[eastforker]

Albert (Heimberger) was the Salvage Officer on Sheridan. His job was to survey damaged equipment on the beach to determine what could be salvaged, repaired and reused. However, like most officers, he had other duties.. He, in a small boat (not a landing craft), was assisting the Boat Control Officer, Lt. Jack Fletcher, in overseeing the boats that were to land the 1 Battalion, 8th Marines on Red Two. After receiving the signal for 1/8 Marines to land, they organized the boats into waves and led them across the line of departure. They then turned to return to the ship. Meanwhile, the boats carrying 1/8 became hung up on the reef (the neap tide was even lower than the prior day), and came under heavy fire. Noticing this, Fletcher and Albert immediately came around and began to take aboard wounded Marines, carried them back to the ship, from which they were transferred to larger units for treatment. Albert's small boat was damaged, so he commandeered a Higgins boat, and made, along with Fletcher, at least two more round trips to the reef to rescue the wounded, all the while being under the same heavy fire barrage as the Marines they were rescuing. In all, the two were credited with rescuing 150 Marines that day, Albert with 70.

[Vermont Lt]

I am in awe of these stories. I wonder how many more officers and enlisted did things like this every day, and no one ever heard about them again.

[hoosiermama]

Have so enjoyed your series. Usual read late at night and don’t comment. What a treasure.

[Jack Hammer]

Tarawa was a nightmare; an utter meat grinder. Hats off to anyone who was there.

[yarddog]

In one of his TV shows he sang “Lile Marlene”.

He had a great voice.

[TADSLOS]

That’s amazing!

[TADSLOS]

He was great in Roman Holiday.

[KC_Lion]

On the History Channel Documentary Battle History of The United States Marine Corps

There is an interview with him describing the action he saw at the Battle of Tarawa.

Absolutely heart breaking.

I would post a video link but that series has been thoroughly purged from the Internet.

I cannot find it, I have the DVD's but nothing on the net.

[microgood]

Thanks for this post. As someone who has unlimited admiration for the WWII generation, this is another hero whose story epitomizes the spirit it took to win that war.

[Born to Conserve]

I’ve know many WWII combatants very well. They were so modest, and they were so kind to us. I want to tell my kids and grand kids how spoiled they are, and how rough I had it, having to fix my own car, wear clothes until they were worn, eat baloney on cheap bread .... my father watched his friends burn alive, he flew in below zero temperatures with malaria, he became a chain smoking alcoholic to cope with the stress .... and he was kind to me.

We are not worthy.

[DUMBGRUNT]

Thank you for the Famous Veteran articles, I’ve become addicted and read them all.

This brought up a discussion, why so few Famous Viet Nam Veterans?
~ 3 Million served in country (RVN).
~12 Million served overseas WWII.

Am I looking in the wrong places?
This was the best I could find.
https://forums.armchairgeneral.com/forum/historical-events-eras/vietnam-war/117736-famous-vietnam-veterans

[okie 54]

A lot of difference between the actors then and the pansies we now have spewing their commie rhetoric