On November 15, 2003, an 85-year-old retired Marine Corps Colonel died at his home in La Quinta, California. The Marine was Mitchell Paige.
In 1942, he was a Platoon Sergeant when, he and his 33 riflemen landed with other Marines onto the beaches of Guadalcanal in the Pacific World War II theater. The platoon set up their machine guns and made ready for thousands of Japanese attackers, that would surely come.
As the fight commenced and raged through the night, thirty-three Marines in his platoon were killed or wounded. Platoon Sergeant Paige operated four machine guns, singlehandedly stopping an entire Japanese regiment.
He also led a bayonet charge afterwards. After all of Sergeant Paige’s platoon was out of action, he was left alone and he moved from machine gun to machine gun to continue the fight.
This flurry of fire convinced the Japanese forces that was a full contingent of Marines were still upon the ridge. By the time the fighting ended, the Japanese regiments lost an estimated 2,200 infantrymen.
And as the day dawned, Sergeant Paige was found sitting alone behind his 30-caliber Browning with enemy bodies piled like cordwood all around him.
Mitchell Paige retired from the United States Marine Corps as a colonel and was awarded many medals for his service. One is the nation’s highest military decoration for valor in combat, the Medal of Honor.
A little March Madness Trivia: In 1964, Hasbro, a company known for its innovative toys, introduced the first line of G.I. Joe dolls, named after the popular nickname for American soldiers. G.I. Joe was marketed as a lifelike “action soldier” and became a great commercial success.
Through their research, Hasbro learned about Mitchell Paige’s action in the Pacific. They contacted him before manufacturing their first dolls.
They requested permission to make his face the face for G.I. Joe dolls. At first, he was sure they were joking; but they weren’t – today, it is his face on the Marine they call “G.I. Joe.”
A Merry March to you and remember to a get a G.I. Joe doll for a kid. Semper Fi.
