Don Langer and the Goettge Patrol
I Company, 3rd Batt., 5th Marine Regt., 1st Marine Division

Subject:"Goettge's Patrol"
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 15:11:20 -0800
From: Don Langer
To: jrube@gnt.net

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Jim,

Thank you for writing.

"Old Breed" page 55 "men who got back" "half-Indian" his name was Frank Few, later my platoon Sgt.

Another who returned was "Monk" Arndt, I think he was a "China" Marine.

I was a lead scout with I Company on the patrol to find the Geottge patrol. We found parts of bodies, none were intact, they had been hacked to pieces. Years ago I wrote "not true" on page 56, paragraph 2, line 3 "went undiscovered".

After this "no prisoners" was an unspoken agreement.

Very best Christmas wishes to you and Semper Fi

Don Langer

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Donald R. Langer
PFC (Temp) Serial Number 351556
I Company, 3rd Batt., 5th Marine Regt., 1st Marine Division

Dec. 8, 1941
Enlisted at 90 Church St., NY.,NY

Jan. 9, 1942
Sworn in at same address
Basic training at Parris Island, Platoon # 76

May 20, 1942
shipped out aboard the "USS Wakefield"

June 1942
New Zealand - went to "Cape Picaparicky" (phonetic spelling) on the outskirts of Wellington
Went to Fiji on the "USS Fuller"

Aug. 7, 1942
Landed on Guadalcanal, 3rd Higgins boat to go ashore. Moved in towards Henderson Airfield - no opposition for 2-3 days, they all hell broke loose.

I was a lead scout sent to find Colonel Geottge's patrol. We were a rifle platoon. Went up the Matanikau River, water up to our chests. We found the patrol - bodies all cut up.

Dec. 8, 1942
Left Guadalcanal, arrived in Brisbane on Christmas Day. 13 of us went to "Doomben" Hospital suffering from malaria, rest of 1st Division went to Melbourne.

We went to Sydney on a Liberty ship then on to Melbourne and caught up with outfit. My Captain said that I had done such a good job as a scout on the "Canal" that he was going to send me to "Scout and Sniper School" and promote me to Corporal. I told him what he could do with the school, that is why I remained a PFC. We were in Austrailia for a year.

Dec. 30,1943
Went to New Britain, was a lead scout in a patrol up the Itne River, led by "Chesty" Puller.

Feb. 10,1943
Went to the Russell Islands for R&R - then back to the USA.

July 1944
Landed in San Diego, then to Hingham Naval Depot in MA. While I was in the Marines I had 22 bouts with malaria.

Nov.11,1945
Honorable discharge from the USMC