Major Henry Alexius Courtney Jr.

                      (USMC)

 

On this day, 80 years ago, on

May 14, 1945, Major Henry

Alexius Courtney Jr., serving

as the executive officer of the

2nd Battalion, 22nd Marines,

6th Marine Division, led an

assault during the Battle of

Okinawa. The objective was

Sugar Loaf Hill, a heavily

fortified position that had been

causing heavy Marine casualties throughout the day.

 

Sugar Loaf Hill was small but

strategically important.

Japanese forces had turned it

into a death trap, setting up

machine gun nests, mortar

positions, and camouflaged

bunkers. The Marines had

already made several attempts

to take the hill, but each time

they were driven back with

losses. The Japanese defenses

formed overlapping fields of fire that cut down anyone

attempting to move up the

slope.

 

That evening, as the Marines

regrouped and prepared to hold a defensive line behind the hill,

Major Courtney assessed the

situation. He recognized that

the Japanese would likely

counterattack during the

night to retake lost ground.

Waiting for that to happen

would cost more lives. Instead,

Courtney proposed to take the

fight to the enemy.

After receiving approval, he

gathered a group of Marines

who could still move forward

despite the exhaustion and

earlier fighting.

 

He briefed his men,

telling them that a swift and aggressive push might catch the enemy off guard.

He made it clear that they

needed to seize the hill before

the Japanese could organize

another attack. Just after dark,

Courtney led his men in a direct assault on the enemy positions.

As they moved up the slope,

the Japanese opened fire.

Machine guns and mortars

targeted the advancing Marines, and several men went down

almost immediately.

 

Courtney pushed ahead,

shouting for his men to keep

moving. He personally led the

charge, throwing grenades into

the enemy bunkers and firing

his weapon as he advanced.

He did not hesitate when enemy fire came close,

moving through open areas to direct his men

and keep the assault going.

One enemy bunker continued

to fire despite the Marines’

advance. Courtney crawled

to within grenade range,

pulled the pin, and tossed the

grenade directly into the

opening. The blast silenced

the machine gun, and his men

followed him as he moved

to the next bunker.

 

The Japanese launched their

own counterattack, hoping

to push the Marines back down

the hill. Courtney ordered his

men to hold the line and

directed machine gun fire t

o break up the enemy’s advance. Moving from position to

position, he coordinated the

defense, often standing exposed to keep his men focused.

At one point, a mortar round

exploded nearby, wounding

him. Despite the injury,

he stayed on his feet, refusing

to let the pain slow him down.

 

Throughout the night,

Courtney kept the Marines

engaged, countering each

Japanese attempt to break

through. The enemy made

several charges, but each time,

his leadership kept the line from breaking. Near dawn,

the Japanese launched one last, desperate assault.

Courtney was moving between

positions, encouraging his men

to hold on, when a mortar

round hit nearby.

The explosion killed him

instantly.

 

The Marines held their ground,

driven by the determination and example set by Major Courtney.

By morning, Sugar Loaf Hill was secured,

and the Japanese had withdrawn from the immediate

area. His leadership and

decision to go on the offensive

had prevented the enemy from

retaking the position.

 

Major Henry Alexius Courtney Jr. did not survive the battle.

He was killed during the final

phase of the fight to hold the

hill. For his actions and

leadership, he was

posthumously awarded

the *Medal of Honor*.

The medal was presented

to his family by President

Harry S. Truman.

He was buried at Calvary

Cemetery in Duluth, Minnesota.

 

헨리 알렉시우스 코트니 주니어 소령
(미 해병대)

80년 전 오늘, 1945년 5월 14일, 

헨리 알렉시우스 코트니 주니어 소령은 제22해병연대 제2대대, 제6해병사단의 행정 장교로 

오키나와 전투 중 공격을 지휘했습니다. 

목표는 슈거로프 고지였습니다. 

이곳은 중무장된 진지로, 

하루 종일 해병대원들에게 많은 사상자를 냈습니다.

슈거로프 고지는 규모는 작았지만 전략적으로 중요했습니다. 

일본군은 이곳을 기관총 진지, 박격포 진지, 위장 벙커를 설치하여 죽음의 함정으로 만들었습니다.

 해병대는 이미 여러 차례 고지를 점령하려고 시도했지만,

 그때마다 손실을 입고 후퇴했습니다. 

일본군 방어선은 겹겹이 포격선을 형성하여 경사면을 오르려는 모든 적을 격퇴했습니다.

그날 저녁, 해병대가 전열을 재정비하고 언덕 뒤편 방어선을 구축할 준비를 하는 동안, 

코트니 소령은 상황을 평가했습니다. 

그는 일본군이 밤중에 반격하여 상실한 지역을 되찾을 가능성이 높다는 것을 인지했습니다. 

그렇게 되기를 기다리는 것은 더 많은 목숨을 앗아갈 것이었습니다.

 그래서 코트니는 적과 싸우기로 했습니다.

 승인을 받은 후, 그는 피로와 이전 전투에도 불구하고 전진할 수 있는 해병대를 소집했습니다. 

그는 부하들에게 신속하고 공격적인 돌격이 적의 허를 찌를 수 있다고 브리핑했습니다. 

그는 일본군이 추가 공격을 조직하기 전에 고지를 점령해야 한다는 것을 분명히 했습니다. 

어두워진 직후, 코트니는 부하들을 이끌고 적진을 직접 공격했습니다.

 그들이 경사면을 오르자 일본군이 사격을 개시했습니다. 

기관총과 박격포가 전진하는 해병대를 조준했고, 

몇몇 병사가 거의 즉시 쓰러졌습니다.

코트니는 부하들에게 계속 전진하라고 외치며 앞으로 나아갔습니다. 

그는 직접 돌격을 지휘하며 적의 벙커에 수류탄을 던지고 총을 쏘며 전진했습니다. 

적의 사격이 가까워지자 그는 망설임 없이 열린 공간을 통과하며 부하들을 지휘하고 공격을 계속했습니다. 

해병대의 전진에도 불구하고 적의 벙커 하나가 계속해서 사격을 가했습니다. 

코트니는 수류탄 사정거리 안으로 기어들어가 핀을 뽑은 후 수류탄을 벙커 안으로 직접 던졌습니다. 

폭발로 기관총이 침묵했고, 그의 부하들은 그가 다음 벙커로 이동하는 것을 따라갔습니다.

 일본군은 해병대를 언덕 아래로 밀어내기 위해 반격을 개시했습니다.

 코트니는 부하들에게 전선을 사수하라고 명령하고 기관총 사격을 지시하여 적의 진격을 저지했습니다.

 그는 위치를 이동하며 방어를 조율했고, 

부하들의 집중력을 유지하기 위해 종종 노출된 자세를 유지했습니다.

어느 순간, 근처에서 박격포탄이 폭발하여 그를 다치게 했습니다.
그는 부상을 입었음에도 불구하고 고통에도 불구하고
계속 서서 움직였습니다.

밤새도록
코트니는 해병대원들을 계속 교전 상태로 유지하며
일본군의 돌파 시도를 막았습니다.
적군은 여러 차례 돌격했지만,
그의 지휘력으로 매번 전선이 무너지지 않도록 막았습니다.

 새벽 무렵,
일본군은 마지막 필사적인 공격을 개시했습니다.
코트니는
진지 사이를 이동하며 부대원들에게 버티라고 독려하고 있었는데,
박격포탄이 근처에 명중했습니다.
그는 폭발로 즉사했습니다.

해병대원들은
코트니 소령의 결의와 모범에 힘입어 진지를 사수했습니다.

 아침이 되자 슈거 로프 고지는 확보되었고, 일본군은 인근 지역에서 철수했습니다.
그의 지도력과
공세에 나서겠다는 결의 덕분에
적군은 진지를 탈환하지 못했습니다.

헨리 알렉시우스 코트니 주니어 소령은 전투에서 살아남지 못했습니다.
그는 언덕을 사수하기 위한 전투의 마지막 단계에서 전사했습니다.

 그의 행동과 지도력으로 그는 사후에 *명예 훈장*을 받았습니다.

이 훈장은 해리 S. 트루먼 대통령이 그의 가족에게 수여했습니다.
그는 미네소타주 덜루스에 있는 캘버리 묘지에 안장되었습니다.

 

 

2025년 5월 14일 수요일