La Quinta resident Marilyn Paige holds husband Col. Mitchell Paige's Medal of Honor. Paige was award the medal for his actions during World War II at the Battle of Guadalcanal. / Marilyn Chung The Desert Sun
Marilyn Paige
Marilyn Paige of La Quinta is the widow of World War II Marine Corps veteran and Medal of Honor recipient Col. Mitchell Paige.
Col. Paige, a member of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, was awarded the U.S. military's highest honor — and received a battlefield commission to 2nd lieutenant — for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands on Oct. 26, 1942.
Col. Mitchell Paige Middle School in Bermuda Dunes is named after the war hero.
Paige's memory was also memorialized by the 1st Marine Division Association Desert Cities Mitchell Paige Medal of Honor Chapter.
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Vs were rare in 1945, so when word came via radio that the war was over, residents of Los Angeles went wild with joy.
Newspapers blared the news, and newsboys went up and down the streets shouting, “The war is over!”
People blew car horns, drove down the street with tin cans tied to their bumpers, like at a wedding. They beat pans with spoons, blew whistles, and in every neighborhood they were gathered in groups celebrating.
As a little girl in southwest Los Angeles, I clung to the porch railing with my mother and sister, watching and shivering in anxiety as searchlights lit the night sky and swung back and forth searching for Japanese aircraft.
It was 1942, almost a year after the infamous attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. It turned out to be a false alarm, but those who lived along the coast of California were prepared for a possible attack by aircraft or even Japanese submarines. There were bunkers and anti-aircraft emplacements along our coast.
Today it seems ludicrous, but at that time, the danger seemed real enough that we were well-prepared for any event. The government ordered a complete blackout at night, and everyone installed “blackout curtains” on their windows. If you drove at night, your headlights were covered, except for a small slit. Even the street lights were painted black on the tops.
Our nation was never so united as we were at that time. The war effort affected all our lives as we geared up our economy to support the war.
Huge aircraft plants sprung up along the coast, employing thousands who arrived from throughout the states.
For the first time, women were used in assembly lines, and had the nickname of “Rosie the Riveter.” Instead of dresses, the women wore long pants and overalls — for the first time in their lives.
Ration books were issued for items that were greatly needed for the war effort. Gasoline was in short supply, except for doctors and emergency crews. Nylon stockings, tires, sugar, oils, certain foods, fabrics, etc. were rationed for civilians.
Everything was going toward support for our military. We pooled our ration stamps for gasoline, and families shared Sunday rides together.
Never in my lifetime has our nation seen such an atmosphere of cooperation and pride. We felt that we were all pulling together for freedom ours and our Allies'.
In a very short time it was necessary that we convert from being a peaceful nation to becoming an awesome military “machine.”
World War II spread death and devastation throughout most of the world to an extent never before experienced. The United States of America sent 16,353,659 men around the world to support our allies and protect ourselves in the largest war the world has ever seen.
At home, we eagerly read the newspapers about battles in far away places such as Midway, Guam, Guadalcanal, Leyte, British Samoa, New Guinea, Iwo Jima, and New Britain.
Little did the small girl from Los Angeles who watched the searchlights that night in the 1940s ever dream that one day she would grow up to marry a great hero from one of our first South Pacific battles on Guadalcanal, Platoon Sgt. Mitchell Paige.
When all the men in his platoon were either killed or injured, he alone ran from machine gun to machine gun shooting so the Japanese would think the hill was still occupied.
When dawn came, he organized riflemen and led a bayonet charge to finish off the remainder of Japanese. It was a turning point in the war, and never again were the Japanese able to amass as many soldiers in a battle for the Pacific.
