Corporal Ameen Solomon

[devildog34]

Keeping with the anniversary of this horrific battle I want to post a rememberance to another Marine who gave it all. Ameen Solomon was born October 28, 1915 in Boston, Mass to Syrian-born parents. Ameen attended Natick High School in Natick, Mass where he played football, baseball, basketball and hockey. He graduated in 1933 attended college where he excelled in mathmatics and chemistry even studying physics as a post graduate for a year. Ameen worked for J.Walsh and Company as a Cabinet designer and maker. He worked for the company from 1937 until 1938.On April 30,1935 he joined the Massachusetts National Guard and remained with the guard until April 29, 1938 when he joined the U.S. Army and served from July 5, 1938 until Juily 4, 1941. On February 18, 1942 Solomon joined the Marine Corps. He was assigned to Marine Barracks Navy Yard Boston. After promotion to Pfc. he was sent to a replacement battalion in San Diego and immediately was overseas in October of 1942. He was assigned to Company C 1st Bn 7th Marines Nov. 11, 1942 on Guadalcanal where he saw his first combat action. He remained on Guadalcanal with the 7th until January 4, 1943 when relieved.

 

In December of 1943 until January of '44 he participated in the landing, seizure and occupation of Cape Gloucester in New Britain. He was also part of the assault to take Hill 660 at Cape Gloucester from January 2 through the 16th 1944.

 

By September 1944, Ameen was a Corporal serving as a rifleman with C Co. 1/7. On the morning of September 15, 1944, the 1st Bn 7th Marines were storming Orange Beach 3, the southern most landing beach for the assault on Peleliu. The regiment planned to land two battalions in column on ORANGE Beach 3. The 2nd battalion was to be kept afloat as division reserve. The 3d Battalion which was the regiment's northern most battalion on the left side of Orange 3 was to drive across to the eastern shore in conjunction with the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines in order to split the island's defenders.

 

Corporal Solomon and the 1st Battalion 7th Marines were to land immediately behind, was to wheel to the right in line and commence the drive against the Japanese thus isolated in the southern pocket. 3rd Battalion 7th Marines would come in immediately afterward and move abreast once the island had been crossed.

 

In the meanwhile, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, had come in behind 3rd battalion as planned, landing on ORANGE 3 at 1030. By this time some of the early confusion on the beaches had been resolved, but the 1st Battalion encountered many of the difficulties that had plagued the 3d and a portion of its personnel likewise landed on ORANGE 2. Resistance was described as light, although there was significant mortar fire well into the afternoon. Once first battalion began move south, enemy fire intensified and the terrain became increasingly difficult. The battalion ran into a vast swamp, which had not appeared on any operational maps. This obstacle stood to obstruct a large portion of the right half of the battalion's zone of action. A single small trail was discovered skirting the western portion of the swamp and lay within Company C's area. As soon as the men began to maneuver along this trail, horrendous enemy fire erupted from numerous enemy pillboxes and bunkers. Heavy fire significantly held up elements of Company C who remained pinned down.

A Company worked around the swamp to the east and found itself well extended into the 3d Battalion's area. Company B was brought up to fill the gap between Company A and C. During the night the Japanese launched a fromidable counterattack from the swamp, Several of the shore party personnel still on the beach were summoned in the event that the enemy broke through. The night was filled with ferocious machine gun fire as chaos manifested in the form of sudden bright flashed and defeaning explosions throughout the thick jungle. By sunup, 50 dead Japanese were sprawled along the front.

 

On D+1 Sept. 16th After reduction of a massive blockhouse that had obstructed their advance, 3rd Bn 7th Marines had moved south against significantly less resistance. Company K, advancing in line on the left of the 1st Battalion, blasted and burned out several interlocking enemy installations in its path to such good effect that by 1025 the leading elements came within sight of their final objective. The approaches were defended on the left (east) side by only two pillboxes. By 1200, both of these had been reduced.

 

The 1st Battalion advanced with Companies C and A in line (right to left and Baker Co. in reserve) in an operational zone much larger than 3rd battalion. Progress was supported by artillery and naval gunfire as well as close air support as well heavy barrage from LCI rockets. Unlike the 3rd Battalion's advance, this area was heavily fortified with numerous well concealed interlocking enemy pillboxes that had not been knocked out. There were also four 5-inch guns and three anti-aircraft postions that stood in the way. The fighting was intense and ferocious. All four of the 5-inch gun emplacements were reduced as well as most of the enemy pillboxes. 1st Battalion reached the southern end of the island just after 3rd battalion despite the much heavier resistance. The lack of water and the brutal equatorial heat took a huge toll on the men and a halt was called regain their energy and get some water. This hault was to last through the night, while similar preparations were made for the following day's assault on the southwestern promonotory, or Ngarmoked Island.

 

Throughout D-Day the 1st Battalion had been harassed by fire from the small unnamed island lying just north of Ngarmoked which naval gunfire and air strikes had been unable to silence. The main gun position there was subsequently spotted from the beach and knocked out by tank fire, with such good effect that a patrol sent across the reef at low tide found no more live Japanese there. However, during the night of D-plus 1 the enemy made several attempts to reoccupy it, evidently with the object of getting once more on the flank and rear of the attackers. Illuminating shells revealed large numbers in the act of wading across from the southwest promontory, making them excellent targets for machine gun and rifle fire. No further trouble was experienced from that direction.

 

The following day the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Marines sent a platoon from Company L across the lagoon to seize part of the southern promontory and cleared a way for the rest of Company L to occupy enemy positions knocked out the day before by tank fire.

 

Much heavier resistance awaited the 1st Battalion. The southwestern (Ngarmoked) promontory was much larger and its terrain more elevated and difficult to traverse, its defenses more numerous and formidable. The 1st battalion's attack moved out on schedule. The fresh company, which had been in reserve the previous day, was immediately committed to the push. One platoon from Company B managed to make it across the open space with the assistance of one tank. At 0835 this group encountered the enemy main line of resistance and were stopped cold without being able to gain a foothold. The company requested permission to withdraw these elements in order to give heavy supporting weapons an opportunity to work over the ground further. Permission was initially denied but then granted at 0935, when the platoon was pulled back under a ferocious crossfire from the southeastern promontory. By this time, Company B had suffered heavy casualties and was placed again into battalion reserve.

 

Artillery and heavy mortar fire pounded the target with concentrated fire, the 1st Battalion regrouped for a second attempt to reach the promontory. All available tanks and LVT's were moved into the area, and half-tracks and 37mm guns from the Weapons Company were brought up to pour suppressive fire onto the objective. The early success of the 3d Battalion on the opposite promontory allowed for their supporting fires to redirect on 1st battalion's objective. Elements of the 3rd battalion were also in position to provide enfilading fire upon the enemy during the advance.

 

Company A moved forward at 1430. They were preceded by a 10 minute airstrike. The company also had 3 Sherman tanks providing preassault fire on the objective. The overpowering onslaught meant that the enemy line was quickly taken. Able company gained the high ground and commenced the grim business of slugging its way southward, while artillery and mortar concentrations blasted enemy positions to its front. At 1530, Company I was moved over from the 3d Battalion as a special reserve, and four minutes later Corporal Solomon and the Marines of Company C moved out against the promontory to push against the right flank which was overextended due to the protrusion of the western shore. An hour later, Company B was ordered across the spit to positions immediately behind the two assault companies, and thus the entire 1st Battalion was in the fight.

 

Resistance was stubborn all along the line. Corporal Solomon and Company C progressed to the western shore, in the process reducing the heavy enfilading weapons which had been playing such havoc with the ORANGE Beaches. But when the company attempted to advance southward, it soon came upon a sizeable swamp which threatened to break off its contact with Company A on the left. Sometime during the day Corporal Ameen Solomon was struck in the head by a piece of shrapnel and knocked unconscious. He was still alive and quickly evacuated.

[devildog34]

Cpl. Solomon was evacuated to a hospital ship USS Tryon. He was unconscious the entire time of his evacuation. His head wound was operated on and debrided (fragments and shrapnel surgically removed) Parts of the skull and hair removed after having been infused into the brain cavity from the wound. The left side of the head had been depressed and was raised in order to remove a clot of mascerated brain tissue. and taken to US. Navy Base Hospital Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands on Sept. 24, 1944 in Papua New Guinea. He was then transferred to US Navy Hospital at Guadalcanal on October 15, 1944. He was then taken to the Naval Hospital at Aiea Heights in Hawaii. On January 5, 1945 at Aiea Heights another debridement of osteomyelitis bone (infection of the bone) was performed. The skull by 14 January 1945 had still shown signs of infection and his diagnosis changed to osteomyelitis. By this point he was conscious and complained of Aphasia (is an impairment of language ability. This class of language disorder ranges from having difficulty remembering words to being completely unable to speak, read, or write) and Hemiplegia of the right side (total paralysis of the arm, leg, and trunk on the same side of the body.) Further investigation revealed that he could not comprehend written words. He could not speak certain words but recognized through attempted enunciation. He could not write any spoken words but could copy letters and numbers accurately. He had moderately impaired memory. He had difficulty carrying out simple commands. He had spasmatic controlled movements of the right side arms and legs and loss of fine movement. He underwent physical therapy and symptom treatment. He said he had no such disability before September 17, 1944. He was eventually taken stateside to a Naval Hospital in Oakland, CA on 5 March 1945, nearly 6 months after he had been critically wounded. It was noted that he was suffering from right Hemiplegia (or paralysis) of the right side and marked anemia.

By November of 1945 his head wound had granulated (Granulation tissue typically grows from the base of a wound and is able to fill wounds of almost any size it heals.) On February 11, 1946 a tontalum cranic-plasty performed under a local anesthetic (metal plate inserted at base of wound). The following day Solomon became comatose with bradycardia (rapid unnatural heart rhythm). The following day the tontalum plate was removed and wound appeared to be in good shape. On 15 February 1946 his pulse elevated to 150 and respiration 50 and he developed a fever of 104 degrees. He remained comatose and showed no complete absence of corneal reflexes. His pupils were fixed in dilation and transitory internal strabismus (Crossed eyes, or strabismus as it is medically termed, is a condition in which both eyes do not look at the same place at the same time.) On February 19, 1946 x-ray findings show signs of pneumonia and atelectasis (collapse or closure of alveoli resulting in reduced or absent gas exchange. It may affect part or all of one lung.) A Bronchoscopy was performed (This is where an instrument (bronchoscope) is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth, or occasionally through a tracheostomy. This allows the practitioner to examine the patient's airways for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation. Specimens may be taken from inside the lungs.) This procedure removed significant amounts of mucus but to no avail. Corporal Ameen Solomon died at 11:59 in the evening of February 19, 1946. The autopsy performed indicated that the traumatic injury which he suffered at Peleliu was to such a state that the left side of his brain was degenerating due to infection and the initial trauma and it would and likely did prove to be the ultimate cause of his death. His spinal cord actually began to exhibit atrophy. The skull injury had also exhibited a permanent defect following the injury. He had also begun to develop liver disease (result of the injury or not unclear).

Corporal Ameen Solomon was buried at 3:00 PM 28 February 1946 in Grave 420 Section F of the Natick Massachusetts Cemetery. He was 30 years old. Rest in Peace Cpl. Solomon you are not forgotten.

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The engraving. The purple heart was not awarded to Ameen's mother Hameda until 1950 hence the type II heart.

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Transmital letter for the awarding of the purple heart in 1950.

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Casualty file

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casualty file

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casualty file

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casualty file

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enlistment card

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Campaigns. . . .

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campaigns

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campaigns. . . .

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Clinical report of his long agonizing stay in various USNH's until his passing.

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The engraving. The purple heart was not awarded to Ameen's mother Hameda until 1950 hence the type II heart.

Another close up of the engraving

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Here are a few views of Orange Beach 3 during the battle and as it looks today.

[MWalsh]

Wow, quite a story, thanks for posting it.

 

I suspect there were a lot more of these men like him out there, severly wounded but he did not pass on until some time after their wounds, I wonder how many like him were thought by their buddies to be dead, with them never knowing their friends had actually survived, at least initially?

 

I see that the Purple Heart award was dated 1950, at least the transmittal letter was. I would have to assume it either took that long to get it all figured out or that they applied or requested it?

 

MW

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More images of Orange Beach 2 during the landing

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A day late on this one but wanted to honor and remember this Marine 69 years after he was mortally wounded, an injury that would linger for over one year and ultimately claim his life. God speed you are not forgotten.

[manayunkman]

Devildog,

 

I commend you for your thorough research and very reader friendly account of Solomon's life.

 

When I collected groupings I always kept ones from different races, ethnicities, religions, nationalities and even sexual preferences.

 

So when I read that Solomon was of Syrian background it peaked my interest.

 

Do you know what religion he practiced if any ?

 

I have always been amazed at how assimilation takes place and these folks become better Americans than many Americans.

 

So thank you for posting this and I am embarrassed that I did not see it before.

 

I will remember him.

 

Peter

[devildog34]

I cannot tell what his religion is but it was clear he was assimilated early. He was from Boston, born and raised so he lived an all-American boys life, played football, baseball, track went to high school in Boston. This is a microcosmic example that we truly are a melting pot and that all Marines are green some just a darker or lighter shade of green.

Semper Fi