James Peyton Johnson
PFC James P. “Jim” Johnson served with Able Company, First Battalion, 7th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal on 25 October 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 325034
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
February 5, 1921
at Rockford, IL
Parents
Herbert Austin Johnson
Aileen Gertrude (Peyton) Johnson
Education
Fort Lauderdale Central High School
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
October 8, 1941
at Savannah, GA
Home Of Record
651 SW Coconut Drive
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Aileen G. Johnson
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
7th Marines
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Johnson joined A/1/7th Marines from D/1/7th Marines on 13 October 1942.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On the night of 24 October 1942, the first platoon of A/1/7th Marines – 46 men led by Platoon Sergeant Ralph Briggs – pulled duty on an outpost about 1,500 yards south of the main American defensive line. None were especially enthused at the prospect of spending the night in such a remote place, but disgust gave way to nervousness as they heard Japanese voices approaching. Several thousand enemy troops were bearing down on Marine lines under cover of darkness and heavy rain. Briggs, who would become the namesake of the outpost, got on the landline to his boss, Lt. Col. Lewis “Chesty” Puller and sounded the alarm. The patrol lay silent as the Japanese army passed around them.
At 2130 hours, Briggs brought his men off the hill to an open stretch called “the Bowling Alley” and prepared to hurry back to safety. Not 25 yards away, they saw a Japanese battalion moving quietly along the trail. Briggs ordered his men to scatter and keep quiet – but, as PFC Gerald White recalled, “one of our men coughed. At this sound the Japanese, unaware of our presence before this, shouted and jumped about in great confusion. Then our group dashed through the underbrush pell-mell.”
PFC Wallace Wynn described the chaos that followed.
We burst through a screen of bushes and surprised six Japs. Three of them ran for safety, but the other three turned on us with bayonets. It was a tough fight because we had left our packs and bayonets behind to make running easier. One Jap lunged at me and luckily I turned my body. His bayonet got me in the chest but not deep enough to puncture my lung. I shot him dead before he could make another stab at me. One of my pals had been killed and the other was running with two Japs after him, and he, poor guy, had dropped that precious item, his rifle. He was defenseless. I shot one of the Japs but the other got my buddy through the back with his bayonet.... I shot him too. Then I went over to see my pal. He had gotten his right through the backbone.... What a nightmare things became after that.
Alone or in small groups, Briggs’ men ran, hid, or fought as best they could. Miraculously, most survived the ordeal and returned to American lines in the following days – or, in PFC Wynn’s case, after two harrowing weeks.
Two Marines – PFCs James P. Johnson and Stanley C. Rowlett – were confirmed dead immediately after the patrol. Two others – PFC Patrick W. Milano and Private Frank J. Panarisi – were posted as missing.
Burial Information or Disposition
The bodies of Panarisi and Rowlett were discovered shortly after the battle and buried in the First Marine Division Cemetery as X-17 and X-42; both were later identified.
Johnson’s Marine Corps casualty card notes that he was “buried on scene of battle” on 1 November 1942; a sketch was made and included with his personnel file. The exact location is not known; his remains have never been identified.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Herbert & Aileen Johnson.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of the Briggs Outpost.
