Andrew Uhal

PFC Andy Uhal made his first combat landing at Cape Gloucester, New Britain, on 26 December 1943. His battalion quickly crossed the sand of Yellow Beach 2 and moved inland, capturing Target Hill and anchoring the left flank of the Marine perimeter. BLT 1-7 bore the brunt of determined Japanese counterattacks during the first days of January 1944, but held firm against the repeated onslaughts.

On 4 January 1944, other American units broke through Japanese defenses along Suicide Creek. BLT 1-7 descended the southern slope of Target Hill and joined the advance towards Aogiri Ridge and Hill 150. Having experienced the terror of Japanese night attacks, the battalion planned to reinforce its positions by any means possible. PFCs Uhal and Walter S. Budnicki were detailed to search for sandbags to shore up their company’s defenses.

The thick jungle – dubbed “the green inferno” – was disorienting at the best of times, and more so in the darkness. Budnicki and Uhal got disoriented and, to their great misfortune, lost track of each other in the dense foliage. At approximately 18oo hours, Budnicki returned to American lines and reported Andy Uhal’s disappearance. He believed that Uhal had taken a wrong turn and wandered into Japanese lines.

The 7th Marines continued to fight for the Hill 150 area for several days – PFC Budnicki was badly wounded there on 6 January – but no trace of PFC Uhal was ever found. He was ultimately declared dead on 5 January 1945.