VMF-224 Scrap Book
VMF-224 Squadron Member
Howard E. Wertz
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Howard Edward Wertz, Sr, was born on May 24, 1924, in Moulton Iowa to Paul L. Wertz, Sr, and Hazel Ballew Wertz. The family later moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where Howard, known to many as “Heb”, volunteered for the draft in March 1943, intent on becoming a Marine.
Howard was subsequently sent to Ft McClellan where, after some finagling, he was able to be selected as a prospective Marine and was sent to the Marine Recruit Depot in San Diego, California to be introduced to the unique experience of Marine Boot Camp, where he was assigned to Platoon No. 275. He was ultimately assigned, along with fourteen other men, to Marine Aviation and, in May, was transferred to the Marine Aviation Base at nearby Camp Kearny. From Kearny, he was sent to Jacksonville, Florida for additional instruction, and then back to Kearny.
In September 1944, Howard boarded his ship in San Diego and prepared to go to war. Five days later, they arrived at Pearl Harbor, which still bore the marks of the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. At Pearl, Heb’s ship joined a convoy headed out into the vast Pacific. Ultimately arriving at Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands, Howard became part of VMF-224 and was assigned as to the Ordnance Section as an Ordnance Specialist. His squadron by then was operating the Chance-Vought F4U-1D Corsair fighter-bomber aircraft, which was used for a variety of purposes. The Ordnance personnel were responsible for all aspects of maintaining and loading machine gun ammunition, bombs, and 5-inch air-to-ground rockets on these aircraft.
In March 1945, the Squadron’s equipment and enlisted personnel was loaded aboard an LST bound for Okinawa. Along the way, Eniwetok and Ulithi atolls were visited, finally arriving off Okinawa on April 1, with the invasion in full swing. On D+4, Howard’s LST was sailed up to the Okinawa beach, where men, vehicles, and equipment were discharged, bound for Yontan airfield, where they stayed for the duration of the war.
Among many memorable experiences on Okinawa, one that stands out is the May 24, 1945 Japanese commando raid, which is well documented in histories of the Okinawa campaign. A half-dozen or so Japanese twin engine “Betty” bombers, each carrying a squad of commandos, attempted to land on the Yontan airstrip and wreak as much havoc as possible. It was clearly a one-way trip for the attacking aircraft, all but one of which were shot down before reaching the airfield. One “Betty” did crash-land, however, and the troops it was carrying set out to do as much damage as they could before they were ultimately annihilated. Howard had a ring-side seat to the action, and described the mayhem that ensued as the Marine defenders shot at anything that moved or looked like it was moving in the dark. Much destruction resulted and one assumes that a great deal of it was likely the result of “friendly fire”,
The Squadron remained at Yontan until the end of the war, after which it moved to Yokosuka Naval Base, located at the entrance of Tokyo Bay, as part of the post-war occupation of Japan.
On November 15, 1945, Howard boarded the S.S. Hawaiian Shipper for his return to the States and civilian life. Howard E. Wertz, Sr, was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps on February 25, 1946, having done his duty in defense of his country.
After his return to the States, Howard married Mary Lou Vann, of Birmingham. Howard and Mary Lou have two sons, Howard Edward, Jr, born in August 1954, and John Paul Wertz, born in March 1959. He was a longtime employee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, from which he retired in 1986. He was Vice President of Administrative Services at the time of his retirement. He was actively involved in the Boy Scouts of America for many years, having attained the rank of Eagle before the war and was awarded the Silver Beaver award in recognition of his contributions to Scouting as an adult leader. He was also actively involved in recent years in the MAG-31 reunion organization and attended most of the group’s annual reunions. A lifelong interest in Civil War history led Howard to involvement in Civil War reenacting, which he participated in from 1988 until around 2003. In 1994,
Howard’s beloved wife Mary Lou passed away, leaving a great void in his life. In December 1995, he was remarried, to Nell Smith, who had lost her husband, a dear friend of Howard’s, several years before. They enjoyed 17 years of marriage before his earthly life ended on January 3, 2012.
Howard’s eldest son and namesake, Howard E. “Ed” Wertz, Jr, thinks it fitting to conclude this brief narrative with a short story from his dad’s funeral. Among those who came to pay their last respects the night before Howard’s funeral was a man who did not know about Howard’s military service. Seeing the United States flag on the casket, this individual remarked to Howard’s son, Ed, “I didn’t know your dad was in the military”. Ed quickly replied, “Oh, he wasn’t! He was a MARINE!”
Howard E. Wertz
VMF-224, October 1944 - November 1945
