John Monaco
Private John Monaco served with Able Company, First Battalion, 5th Marines.
He was killed in action near Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on 1 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 372146
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered.
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
April 17, 1923
at Fairview, NJ
Parents
Francesco “Frank” Monaco
Saveria “Susie” (Santanello) Monaco
Education
Grammar school
Occupation & Employer
Monaco Ice & Fuel Company
Iceman’s Assistant
Service Life
Entered Service
February 2, 1942
at New York, NY
Home Of Record
211 4th Street
Fairview, NJ
Next Of Kin
Parents, Frank & Susie Monaco
Military Specialty
—
Primary Unit
A/1/5th Marines
Campaigns Served
Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 1 November 1942, the 5th Marines opened the “Matanikau Offensive” by forcing their way across Guadalcanal’s Matanikau River. Their First Battalion crossed near the river’s mouth using footbridges built under cover of darkness, and began advancing west at 0630 hours. Progress was slow but uneventful until 0830, when the first Japanese troops opened fire.
Up near our first objective about 2000 yards from Matanikau. Met heavy resistance. We were in jungle along river, came across Jap emplacements made of coral rock, natural camouflage, couldn’t see them until about five feet from them. Little firing here, not much. Moved over across road and artillery opened fire on us. Some of the fellows were wounded here. Kept going onward. Approached near where enemy had artillery. Japs were really dug in here to protect artillery. They opened fire on us.
Able Company, on the right along the beach, broke through enemy lines and reached the base of Point Cruz at 1000. It took another ninety minutes for the rest of the battalion, which faced much tougher opposition, to reach the same objective line. In the early afternoon, 1/5 attempted to advance beyond Point Cruz; Able Company covered several hundred yards, but other companies were stopped cold. To their dismay, A/1/5 had to give up their afternoon gains in order to create a cohesive defensive line for the night. Altogether, the battalion suffered nearly forty Marines killed in action in a single day’s fight.
Two A/1/5 Marines, Privates Charles Ludwig and John Monaco, were killed in the advance. The exact circumstances of their deaths are not known.
Burial Information or Disposition
On November 2, 1942, 1/5 began to gather its dead. Of the thirty-nine fatalities reported on the previous day, nine were interred in the 1 st Marine Division Cemetery. Some of these died of wounds on their way to the hospital. The remainder – thirty enlisted men – were all buried in the field. The same location was recorded for each man: “About 400 yards west of Point Cruz, about 600 yards inland from the sea, on the island of Guadalcanal.” Thirty markers in a small area must have been an arresting sight – and, one would presume, a highly visible one. Yet to this day, only seven of these Marines have ever been located, and the exact location of the rest is still a mystery.
Read more about this burial site at Military History Now.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Frank & Susie Monaco.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of the burial site near Point Cruz.
