Marine Combat on Iwo Jima, Bougainville and Guam with 3rd Division Rifleman
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- Опубліковано 21 бер 2022
- Louis Bourgault tried to enlist in the Marine Corps shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, but was too young and had to wait a few months until he turned 17-years-old. Bourgault started training at Parris Island, S.C. before transferring to Camp Lejeune and joining the 21st Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.
After training, Bourgault and his fellow Marines shipped out and fought in the Pacific in the battles of Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. Bourgault remembers "The first time you hear a bullet go by your head, everything changes."
Bourgault would spend a few harrowing days on Iwo before being wounded by Japanese mortars crossing an open airfield. He would witness the flag raising on Mount Suribachi from a hospital ship anchored just offshore the tiny volcanic island.
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Video Credits:
Director of Photography - Jon Hambacker
Editor - Daniel Taksas
Screw Hollywood actors and professional athletes, I would much rather meet veterans like this guy any day over some A list celebrity.
I love his ability to recall small details, “In fact I even remember the name of the ship.” Nice. Ty for your service sir!
No joke! Great recall of detail.
When your adrenaline is high you remember things better it’s been proven. So you can imagine
Yep. I like this guy.
Nice
@@ex-navyspook is ydoing i
The way this man tells a story is amazing! He recollects events from 80 years ago with ease. I would have loved a longer version of his experiences though.
As a navy veteran myself, it’s imperative for me to pay my respects and gratitude for the generations before me. Thank you for everything, sir.
Thank you too!
This man is still as sharp as a tack! Amazing! I wish we could have the pride in this generation as we do in this old veterans generation!
What a brilliant, heroic gentleman. Thank God for the Greatest Generation 🙏
Hearing these stories from the men of his time make me believe that they were strengthed by God especially for what they endured in the war!
His ability to recall the events is remarkable
Great Uncle WWII veteran passed away in 2010
Uncle Vietnam veteran in his 70s
Did Louis say “snoopin and poopin “?! 🤣 Thank you for your service!
Sure did. Still a common statement in Nam.
Man, this guy can talk! I love his recall
Don’t make em as tough as they did in “The Greatest Generation” anymore. I could listen to this man talk all day long
Thank you and all of service members of WW2. My dad was radioman for 3rd Marine Division. He was in Solomon Islands, Bougainville, and Guam invasions. His name was Robert Bruce Johnston from Paducah, Ky. He died at 85 in 2006. I was so very proud of him.
Thank you for your service Louis
great guy, had the honor of spending time with him at a recent Iwo Jima reunion
Tough as nails.
Greatest generation without a doubt
Another Hero of mine, he knew everything that he saw and what he did. Reminds me of my Father who was in the 1st Marine Division and fought on Cape Goulester New Britain and Pelielu and Okinawa and other minor invasions. He was so sharp and plain, God Bless you and your family.
You know he did remember every movement and told us when he moved on many of them. But this was but an outline-----and a very good one. My dad was in his Regiment-----and told of the battles on Bougainville and on Guam. My dad was also hit going across the airfield on Iwo Jima----and spent a couple of days on a hospital type ship. He then rejoined his Company B. 1st Battalion, 21 Marine Regiment. He talked about the 3 battles on Bougainville----in the Coconut Grove, at the Forks and the famous Battle of Hellzapoppin' Ridge. I am sure this guy could have filled in the details if he was interviewed. Like how did he do in the huge Bonzai attack on Guam? The Bonzai attack on Guam pretty much eliminated the rest of my dad's Company------so they split the remaining 19 men into Company A and Company C-----until Company B could be reformed about 4 days later. Sadly pretty much all these guys have passed------but this guy was super sharp. Just wish he mentioned the battles he was in.
@@dennisplatte7506 your Father went through a lot, it was so Great we had men like him to Preserve this Great Country and the freedom we have. Thanks for sharing this. SEMPER FI
Man your father faught in 3 of the 4 major campaigns of the old breed. That's very cool!
@@kennethcaine3402 My dad's battalion on Iwo Jima had Hershel Woody Williams in it. He is the only Marine Medal of Honor Winner from the Marines in WWII still alive. And he is active. I met him at a 3rd Marine Division Reunion about 30 years back. He must be 96 or so----and still does interviews. You can check out: Last Surviving WWII Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel Walker and you see a UA-cam video on him. My dad' Company commander sent him on the mission where he got the Medal of Honor. My dad was shot near the end of the Battle of Iwo by a sniper hiding under a log. His buddies shot the Japanese soldier then put the guys rifle under a blanket on my dad's stretcher. My dad flew off Iwo on a medic plane and got the rifle to Guam----and then back to the US. I still have it. Dad was shot thru both thighs-----but was back on duty in about 6 months at the Philidelphia Navy Yard. When my dad retired at 60 he went to about every 3rd Marine Division for 20 plus years. Then he only attended the Florida Chapter of the 3rd Marine Division.
@@dennisplatte7506 he’s 99 now. When did your dad go?
OMG he barely took a breath!😁 Fantastic Recall
Thank you for doing your duty sir and giving us 70+ of the most prosperous years the world has ever known. My sincerest apologies its ll been pissed away!
he has a better memory than i do and im 40!
Semper Fi Sir. My Dad and men like you are why I became a Marine.
Semper Fi Mr. Bourgault. You are a credit to our beloved Corps.
This man is still sharp as a tack.
Love these guys who grew up in the depression and became war fighters.
You must have to buy amazing mics to get this quality audio from our old heros ! Really love what this channel does and watch every episode ! If you're reading this you should to.
Thank you for the kind words! We're determined to capture these stories at the highest quality possible, so they can live on in future documentaries, films, and museum exhibits for decades to come.
@@americanveteranscenter greatest generation ever in the United States?
This guy is an incredible story teller and an incredible gift to our Country. He must have 10’s of thousands of drinks bought for him at the Amvet or VFW. 👏👏👏 God Bless you 🙏 What an Extraordinary Marine.
This man's career took him to all the most famous navy and marine corps in the country. Every stop he mentioned is still a super important military installation to this day. Except like that first camp he mentioned where he did his boot camp
What famous navy and marine corps? What else?
And authentic, because he's not the hero in every episode.
Talking about working, grunt a lot of the time.
"Kinda fun," to shoot his M1 at a strafing aircraft until the wood turned black.
My Grandfather was in this same unit, Carter Bradshaw.
I never got to talk to him about WW2. He died when i was little in 1978.
I could sit around this veteran and listen to him talk for hours!!
I love these ''old'' guys. Such a treasure..
This guy has a hour by hour detailed recall of events nearly 80 years ago. Astounding!
Old Salt has an amazing memory! "Semper fi, Mac"!
As for you young boots reading this:
Welcome to The Suck!
SFMFs 🇺🇲🦅🌎⚓
This man is very sharp for his age. Thank you for your service sir
I thank this gentleman for sharing his story. it's a travesty that this generation is pretty much all gone and our history with them. we should get as many of their recollections as possible for history. I also thank those people going around documenting.
One of the best ones. What a Man.
Thanks for sharing your story. Dad passed away about 10 years ago. He was also in 3rd Marines, shipped on the Lurline and was in first wave at Bouganville. Help fill in dad's story.
Still very sharp for his age. Thank you sir.
Thank you Sir for sharing your story, courage, service and sacrifice for freedom to our wonderful country 🇺🇸 God Bless you, family and friends 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
What a cool dude, I'd love to be able to shake his hand and give him a hug!
Thank you for your service and sacrifice Mr.Bourgault!
The greatest generation! This man is sharp as a tack!
@Mike Raffphone yea but there's hasn't been a generation since with a over whelming amount of people that would sacrifice everything.
This is an extremely important documentary series to record the input of these brave souls who were ripped out of their lives & put in harms way for the good of the rest of us.
Semper Fi sir! Memory is great. Afghanistan seemed like a blur to me. He can remember exact dates! Great to see this interview.
This guy was really sharp. My dad was on Guadalcanal with this gent. My dad talked about "washing machine Charlie". He harassed the Marines almost daily. His plane had an engine that sounded like a giant washing machine, so the Marines always knew when "washing machine Charlie" was on his way. Guadalcanal (clean up) then Bougainville, Guam, then Iwo Jima. My dad was in the 9th Regiment K Company. Of the 230 men in my dad's company all but "11" men were killed or wounded. My dad was a machine-gunner. My dad told me that when he landed on Iwo he looked down to his left and saw his Lt. laying there dead. Semper Fi!❤
19:00 hahaha that reminds me of my great grandfather when he got home to Australia after WW1 where he did the Somme and paeschendale. He got unloaded at Sydney harbour was told he had to wait for deregistration before leaving. Well he got off the boat. Walked out the front gate full kit including his Enfield rifle boarded a train to Brisbane 600 miles away in freedom units. Caught another train from Brisbane to Toowoomba where his mother picked him up took him home he put his rifle in storage his fatigues in storage and, went across the street and got a job as a mechanic the next day. Only took his rifle out of storage once in his life when my grandmother was a little girl she went down the street to get some food came back screaming the Japanese were in Gatton Australia and the country was gone. To which my great grandfather retrieved his rifle went off to see what was happening only to be told by the Americans based in Gatton that my grandmother had evidently past by a holding paddock full of Japanese, that there was no invasion and everything was fine.
On a side note my grandmother always talks of the war in terms of how nice the Americans were to her and her sister oddly enough always makes sure to point out all of them were very kind and gentle with her and never inappropriate in any way. I don’t understand why she always adds it but she never wants anyone to believe the American GI’s were anything less than perfect around a 10-15 year old girl.
Thank you guys so much for keeping these stories alive.
They absolutely earned the title of the greatest generation.
My mom knew a kid age 17 in the United States Marine Corps killed on Bougainville his nickname as I recall was CHICK. He was just 18 when he was killed.
Thank you for everything you did out there sir
Good memory great story God bless you and yours thanks for your service
Absolutely the best interview so far!
Thank you for your service, Louis
His gun is so hot its beginning to self destruct from continuous fireing, "He says that was kinda Fun" A true American Badass. God bless you Sir, thank you for everything 🙏
Love these videos from another veteran!🥲
The way he told his story I could imagine every step of his journey. Thank you so very much for sharing and my freedom.
Thank you for your service sir
What an excellent interview! Amazing Events these guys lived through. So much gratitude is due Louis and all of his brothers in arms!
What a legends - huge respect ❤
I could listen to you talk for days sir, thanks for sharing your history and the service you rendered, I admire you men, God bless
This ole timer is sharp could listen to him for hours...Thank you for your service!!!
My wife works on board Quantico and she came home crying one day. She had realized that the greatest generation was the same age as our youngest son when they were storming beaches and flying off carriers into the jaws of death. What were you doing at nineteen?
Wonderful production.
Thank you endlessly for your service Sir and may God bless you always!!!! ✝️🇺🇸✝️
Thank you Sir, God bless you ALL.
TY for your service
My dad was part of the 21st Regiment, 3rd Marine Division and served on these same exact islands. He was in communications, I assume in the rear area, which is probably why he survived without a scratch.
He talked to me _(his only son)_ *VERY LITTLE* about the experience, and it was only because I ended up with his discharge papers when he passed that I was able to piece what I have together. Looking back? I wish I would have joined the Marines, because there wasn't a Marine (young or old) that he wouldn't talk to. I _'came of age'_ as we were pulling out of Vietnam, so I'm sure I would have survived the war, probably not even going overseas.
God bless you and all real hero's, i cant thank you more
Thank you sir.
Ol dude is pretty sharp
Thank you sir for your service 🇱🇷
Thank you or your sevice. God bless you sir
Thanks for your patriotic service Sir
God Bless him!
I salute you Sir!
Trauma instills memories very deep.
Thank you sir god bless
Thanks!
No, thank you!
Amazing. God bless this amazing man.
Much kudos 👍
Loved it when he said snoopin' and poopin'. Loved his interview..
Damn good story teller, Semper Fi
I had a captain whose grandfather was in WW2 and served in Saipan. The way it went was his father was recently born and they took the Sears catalogue and put it in front of the baby in the baby uniform section (navy, army, Marine) and whatever his hands landed on he would go in to. Well his hand landed on Marine and the grandfather signed up, and eventually went off to Saipan. In one of the letters he wrote to his wife (the grandmother) was that when he gets back home, he is going to kick that little shits ass for sending him to that hellhole. True story.
Were you in the service?
@@roderickstockdale1678 arty.
@@cwad737 army, marines or air force?
@@roderickstockdale1678 what're you a cop glowboy?
Man, this is uncanny. This gent's Marine Corps experiences mirrors those of my late father's accounts of his experiences, down to the tee! My dad also named going to Camp Eliot then to the brand new MCB at Camp Pendleton and the very transport ship enroute to NZ? I wonder if this fellow and my dad crossed paths as they were in the 3rd Marine Corps Division in Bougainville at the same time?
God bless u sir
I want my mind to be just as sharp as his at that age wow! Awesome story 😁😁
There's tough and then there's this gentleman.
One badass dude
"Use it up, wear it out. Make it do, or do without."
Shows how differently people thought back then. A farcry from the throw away culture of today.
Oorah grand old man of the Marine Corps
My father once told me under morphine that he had a bayonet stuck in a man's chest. He didn't have time to reload and they had to go to hand-to-hand combat...
I went to school with 2 brothers. 1 was in my grade little Jerry 2graded ahead. A few times we'd be around when Big Jerry their dad. A bar owner would have his friends over. Telling stories 1 Big Jerry told surprised me. He said after they'd take control or mostly. They would go in search of where the Japanese had their still and stash of beer, booze. Also find their garden where they grew marijuana. What??? Strict, bad ass and at times scary Big Jerry got HIGH along with his fellow grunts.... Dirty, blood soakedannd K-Bars
K-Bars in hand stoned tough as Hell Marines. Imagine that for a moment American fighting forces are more then heroes. They are citizens of the greatest country on earth. Representing and Protecting all of us. Semper Fi and Thank you
@@dirkmoos6802 they weren’t found out as being high?
Camp Elliot was in my literal backyard. We would play in the same canyons he was training in. Many many mortar shells and unexplored ordinance there
this Legend said Customs....lolol
To The Duffle Cut 💪
GREATEST GENERATION EVER!!!!!!!
Can’t imagine the stories that we will get from the current war
War isn't like this anymore. We won't ever get heroic stories like this from about every soldier like before Vietnam. It'll all be drone footage, social media, and mass media articles.
Nothing close. More Americans died on Iwo in 36 days than ALL US dead in 20 years in Iraq & Afghanistan.
Did this gentleman ever say where he grew up because I kind of hear a trace of southern New England ? His last name sounds French Canadian; a lot of them came down to work in the mills.
Rene Gagnon was from up there and his parents were migrants too!
Semper Fi
God Bless
Make it do or do without, l am old enough to remember push button radio .God Bless. I tried to enlist during Vietnam, they said l was a bad influence.
You are a hero
louis 🥰🥰🥰🥰
SF brother !
Praise God,. God is good.
So the Navy got to keep all that swag they left behind on the ship , lol.
Like it was yesterday