Medal of Honor: Kenneth D. Bailey, World War II, September 12–13, 1942

Kenneth D. Bailey

War: World War II
Date of Action: September 12–13, 1942
Unit: Company C, 1st Marine Raider Battalion
Born: October 21, 1910 – Pawnee, Oklahoma

The nights at Guadalcanal were long and merciless. Henderson Field—the airstrip that had become the very heart of the campaign—was under constant threat from determined Japanese assaults. It was here, amid the mud, the jungle, and the roar of enemy guns, that Major Kenneth D. Bailey led his Marines in one of the most desperate fights of the Pacific War.

Reorganized after a punishing engagement the night before, Bailey’s company took its place as the reserve battalion between the main defensive line and the vital airfield. Within the hour, chaos struck: Japanese troops penetrated a gap on the flank, threatening to pour through and roll up the American defense. Bailey hurled his company into the breach, repulsing the attack and fighting to hold ground inch by bloody inch.

As superior enemy forces battered the main line, Bailey directed his men to cover its withdrawal, then extended his own line to plug the gap. Through it all he moved with relentless determination, disregarding a severe head wound that would have felled most men. For ten hours he led by example, charging into the fray with every weapon available, rallying his Marines in brutal hand-to-hand combat.

Time and again, the Japanese surged forward. Time and again, Bailey’s presence at the front turned the tide. His courage was not measured in words or orders shouted from the rear—it was in the swing of his rifle butt, the flash of his blade, the fire in his eyes that gave his men the will to fight on.

By dawn, Henderson Field still belonged to the Marines. Major Bailey had given everything—his blood, his strength, and ultimately his life. Yet his gallantry and indomitable spirit inspired his men to heights of heroism that held the field and turned aside the enemy.

Medal of Honor Citation
For extraordinary courage and heroic conduct above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of Company C, 1st Marine Raider Battalion, during the enemy Japanese attack on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 12–13 September 1942. Completely reorganized following the severe engagement of the night before, Maj. Bailey’s company, within an hour after taking its assigned position as reserve battalion between the main line and the coveted airport, was threatened on the right flank by the penetration of the enemy into a gap in the main line. In addition to repulsing this threat, while steadily improving his own desperately held position, he used every weapon at his command to cover the forced withdrawal of the main line before a hammering assault by superior enemy forces. After rendering invaluable service to the battalion commander in stemming the retreat, reorganizing the troops and extending the reverse position to the left, Maj. Bailey, despite a severe head wound, repeatedly led his troops in fierce hand-to-hand combat for a period of 10 hours. His great personal valor while exposed to constant and merciless enemy fire, and his indomitable fighting spirit inspired his troops to heights of heroic endeavor which enabled them to repulse the enemy and hold Henderson Field. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.