Kenneth Maurice was born on 17 January 1919 in Milwaukee Wisconsin. His parents were John (b.10 October 1883 d. 25 December 1950) and Jessie E. (Bennage) (b. 28 June 1886 d.4 October 1966). The 1930 Census reflects Kenneth was adopted also reported was an older adopted sister Margaret. Other children included Richard, Gordon, Donald, Virginia, and David. The family had moved from Hebron, Illinois to Eden Wisconsin. John Montgomery was the Chicago and Northwestern railroad passenger agent at Hebron.

Before moving to Wisconsin, Kenneth was a graduate of the Hebron High School and was employed by the Midwest Telephone Company.

Military

Montogomery enlisted in the Marine Corps early in 1941. After training, presumably at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and Camp Pendleton, California he was assigned to A Company, 2nd Raider Battalion.

Raid on Makin Island (17-18 August 1942)

The mission of the Marine Raiders, one of America’s first special operations forces, was to destroy Japanese installations, take prisoners, gain intelligence on the Gilbert Islands area and divert Japanese attention and reinforcements from the Allied landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

Two US submarines (Nautilus and Argonaut) deployed from Hawaii with 222 men of the Second Marine Raider Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Evans F Carlson. The landing on 17 August and assault on the initial objectives on the Makin Island was for the most part a success

.

Engagement with enemy forces, destruction of their equipment and installations continued into the night of 17 August with the Marines withdrawing to the Nautilus and Argonaut at nightfall. Initially only 53 men in four boats reached the submarines. Leaving behind 120 Marine Raiders who were rescued by additional boats. One Marine rescued and the last man out on the 17th was Major Roosevelt, son the US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The operation continued on 18 August and after two days of fighting the Raiders suffered 51 casualties; 18 killed, 14 wounded, 12 missing and 7 presumed drowned. As the remaining Marines withdrew on the second day Lt Col Carlson signaled the submarines resulting in the rescue of the 70 surviving and wounded Marines. The submarines carried the survivors and wounded back to Hawaii,

Aftermath

Of the twelve missing, 9 are known to have survived and observed the burial of 21 dead Marines before being taken to Kwajalein. There the Marines were beheaded. The Japanese officer responsible for that action was later tried and executed for war crimes.

Although the Marine Raiders succeeded in killing over half of the Japanese occupied garrison, the raid failed to meet its material objectives. No Japanese prisoners were taken, and no prisoners were taken, and no meaningful intelligence was collected. Also, no significant Japanese forces were diverted from the Solomons Islands area. In fact, because the vulnerabilities to their garrisons in the Gilbert Islands were highlighted by the raid, the Japanese strengthened their fortifications and defensive preparations on the islands in the central Pacific. As a result, the objective to dissipate Japanese forces may have had the unintended consequence of causing heavier losses for American forces during the battles of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaigns. However, the raid did succeed in its objectives of boosting morale and testing Raider units.

Bioarcheological recovery

In 1999 the remains of 19 Marines, one of whom was previously listed as missing, were recovered and identified. Six of the Marines were returned to families for private burial and the remaining 13 were buried at Arlington National Cemetery in 2001. The remains of eleven to include the 9 who were executed on Kwajalein have not yet been located.

Private First Class Montgomery was among the 19 Marines who were identified in 1999. He was among 12 interred at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

Fond du Lac AMVETS Post 8 was named in Mongomery’s honor as the Kenneth Montgomery Chapter. The post no longer exists.

This is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org).

This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000 of the US WW II fallen saved on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen’s name and read his/her story.

If you notice anything I missed in this profile, you may contact me at mackolar@verizon.net .

Sources

Find A Grave https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/

- /arlington-national/search/results/1/Cgptb250Z29tZXJ5EgdrZW5uZXRo/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Makin_Island

https://warfarehistorynetwork.com/2020/10/06/the-makin-raid-what-really-happened-to-the-marines/

https://news.usni.org/2012/08/16/makin-island-raid-70

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/11/26/bringing-them-home/31dc9af5-e078-40c8-af80-68cc362815c0/

https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/From%20Makin%20to%20Bougainville-

Marine%20Raiders%20in%20the%20Pacific%20War%20PCN%2019000313000.pdf?ver=2018-10-30-102328-017

https://muse.jhu.edu/book/28135

http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/raiders-1942.htm

Montgomery, Kenneth M, PFC