Eye Witness Account – Bougainville
Lt. Steve Cibik, 21st Marines
“We were a veteran company with Guadalcanal behind us and we thought we knew the jungle. But here on Bougainville we were battling a jungle such as we had never dreamed of. For 19 days we struggled in miasmal swamps, fought vines that wrapped themselves bout our neck like whips, birds that dived at us like screaming Stukas, bats whose wings whirred like falling artillery shells, snakes, lizards and insects without name or number. For 19 days we attacked this natural enemy with our machetes and knives, hacking our way through almost solid barricades of vegetation run riot.
“It rained daily from noon to dusk – fierce sounding tropical rains. If we had been lucky to hit fairly dry ground, we slept in foxholes, 6 or 8 inches deep. During the night, water seeped through the earth. We invariably woke drenched.”
[On the 19th day in the jungle, Cibik’s company stumbled on a ridge that rose almost invisibly concealed in the dense undergrowth. Crawling up vines for ladders, they came upon a Japanese observation position:]
“I walked the edge of the ridge and almost gasped. What a view of Bougainville! We were on a thumb of earth 500 feet high, an oasis in a sea of mist-covered jungle, the only high ground for miles around. From here we could spot Japanese positions and direct our artillery fire; from here, we could drive down into the valley, engaging the enemy while our main forces fought their way across the river. On the other hand, were the Japanese in control of the ridge, the tables would be turned. This ridge could be the key to success or failure in this phase of the Battle of Bougainville.”
[With determination, Cibik and his 51-man patrol held the ridge against every enemy attempt to gain it. They lived on K rations and with only 11 belts of machine-gun ammo and 3 hand grenades apiece, they fought off the Japanese until 23 November. The rest of the troops got safely across the river and the company was relieved.
Steve Cibik passed away in 2007, 87 years of age, a Colonel who went on to serve in the Korean War and Vietnam.
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Military Humor –
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Farewell Salutes –
Daniel Aguayo – Gilbert, AZ; US Army, WWII
William Cox – Rockford, IL; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Col. (Ret. 30 yrs.), D.F.C.
Alfred Drew – Manawatu, NZ; RNZ Air Force # 46992, WWII, 14th Squadron, Aircraftsman 1st Class
Nick Farina – Utica, NY; US Army, Korea, 187th Regiment
Harold King – Low Head, AUS; RA Navy # 22975, WWII
F. David Labshere – Rutland, VT; US Army, Korea
Ross Mowry – Ft. Lauderdale, FL; US Army, WWII, ETO, Bronze Star
Wallace Spitt – Eau Claire, WI; US Navy, WWII, Korea, pilot, Lt.Commander
Dorothy Taylor – brn: Surrey, ENG/Red Deer, CAN; Royal Air Force, WWII, Barrage Balloon Operator
Wallace Wydra – PeEll, WA; US Navy, WWII, Korea
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Posted on February 22, 2016, in First-hand Accounts, Uncategorized, WWII and tagged 1940's, family history, History, Marines, Military History, Pacific, Tributes, veterans, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 90 Comments.
Wow!
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Right ?! And this [1943] is the year that historians treat as though nothing happened in the Pacific! All they prefer to mention is Midway, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima & Okinawa (only USMC battles). I’ve known people, who due to history texts, school and news media, never knew that the US Army, Coast Guard, RAAF & RNZAF, etc. were involved!!
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Good web site, sent along to some old sweats from WW 2, they loved it. Thank you, and thank you for dropping in on my site, Cheers
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I thank you for dropping in and for sharing it. If you or your friends happen to have a story you care to share – feel free to add them into the comments!! My readers and friends are always contributing additional information, links and family stories.
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Fantastic post gp, I can imagine the vegetation those men faced, having been in Papua New Guinea, that must have been one great position that they had to defend.
Steve Cibik epitomizes the name Marine, to go on to serve in Korea and Vietnam demonstrates that mans dedication to serving the Military.
Cheers.
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Having been on New Guinea, you do understand and i thank you for adding that, Ian. It sure is good to see you back.
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GP, I know you don’t want this blog to be about your son, but may I ask if the photo in the flowers is a tribute to your son or your father? I would like to think it is one of these men who are so dear to you.
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It is similar to one of the floral arrangements at my father’s funeral. I did not take photos during either, but so you know, they are buried next to each other.
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That I am so pleased to know. Thank you.
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You are very welcome.
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Finding and holding that key position was an exemplary feat!
(Love the drilled pigeons!)
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The men did a great job, especially with what little they had to defend it with.
Glad you enjoyed that cartoon – I got a kick out of it.
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I have a small photography book about the US air campaign in Desert Storm. Do you have any pictures and stories about it; US or otherwise?
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I’m afraid that’s one story I don’t talk about. My son joined the the USMC in 1990 because of the brewing trouble and 2 years later I buried him – the tale is too close to home. It is an important story to tell and – just think think someone besides myself should tell it. If you chose to do a separate blog about it, please make certain I have the address so I can follow that site too, thank you.
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I am extremely sorry to hear this about your son.
I wish you the best.
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Thank you, I appreciate that, Allan.
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I’ll keep this short since I’m sure there is a lot of pain in it but thank you for the service of your father and son.
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I thank you very much for that, Lloyd.
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The valiant….against all odds. My father and naval PT boat bases suffered with malaria and the elements but not to the extent for marines entrenched further inland.
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Thank you for reading and for adding something of your father, Karen.
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Wonderful eye witness account. Also, It is great to know Col Cibik lived to have a full and productive life.
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Thank you. I was lucky to find it, all these stories need to be preserved.
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So true and you are doing a terrific job doing just that.
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I appreciate your encouragement, John.
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🙂
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What an amazing story, and an amazing group of men. I love his descriptions of the “natural enemy”. His vivid depictions really give you an idea of the difficult conditions these men faced even before they had to face their human enemies.
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So many know so little about the Pacific, as everyone related more closely with Europe and that became the headlines of the era – and so little has changed since then. Thank you for recognizing their trials.
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“For 19 days we struggled in miasmal swamps, fought vines that wrapped themselves bout our neck like whips, birds that dived at us like screaming Stukas, bats whose wings whirred like falling artillery shells, snakes, lizards and insects without name or number. For 19 days we attacked this natural enemy with our machetes and knives, hacking our way through almost solid barricades of vegetation run riot.”
What a great account of bravery told in such great prose. It is easy to forget (for us) that in the Pacific theater our troops not only had to fight the enemy but also the weather, the terrain, the flora and the fauna. Thank you for finding such great golden nugget of history!
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Thank you. I do feel very lucky each time I locate a story such as this – especially when the speaker came home alive!
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Right on!
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What amazing guys – such courage and fortitude. The writing is brilliant, full of suspense, imagery and captures the jungle so well.. …’fought vines that wrapped themselves bout our neck like whips, birds that dived at us like screaming Stukas, bats whose wings whirred like falling artillery shells, snakes…’ Thank you for sharing. You are creating a huge archive here – fantastic work.
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Thank you very much. What started out as researching my father over the years turned into a full-scale project, but stayed interested through it all.
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Wow!
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He did speak in specific details, didn’t he?!! Thanks for dropping in Sue.
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The snakes, lizards and insects didn’t surprise me; but the vines, and birds being that aggressive? No joke, what are the odds that stories like that inspired Alfred Hitchcock to produce his movie “The Birds”?
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Truth will always remain stranger than fiction – it’s quite possible!!
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Reblogged this on Ancien Hippie.
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Thank you for passing this story on to your readers, Penny.
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I’m really dumb on world war 2 terms.. i just knew today the difference between c-ration and k-ration. Hahaha! It is really fun knowing all of these… But seriously, I hope the world will no longer have a world war. The news on what’s happening in the middle east specially between Iran and Saudi Arabia, including Syria are quite bleak!
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I agree. That part of the war has always been in turmoil, but lately it does seem that things are ready to explode. As far as WWII goes, I think you’ll find that the more you research, the more you’ll want to learn. (I find it it addictive.)
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You’re right! It gets more interesting knowing the hardships and sacrifices made by the veterans to fight for a nation’s freedom. And I just wonder, how come some governments don’t appreciate very much the veterans…
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That is one I can’t answer. Perhaps in speculation – they take them for granted.
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In the Philippines, the pension of our veterans can’t even buy them a decent meal. 😦
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That’s worse than here or Canada!!
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Yup, I know… Sad to say!
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Amazing story…true grit!
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Thank you, Mrs P.
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What a great story. I’m glad he lived to tell it.
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That’s the best part, when you know they made it back safe.
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Such grit and determination, a terrific post!
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Thank you, they did work for their pay, eh?
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Certainly did!
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Thank you for this first hand account.
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My pleasure. These men can tell the story far better than I.
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I just love it when you read a story like that and then you realise that the hero died at home only five years or so ago.
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Right, making it home makes all the difference! I think I post enough sadness. Thanks for visiting, John.
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Amazing first hand account! Bravery & fortitude beyond belief. Thanks, Everett. Happy Week! Elizabeth
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I’m glad you enjoyed reading it, Elizabeth. Knowing they got out of there helps too, doesn’t it?!
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Such courage & fortitude…always humbling
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Isn’t it though!?! That generation never ceases to amaze me.
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“with only 11 belts of machine-gun ammo and 3 hand grenades apiece:” not much to withstand an army it seems to me. On another note, love the cartoon with the officer lining up his pigeons. –Curt
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That’s what I thought about the ammo, but they did it!! Couldn’t help but chuckle at your pigeon comment!
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I’ve never been able to get pigeons to line up. Maybe that’s why I went into the Peace Corps. (grin) -Curt
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Hahaha….
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I love these eye-witness accounts
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I agree. Not only do the men write better than I, but it brings that story closer to home.
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Um, you write pretty well, but they do bring it closer.
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It is testimony to the courage, determination and sheer grit of those marines that they had to contend with two tenacious enemies – that of the Japanese and the jungle. Thanks for sharing GP.
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I can’t imagine going up against those odds, but they survived! Thanks for visiting, today, Rich.
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I understand that disease can be the biggest killer in a war. I wonder how many of our troops caught tropical diseases, living and fighting in such wet, miserable conditions.
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They usually do keep those records and the amount is normally higher than the wounded count.
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Usually, I just read these posts and spend a few minutes in awe of what the troops were able to accomplish. But something unrelated caught my attention here, and I had to go exploring. I wondered if there was a connection between the island (which I didn’t know) and one of my favorite flowers: the bougainvillea.
Indeed, there is. From the wiki entry on the flower: “The first European to describe these plants was Philibert Commerçon, a botanist accompanying French Navy admiral and explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville during his voyage of circumnavigation of the Earth, and first published for him by Antoine Laurent de Jussieu in 1789.” As it turns out, de Bougainville also was the person who gave the island its name.
I’ll never look at my flowers in quite the same way.
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Being as the plant “flowers” best in a drought, I always it thought it strange that it was nature to a jungle island. I’m glad to hear I sparked some curiosity.
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Wünsche eine gute neue Woche liebe Grüße von mir Gislinde
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Danke, Gislinde.
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Amazing account. Thanks for posting.
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My pleasure, Linda. I thank you for stopping in.
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Thank you for sharing these stories. I don’t thunk us civilians truly understand the rigors of these military operations.
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Truthfully I don’t think most of us can understand. this was a type war of which we will never see again.
It is my pleasure to bring these stories to you, I thank you for reading them.
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A riveting personal story of courage and determination. Against the odds, and enduring appalling conditions, they held out, and lived to fight another day, in different wars. Brave men indeed, and humbling to contemplate.
Best wishes, Pete.
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An excellent comment of tribute, Pete. I wish I could speak so eloquently.
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Wow, I am humbled.
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These troops can truly be amazing. Thanks you for commenting Cara.
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Awesome Post GP! Thanks for giving a Marines POV!! Semper Fi!
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Credit where credit is due, Steve! Thanks for coming by.
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Thank you for helping me to honor these men.
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Thank you, Kathy.
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