Sgt Major Robert J. Weimann entered the Marine Corps in 1937, initially assigned as an artilleryman at Quantico, Virginia. Bob, always the athletic, participated in all Marine sports to include football, basketball, and coaching the Marine Corps boxing team. Bob excelled at marksmanship and was assigned as a Rifle Range Instructor at Quantico after making Corporal. While at the Quantico rifle range, he would participate in the evaluation of the M1 Grand the Johnson Rifle. Both rifles were under consideration by both the Army and the Marines as the next standard issue combat rifle. The Marine Corps would recommend the Johnson Rifle over the M1, however, the Army recommended and got the M1 Grand.
Bob would leave the Marines in early 1941 to begin a law enforcement career. Initially, he was a security guard at Lakehurst Naval Station. While there World War II broke out. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Bob began seeing his “old corps” Marines come through Lakehurst for Marine parachute training. Bob would re-enlist at Lakehurst and join HQ Company, 1st Para-Marine Battalion, 1st Marine Division as the 60mm Mortar Platoon Sergeant.
During the Guadalcanal Campaign, Bob would land with the Para-Marines on the small island of Gavutu. The Guadalcanal airfield landing was unopposed because the 1200 Japanese defenders had fortified themselves on Gavutu and its adjoining island of Tanambogo. As the “Chutes” landed, they were caught in a three way cross fire from Gavutu, Tanambogo and Tulagi. Bob would land with C Company, its landing craft pulling next to the pier to off load their Marines. Bob initially stood on the side of his landing craft, grab a pier piling and hook his feet in the landing craft gunnels in order to keep the craft next to the pier allowing his follow Marines to quickly debark. Bob would move his mortar section to the beach and maintain suppressive fires on Tanambogo for the remainder of the day. The Para-Marines would secure Gavutu by the end of the day with a causality rate of almost 50%.
The 200 remaining Para-Marines were then attached to the Marine Raider Battalion. Bob would scrounge a Johnson automatic rifle and stand with Col Edison on Bloody Ridge the night a reinforced brigade of approximately 6000 Japanese attack the “Chutes” and Raiders. A recent book titled “Battalion of the Damned” by James Christ, captures that incredible story how Marines, outnumbered, starved, sick and short supplied, managed to prevail over a numerically superior enemy. Bob would become a causality that night from a Japanese grenade.
After med-evac and convalescence leave, Bob would be assigned to the heavy cruiser USS Quincy. The Quincy was a Utah Beach fire support ship for the Normandy D-Day landings. Towards the close of the war the Quincy would host the Yalta Conferences between President Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin. Bob would serve as FRD’s aide while the President was aboard the Quincy.
Bob would serve in another combat tour during the Korean War with 7th Marines.
After the Korean War, Bob would serve on the Martine Corps Pistol Team at Quantico. Bob became a US Marine Distinguished Shooter, the Marines highest marksmanship honor, while on the Team.
Thanks for posting this account of Sgt. Maj. Weimann, he’s a Marines Marine, Lt. Col. Weimann has to be extremely proud of Dad.
That's quite an impressive military history of Sgt. Major Weimann's time in the Corps. A Marine through and through.
Thank you Sgt Major!!! God bless!
That is impressive! Thanks for posting that here.