| Edward Henry Ahrens | |
|---|---|
| November 4, 1919 – August 8, 1942 (aged 22) | |
 Edward H. Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ahrens |
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| Place of birth | Dayton, Kentucky |
| Place of death | DOW at Guadalcanal |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1942 |
| Rank | Private First Class |
| Unit | 1st RaiderBn |
| Battles/wars | World War II *Battle of Guadalcanal |
| Awards | Navy Cross |
PFC Edward Henry Ahrens (4 November 1919 – 8 August 1942) served in the Marine Raiders in the Battle of Guadalcanal. The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. Killed in action ( KIA or K I A) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces by other Guadalcanal (local name Isatabu) is a 2510- Square mile (6500- km²) Island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In many Armed forces in the world Private First Class is a rank held by junior enlisted persons The Marine Raiders were elite units established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal, was fought between August 7, 1942, and February 9, 1943, in the The Navy Cross is the second highest medal that can be awarded by the Department of the Navy and the second highest award given for valor. Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Marine Raiders were elite units established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal, was fought between August 7, 1942, and February 9, 1943, in the
Ahrens — born on 4 November 1919 in Dayton, Kentucky — enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 3 February 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and underwent boot camp training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina. Events 1333 - Flood of the Arno River, causing massive damage in Florence as recorded by the Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Dayton is a city in Campbell County, Kentucky, United States, along a bend of the Ohio River. Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. United States Marine Corps Boot Camp, otherwise known as " Recruit Training " is a program of initial training that each recruit must successfully complete Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is an 8095 Acre (329 km² military installation near Beaufort South Carolina (32°19'44"N 80°41'41"W South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. He transferred to the Marine Barracks Quantico, Virginia on 16 March 1942. Marine Corps Base Quantico is a major United States Marine Corps training base located near Triangle Virginia, covering nearly 100 square miles in southern Prince The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Assigned to Company "A", 1st Raider Battalion, Fleet Marine Force, soon thereafter, Ahrens landed with that unit from Little (APD-4) at Tulagi, Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands, in the second assault wave on 7 August 1942. History Little was laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation, Quincy, Massachusetts, 18 June 1917; launched Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small Island (55 km by 1 km in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. Guadalcanal (local name Isatabu) is a 2510- Square mile (6500- km²) Island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. With Company "C", 1st Raider Battalion, securing the right flank on the beachhead, Company "A" moved inland and down the right slope of Tulagi's central ridge. Initially, the Marines were not opposed.
That evening, Company "A" took positions for the night west of a cricket ground on the island, as part of the defensive line extending along the ridge. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries The Japanese later launched a fierce nocturnal counterattack which drove a wedge between the two Raider companies. Isolating the latter near the beachhead, the enemy concentrated his efforts on Company "A" in an attempt to sweep up the ridge toward the residency, a former British government building serving as a Raider battalion command post. The Raiders, however, stood firm.
During the savage battle that ensued, Ahrens, in a security detachment assigned the task of protecting the Raiders' right flank, singlehandedly engaged a group of Japanese in hand-to-hand combat as they attempted to infiltrate the Raiders' rear.
At morning's first light, Major Lew Walt walked his lines to assess Able Company's condition. "I came across a foxhole occupied by Private First Class Ahrens, a small man of about 140 pounds. . . He was slumped in one corner of the foxhole covered with blood from head to foot. In the foxhole with him were two dead Japs, a lieutenant and a sergeant. There were eleven more dead Japs on the ground in front of his position. In his hands he clutched the dead officer's sword. "
Ahrens was dying from multiple gunshot and stab wounds. His last whispered words, according to Walt: "The bastards tried to come over me last night-I guess they didn't know I was a Marine. " Private First Class Edward H. Ahrens, twenty-two, unmarried, from Dayton, Kentucky, died in Major Walt's arms.
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Awards and decorations
For his part in stopping the enemy, Ahrens—who died of his wounds on 8 August—was posthumously awarded a Navy Cross, as well as a share of the Presidential Unit Citation earned by the 1st Marine Division. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. The Navy Cross is the second highest medal that can be awarded by the Department of the Navy and the second highest award given for valor. Please see " Presidential Unit Citation " for other nations' versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units The 1st Marine Division is the oldest largest (active duty and most decorated division in the United States Marine Corps representing a combat-ready force
Nameksake
In 1943, the destroyer escort USS Ahrens (DE-575) was named in his honor. A Destroyer Escort (DE is the classification for a small relatively slow Warship (when compared to first-rate Naval fleet vessels designed to be used to escort
See also
References
- This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships ( DANFS for short is the primary reference work for the basic facts about every Ship ever used [1]
- Alexander JH. Edson's Raiders. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2001. Pg 99.
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