Medal of Honor: James Day - Okinawa - May 14-17, 1945

Name: James Day
Rank: Corporal
Branch: U.S. Marine Corps
War: World War II
Unit: 2d Battalion, 22d Marines, 6th Marine Division
Date of Action: May 14-17, 1945
Location: Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands

Summary of Action

Between 14 and 17 May 1945, Corporal James Day displayed extraordinary heroism during the brutal fighting for Sugar Loaf Hill on Okinawa.

On the first day of battle, Day rallied his own squad along with the shattered remnants of another Marine unit and led them into a critical forward position near the hill’s deadly slopes.

Soon afterward, the Marines came under a crushing mortar and artillery barrage.

The shelling was quickly followed by a violent Japanese assault involving approximately forty enemy soldiers.

Despite losing half his men during the attack, Day remained at the front of the defense, shouting encouragement, throwing grenades, and directing devastating rifle fire into the enemy ranks.

The Marines held.

Reinforced by only six additional men, Day and his tiny force then fought off three more fierce night assaults.

During the savage fighting, five more Marines were killed and another wounded man had to be carried to safety by Day himself.

Hearing calls for help from nearby wounded Marines, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to escort casualties back to safety one at a time.

Later, he manned a light machine gun alongside a wounded Marine and used it to break up another enemy attack.

The Japanese assaults destroyed the weapon and left Day suffering from white phosphorus burns and fragmentation wounds.

Still refusing evacuation, he reorganized his defensive line and prepared for another attack.

Again and again Japanese soldiers closed to within only feet of his foxhole, but Day killed them at point-blank range.

Through the night and into the next day, repeated enemy “banzai” style assaults slammed into the Marine position.

When the attacks finally paused, more than seventy enemy dead surrounded Day’s position.

On the third day, exhausted and wounded, he repelled one final assault, killing more enemy soldiers at close range.

By the end of the battle, more than one hundred Japanese dead lay around the position his small group of Marines had defended.

Day’s refusal to retreat preserved the lives of his fellow Marines and contributed significantly to the eventual capture of Sugar Loaf Hill — one of the most costly and fiercely contested objectives of the Okinawa campaign.

Medal of Honor Citation

DAY, JAMES

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a squad leader serving with the Second Battalion, Twenty-Second Marines, Sixth Marine Division, in sustained combat operations against Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukya Islands from 14 to 17 May 1945. On the first day, Corporal Day rallied his squad and the remnants of another unit and led them to a critical position forward of the front lines of Sugar Loaf Hill. Soon thereafter, they came under an intense mortar and artillery barrage that was quickly followed by a ferocious ground attack by some forty Japanese soldiers. Despite the loss of one-half of his men, Corporal Day remained at the forefront, shouting encouragement, hurling hand grenades, and directing deadly fire, thereby repelling the determined enemy. Reinforced by six men, he led his squad in repelling three fierce night attacks but suffered five additional Marines killed and one wounded, whom he assisted to safety. Upon hearing nearby calls for corpsman assistance, Corporal Day braved heavy enemy fire to escort four seriously wounded Marines, one at a time, to safety. Corporal Day then manned a light machine gun, assisted by a wounded Marine, and halted another night attack. In the ferocious action, his machine gun was destroyed, and he suffered multiple white phosphorous and fragmentation wounds. He reorganized his defensive position in time to halt a fifth enemy attack with devastating small arms fire. On three separated occasions, Japanese soldiers closed to within a few feet of his foxhole, but were killed by Corporal Day. During the second day, the enemy conducted numerous unsuccessful swarming attacks against his exposed position. When the attacks momentarily subsided, over 70 enemy dead were counted around his position. On the third day, a wounded and exhausted Corporal Day repulsed the enemy’s final attack, killing a dozen enemy soldiers at close range. Having yielded no ground and with more than 100 enemy dead around his position, Corporal Day preserved the lives of his fellow Marines and made a significant contribution to the success of the Okinawa campaign. By his extraordinary heroism, repeated acts of valor, and quintessential battlefield leadership, Corporal Day inspired the efforts of his outnumbered Marines to defeat a much larger enemy force, reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.