Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: bongboy1 on December 28, 2012, 01:34:28 PM
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(http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/images/recipients/9047.jpg)
69 years ago today, my great uncle Caliste A. Callahan was killed in action while serving in the Solomon Islands. Here's his story:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Private First Class Caliste A. Callahan (MCSN: 434002), United States Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving with Company A, FIRST Marine Parachute Battalion, First Marine Amphibious Corps, in action against the enemy near the Torokina River, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, on 28 December 1943. When heavy enemy mortar, machine gun and rifle fire from a heavily fortified series of concealed pill-boxes and rifle pits held up the advance of a combat patrol of the 1st Marine Parachute Battalion whose mission was to destroy an enemy outpost one half mile east of the Torokina River, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Private First Class Callahan and a comrade moved forward in the face of the hostile fire and quickly destroyed two emplacements with grenades and demolitions charges. Then, on his own initiative, he charged forward to the remaining positions where he engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat and inflicted severe casualties before he was killed. Through his intrepid, voluntary assault without regard for his own safety and at the cost of his life, Private First Class Callahan enabled his patrol to overcome the enemy and continue the advance, setting a lasting example of heroism for his comrades-in-arms.
:salute Uncle Caliste, you sure were one tuff couyon!
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Oz
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<S>
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<S>
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damn fine youg man <S>
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:salute :salute :salute Uncle C :salute :salute :salute :salute
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Yea your Great Uncle all those guys were pretty bad ass. My uncle was also killed in the Pacific, on Saipan in 44'. Looked for years for info on him. Then one night I was just doing some research using basically the same search criteria that I've always used and I found this in a book written about the Battle of Saipan. Was amazed that he was mentioned by name. Bill was in the 105th Inf Regiment. The 105th was virtually wiped out during the wars biggest banzai charge.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8494/8322455916_4011246ac5.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8358/8321397239_f2b404d147.jpg)
My three uncles who served. Bill is on the right. Tim and Bill served in the Pacific, Mike (in the middle) was too young to go with his brothers. He joined later and served in Europe.
http://books.google.com/books?id=fe9r39XmUcQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
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Yea your Great Uncle all those guys were pretty bad ass. My uncle was also killed in the Pacific, on Saipan in 44'. Looked for years for info on him. Then one night I was just doing some research using basically the same search criteria that I've always used and I found this in a book written about the Battle of Saipan. Was amazed that he was mentioned by name. Bill was in the 105th Inf Regiment. The 105th was virtually wiped out during the wars biggest banzai charge.
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8494/8322455916_4011246ac5.jpg)
(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8358/8321397239_f2b404d147.jpg)
My three uncles who served. Bill is on the right. Tim and Bill served in the Pacific, Mike (in the middle) was too young to go with his brothers. He joined later and served in Europe.
http://books.google.com/books?id=fe9r39XmUcQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
As more and more info becomes available online it is becoming easier to find out this kind of info. I was able to find out about the event in which my mother in law lost her brother as a B-17 tail gunner and even that he actually had a final resting place in europe by the same chance of search.
All she had known prior was his plane was shot down. no idea where or what they were doing and as far as she was told. His plane exploded
Turns out (and I've posted on this before) His plane was on a mission to destroy a ball bearing factory and was diverted do to cloud cover over the target ad he was eventually shot down over Bundt Germany. Even had it narrowed down to 1 of 3 German pilots (never did follow it through) who did the deed. And that he actually had a burial location in a military cemetery in Holland.
I also by chance found a video clip of my father in laws ship coming under attack by Japanese on April 14, 1945 thus confirming a story he told me over the course if a several years. ( Could never tell it all at once)
Here is the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IDV_Yn8qcg
Record for European operations are easier to obtain as a good deal of the records for the pacific operations were lost in a the 1973 NARA fire. there are efforts in progress to restore as many of the lost records as possible.
You can try here for both help and to help.
http://www.goldenarrowresearch.com/historical-research.php
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