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The Medals & Story of GySgt Harold TODD USMC


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THE HISTORY OF GySGT HAROLD TODD USMC

 

Harold Todd was born on Sept. 8, 1891 in Detroit, Michigan. He enlisted in the USMC on April 7, 1913 but deserted shortly thereafter from Norfolk, VA and went home. Initially listed as a deserter he turned himself in, received a Special Court Martial, was convicted and served a sentence for being AWOL and was returned to duty. When asked why he had deserted, he stated he “didn’t like the food”. He later had service with the 3" Landing Gun Company in Puerto Rico. This unit became the 13th Company and he landed with it at Vera Cruz, Mexico on April 27, 1914 and remained there until Nov. 23, 1914. He was promoted to Cpl on Aug 16, 1915 and served in the Haitian Campaign from August 31, 1915 until May 20, 1916 where he was in combat at Carrefour-de-Trons on Sept. 26, 1915; the occupation of Grand Riviere on Oct. 16, 1915. Between Oct. 22 and Oct. 28, 1915, he participated in the repulse of the attack on Bahon, skirmishes along the RR between Grand Riviere and Bahon and in the Battle of Fort Riviere. He was in the Dominican Campaign from May 23, 1916 to May 25, 1917. Between June 27, 1916 and July 5, 1916 he participated in the bombardment and engagement incident to the capture of Las Trincheras, S.D.; a skirmish at Dona Antonia and in the engagement incident to the capture of Guayascanas, S.D.

 

On Jan 2, 1917, he joined the newly forming 45th Co., 5th Marines at Quantico as a seasoned combat campaigner and was appointed a Sgt on Jan 29, 1917. The Regiment sailed for France on June 14, 1917. Todd was promoted to GySgt on June 15, 1917. While in France, his record shows that he successfully completed Officer Candidate School and was recommended for Warrant Officer rank. He was not promoted to that rank and his file doesn’t reflect the reason. Perhaps he declined it.

 

While still serving as the Gunnery Sergeant of Capt. Peter Conachy’s 45th Co. in the 3rd Bn, 5th Marines, which was commanded by Maj. Benjamin Berry he was killed in action in the late afternoon of 6 June 1918, approximately 6PM, at Belleau Wood during the famous attack across the wheat field.

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He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross #2461 and the Navy Cross, also verified in his Service Record; he was also awarded USMC Dominican Campaign 1916 #1452 and USMC Mexican Campaign 1911-1917 #1464 - both numbers verified to him in his Service Record; WWI Victory w/ Aisne & Defensive Sector clasps w/ Citation Silver Star; his Expert Rifle Badge is engraved on the reverse "Harold Todd - 1915". His Expert Rifle qualification is recorded in his record book for 1915. These medals are verified by number on N.M.C. Form 839-A.&I. A copy of that form follows.

 

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He is also entitled to a USN 1915 Haitian Campaign Medal but there is no indication in his records that it was ever awarded. In 1942 his record was reviewed and a notation made that he was entitled to a Silver Star and an Expeditionary Medal. No indication that any action was taken to send these to his mother whose whereabouts appear to have been unknown by this time. Also, it should be noted that Purple Heart medals were not authorized for next of kin of killed in action or otherwise deceased soldiers until WW II.

 

Due his to pre-war infractions, he was NOT recommended for a Good Conduct medal and this is so noted on his One-Year Extension of Enlistment Contract executed on April 6, 1917. An interesting foot-note is the absence of any further notations in otherwise very complete Service Record Book (SRB) involving another extension of enlistment or re-enlistment after this, suggesting that he may have technically been a civilian after April 5, 1918 when his extension expired! A notation in the June 1918 45th Company Muster Roll indicates that he had been “Retained in service for the convenience of the government since 7 April 1918, 6 killed in action at 6PM; place of burial unknown. Character excellent.“ This may have been a CYA entry because without it Todd was a civilian!

 

This group was once in the possession of Col. Al Gleim who found it with planchets only and restored the medals. Based on the engraved name on the reverse of the Expert Rifle Badge he was able to identify Todd and obtain Todd’s records, verifying the DSC number as the one presented to his mother. In his file is the Shipping Memorandum from the Philadelphia Depot to HQ Marine Corps for Distinguished Service Cross #2461. A copy of that document follows.

 

Details of the Attack on the Woods by the 45th Company, 5th Marines 6 June 1918

 

Details of the 45th Company's ordeal that day have been provided by a fellow collector/researcher and Forum member Kevin Seldon (DevilDog34) who located them at NARA, Washington, D.C., as follows:

 

June 6, 1918 Late morning…………….

 

While the Marines of Major Turrill’s battalion (1/5) desparately hung on to control of Hill 142, the moment of the assault on Belleau Wood and Bouresches grew near. All but one of Berry’s companies was situated in the woods several hundred meters west of Belleau Wood. Earlier that morning at 7:00 AM the 45th Company (Capt. Conachy) of Berry’s battalion (3/5) had been immediately ordered to advance north from their location in order to help relieve the tremendous enfilading fire bearing down on Major Turrill’s battalion on Hill 142. Captain Peter Conachy immediately dispatched his 1st and 2nd Platoons to advance north in efforts to help Major Turrill’s men. According to Conachy, “1st Platoon reached the road and was held up, dug in and consolidated. 2nd Platoon never started, they were held up by fire superiority of machine guns from the woods, although this platoon ably supported the 1st Platoon by covering fire thereby enabling Lieutenant Hope to advance to advance to the road, which was an ideal jumping off point.”

 

Lieutenant Edward S. Hope, a young Army officer leading the 1st Platoon of the 45th Company recalled the commotion off to the west as the fighting for Hill 142 got underway. “They had already started on our left, so I organized four waves at once and just as I sent the first ones across, the boche machine guns opened up. I felt my legs suddenly knocked from under me. One of the men near me took my puttee off and stopped the blood with a bandage.” Eventually Hope’s platoon made it to the road and dug in. They signaled for rifle ammunition and grenades, neither of which could be brought forward. “On account of the exposed position I would not order a man to take ammunition out, as a live Marine is better than a dead or wounded one any day,” recalled Captain Conachy.

 

One Marine however, Private Robert F. Higley, saw the predicament of the exposed men. He began to grab bandoliers of rifle ammunition from other Marines. He slung six of them across his body and made a dash several hundred meters across the field as machine gun rounds searched for him. Sprinting along the men laying prone along the roadway, he un-slung one bandolier at a time and dropped it among a few of the men and repeated this as he continued to dart down the line. He fell panting from the terrifying ordeal in order to catch his breath. Higley noticed that Sergeant Robert D. Foote, Jr. had been severely wounded and needed to get medical attention fast. Perilously gazing back hundreds of meters across the fire-swept field where the rest of the company remained, Higley still exhausted from the terrifying trip, picked up his weapon and crawled over to Sergeant Foote. He slung both his and Sergeant Foote’s rifle on his back and began to drag the Sergeant several hundred meters back to the company’s line. Miraculously both men made it back unscathed. (Note: Higley was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism.)

 

Before Conachy could regain command of the two engaged paltoons, a battalion runner found him in the woods and delivered a message that stated, “to report to the C.O. 1st Battalion, objective Torcy, the attack to take place at 5:00 AM, June 7, 1918.” When Conachy returned to his company’s position in the woods, they had already moved out to assemble in the woods for the assault on Belleau Wood.

 

Communications, as poor as they were, caught the battalion off guard when the order to attack finally arrived. Colonel Catlin (C.O. 6th Marines) recalled the dilemma. “I was supposed to direct Berry’s movements, though he had also received the orders from his own regimental headquarters. I telephoned at once to Berry’s P.C. at Lucy, but his battalion was beyond reach and he himself in the woods in the rear, a mile away. It had been impossible on account of the heavy shelling, to run a telephone out to him. I sent runners, but I was sure they couldn’t reach him before the attack would have to be made.”

 

June 6, 1918 Late afternoon:

 

On the left flank of Major Berry’s battalion, the 45th Company had already pressed forward with three platoons. Second Lieutenant Thomas H. Miles, in the absence of Captain Conachy earlier in the morning, assembled three platoons of the remainder of the company, left one in reserve and pressed forward into the open field. The company moved parallel to a small cluster of trees to the their left, a finger jetting out towards Belleau Wood, but it would not conceal them from the ferocity of the enemy guns. Almost as soon as they stepped forward, enemy artillery fire blanketed the wheat. With a violent collision that shook the ground and echoed across the rolling pasture, the explosions threw up dirt and debris only to leave a massive charred divot in the waving grains of wheat. Suddenly the bombardment increased. Second Lieutenant Thomas Miles (DSC/NC/SSC), out in front of his advancing platoons came under the barrage. After having advanced a little ways, a shell came screaming in with little warning and detonated nearly underneath the twenty-six year old. The resulting explosion blew him apart. An increasing volume of artillery shells fell among the company as they pushed forward. Private Frank P. Millage remembered standing next to Corporal Carl Stickle(sic), the company officer’s mess cook, when a shell landed nearby, killing him.

 

As the company pushed closer to the tree line of Belleau Wood, the machine guns erupted. Gunnery Sergeant Benjamin Geary (SSC - CdG)saw Charley Frehse knocked back as a bullet went through him. As he staggered another round struck him followed instantly by a third that hit him in the chest before he slumped to the ground. Machine gun fire cut down nearly anyone who dared show themselves. First Sergeant William P. Higginson (DSC/NC) and Gunnery Sergeant Harold Todd(DSC/NC)* also became victims of the enemy machine guns. Corporal Benjamin Strain, who only a few months before stood trial for telling a senior enlisted man to “kiss my a$$’ barely shifted his focus in front of him when a torrent of bullets struck the twenty-one year old in the head and face, splitting his upper jaw in half and instantly killed him. Men immediately dropped to their stomachs into the wheat in order to escape the sweeping machine gun fire. While men lay prone under the relentless volley, shells continued to land seemingly everywhere.

 

Eventually the survivors of the 45th Company, after having crossed the road that runs between Torcy and Lucy-le-Bocage, worked their way towards a square patch of woods about a hundred meters from the western face of Belleau Wood. Beyond this patch of forest, lay the first line of enemy machine gun pits. A few 45th Company men managed to get to this position. Private LeRoy Harned remembered, “We charged and reached these bits but were subjected to a terrific fire. Many of the boys were hit before gaining these pits. Private Clifford S. Cushman got to the first enemy entrenchment and was immediately struck by gunfire. “He fell half in and half out of the pit in a sitting position. I do not think he was hit very hard this first time for he sat there, reloaded his pistol and alone cleaned out the pit on his right.” Private Harned then witnessed Private Cushman single-handedly kill six enemy occupying the adjacent hole. “I can personally testify to this as I was was within feet of him at that time.” remarked Harned three months after the engagement. Suddenly Private Cushman was hit again and rolled over on his side. Regaining his senses the wounded Private immediately cried out for water. “About this time things got a great deal hotter, and that was the last time I saw Cliff alive,” claimed Harned. ( Note: Reportedly Cushman’s remains were never found. He did not receive any citation award.)

 

Along the first line of enemy positions, the fighting became hand-to-hand. One of the few men in the company who succeeded in making it to the first line of German redoubts was Private Grover C. Bowers. He noticed one wounded Marine kill a German officer with a trench knife as he attempted to draw his sidearm to finish off the injured American. Private Bowers himself fell wounded moments later. The few men left that now made up the 45th Company realized that the position could not likely be held. Several started to filter back to the company’s original position. Many of the wounded decided to wait until darkness to get back to the jump off point. Several others lay in the field incapacitated and unable to move.

 

* The burial file of GySgt Harold Todd 45th Company, indicates “According to Lt. Jacob Kesel (former Sgt. 45th Co.), Todd was killed by MG fire at Belleau Wood and buried where he fell. His burial was reportedly on 7-25-18.* He had an Marine Corps emblem on him and GySgt. Chevrons.” I am of the opinion that Todd & the others killed that day were buried very near where they fell most likely within a week or so, depending on when the field was clear enough to do so, and later re-buried at the present location of the Aisne-Marne Cemetery, this occurring on the referenced date, July 25th. I cannot conceive that the dead were left above ground intentionally until July 25th!

 

The Marine Corps experienced its heaviest casualties in the 142 years of its existence that day. 31 officers and 1,056 men of the 4th Marine Brigade were killed, wounded or missing.

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For those of you who may have missed it, DevilDog34 posted the following back in July. The National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico in its program of continuing expansion will have a WWI display opening in April 2010. They will have a video and here is the link that shows its filming! It depicts 3/5 in its attack across the wheat field on 6 JuneThanks Kevin!!!!! Semper Fi......

 

"I'm sure many of you fellow WWI USMC enthusiasts already saw this. Those of you who've been know the National Museum of the Marine Corps is lacking its WWI exhibit. This film that was recently made in the rural fields of Virginia is a reenactment that is suppose to accompany the exhibit. I've included the link below, enjoy."

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dafWOGZsYYY

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Here's another link to a video on the filming of this historical event. Realism looks great! Can't wait to see the finished product! Semper Fi......Bobgee

 

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Bob,

 

Absolutely awesome. Thank you for sharing the legacy of this Marine.

 

I remember when I was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant, my former CO a BGEN at the time, called me at 0500 AZ time and told my wife to wake the Gunny. She said "its for you gunny" I of course was sound asleep and didn't get it, but I did when the General congratulated me.

 

I had waited a long time for that rank, and I had looked into the history of that rank. From "technical sergeant" to "gunnery sergeant", I always would look at the collar insignia, and think of all the gunny's that came before me. what a responsibility, could I handle it, would I make good decisions?

 

Our corps of Marines is filled with stories like Gy Todd, sometimes we need to stop and read them. Study them. And, understand the men and women who have come before us have left a legacy that is remarkable.

 

Sorry for the "touchy-feely", but this was an amazing story and having such a grouping in your posession must be equally powerful.

 

Again, thanks for sharing.

 

God bless you Gunnery Sergeant Todd, and Semper Fidelis.

 

r/Gunny Dan

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teufelhunde.ret
Bob,

 

Absolutely awesome. Thank you for sharing the legacy of this Marine.

 

I remember when I was promoted to Gunnery Sergeant, my former CO a BGEN at the time, called me at 0500 AZ time and told my wife to wake the Gunny. She said "its for you gunny" I of course was sound asleep and didn't get it, but I did when the General congratulated me.

 

I had waited a long time for that rank, and I had looked into the history of that rank. From "technical sergeant" to "gunnery sergeant", I always would look at the collar insignia, and think of all the gunny's that came before me. what a responsibility, could I handle it, would I make good decisions?

 

Our corps of Marines is filled with stories like Gy Todd, sometimes we need to stop and read them. Study them. And, understand the men and women who have come before us have left a legacy that is remarkable.

 

Sorry for the "touchy-feely", but this was an amazing story and having such a grouping in your posession must be equally powerful.

 

Again, thanks for sharing.

 

God bless you Gunnery Sergeant Todd, and Semper Fidelis.

 

r/Gunny Dan

 

SUPERBLY stated - likewise :thumbsup: This thread has incredible research & history, and splendidly presented as well.

 

Bob, did the medal card come with the file you pulled? Do you think the expert badge was "issued" with engraving? s/f Darrell

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SUPERBLY stated - likewise :thumbsup: This thread has incredible research & history, and splendidly presented as well.

 

Bob, did the medal card come with the file you pulled? Do you think the expert badge was "issued" with engraving? s/f Darrell

 

Thank you Gunny & Darrell. This was my first WWI NC/DSC group. I've been caring for Gunny Todd for many years and it continues to be one of my favorites. That day, 6 June 1918, is epic in Marine Corps history. I've been to Belleau Wood and walked the ground over which the 45th Comapny attacked that afternoon. It is virtually unchanged and I picked up bullets and shell casings and shrapnel lying on open ground after all these years turned up by the farmer's plow. He is buried in the Aisne-Marne cemetery there and I have visited his grave. Needless to say a very poignant moment. My only regret is not having a photograph of him. There is not one in his file. Anybody have a pic of the 45th Co. 5th Marines circa 1917-18?

 

Darrell - His file is very thick and complete. The Medal Card was with it. This is a very scarce document. You don't often find them. As far as the Expert Rifle Badge goes, yes this was awarded officially engraved as was the custom at the time. All Rifle Qualifications had the recipient's name engraved from at least 1910.That subject has been addressed in previous threads here on the Forum and examples of engraved badges posted. I believe the practice ceased during WWI, I have at least one 1917 example and was not resumed.

Semper Fi......Bob

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  • 2 months later...

Here is finally a better image to Cpl. Joseph L. Ball who was with the 18th Co 2nd Bn 5th Marines at Belleau Wood. He was decorated on June 13, 1918. With 8 other marines (First Sgt. Walter G. Allen, Sgt. Milton Staight, Sgt. George O. Colon, Sgt. John C. Palusis, Cpl. Edward S. Smith, Private Amos M. Boyette, and Pvt. James A. Hawkings under the command of 2nd Lt. Chester Frazier (an army officer with the 18th Co.) all "advanced on an enemy machine gun nest which threatened to hold back the attacking waves and assisted in driving back the 170 Germans in the nest who were operating 20 guns (these later surrendered to another organization after our attacking force had passed). By their dash and great personal couraged they all assisted in enabling our attack to go forward in the Bois de Belleau." Cpl. Joseph L. Ball was from Easton, MD and was wounded severely on June 14, 1918 and never returned to the company. I have yet to obtain his records but only have his citation. His heart is a BB&B with a number I believe is 3212 on the side, it comes in the original box. I have is silver star (next pic) and vict. med with AISNE bar and dog tag. Came out of a storage facility in Michigan that was never paid up on years ago. Hope you all enjoy.

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  • 2 years later...
teufelhunde.ret

Today being the 94th anniversary of the start of the Belleau Wood campaign, a most appropriate time to revive this old thread for newer members to see... the price paid by so many Marines...

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  • 11 months later...

In memory of the "other" famous June 6th anniversary, I'm bumping this post to the top. On this one day at Belleau Wood, France in 1918, the Marine Corps suffered more casualties than they had since its beginning in 1775.

Semper Fi......Bobgee

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History Man

Outstanding group with some excellent research, also that WW1 USMC PH/SS pair is also a looker!

 

Philip

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Kaigun Shosa

A very wonderful grouping! Thanks for sharing this from your collection. I believe the research done was just as valuable as the medals itself.

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A fantastic group of medals that were well earned. The medal index card is especially interesting. I've examined many dozens of USMC personnel files in St. Louis and not one of them had a similar card. I think these medal cards were maintained in a separate file and have now been lost of disposed of. It was probably by accident that one was mistakenly misfiled in a personnel file. It's great that such was the case for the card for this group.

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  • 1 year later...

I think I may have Gunny Todd's helmet. Does anyone have a sample of his writing?

 

Fantastic medal group and research. I will be visiting Belleau Wood again this month and it always leaves me awed that men could stand up and cross those fields. Or at least try to.

 

s/f Robert

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