MAP LEGEND
(1)---Red Dots on both sides of the valley are Marine positions.
(2)---Black Dots are civilians and the exact number I don’t know.
(3)---Beige Dots are assumed Japanese soldiers, but I did not check on their bodies.
(4)---LG and arrow is the two sights that the little girl was when wounded and when I put the bandage on her.
(5)---3-Women Okinawa—there position when I was tending to the little girl.
The court-martial never came, as on that day it was the second one I was threatened with and would not be the last. Insubordination is bad but not when command is in the wrong.
It is better for the reader to start at the bottom of the drawing where the platoon first was exiting the woods. There the drawing is marked, "Platoon Entry." We halted there and observed the opening of the valley before us. From our position we were about one hundred ten yards, or more from the Outcrop Ridge, that jutted above the center of the valley floor. The Genka River flowed on both sides and around the tip of the Outcrop Ridge. Four men in khaki shirts and trousers were seen with about thirteen civilians. They were gathered on the right side of the ridge near an outgrowth of shrubs and trees, which blocked our view of the Genka River where it circled around the tip of the ridge and returned in the direction from whence it came. The Lieutenant ordered me to take my squad, the 2nd squad, up into the trees on the hill along the left side of the valley. He then took the 1st and 3rd squads and positioned them on the hill along the right side of the valley. The Red Dots along both sides of the valley represents the Marines in position. It was as my squad was taking up their positions that I noticed the Platoon Sergeant had followed us and he placed himself a short distance to my right and behind our line. Take note of two red dots to the extreme rear of my squad. They are our rear guards, which is a normal procedure. From our position on the left side of the valley we could not see those in khaki or the civilians. But within a few minutes after positioning ourselves shots were fired on the right side of the ridge. Shortly there after one in khaki was seen fleeing in our direction and he was killed. A second man in Khaki came running along the river shore and he was killed. Then I saw a little girl coming our way wading in the water and I ordered the squad to leave her alone. She exited the water crying and sobbing and facing the ridge wall she just sobbed. Her whole body was shaking and shuttering as she sobbed. For a few seconds the whole valley was silent except for the crying and sobbing of the child. From the corner of my right eye the Platoon Sergeant had moved forward in a standing position and took aim at the little girl. "Don’t you dare you prick son-of-a-bitch," I said, he fired and the shot kicked up the dirt to her left side. The little girl turned to face us still crying. He fired again hitting the little girl. She fell against the ridge wall. By then the 1st and 3rd squads along with the Lieutenant were approaching from the other side of the valley as we walked down toward the river and the little girl. When the Lieutenant came up near me I said, "that son-of-a-bitch," as I pointed at the Platoon Sergeant, "just shot a little girl." The Lieutenant’s reply was immediate, "shut up Gillespie, or I’ll court-martial your ass." Not backing down I replied, "I’m not here to kill or shoot children Lieutenant." With that I turned walking over to the Platoon Sergeant and unsnapped the strap of the scabbard holding his knife, and removed the knife, and turning I walked over to the little girl. The reason for the knife was to cut away her garments and examine her wound. On search and seek patrols of Platoon size we neither had a Corpsman or stretcher-bearer’s with us. Her lower garment was made of quilted stitched pants. I gently lowered her pants and observed the entry wound to be about three inches above her groin and about two inches or more right of center. At about that time the Lieutenant yelled, "we’re moving out." Using my single Sulfa Pack and Bandage I treated the little girl who appeared to me to be about six years old. Three Okinawa women were now standing to my right watching, as I began the motions to explain to them that I was going to take the child with me. Two of my squad members had remained with me and Coomer shouldered my rifle as I lifted the child up and cradled her in my arms. We followed the path toward a road about a mile away. I told the second man with us to go catch up with the Platoon, as I did not know what action the Lieutenant would take once we returned to our bivouac camp. As Coomer and I made our way along the path it was evident someone was above us follow along on the hill to our right. In the mean time I was talking to the little girl in a language she could not understand, "you’ll be alright dear." Becoming concerned that Coomer was being very obedient tome me, I told him to catch up to the Platoon. What was amazing was the child had not whimpered once as I remember. Maybe once or twice she opened her eyes to look at me. The true seriousness of her condition I did not know. But when I had made it up to the road, Rankin had already commandeered a Jeep that would take the little girl to our hospital down on the bay. Rankin told me later that she was still alive when he turned her over to the Corpsman and Doctors at the hospital.
Ray Gillespie
340 S. Reynolds Rd. #248
Toledo, Ohio 43615
