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The President of the United States in
the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL
OF HONOR to
CORPORAL JAMES
L. DAY UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE
for service as set forth in the following:
CITATION:
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, Ryukyu 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 fanatical ground attack
of about 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 frenzied night attack. In this ferocious action,
his machine gun was destroyed, and he suffered multiple white
phosphorous and fragmentation wounds. Assisted by only one partially
effective man, he reorganized his defensive position in time
to halt a fifth enemy attack with devastating small arms fire.
On three separate 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 and dispatched around 12 of the enemy
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 primal 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.
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