World War II Honoree

Ray King Wilson

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Clinton, Oklahoma

Honored By

Aubra L. Wilson

Relationship

Brother

ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE IN AUGUST, 1944. STATIONED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER AT THE MARINE CORPS BASE AT CAMP PENDLETON, IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY NEAR OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA. UPON COMPLETION OF TRAINING IN LATE SEPTEMBER-EARLY OCTOBER, 1944, HIS REGIMENT EMBARKED ON TROOP TRANSPORTS FROM SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA AND SAILED TO HILO, HAWAII IN DECEMBER, 1944. SERVED AS AN INFANTRY LIGHT MACHINE GUNNER OVERSEAS IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER, INCLUDING IN THE BONIN ISLANDS AT IWO JIMA IN COMBAT WITH COMPANY I, 3RD BATTALION, 28TH MARINE REGIMENT, 5TH MARINE ‘THE SPEARHEAD’ DIVISION. HIS UNIT REMAINED ON HILO AT CAMP TARAWA IN TRAINING FOR THEIR FIRST COMBAT MISSION, WHICH BECAME THE INVASION OF IWO JIMA. THE REGIMENT LOADED ABOARD TRANSPORTS BEGINNING DECEMBER 16, 1944 AND SAILED FROM HAWAII ON JANUARY 4, 1945. EN ROUTE THEY STOPPED AT ENIWETOK ATOLL IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS, AND THEN CONDUCTED A PRACTICE AMPHIBIOUS LANDING ON TINIAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS ON FEBRUARY 13, 1945. HIS UNIT SUBSEQUENTLY ARRIVED OFF THE COAST OF IWO JIMA ON FEBRUARY 16, 1945. THE ASSAULT LANDING PLAN CREATED BY THE FIFTH (V) AMPHIBIOUS CORPS CALLED FOR THE 28TH MARINES TO LAND AT GREEN BEACH WHICH WAS ON THE FAR LEFT OF THE LANDING ZONE, JUST AT THE BASE OF MOUNT SURIBACHI. HIS BATTALION, THE 3RD BATTALION, 28TH MARINES (3/28) WAS PLACED IN RESERVE FOR THE INITIAL ASSAULT, BUT DUE TO THE FEROCITY OF THE FIGHTING AND MOUNTING CASUALTIES, WAS COMMITTED TO BATTLE EARLIER THAN EXPECTED. HIS BATTALION MADE AN AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT LANDING AND WAS FULLY ASHORE BY 1300 HOURS ON THE AFTERNOON OF FEBRUARY 19, 1945 (D-DAY). THE BATTALION TOOK HEAVY CASUALTIES IN THE WATER DURING THEIR APPROACH AND WHILE CROSSING THE EXPOSED BEACH. HIS UNIT’S MISSION WAS PART OF THE LARGER ONE FOR THE 28TH MARINES, WHICH WAS TO ASSAULT ACROSS THE ISLAND CUTTING IT IN TWO AND THEN ASSAULT MT. SURIBACHI. BY LATE THAT AFTERNOON THE REGIMENT BEGAN ITS ATTACKS. THE 28TH MARINES WERE THE ONLY ONE OF THE FOUR REGIMENTS THAT LANDED ON D-DAY TO ACHIEVE THEIR PLANNED OBJECTIVES. FROM FEBRUARY 19-23, 1945, THE REGIMENT FOUGHT TO SECURE MT. SURIBACHI. PROGRESS WAS INITIALLY SLOW AND MEASURED IN YARDS AS THEY HAD TO FIGHT THEIR WAY THROUGH HUNDREDS OF LAYERED AND MUTUALLY SUPPORTING JAPANESE PILLBOXES, CONCRETE BUNKERS, CAVES, TUNNELS, SPIDERHOLES AND STRONGPOINTS. FIGHTING WAS MADE MORE DIFFICULT DUE TO THE JAPANESE USING UNDERGROUND TUNNELS TO RE-OCCUPY FIGHTING POSITIONS,THAT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY NEUTRALIZED. ON D+1, IN A COLD RAIN, 3/28 PREPARED TO ASSAULT THE MOUNTAIN. HIS BATTALION RESUMED ITS ASSAULT ON THE BASE OF MT. SURIBACHI, AND WAS ENGAGED, ONCE AGAIN, IN SLOW, BLOODY FIGHTING, SEEMINGLY FROM ONE PIECE OF COVER TO ANOTHER. INTENSE JAPANESE SMALL ARMS AND AUTOMATIC WEAPONS FIRE RESTRICTED PROGRESS TO A MATTER OF YARDS. ENEMY ARTILLERY AND MORTAR FIRE FROM ALL OVER THE VOLCANO RAINED DOWN. BY THE END OF THE SECOND DAY, HIS REGIMENT HAD ONLY ADVANCED SOME 200 YARDS UP THE MOUNTAIN. THE MORNING OF THE THIRD DAY (D+2), PROMISED MORE OF THE SAME. HE AND HIS FELLOW MARINES SHIVERED IN THE COLD WIND AND DRIVING RAIN AS THEY MANEUVERED FORWARD, WHILE HE PROVIDED COVERING FIRE WITH HIS MACHINE GUN. IT RAINED EVEN HARDER ON THE FOURTH MORNING (D+3). MARINES MOVING FORWARD UNDER FIRE WOULD HIT THE DECK, ROLL, ATTEMPT TO RETURN FIRE, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THE LOOSE VOLCANIC GRIT AND MUD HAD COMBINED WITH THE RAIN TO JAM THEIR WEAPONS. NEVERTHELESS, THE 28TH MARINES ON D+3 MADE COMMENDABLE PROGRESS AGAINST MT. SURIBACHI, REACHING THE SHOULDER OF THE MOUNTAIN. BY EARLY MORNING ON FEBRUARY 23, 1945 (D+4), THE WEATHER CLEARED, MT. SURIBACHI HAD BEEN ENCIRCLED, AND THE 28TH MARINES STOOD POISED TO COMPLETE THE CAPTURE OF THE MOUNTAIN. THAT MORNING, AT ABOUT 1020 HOURS, A PATROL FROM ANOTHER BATTALION IN HIS REGIMENT RAISED AN AMERICAN FLAG AT THE TOP OF MT. SURIBACHI, AFTER A SHORT FIRE FIGHT. HE WITNESSED THE RAISING OF THE FLAG ON THE SUMMIT. CHEERS RANG OUT FROM ALL OVER THE SOUTHERN END OF THE ISLAND, AND SHIPS OFF SHORE SOUNDED THEIR SIRENS, BELLS AND WHISTLES. AS THE FLAG WAS THOUGHT TO BE TOO SMALL TO BE CLEARLY SEEN, A LARGER FLAG WAS LOCATED, TAKEN UP TO THE PEAK AND RAISED SOME THREE HOURS LATER TO MORE CHEERS, SIRENS AND WHISTLES. IT IS THE PHOTO OF THE SECOND FLAG RAISING THAT BECAME THE ICONIC PHOTO OF THE BATTLE. THE 28TH MARINES TOOK MT. SURIBACHI IN THREE DAYS AT THE COST OF MORE THAN 500 TROOPS (ADDED TO ITS D-DAY LOSSES OF 400 MEN). AFTER THE CAPTURE OF MT. SURIBACHI THE ENTIRE 28TH MARINE REGIMENT WAS THROWN IN THE FIGHT FOR THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE ISLAND. HIS REGIMENT FOUGHT ON THE WESTERN FLANK AS MARINE FORCES MOVED NORTH. IWO JIMA WAS THE ONLY MARINE CORPS BATTLE WHERE THE AMERICAN CASUALTIES, SOME 26,000, EXCEEDED THE JAPANESE, WHICH INCLUDED MOST OF THE SOME 22,000 DEFENDING THE ISLAND. SOME 6,821 AMERICAN SERVICEMEN WERE KILLED. THE 5TH MARINE DIVISION WOULD FIGHT ON IWO JIMA FROM FEBRUARY 19-MARCH 16, 1945 WHERE THEY WOULD SUSTAIN 1,098 KILLED IN ACTION AND 2,974 WOUNDED IN ACTION. THIS WAS THE HIGHEST CASUALTY RATE AMONG THE MARINE DIVISIONS INVOLVED IN THE INVASION. PRIVATE FIRST CLASS WILSON WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON IWO JIMA ON FEBRUARY 26, 1945. POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. AUTHORIZED THE NAVY PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION BY HIS REGIMENT, AS PART OF THE ASSAULT TROOPS OF 5TH AMPHIBIOUS CORPS FROM FEBRUARY 19-28, 1945 AT IWO JIMA.