Bill Cumbaa
As a rifle platoon leader in the 1st Marine Division, Captain Bill Cumbaa saw fierce combat on the islands of Peleliu and Okinawa, two of the Pacific Theater's deadliest campaigns. "Wild Bill" was a hardened combat leader, gaining the respect of his men and earning two Silver Stars and two Purple Hearts – one set on each island.
On September 15, 1944, US Marines landed on Peleliu, one of the Palau Islands in the western Pacific. A volcanic island just six miles long and two miles wide, Peleliu was held by a garrison of more than 10,000 elite Japanese troops. The main objective on the island was an airstrip, which could threaten American operations in the Philippines.
The Japanese used Peleliu's unique terrain to their advantage, stationing troops in caves above the invading Marines to inflict the maximum amount of damage on the troops below. The elaborate cave and tunnel system throughout the island allowed the enemy to hunker down and emerge unscathed from Allied naval bombardment, which occurred prior to the troop landings.
After the initial assault, Bill Cumbaa and his fellow Marines made their way across the island, successfully capturing the airstrip on September 17, 1944, in an attack which inflicted heavy casualties. When the Marines began to advance northward on the island, they were hit by heavy Japanese resistance who were dug into the rocky surface of Umurbrogol Mountain, which the Marines dubbed “Bloody Nose Ridge.”
On September 22, 1944, Bill Cumbaa led his platoon on a patrol behind enemy lines toward the ridge to secure valuable information about the Japanese defenses. He and his platoon were exposed to point-blank enemy fire, but he managed to complete his mission with the loss of only one man killed and one wounded. For his courageous actions on that day, Lt. Cumbaa was awarded the Silver Star Medal. During the fighting on Peleliu, Bill was wounded in action and awarded the Purple Heart Medal.
But Bill Cumbaa's war wasn't over. He went on to fight in the battle of Okinawa in May 1945 and was awarded another Silver Star and Purple Heart for his courageous acts of valor during that campaign.
Bill Cumbaa in his USMC uniform during WWII.
Bill Cumbaa's original khaki summer dress uniform from WWII.
Cumbaa's Silver Star citation from Peleliu.