title: Gunner's Glory: Untold Stories of Marine Machine Gunners
author:  Johnnie M. Clark 
description: "They were warriors, trained to fight, <br />dedicated to their country, <br />and determined to win. <br />At Guadalcanal, the Marine Corps' machine gunners took everything the Japanese could throw at them in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II; their position was so hopeless that at one point they were given the go-ahead to surrender. Near the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, as the mercury dropped to twenty below, the 1st Marine Division found itself surrounded and cut off by the enemy. The outlook seemed so bleak that many in Washington had privately written off the men. <br />But surrender is not part of a Marine's vocabulary. "Gunner's Glory contains true stories of these and other tough battles in the Pacific, in Korea, and in Vietnam, recounted by the machine gunners who fought them. Bloody, wounded, sometimes barely alive, they stayed with their guns, delivering a stream of firepower that often turned defeat into victory-and "always made them the enemy's first target.
zlib_text: **Catalina Blues**
  
   **By Marlo York**
  
    
  
  **Photo Description:**
  
  A black and white photograph of a dripping-wet, naked gunner standing in a
  flying boat’s cupola, manning his machine gun. His long crew cut hangs in his
  face, his headphones protect his ears, and he stares out against his enemy
  with concentration. Behind him on a small bit of wall is a poster showing
  silhouettes of Japanese warships. Photographed by Horace Bristol, 1944.
  
    
  
  **Story Letter:**
  
   _Dear Author_ ,
  
    
  
  “This young crewman of a US Navy “Dumbo” PBY rescue mission has just jumped
  into the water of Rabaul Harbor to rescue a badly burned Marine pilot who was
  shot down while bombing the Japanese-held fortress of Rabaul. Since Japanese
  coastal defense guns were firing at the plane while it was in the water during
  take-off, this brave young man, after rescuing the pilot, manned his position
  as machine gunner without taking time to put on his clothes. A hero
  photographed right after he’d completed his heroic act. 