Holladay, Frederick N

Frederick N Holladay

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Significance:

Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division

Place of Birth:

Ohio

Date of Birth:

May 12, 1927

Place of Death:

Okinawa, Japan

Date of Death:

June 12, 1945

Place of Burial:

Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Cemetery Name:

Stones River National Cemetery

Frederick Noiel Holladay was born on May 12, 1927 in Ohio and was living in Detroit, Michigan when he enlisted. Holladay served as a Private First Class in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division.

PFC Holladay and the 7th Marines began preparing for operation "Iceburg," the invasion of Okinawa, in January of 1945. They trained in the Guadalcanal since it provided a large area to practice maneuvers and hone in their accuracy and coordination, some much needed skills for navigating the terrain on Okinawa. Their training ended in early March of 1945 and the assault was set to happen on April 1st of that same year. Called "L-Day," they planned to land on the southwestern side of the island and push Japanese forces inland.

The 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines were among the first to land on the day of assault. The initial movements of the day were very successful, and there was little resistance encountered along the beaches of Hagushi. Many objectives set for later in the advancements were taken much earlier than expected, and the 7th Marines made it to the east coast by April 3rd. Interestingly enough, the thing that slowed them up the most was not fighting, but more the terrain and road condition that caused their advancements to slow. The rest of April was spent patrolling the area and preparing to push further inland.

The 1st Marine Division redeployed on May 1st southward. They were needed at the Shuri line, where progress had all but halted against Japanese defenses in the area. Here, the 7th Marines faced heavy fire power from the Japanese defensive positions in the ridge lines. Their quick progress in April seemed almost halted come May. Between May 10th and 19th, they finally pushed the Japanese back and were able to take the position on the ridgeline. This position gave the marines an advantage in the fighting to come, though not without loss. The 2nd Battalion lost 1250 men within the 10 days of fighting in May. PFC Holladay had lived through this fighting, and later moved on to fight along the Shuri Line with his regiment.

The 2nd Battalion was then sent into reserve from May 19th to June 2, 1945 due to the heavy losses experienced. The Japanese defense of the Shuri Line fell into retreat after continued losses on their side and the 7th Marines moved up to the front near Naha in response. Almost immediately, they crossed the Kokuba River and established themselves on the south bank of the river. Once secure, they stormed nearby hostile emplacements with the goal of pushing south and west towards the sea. By June 7th, they reached the coast and were able to open a new supply route for the division, accessable by sea instead of by road, relieving the extra effort it took to travel over the terrain of Okinawa.

On June 9th, the 7th Marines gave two attempts at seizing high ground overlooking Itoman-Tera, but were unsuccessful. However, on the 10th they were successful with the aid of artillery barrage. They pushed through walls of Japanese forces and pushed out through Itoman the second day.

On June 12th, the 7th Marines conducted an early morning assault and company F, including PFC Holladay, surprise assaulted the Japanese at the crest of the ridge line. A counterattack quickly cut off the companies from the rest of the regiment. This counterattack was stronger than they anticipated, and it was here that Private First Class Holladay lost his life fighting for freedom.

Frederick Holladay is laid to rest at Stones River National Cemetery in plot P-6312.