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Morris Everett Canady

PFC Morris E. Canady served with Charlie Company, First Battalion, 7th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 24 September 1942.

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Branch

Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 367000

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Current Status

Remains Not Recovered

Pursuit Category

This case is under Active Pursuit by the DPAA.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

March 7, 1921
at Goode, VA

Parents

Roy Miller Canady
Nancy (Padgett) Canady

Education

Details unknown

Occupation & Employer

Family farm

Service Life

Entered Service

January 20, 1942
at Washington, DC

Home Of Record

Goode, VA

Next Of Kin

Father, Mr. Roy M. Canady

Military Specialty

Primary Unit

C/1/7th Marines

Campaigns Served

Guadalcanal

Individual Decorations

Purple Heart

Additional Service Details

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

On 24 September 1942 – six days after arriving on Guadalcanal – the First Battalion, 7th Marines departed from the Lunga Perimeter and headed out into Guadalcanal’s backcountry. They followed a trail known as the “Maizuru Road” which had served as a Japanese advance and retreat route during the battle for Edson’s Ridge. The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, hoped to cross the Matanikau River at an undefended point, then advance along the Japanese-held bank to outflank enemy fortifications. This maneuver was a crucial part of a planned offensive scheduled to begin on 26 September.

After an exhausting day-long hike, the battalion reached a stream bed and began searching for a suitable bivouac. While the rearguard (Company C and Company D) occupied a defendable hill, Companies A and B advanced to the riverbank and sent scouts into the woods beyond. They ran into a Japanese detachment and were caught in a murderous crossfire from multiple machine gun positions.

We're marching along merrily on our way when baby! everything lets loose around us as dusk comes. The Japs had ambushed us. They were all around us, in the trees, dug into foxholes, firing machine guns, snipers picking away at us, and mortars in the rear tossing shells into our midst. It was hell....
Corporal Walter J. Bodt
C/1/7th Marines

In spite of the chaos described by Corporal Bodt, Charlie Company was comparatively safe – they were bringing up the rear of the column, and were not directly engaged in the firefight. They suffered only one casualty in the attack: PFC Morris E. Canady, a 22-year-old farm boy from Virginia. His death was attributed to “enemy fire,” and no further details are known.

Excerpt from the muster roll of C/1/7, September 1942.
Burial Information or Disposition

Early on 25 September, Puller’s men set out to locate and bury their friends. The ten fatal casualties were buried in two groups of five – one on “Hill Y,” the other on “Hill X.” PFC Canady was the second man buried in the “Hill X” location.

The battalion departed soon after the final grave was dug: two companies returned to the perimeter with the wounded, while Puller pressed on with Company C and reinforcements from 2/5th Marines. The remote location was rarely, if ever, seen by American troops for the rest of the battle.

Two post-war expeditions (1947 and 1949) failed to locate the graves of Puller’s men, and all were declared non-recoverable.

The Hill X and Hill Y sites were prioritized by the DPAA starting in 2012. Subsequent archaeological digs have returned possible remains, identification tags, and additional material evidence from the area. To date, no official identifications have been made.

Next Of Kin Address

Address of father, Mr. Roy Canady.

Location Of Loss

Approximate location of Hill X – now the outskirts of Honiara, Guadalcanal.

Related Profiles

Buried in the field, Hills X and Y, as result of Maizuru Ambush.

Leaving Mac Behind: The Lost Marines of Guadalcanal

Willie Rowe, or someone who sounded a lot like Willie, was crying in the darkness.

PFC Gerald White could not blame Willie. He felt a bit like crying himself. His battalion of the 7t Marines left the Lunga perimeter full of fight, ready to prove they were no Johnny-come-lately laggards but the warriors who would turn the tide on Guadalcanal. Now they were a “weary and dejected band” dug in on a nameless hill overlooking an unfamiliar stream, an anonymous location with no known landmarks save those they named themselves. The field where Fuller found the cooking fire; the ridge their guns were on; the tree where Goble hid; the trail where Randolph died.

Unremarkable places, except that men bled for them.

Read more about the Maizuru Ambush in "Leaving Mac Behind."
Click the cover for details.

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4 thoughts on “Morris E. Canady”

  1. Was wondering if you have any other information on Morris E Canady he was my great uncle, found this info by chance found it very interesting.

  2. Morris Everett Canady is my great uncle as well. I see there is no picture of him. I have several I would like to see up. My Granny and Uncle Morris were brother and sister. My email is jamstinnett@comcast.net I would be interested in discussing my Uncle with anyone who wishes too.

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