Elmo M. Haney

St Elmo Murray Haney (April 1898 – January 31, 1979) was a master gunnery sergeant in the United States Marine Corps.[2] As a veteran of many early campaigns in the Marine Corps, he was considered the epitome of the "old breed" Marine and a source of inspiration during the tough battles of the Pacific Campaign in World War II. Author and fellow Marine Eugene Sledge described Haney as being "everywhere at once, correcting mistakes and helping out."[3]

St Elmo M. Haney
Nickname(s)"Pop" Haney
BornApril 1898
Magazine, Arkansas, U.S.
DiedJanuary 31, 1979(1979-01-31) (aged 80)
Fayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.
Buried
Benton County Memorial Cemetery[1]
AllegianceUnited States
Service/branchUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1918–1919; 1927-1947
Rank Master Gunnery Sergeant
Unit1st Marine Division
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsSilver Star
Spouse(s)Ethel Taletha Tirey

Military career

World War I

Multiple sources, including Eugene Sledge, claim that Haney saw action in World War I with the 5th Marine Regiment.[2][3] However, Marine Corps muster rolls show that Haney enlisted on 17 July 1918 and trained at Parris Island, South Carolina and Quantico, Virginia, in preparation for being sent to France. By October 1918, he has been assigned to the 2nd Separate Machine Gun Battalion at Quantico, but the war ended before he reached Europe. On 16 May 1919, he was transferred to Marine Barracks, Boston and was discharged.[4] After teaching school in Arkansas for four years, he re-enlisted in the Marine Corps on 22 October 1927 at San Diego, California.[5]

Inter-war period

In 1930, between the wars, Haney was stationed in Shanghai and played in the outfield for the Fourth Marine Regiment Baseball Team.[6] He also served in Nicaragua, Iceland and in the Amazon.[7]

World War II

In World War II, Haney fought in the battles of Guadalcanal, Cape Gloucester and Peleliu with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, where he was one of the oldest to fight in the regiment. At the Battle of Cape Gloucester, Haney received a Silver Star for heroic actions against the enemy,[8] carrying ammunition to the front lines during the thickest of the fighting for "Walt's Ridge."[6][9] At Battle of Peleliu, he rallied the Marines as they got bogged down, and kept them moving forward during the fighting.[10]

Haney also served in Nicaragua, China, Tulagi, Florida Island, and New Britain.[6] Haney is featured in several books for his role in World War II, and actor Gary Sweet portrayed him in the HBO miniseries The Pacific.[11][12]

Silver Star citation

Citation:

The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Platoon Sergeant St. Elmo M. Haney (MCSN: 131228), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving with the FIRST Marine Division in action against enemy Japanese forces on Cape Gloucester, New Britain on January 10, 1944. While our forces were engaged in bitter hand-to-hand combat defending a vital ridge, Platoon Sergeant Haney courageously led an ammunition carrying party through dark jungle undergrowth and driving rain to deliver supplies to our front lines, arriving five minutes before the last desperate counter attack when one platoon was completely out of ammunition and the entire line was low. By his expeditious delivery of the urgently needed supplies, he enabled our units to defend their position successfully. Platoon Sergeant Haney's daring initiative and selfless devotion to duty in the face of grave peril were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.[13]

Personal life

Haney was born in April 1898 in Magazine, Arkansas, to Albert S. and Mary Haney. He was the grandson of Henry Haney, a Confederate veteran. He attended the Chillicothe Business College. He married Ethel Taletha Tirey in 1949. He died January 31, 1979, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and was buried in Benton County Memorial Cemetery, Rogers, Arkansas.

Haney's wife Ethel was born in about 1895 in Whitefield, Oklahoma, and died on July 14, 1972, in Bentonville, Arkansas.[14]

References
  1. togetherweserved
  2. Miller, Thurman. "Salute: The Real Old Breed– Elmo “Pop” Haney", The History Reader website, 24 May 2013. Retrieved 07 February 2017.
  3. Sledge, E. B. (2010). With the Old Breed. New York: Presidio Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-8914-1906-8.
  4. Ancestry.com. U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798–1958 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Muster Rolls of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1798–1892. Microfilm Publication T1118, 123 rolls. ARC ID: 922159. Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, Record Group 127; National Archives in Washington, D.C. Roll 0173
  5. Ancestry.com. U.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1798–1958 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. Original data: Muster Rolls of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1798–1892. Microfilm Publication T1118, 123 rolls. ARC ID: 922159. Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, Record Group 127; National Archives in Washington, D.C. Roll 0277
  6. Arkansas Veteran Still Killing Japs. Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, Arkansas), Tuesday, October 17, 1944, page: 2
  7. It was Arkansas Day in the Southwest Pacific. Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, Arkansas),Saturday, February 19, 1944, Page: 4
  8. "Valor awards for St. Elmo M. Haney". valor.militarytimes.com. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  9. Jap Taunt Backfires as Marines Win Battle, The Portsmouth Herald (Potsmouth, New Hampshire) January 19, 1944, page 5, accessed February 15, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8965265//
  10. McEnery, Jim and Sloan, Bill. Hell in the Pacific: A Marine Rifleman's Journey From Guadalcanal to Peleliu (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2012), p. 243.
  11. IMDb. "Sgt. Elmo 'Gunny' Haney (Character)"
  12. HBO Website. The Pacific Cast and Crew, "Sgt. Elmo "Gunny" Haney"
  13. "St. Elmo M. Haney". Military Times.
  14. Mrs. Ethel T. Haney, Northwest Arkansas Times (Fayetteville, Arkansas) July 15, 1972, page 2, accessed February 15, 2017 at https://www.newspapers.com/clip/8965165/mrs_ethel_t_haney_northwest_arkansas/
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