THE ERRORS STOP HERE

I didn’t think for one moment that Bill O’Reilly would answer my email message.  After all, it contained a litany of errors found in his recent best seller, KILLING THE RISING SUN.

 

Conversely, I hope he doesn’t think for one moment that I will let those errors go unscathed for readers of this column.  Nor that I come to these pages to condemn his book.

Granted, the message carried a negative tone.  I didn’t care for my first call-out, and recently, when called out for the 300^th time, it wasn’t any more palatable. 

But it’s doubtful he would have responded, even if I had glowingly posted him that I thought this was his best “Killing” book yet – which I do.  Just a guess, but he and his ghost writer buddies are probably already busy, scouring the planet for something else to kill.

Some of his errors are excusable, such as the statement that the distance from San Francisco to Tokyo is 8000 miles.  When I made that trip via troopship in the 1950s, it took 21 days and seemed like 88,000 miles.  However, Google distance says it’s only 5136 miles.

There was no suspense that the plot a book of this genre would lead to the deck of the USS Missouri, in Tokyo Bay, for surrender ceremonies, photo ops, and mass flyovers.  O’Reilly had good words to say about the “Mighty Mo.”  In fact, they were too good!  His mention of the ship’s 25-inch guns would have caused consternation with international treaty folks – 16-inch is the legal maximum – the Missouri has nine of them, but zero 25-inchers.

His glowing accolades went down with the ship when he quantified her length as almost as long as a football field.  At 887 feet, she is much closer to the length of three football fields.

These all too obvious errors were on page 257 of the 300-page jewel of a World War II broad brush – definitely not his best page.

Looking past the errors, allow another disclaimer – this is one great book.  I recommend it wholeheartedly.  Buy, it borrow it, check it out, or Kindle it, you will be glad you did.  Best you buy it, because it is one you will want to read more than once.

O’Reilly struggled with the Marine Corps table of organization during the Battle of Peleliu, primarily on page 40.  He conflicted himself by reporting that the 1^st Marine Division, no longer a fighting force, was relieved by the 5^th Marines. 

Three regiments made up the 1^st Marine Division: 1^st Marines, 5^th Marines, and 7^th Marines.  O’Reilly should have reported, “the 1^st Marines were no longer a fighting force.”

While the errors on page 257 were unforced, unnecessary, and fall in the low-hanging fruit category, the Marine Corps infrastructure mishap on Peleliu is more easily over-looked and forgiven – except for a best-selling author.

What cannot be over-looked and forgiven are errors on page 35.  O’Reilly mentioned a Marine officer named Pope who had first seen action on Guadalcanal in June, 1942.

Numerous Guadalcanal veterans have been written about in these pages, including PFC Speedy Spach of the 5^th Marines, Major General Lloyd Wilkerson USMC (Retired) of the 1^st Marines who was a PFC at the time, and my brother, Sergeant Jack Thetford, of the 1^st Marine Air Wing – even so, Marines did not land on Guadalcanal until August 7, 1942.

O’Reilly’s Grand Poobah comes in dealing with that Marine officer named Pope.  Not only did he place Everett Pope on Guadalcanal when it was only occupied by natives, Korean laborers and Japanese troops – he mistakenly reported Pope was the father of two sons. 

This would have been a shock to his bride of just a few months, Mrs. Eleanor Hawkins Pope.

The Popes did eventually have two sons, Lawrence E. and Ralph H. Pope, but only after Captain Everett Pope returned home from combat campaigns on Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu – during which he earned a bronze star, purple heart, and Congressional Medal of Honor.

The Pope son, Lawrence E., should sound familiar to readers of these pages.  As a retired U.S. Ambassador to Chad, Ambassador Pope was called back into service in 2012 when John Christopher Stevens, U.S. Ambassador to Libya, was murdered by terrorists at Benghazi.

Ambassador Pope has been called upon again more recently.  He will speak at the inauguration of the Bowdoin College Marine Corps Association.  It will be named in memory of his father, a magna cum laude graduate from Bowdoin. 

Hopefully, the Greensboro News & Record will send Bill O’Reilly a gift subscription.  He might enjoy reading about our veterans as much as we enjoyed reading his KILLING THE RISING SUN.

MORE ON BATTLE THAT CHANGED THE WAR IN VIETNAM

Have you heard about the Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient from Western Pennsylvania who was captured while working in the Pentagon and held captive for decades in a rural hamlet in Eastern North Carolina?

That would be Colonel Joe Marm, U.S. Army (Ret.).  He shared his story with me recently, “My date for a 1986 military ball in Washington was a farmer’s daughter from Fremont, NC.  By day, she was a caseworker for Senator Jesse Helms.”

Basically, that’s how the capture began.  In 1987, Marm and Deborah Yelverton were married.  In 1995, he retired with 30 years military service.  The family moved to Fremont, NC where they became involved with Deborah’s family hog farm business, Yelverton Farms.

Now, for the Medal of Honor part – not as Pollyannaish as the capture.

His 1964 diploma and degree in finance from Duquesne University was just five days old when Joe Marm realized he might be drafted into the Army versus starting his march towards Wall Street.  “I went to Army Officer Candidate School via the college option program, graduating in April, 1965.  After completing Ranger School, I was ordered to Fort Benning – rumors were, that was a sure ticket to Vietnam.”

The rumors were correct – by November 14, 1965, 2^nd Lieutenant Joe Marm and his Alpha Company, 1^st Battalion, 7^th Cavalry Regiment, 1^st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) were engaged in the first major battle of the Vietnam War – the Battle of la Drang Valley.

As a note, this battle was well chronicled in WE WERE SOLDIERS ONCE…AND YOUNG, the best-selling book written by COL Hal Moore and war correspondent, Joe Galloway – more on this later.

Marm picks up the story, “It was pretty quiet when we were inserted, but it heated up very quickly.  One of our platoons was facing annihilation as they were cut off and surrounded by enemy troops.  My platoon’s rescue attempt of the trapped men stalled in the face of heavy resistance from a bunker filled with North Vietnam regulars – we started taking heavy casualties.”

Excerpts from after-action reports tell more of that story than would Marm, “Showing indomitable courage and facing enemy forces estimated at regimental size, 2^nd LT Joe Marm ordered the bunker hand-grenaded.  When that failed to destroy the bunker, he personally fired an anti-tank missile at the bunker.  When that failed, he made a 30-meter dash through open enemy fire and dropped a hand grenade into the bunker.  That worked well, and Marm eliminated survivors of the bunker with his M-16.”

Congress was even more succinct when wording Marm’s Medal of Honor citation, “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in la Drang Valley, Republic of Vietnam on November 14, 1965.”

COLONEL JOE MARM, US ARMY (RET.)
MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT

Marm fills in a missing point, “During the assault, I was hit in my left jaw.  The bullet exited through my right jaw, it certainly ruined my day!  By the grace of God, it missed my juggler vein by an inch or two.  I was airlifted out and hospitalized for 90 days in the States.”

His Medal of Honor was presented by Secretary of the Army, Stanley R. Resor, on December 19, 1966.  “I don’t know if President Lyndon Johnson was in town that day or not -- if so, he was keeping a low profile in regards to Vietnam.” 

At his request, and after signing multiple waivers, then Captain Marm returned for a one-year combat tour in Vietnam in 1969, during which he commanded an infantry company in the field.

During his Army career, Marm completed the Infantry Officers Advanced Course, Armed Forces Staff College, and earned a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Georgia.  He also served as a Ranger School instructor and taught at West Point.  He retired as a colonel.

    

As of 2016, the Marms have four children and eight grands.  Two of their sons are in the Army.  Deborah Marm serves on the staff of both U.S. Congressmen Walter Jones and George Holding.

Per Joe Marm, now 74, “Deborah is a good Methodist and I am a good Catholic – we also enjoy going to each other’s churches.”

From his travel schedule, it is obvious there are many demands on a Medal of Honor recipient – such as the several hours he generously shared with Bill Trivette, of the West Point Society, and me. “It could take all my hours, but I am honored to wear the medal – I am just a caretaker of the medal for thousands of others who served, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice.”

JOE MARM PATIENT, KIND AND ENDURING TO WOULD-BE WRITERS

Don’t miss this part – Joe Galloway will be speaking at a luncheon engagement sponsored by the West Point Society on June 1, 2016 at Grandover Resort – Medal of Honor recipient Joe Marm will be in attendance as well. 

 BEAUTIFUL HOME OF DEBORAH & JOE MARM
IN TREMONT, NORTH CAROLINA

Until seating capacity is breached, reservations may be made at https://secure.west-point.org/wps-piedmont/luncheon/.

Contact Harry Thetford at htthetford@aol.com