Camp Maui
Aerial image of Camp Maui - Courtesy Joe Richard
Camp Maui close up provided by Ben Bradshaw
Where was the HQ Company bivouacked at Camp Maui? John Wilson recently talked to Harold Frank and asked him exact question. Harold told John that "they were at the far extreme end as he looked at the equipment on the left side of the lower picture above" He also noted that the tents seemed to be of a newer type.
***
Camp Maui was a rest camp and training area for the 4th Marines and the men of the HQ Company. It was a virtual tent city that grew out of barren fields.
Slowly, in spite of the mud and the wind and the rain and the first pangs of homesickness for the States, slowly, civilization began to grow out of barren fields. Buildings went up for offices, tents for living quarters; messhalls were constructed and roads carved through the mire. Post Exchanges opened up with supplies of "pogey bait," tobacco, and enough beer for two bottles per man a night. Movie screens and stages were built in each regimental area. Ball diamonds were laid out and boxing rings constructed. Company libraries were opened, and Marines had their choice of 73 magazines. Chaplains, somehow, procured enough lumber for chapels; electric lights were installed in all tents; public-address systems were wired into the company areas and used for piping announcements and the latest music to Marines. Within a few months Camp Maui had become a relatively decent place to live.
Training went on, too. New men joined the Division to replace casualties suffered at Namur. The Army's jungle Training Center was opened to Marines, and several units went through the paces of this glorified obstacle course. Command Post exercises, overnight problems, and hikes became weekly routine.
As the months rolled by, Maui more and more became "home" to the men of the Fourth. USOs in Haiku, Makawao, Kahului, and Wailuku furnished hot showers, games, swimming, tennis, dances, and refreshments. It was here that Marines met the girls of Maui; many a friendship was formed and many a romance blossomed. Back in camp, officer and NCO clubs were built and the beer lines at Post Exchanges became longer and longer
The terrain and beaches of Maui provided excellent and rugged training ground. All the Division's amphibious maneuvers for the Marianas and Iwo Jima operations were held off Maalaea Bay. Haleakala became a super obstacle course and 13-mile hikes through its crater, a challenge to those who thought they had tough leg muscles. A total of 47 training areas, many of them belonging to the Army, were available to the Division. Six areas, consisting of gulches and rough terrain, near the camp, were used for non-tactical maneuvering. On the outskirts of camp, a demolitions area, a live-grenade course, a pistol range, and 1000-inch machine-gun range were set up. Five miles east of camp, in a gulch opening into the sea, was the Division's bazooka area, and along the coast, east of camp for about ten miles, were combat firing ranges which permitted the maneuvering and firing of tanks and halftracks in coordination with the infantry. The Division's 100-target rifle range at Opana Point was also located in this area. Another area in the vicinity was used to train motor transport drivers in the movement of troops and supplies under both day and night conditions of combat.
This group picture was taken (I believe) at Camp Maui
The slide show below is a series of pictures taken at Camp Maui and in Honolulu by members of the Headquarters Company. We will be adding captions as the men are identified. Please send any comment or identifications to webmaster@hq224usmc.com
HOME History 4th History 24th HQ Company Other Companies
In Memorium Parris Island Camp Pendleton Camp Maui Battle Photos
Reunions Misc Photos Memorabilia Links Forum Contact