SAN DIEGO -- Watching the raging battle on Iwo Jima Feb. 23, 1945, Secretary of the Navy James Forrestall turned to his Marine commander Lt. Gen. Holland “Howlin’ Mad” Smith and said, “The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years.”
Sometimes referred to as a “father” of amphibious warfare, Smith is one of the Marine Corps’ most distinctive Marines with a special connection to a solemn place in San Diego.
Five months after Iwo Jima, Smith returned to the United States in July 1945 and took command of the Marine Training and Replacement Command at Camp Pendleton, Calif. In May 1946 he retired and was later promoted to general with special commendations for his performance in combat. He spent the rest of his life in La Jolla, Calif., where he devoted many hours to gardening.
After battling a long illness, Smith died Jan. 12, 1967 at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego. Following a memorial service at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Smith was buried Jan. 14 with full military honors at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery situated on the rolling hillsides of the Point Loma peninsula overlooking San Diego bay and the city.
The cemetery, home to fallen veterans like Smith who were willing to fight, and perhaps die, to preserve American beliefs and values, is hallowed ground and a site of national reverence and healing.
Like Smith, many fallen Marines have found eternal peace at Fort Rosecrans. Some are virtually anonymous except to their families or perhaps a close friend. Some made the ultimate sacrifice in battle, while others faded away as old soldiers often do, like Smith.
“In addition to Gen. Smith, the cemetery is home to many notable monuments and burials,” said Ryan Hughes, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery representative. “Fort Rosecrans is also the 10th busiest national cemetery with more than 200 burials each month on average. By the year 2016 the cemetery will be completely full, but it is possible there will be an expansion offsite at Miramar.”
A total of twenty-two Medal of Honor recipients lie interned at the cemetery. Alongside their Marine Corps brothers at Fort Rosecrans are seven Marines who received the Medal of Honor during various conflicts in American history.
Their graves are located throughout the cemetery grounds, and are largely unseen and easily overlooked. However, their deeds of courage and sacrifice are extraordinary.
Resting in Section A-E, Grave 1005, is Staff Sgt. Peter S. Connor, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He was a Marine with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment while serving in the Republic of Vietnam. He died of his wounds Mar. 8, 1966, eleven days after holding an enemy grenade against his body to absorb the explosion and shield his fellow Marines from harm.
Resting in Section P, Grave 1748, is Maj. Gen. James L. Day, a Marine who fought in World War II. For his actions as a corporal with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 6th Marine Division, on Okinawa, Day rallied his squad while under fierce attack by Japanese forces on Sugar Loaf Hill and helped preserve the lives of many Marines. He received his Medal of Honor Jan. 20, 1998, more than fifty years after his actions on Okinawa, and died of a heart attack later that year Oct. 28.
Resting in Section P, Grave 1606, is Brig. Gen. Jesse Farley Dyer. Dyer was a captain when he earned his Medal of Honor while serving with the Marine and Naval landing force that occupied Vera Cruz in April 1914. He later served in World War I, Haiti and China during the 1920s and 1930s. He retired in 1942 and died of cerebral hemorrhage at the U.S. Naval Hospital in San Diego.
Resting in Section C, Grave 16-D, is 2nd Lt. Howard Hanneken, a Marine veteran of World War I. While on duty in Haiti in 1919 Hanneken killed the notorious bandit leader Charlemagne Peralte during a raid. For this action he received the Medal of Honor. He also served in Brazil, and continued fighting bandits in Haiti and Nicaragua during the 1920s. Hanneken also received two Navy Crosses for bandit fighting. He later served at posts in California, including various commands with the 1st Marine Division. He retired July 1, 1948, after a 34-year Marine Corps career and died Aug. 23, 1986, in La Jolla, Calif., at the age of 93.
Resting in Section O, Grave 3759, is Gunnery Sgt. Jimmie Earl Howard, another Marine who fought in Vietnam. As a staff sergeant in June 1966 while assigned to the 1st Marine Division, Howard led a Marine reconnaissance patrol in a fierce battle with Viet Cong forces. For wounds sustained in the engagement, Howard also received his third Purple Heart. President Lyndon Johnson presented Howard with his Medal of Honor in a ceremony at the White House Aug. 21, 1967. He later served at MCRD San Diego and retired from service Mar. 31, 1977. He died Nov. 12, 1993.
Resting in Section P, Grave 2930, is Maj. Ross L. Iams. Iams was a sergeant fighting in the Haitian Campaign in 1915 when he earned his Medal of Honor. He served in World War I, Haiti, Mexico, China, the Philippines and Nicaragua, and eventually rose to the rank of captain in 1920. After retiring in 1932, Iams briefly returned to service in 1942. He died Mar. 25, 1952.
And lastly, resting in Section O, Grave 729, is Sgt. James Irsley Poynter, a Marine veteran of several World War II campaigns and the Korean War. Poynter, a native of Bloomington, Ill., earned his Medal of Honor for actions July 19, 1950, on Hill 532. While a squad leader with the 7th Marine Regiment, he single-handedly charged three enemy machine gun positions and wiped them out before succumbing to wounds sustained in the effort to enable his fellow Marines to fight off an enemy assault. Also a recipient of the Bronze Star with Combat “V” in previous actions in Korea, Poynter was buried with military honors at Fort Rosecrans Nov. 4, 1950.
National cemeteries like Fort Rosecrans in the U.S. were first founded in the wake of the Civil War. They were designed to house those who died so that a nation may live.
Situated on 1,000 acres of land set aside for a military reservation in 1852, Fort Rosecrans was named in 1899. In 1934 the War Department set aside eight acres for the national cemetery there. Today, the cemetery has increased to more than 77 acres.
As of fiscal year 2005, it is the eternal home to more than 88,000 souls, including many internments that predate California statehood, said Hughes.
The cemetery is serenely organized and a scenic landscape of memory. It is a quiet place and a reminder of the sacrifices made by fallen heroes.
“There are also approximately twenty veterans who died in Iraq or Afghanistan interned here,” said Hughes. “Although the cemetery is full, internment of cremated remains continues, and we have actually had a couple instances where a reserved space was given up for a recently fallen service member who died in Iraq.”
Like other national cemeteries, Fort Rosecrans provides a special service and upholds “a sacred trust” to our nation’s service members, said Hughes.
Throughout the year, cemetery staff members work to ensure the grounds are kept clean and well manicured. Like any cemetery on a normal day, at Fort Rosecrans it is not uncommon to see the occasional grave or internment site with a small flower or a token of remembrance. Staff members also help visitors locate gravesites or answer any questions they may have about internment. During national holidays like Memorial Day, innumerable miniature American flags at the cemetery flutter from the ocean breeze in a gentle wave of patriotic remembrance.
In contrast to the savagery of war that brought many to their final resting place at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, the peaceful mood of the cemetery undermines the images of death and destruction born of the many monuments there.
For those interested in visiting Smith’s gravesite, it is located “off-site” at Section A, Grave 279 located somewhat inconspicuously near the USS Bennington Monument.
For more information on Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, including visiting hours, call (619) 553-2084 or visit www.cem.va.gov/nchp/ftrosecrans.htm