“But at Peleliu you fought 24 hours a day. I mean, it didn’t let up.” (Video Interview, 48:24)

Fred E. Miller

Fred Miller, 2003 War: World War II, 1939-1946 Branch: Marine Corps Unit: Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division Service Location: Camp Elliott, San Diego, California; New Caledonia; New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago); Peleliu Island (Palau); Pacific Theater Rank: Staff Sergeant Place of Birth: St. Joseph, MO

Marine Fred Miller had seen intense action on New Guinea, but nothing like what occurred on Peleliu. Landing on the island was made difficult by a reef which wouldn’t let boats through, so amphibious amtracks had to transport the men ashore, creating easy targets for Japanese machine gunners and mortars. On land, the Japanese had set up lines of attrition to harass U.S. forces during the day. At night, the enemy pulled surprise raids on the camps, so no one got much sleep. Miller was wounded in the leg and evacuated off the island.