant Captain Horace D. Worley, were to be informed in any way of the mission as to maintain absolute secrecey of the overall operations.

This confirmed my research and made it pretty clear that Doug’s grandfather was about to embark on his first deployment to engage in arctic warfare. Here is what I found regardng the 7th Infantry Division’s attack on the Japanese on the Aleutian Islands.

Elements of the 7th Infantry Division first saw combat

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in the amphibious assault on Attu Island, the westernmost Japanese entrenchment in the Aleutian islands chain of Alaska. Elements landed on May 11, 1943, spearheaded by the 17th Infantry Regiment. The initial landings were unopposed, but Japanese forces mounted a counteroffensive the next day, and the 7th Infantry Division fought an intense battle over the tundra against strong Japanese resistance. The division was hampered by its inexperience, lack of winter clothing, and poor weather and terrain conditions, but was eventually able to coordinate an effective attack. The fight for the island culminated in a battle at Chichagof Harbor, when the division destroyed all Japanese resistance on the island on May 29th, after a suicidal Japanese bayonet charge.

During its first fight of the war, 549 soldiers of the division were killed, while killing 2,351 Japanese and taking 28 prisoners. After American forces secured the island chain, the 159th Infantry Regiment was ordered to stay, and the 184th Infantry Regiment took its place as the 7th Division’s third infantry regiment. The 184th Infantry remained with the division until the end of the war. The 159th Infantry Regiment stayed on the island for some time longer until returning to the Lower 48 (Hawaii and Alaska were not yet a part of the U.S.). The 159th Infantry Regiment was then subsequently sent to Europe, in early 1945 and assigned to the 106th Infantry Division.

American forces then began preparing to move against nearby Kiska island, termed Operation Cottage, the final fight in the Aleutian Islands Campaign.

In August 1943, elements of the 7th Infantry Division took part in an amphibious assault on Kiska with a brigade from the 6th Canadian Infantry Division, only to find the island deserted by the Japanese. It was later discovered that the Japanese had withdrawn their 5,000 soldier garrison during the night of July 28th, under the cover of fog.

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THE DIVISION RETURNED TO HAWAII TO CONTINUE TRAINING.

After the Aleutian Islands Campaign, the division moved to Hawaii where it trained in new amphibious assault techniques on the island of Maui, before returning to Schofield Barracks on Oahu for brief leave. It was reassigned to V Amphibious Corps, a U.S. Marine Corps command. The division left Pearl Harbor on January 22, 1944, for an offensive on Japanese territory. On January 30, 1944, the division landed on islands in the Kwajalein Atoll in conjunction with the 4th Marine Division, code named Operation Flintlock.

The 7th Division landed on the namesake island while the 4th Marine Division forces struck the outlying islands of Roi and Namur. The division made landfall on the western beaches of the island at 0930 on February 1st. It advanced halfway through the island by nightfall the next day, and reached the eastern shore at 1335 hours on February 4th, having taken the island from the Japanese.

The victory put V Amphibious Corps in control of all 47 islands in the atoll. The 7th Infantry Division suffered 176 killed and 767 wounded. On February 7th, the division departed the atoll and returned to Schofield Barracks.

Elements took part in the capture of Engebi in the Eniwetok Atoll on February 18, 1944, code named Operation Catchpole. Because of the speed and success of the attack on Kwajalein, the attack was undertaken several

months ahead of schedule. After a week of fighting, the division secured the islands of atoll. The division returned to Hawaii to continue training. There, in June of 1944, General Douglas MacArthur and President Franklin Roosevelt personally reviewed the division.

Now that I completed the research on this part of Horace D. Worley’s deployment, the pieces were coming together. Having reviewed all of the photos and personal items from Horace D. Worley’s footlocker, it all made sense to me now why there was a photo of him as a Captain and the caption below his photo said “Aloha.” Little did Doug know that his latest trip to Pearl Harbor and Hawaii in general, the he was actually following in his grandfather’s footsteps during his Pacific Campaign.

LEYTE

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INTENSE JUNGLE WARFARE THAT PRODUCED HIGH CASUALTIES.

After the Marshall Islands Campaign, the 7th Infantry Division left Hawaii on October 11th, heading for Leyte and included the Filipino troops of the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary were aided against the Japanese. At this time it was under the command of XXIV Corps of the Sixth United States Army. On October 20, 1944, the division made an assault landing at Dulag, Leyte, initially only encountering light resistance.

Following a defeat at sea on October 26, the Japanese launched a large, uncoordinated counteroffensive on the Sixth Army. After heavy fighting, the 184th Infantry secured airstrips at Dulag, while the 17th Infantry secured San Pablo, and the 32nd Infantry took Buri. The 17th Infantry troops moved north to take Dagami on October 29th, in intense jungle warfare that produced high casualties.

The division then shifted to the west coast of Leyte on November 25th and attacked north toward Ormoc, securing Valencia on December 25th. An amphibious landing by the 77th Infantry Division effected the capture of Ormoc on December 31, 1944.

The 7th Infantry Division joined in the occupation of the city, and engaged the 26th Japanese Infantry Division,

which had been holding up the advance of the 11th Airborne Division. The 7th Division’s attack was successful in allowing the 11th Airborne Division to move through, however, Japanese forces proved difficult to drive out of the area. As such, operations to secure Leyte continued until early February 1945. Afterward, the division began training for an invasion of the Ryukyu island chain throughout March 1945. It was relieved from the Sixth Army and the Philippine Commonwealth military, which went on to attack Luzon.

During my visits with Doug, he would often pull out the relics and marvels that his grandfather Horace D. Worley collected during his time in the military and when deployed. One such relic, was a pair of hand engraved Filipino knives that were decorated with shell fragments (pictured here to the left). Another item was a Japanese unit’s prayer flag (pictured at the end of the next chapter). These items were donated, among many other items belonging to Horace D. Worley, to a local World War II museum. Just like I promised Doug, one day his grandfather will be honored and his uniform, medals, relics, and story will find their forever home where they will be on display for others to see.

OPERATION ICEBERG

OPERATION ICEBERG

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THE LARGEST AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT IN MILITARY HISTORY.

From Arctic combat, to Jungle combat, to spending countless weeks at sea, the 7th Infantry Division and Horace D. Worley were about to embark on the largest amphibious assault in military history. Even bigger than the Normandy D-Day invasion.

While researching the internet to really get the best information about Operation Iceberg, I actually came across an article written in 2022 by Evan Muxen that highlighted the 7th Infantry Division in particular and their involvment in this famous invasion. I would like to share his article and it reads as follows.

Few units hold the distinction to have fought an enemy of the United States on U.S. soil. The 7th Infantry Division is one of those few. During World War II, the United States experienced something that it had not experienced since the turn of the 20th century: it was attacked on its own home soil and even had some of that soil taken away. The WWII story of the 7th begins on the island of Attu, Alaska as part of the Aleutian Islands Campaign (which went from June 1942 to August 1943, with fighting on Attu May 1943), where they had some of the first units to offensively fight the ground forces of the Imperial Japanese who had invaded and captured the islands in 1942. Consequently, Bayonet Division units were also some of the last to fight the Japanese. What began in Alaska in 1942 would end

a world away on an island called Okinawa three years later.

Okinawa was an island of strategic significance. In 1945, few had ever heard of Okinawa, but control of that island was critical to the success of Operation Downfall, the operational code name for the invasion of Imperial Japan. Okinawa had several fully constructed crushed coral airfields which could handle any current U.S. aircraft, making the island itself an ideal location for a staging area for a mainland invasion of Japan. The 7th Division was designated as one of seven divisions chosen to be a part of the Tenth (X) Army, the combined joint force that would invade Okinawa (Operation Iceberg). Becoming a part of the largest amphibious invasion of WWII, the 7th was tasked first with the seizure of one of the major airfields on Okinawa (known today as Kadena Air Base), and then continue their drive across the width of the Okinawa. Once they arrived to the opposite shore side, the 7th was to move southward along the coastline.

It was commonly believed that the seizure of the Kadena Airfield would take several days from L-Day (or Love Day) on April 1, 1945 (intelligence predictions for the seizure of the Kadena Airfield was L+10). American intelligence based their predictions of the Okinawan defenses from their experience nearly everywhere else

in the Pacific Theater. This meant they expected the American forces would be hit hard as they landed and would have a hard fight for every meter of land. These predictions were not without merit. After all, nearly every island U.S. forces invaded previous to this planned invasion were met on the beach with hard resistance.

However, this was not the case on April 1, 1945 as American forces came ashore on Okinawa. Imperial

forces had laid one more surprise for them. The leadership of Imperial Japan knew that invasion of the home islands was now inevitable, which meant that for both Iwo Jima and Okinawa something different was in order. To give the home island enough time to prepare for the American invasion, both Okinawa and Iwo Jima operated defenses in depth, and planned for the islands to be massive delaying actions against

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the Americans. American intelligence did not predict that the Imperial Army would not meet them at the beach, nor could they predict where or how they would be met by a carefully planned defense in depth further south on Okinawa. In short, one could classify Okinawa as an intelligence failure.

During the landing, the 7th Division, along with every other unit in the X Army, landed completely unopposed. This was different from the intelligence report which predicted up to 60% casualties per wave of the invasion. The 7th would come ashore at Beach Orange One and Beach Orange Two (today Kadena Marina) with roughly 20,000 soldiers, placing them less than a hundred meters from Kadena Airfield. As the 7th moved ashore, to their surprise they encountered no resistance. In fact, the airfield was abandoned. What

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the 7th found were Ohka planes (suicide bombers) left in hangers, fortifications (pill boxes), command buildings, and a plethora of supplies – all unmanned and unguarded. The 7th Division would not meet the enemy in direct combat until L+5.

The 7th achieved its primary landing objective within hours after landing instead of the predicted days, and before the end of L-Day, they had had reached the eastern shore of Okinawa. The 7th Division would not even engage the enemy force until L+5 (April 6) when the184th Infantry met well entrenched Imperial forces in fortified positions at the Pinnacle (one of the first battle sites on Okinawa). Days later, on L+18 (April 19), the 7th discovered more Imperial forces at Skyline Ridge.

What was coming next no intelligence unit could have predicted. With the Army divisions moving southward and Marine divisions moving northward, neither of them knew it at the time but they were both about to be stopped in their tracks and discover where the real, concentrated resistance of the Imperial forces lay. Each escarpment, each hill became a battlefield of its own, all supported by the neighboring escarpments and hills. Artillery and mortars reigned down from reverse slope firing points with pinpoint accuracy. Snipers fired from cave and tombs openings, and everywhere the Army went they encountered Japanese civilians who they did not know if they were friend or foe. The 7th,

who kicked off the ground fighting against Imperial forces at the Battle of Attu, were now on Okinawa working to end the fighting. And the worst of the fighting was yet to come.

Invasion of Okinawa Fast Facts:

The initial invasion force for Okinawa was roughly 183,000 Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Guardsmen. This is 30,000 more than the D-Day invasion.

- The invasion fleet was comprised of over 2,500 battleships, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and landing craft.

- Okinawa was divided in two at the Bishigawa River (now the Hija River), the Marines went north while the Army went south.

- The invasion began so unopposed that Soldiers and Marines resorted to walking ashore upright, not worried about being engaged by the enemy.

- The American shelling and bombardment of Okinawa was observed by the top three Japanese commanding officers of the 32nd Imperial Army, General Mitsuru Ushijimya, Lieutenant General Isamu Cho, and Colonel Hiromichi Yahara, of the Imperial forces on Okinawa. from Shuri Jo (the castle that the 32nd Army was using as a headquarters), supposedly COL Yahara (chief planning officer for the 32nd) remarked “What a waste.”

- The invasion was a complete success and went unopposed for the four days preceding the battle at Cactus Ridge where the first elements of the Imperial forces engaged the American forces. Cactus Ridge is located on present day Marine Airbase Futenma. Apart from this article by Evan Muxen, I found some more information regarding the 7th Infantry Division and their role in Operation Iceberg which is as follows.

The division was reassigned to XXIV Corps, Tenth United States Army, a newly formed command, and began preparations for the assault on Okinawa. The Battle of Okinawa began on April 1, 1945, L-Day, when the 7th Infantry Division participated in an assault landing south of Hagushi, Okinawa alongside the 96th Infantry Division, and the 1st, and 6th Marine Divisions of III Amphibious Corps. These divisions spearheaded an

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assault that would eventually land 250,000 men ashore.

The 7th Division quickly moved to Kadena, taking its airfield, and drove from the west to the east coast of the island on the first day. The division then moved south, encountering stiff resistance from fortifications at Shuri a few days later. The Japanese had moved 90 tanks, much of their artillery, and heavy weapons away from the beaches and into this region.Eventually, XXIV

Corps destroyed the defenses after a 51-day battle in the hills of southern Okinawa, which was complicated by harsh weather and terrain. During the operation, the division was bombarded with tens of thousands of rounds of field artillery fire, encountering Japanese armed with spears as it continued its fight across the island. Japanese also fought using irregular warfare techniques, relying on hidden cave systems, snipers,

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and small-unit ambushes to delay the advancing 7th Infantry Division. After the fight, the division began capturing large numbers of Japanese prisoners for the first time in the war, due to low morale, high casualties, and poor equipment. It fought for five continuous days to secure areas around the Nakagusuku Wan and Skyline Ridge. The division also secured Hill 178 in the fighting. It then moved to Kochi Ridge, securing it after a two-week battle. After 39 days of continuous fighting, the 7th Infantry Division was sent into reserve, having suffered heavy casualties.

After the 96th Infantry Division secured Conical Hill, the 7th Infantry Division returned to the line. It pushed into positions on the southern Ozato Mura hills, where Japanese resistance was heaviest. It was placed on the extreme left flank of the Tenth Army, taking the Ghinen peninsula, Sashiki, and Hanagusuku, fending off a series of Japanese counterattacks. Despite heavy Japanese resistance and prolonged bad weather, the division continued its advance until June 21, 1945, when the battle ended, having seen 82 days of combat. The island and surrendering troops were secured by the next day.

During World War II, soldiers of the 7th Infantry Division were awarded three Medals of Honor, 26 Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, 982 Silver Star Medals, 33 Legion of Merit Medals, 50 Soldier’s Medals, 3,853 Bronze Star Medals, and 178 Air Medals. The division received four campaign streamers and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation during the war. The three Medals of Honor were awarded to Leonard C. Brostrom, John F. Thorson, and Joe P. Martinez.

A few days after V-J Day, the division moved to Korea to accept the surrender of the Japanese Army in South Korea. After the war, the division served as an occupation force in Korea and Japan. Seven thousand, five hundred members of the unit returned to the United States, and the 184th Infantry Regiment was reassigned to the California Army National Guard, cutting the division to half its combat strength. The 7th Infantry Division remained on occupation duty in Korea patrolling the 38th parallel until 1948, when it was reassigned to occupation duty in Japan, in charge of northern Honshū and all of Hokkaido.tion in size. At the end of World War II, it contained 89 divisions, but by 1950, the 7th Infantry Division was one of only 10 active divisions in the force.

During the Battle of Okinawa, the soldiers of the 7th Infantry Division killed between 25,000 and 28,000 Japanese soldiers and took 4,584 prisoners. Balanced against this, the 7th Division suffered 2,340 killed and 6,872 wounded for a total of 9,212 battle casualties during 208 days of combat. The division was slated to participate in Operation Downfall as a part of XXIV Corps under the First United States Army, but these plans were scrapped after the Japanese surrendered following the use of nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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UNIT FLAG WITH PRAYER

JAPANESE

MEDICAL SERVICE

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A HERO IN EVERY WAY...

After Operation Iceberg and the surrender of the Japanese during World War II, I was unable to find any information regarding Horace D. Worley. I did however find a really good book that discussed the entire Medical Service in the war against Japan by the authors Mary Ellan Condon-Rall and Albert E. Cowdrey. The book mainly discussed the heroism by U.S. Medical personnel and their oath and obligation to save all lives, no matter which side you were on. It highlighted thousands of examples of U.S. Medical personnel saving the lives of Japanese soldiers after being wounded during combat. I could only imagine what Horace D. Worley must have seen or experienced during his time in the Army and I could only imagine the thousands of people that he saved. Horace D. Worley was a hero in every way, shape, and form. Not only to his fellow soldiers, but to everyone around him, including his family.

Before he retired from his Army career he was promoted to Captain, to Major, and then to Lieutenant Colonel. The last military photo Doug had of him was his 1955 - 1956 U.S. Army Hospital Officers photo in front of Root Hall at the headquarters in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It appears that he spent the next ten years after the Pacific Campaign in the states and finally back home in Hanover, Pennsylvania.

On July 1, 1956 Horace D. Worley retired from the Army serving for 24 years and 11 months and was

successfully discharged as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Medical Service Corps. He received countless medals for his service and sacrifice. On January 18, 1987, in Hanover, Pennsylvania, at the age of 73, Horace D. Worley passed away peacefully in his home and was buried in Rest Haven Cemetery, Penn Township, York, Pennsylvania.

As I searched the relics and belongings that Horace D. Worley kept in his Army footlocker, I came across his old video camera and a tin full of film reels. I was more that anxious to look through the images and try to find some lost Pacific Campaign footage that has never been seen before.

After acquiring the right equipment, I went through each reel one by one. Every single film in that container was Doug’s grandfather filming his family on vacations, picnics, and get togethers at their home.

On the films were Horace, his wife, Doug, Doug’s sister, and all the other family members. Horace had films of his family laughing, playing, eating together, and sharing countless memories. It seems that Horace D. Worley’s greatest accomplishment was his family. So much so, that he kept his films under lock and key in his footlocker and on top of everything he ever did accomplish while in the Army.

Horace D. Worley may you rest in peace and forever be remembered for the great man that you were.

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HORACE D. WORLEY

PHOTO GALLERY

HORACE D. WORLEY

PHOTO GALLERY

EPILOGUE

HE WAS ACTIVATED TO SERVE AMONGST FELLOW SOLDIERS OF THE GREATEST GENERATION...

The blessings of fate allowed me to write the book that my grandfather himself wanted to do. Through the publication of his story, I have been introduced to others who want to tell their family member’s story. This is the story of the unknown heroes of the 7th Infantry Division of World War II.

This book is in loving memory of Doug Smith’s grandfather and his hero Horace D. Worley. May his memory and the memory of the 7th Infantry “Hourglass Division” live on forever in our hearts, in our minds, and in our history. They were the Greatest Generation and will never be replaced.

Lieutenant Colonel Horace D. Worley was an inspiration to his family and his community. A true American hero, he received the Bronze Star for his services in the Medical Corps throughout the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

He started his military career in the 76th Field Artillery and was one of the last original “Buffalo Soldiers” of the 2D Cavalry Division prior to being absorbed into the 7th Infantry Division. He was activated to serve amongst fellow soldiers of the Greatest Generation in World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Deployed to the Aleutian Islands, the Marshall Islands, Leyte, and under Operation Iceberg during the Allied Forces invasion of Okinawa, Japan, he provided essential medical services and aide to military soldiers and civilian casualties alike. Honoring his medical oath, he served and protected all human life, re-

gardless of circumstance.

Lieutenant Colonel Horace D. Worley survived World War II and served in the United States Army actively for over 24 years. He retired with substantial awards and recognitions including the Bronze Star, Distinctive Unit Badge, American Defense Services Medal, National Defense Services Medal, Army Occupation Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, and Philippine Liberation Ribbon.

He was a loving family man and after his peaceful passing at home, he was survived by his son who served honorably in the United States Army in the Vietnam War, and his grandson who served honorably in the United States Army in the Gulf War.

This book is in loving memory Horace D. Worley.

Special thanks to Doug Smith for your service, sacrifice, and love for your family. Without your knowledge, years of continuing your family military legacy, and fate bringing us together, this publication would not be possible. This project is a true testament of the love that you have for your grandfather Horace D. Worley. He would be very proud of you and I would bet that the soldiers of the entire 7th Infantry Division are all smiling down on you.

God bless you my friend.

TWISTED BOMBSHELL

TWISTED BOMBSHELL