Brick
Inscription Marvin Sizemore North Carolina 96th Infantry
Army World War II Bronze Star
Brick
Location Neuseway Park
Marvin Paul Sizemore was born March
17, 1923 in Concord, North Carolina. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor he
was working for Elmore Construction Company on a government project building the
Quartermaster Depot in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Marvin entered service
on 19 January 1943 after being drafted into the Army. He received basic training
at Camp Roberts, California, after which he was assigned to the 96th Infantry
Division at Camp Adaire, Oregon. He was sent on maneuvers in eastern Oregon to
train in desert-like terrain in preparation for departure to North Africa. After
two months of maneuvers the campaign in North Africa ended and he was sent to
Camp White, Oregon, then to Camp Callan, California where he received amphibious
training. He was then sent to San Luis Obispo, California and on to Camp
Stoneman, California for more training. During his time at Camp Stoneman, two
ships that were anchored at Port Chicago accidentally exploded and leveled the
whole town.
On July 25, 1943 he was sent to San Francisco where he
boarded the USS President Polk, a converted cruise ship, and sailed four days to
Hawaii. En route the ship picked up a submarine on SONAR and went to full speed
to outrun the slower vessel.
Upon arriving in Hawaii his company was
assigned to Kailua Beach where they camped on the beach in squad tents that
housed eight men. Pearl Harbor was still in disarray; some of the ships that had
been bombed during the Japanese attack were still being repaired and the
wreckage of the destroyed ships was still visible in the shallow
harbor.
He left Pearl Harbor and zig zagged across the Pacific to a small
island in the Solomon chain called Enowetok. The Marines had just taken that
island and it was littered with debris on the beach and floating in the water,
including the bodies of Japanese soldiers that had died during the
battle.
The 96th Infantry was originally supposed to go to a small Island
called Yap. However while at Enowetok their orders were changed and they were
sent instead to Leyte, Philippines.
On October 20, 1944 he landed on
Leyte where he was involved with his first battle as the 96th Infantry captured
Catmon Hill after a fierce battle. They continued to be involved in small
skirmishes with the Japanese on a daily basis.
He sailed from Leyte on 25
March 1945 and landed on Okinawa, Japan Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945. They
advanced across the island avoiding Machine gun nests and taking out small
pockets of resistance. The 96th Infantry advanced so quickly across the island
that at one point two US Navy planes coming from the east shot at them by
mistake. It was only after they laid out their recognition banners that the
planes left.
On 9 April 1945 they advanced on a ridge that was heavily
defended by Japanese machine guns, mortars and artillery. On 10 and 11 April
1945 they made assaults on the ridge only to be repelled. On 12 April 1945 they
made two assaults on the ridge and once again were repulsed by heavy mortar fire
falling at the rate of 2-3 per second. They took heavy casualties at each
attempt.
His company was involved in heavy fighting for thirteen days
straight with no sleep. They would attack the Japanese during the day and the
Japanese would counter attack at night. Finally his company was relieved by the
27th Infantry division. He received the Bronze Star for actions during this
battle.
The 96th Infantry received the Presidential Unit Citation for
actions on Okinawa. The citation reads “The 96th Infantry Division and
attached units distinguished themselves during the period 1 April 1945 to 30
June 1945, by extraordinary heroism and gallantry in action against the enemy in
the conquest of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan...The division killed a total of
37,763 of the enemy in 73 days of fighting. Its own battle losses totaled 7,294,
including 1,504 killed. The brilliant victories achieved by the 96th Division on
Okinawa contributed greatly to the defeat of the large enemy garrison. The
esprit, heroism and continuing demonstrations of raw courage throughout the
battle exemplified the highest traditions of the military service.” The
96th Infantry was one of only four divisions that received the Presidential Unit
Citation for actions during World War II.
In July after Okinawa was taken
by the 10th Army, consisting of two Marine divisions and four Army divisions,
including the 96th Infantry, Marvin was sent to Guam where he was hospitalized
for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. While in the hospital the war ended after
the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945.
He
was released from the hospital and was sent to Siapan for reassignment to his
unit. He had accumulated enough points to be sent home and on Armistice day, 11
November 1945 he sailed for the United States. As his ship left the harbor, at
11:00 am, all of the ships blew their horns and whistles in celebration of
Armistices day.
Marvin was honorably discharged from Fort Bragg, North
Carolina on 4 December 1945. During his service he was awarded the Bronze Star,
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, American Defense Medal, Philippine Liberation
Medal, Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the Combat Infantry Badge. The
96th Infantry, of which he was a part, received the Presidential Unit Citation
and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation.
Marvin moved back to
Charlotte and married Helen Stewart on January 31, 1955. He now lives in
Kinston, North Carolina where he is retired and plays golf. Two of his brothers
also served in World War II, both in the Navy fighting in the Pacific
theater.
