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Marine Combat on Iwo Jima, Bougainville and Guam with 3rd Division Rifleman
Published 2 years ago
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Louis Bourgault tried to enlist in the Marine Corps shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, but was too young and had to wait a few months until he turned 17-years-old. Bourgault started training at Parris Island, S.C. before transferring to Camp Lejeune and joining the 21st Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.
After training, Bourgault and his fellow Marines shipped out and fought in the Pacific in the battles of Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. Bourgault remembers "The first time you hear a bullet go by your head, everything changes."
Bourgault would spend a few harrowing days on Iwo before being wounded by Japanese mortars crossing an open airfield. He would witness the flag raising on Mount Suribachi from a hospital ship anchored just offshore the tiny volcanic island.
