Hello WWII Forums. FNG Here from Pennsylvania, and a former Soldier myself--Field Artillery Officer for about 10 years of active service. I found the site in a search for my Dad's experience in WWII. He served through Korea and Vietnam but never talked much about his early service after enlisting and ending up in the War in the Pacific with the Army's 147th Infantry Regiment, a unit activated from the Ohio National Guard that was standing up for the war effort just as Dad enlisted. Toward the end of his days in late 2017 he told me a few stories which piqued my interest. Thanks to all who contribute to this wealth of information. I spend most of yesterday afternoon and evening just browsing through the content... fascinating.
The 147th Infantry has an interesting story. On 7 Dec 1941, they were one of 4 regiments of the Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Division. In Jan 1942, the 166th Infantry Regiment was detached from the Division leaving the triangularized 37th Division with the 145th, 147th, & 148th Infantry Regiments (the Wiki gets this wrong). The 37th Division was sent to the South Pacific in April 1942 to defend the Fiji Islands. It was not until later in 1942, that the 147th Infantry was temporarily detached from the 37th ID (again, the Wiki gets this wrong) to participate in the Battle of Guadalcanal. It was not until 31 July 1943 that the 147th was permanently detached from the 37th ID and became an independent infantry regiment. Here's a very good article on the 147th Infantry Regiment which you can also download as a PDF if you wish: Army Boots on Volcanic Sands by Douglas E. Nash, Sr., a West Point graduate and retired Army Colonel.
I heard about McLeod's book years ago and have been trying to locate a copy without success. I've reached out to Mr. McLeod on another forum that he participated in but never heard anything back.
Thank you Tommy, I read that article a few years ago also. Gave me much more perspective about the 147th, a unit not that many people knew much about. When my old man mentioned he was on Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and ended the war on Tinian most people assumed he was in the Marine Corps. Dad continued to serve through Vietnam, where he earned his 2nd CIB, and passed away in Nov 2017 at the age of 98.
According to WorldCat there's a copy here: Welcome - USAHEC WorldCat showed 3 other copies, you might find one within range of you.
Great tip, thank you. The USAHEC is only about 45 minutes away from me at Carlisle Barracks. Will definitely take a trip up there to check it out! Thanks again!