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| U.S. Naval Reserve Lieutenant Thomas M. Davis of Columbia, South Carolina, raising the Dixie Cross on Okinawa, Wednesday, April 4, 1945. The flag was carried by many Southern-born U.S. Servicemen in World War 2 in the European and Pacific Theaters as reminders of home and family. Colorized photo courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps |
"Earlier in the morning [of May 29, 1945] .
. . Marines had attacked eastward into the ruins of Shuri Castle and
had raised the Confederate flag. When we learned that the flag of the
Confederacy had been hoisted over the very heart and soul of Japanese
resistance, all of us Southerners cheered loudly. The Yankees among us
grumbled . . ."
~ Eugene B. Sledge, Corporal, K Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st U.S. Marine Division
From his WWII memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa (1981)
From his WWII memoir With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa (1981)
The Battle of Okinawa -- code-named Operation Iceberg -- was the largest
amphibious assault in the Pacific Theater of World War II, and the bloodiest sea–land–air battle in American military history to date, lasting from Sunday, April 1, 1945, and officially ending on Friday, June 22, 1945. More than 548,000 Americans
participated in the Okinawa invasion. Only the Normandy D-Day invasion in 1944 surpassed Okinawa in its scope,
preparation and forces employed.
The strategic importance of Okinawa was that it provided a fleet anchorage, troop staging areas, and airfields in close proximity to Japan. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were planning to use Kadena Air Base on the large island of Okinawa as a base for the proposed Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands, 340 miles away.
The Imperial Japanese 32nd Army forces on Okinawa commanded by Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima had set up its headquarters underground beneath the historic Shuri Castle and by early 1945 had established complex lines of defense and communications in the regions around Shuri, and across the southern part of the island as a whole.
Opposing the Japanese forces on the ground were the invading U.S. forces of the newly formed 10th United States Army, a rare combination of divisions from both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., the son of former Confederate General Simon B. Buckner. The 10th was composed of the XXIV (24th) Corps, made up of veteran Army units including the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th Infantry divisions, and the III Amphibious Corps, with three battle-hardened Marine 1st, 2nd, and 6th Divisions.
The invading Americans were surprised to find virtually no resistance as they stormed the beaches on Easter (Sunday, April 1, 1945). They soon discovered that the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy had literally gone underground having spent a year forcing Okinawan slaves to dig their underground defenses. It required 82 days of some of the most brutal combat in the Pacific Theater to defeat the Japanese.
At about twenty minutes after seven in the morning of Friday, May 25th, as the final part of the Okinawa campaign began, the American battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) shelled the historic palace for three days prior to its capture by U.S. Marines in a murderous onslaught with her 5 and 14-inch guns that set the structure ablaze and virtually pounded the historic castle into rubble.
Due to this, the 32nd Japanese Army retreated southward and the United States Marines secured the castle. On Tuesday, May 29th, Major General Pedro del Valle, commanding the 1st Marine Division, ordered Captain Julian D. Dusenbury of Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines to capture the castle.
The capture of the Japanese headquarters and subsequent raising of an American flag over the ruins represented both strategic and psychological blows for the enemy forces and was a milestone in the campaign -- much like the famous raising of the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima only a few months before.
However, unlike the famous event on Iwo Jima, the red, white, and blue American banner that was first raised over the remains of Shuri Castle was not the (then) 48 Star U.S. flag, but rather the Confederate battle flag (Dixie Cross).
So, how on earth did this happen?
Well folks, there is a very interesting story behind this little historical event and it begins right here in this writer's home state of South Carolina in December of 1941 with one proudly Southern-born young man -- Major Julian D. Dusenbury.
Julian Delano Dusenbury was born on Friday, April 1, 1921 in Bishopville, Lee County, South Carolina. His family moved to Florence, South Carolina where he would grow up. Dusenbury would later attend Clemson University and join the Reserve Officer's Training Corps (ROTC).
He was serving as the Executive Officer (XO) of cadets when the rest of the country learned of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Upon learning of the attack, Dusenbury led a group of students in a patriotic demonstration on the lawn of the university president’s house to proclaim that they would leave school to enlist.
The college's president convinced them to stay as he knew the war would be long and that America would need fine officers from Clemson. Julian was one of only two cadets not to join the army and instead was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 1942 and later promoted to the rank of Captain and served in the Pacific Theater campaigns as a company commander in the 1st Marine Division from 1944 - 1945.
Military service was nothing new in Julian Dusenbury's family history. His grandfather, James Elkanah Dusenbury, a former Confederate veteran, served in Company A, 26th South Carolina Infantry Regiment during the War Between the States 1861 - 1865. His great-great grandfather, Cornelius Benjamin Dusenbury, served with the South Carolina militia under Brigadier General Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion during the American Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign against the British in 1780 - 1781.
Before he left to go fight in the Pacific Theater, the local members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) in Florence gifted the departing Dusenbury the Dixie Cross pattern battle flag that he would carry with him in his regulation Marine M1 Helmet throughout his service between 1943 - 1945 as a reminder of home and family.
United States servicemen displaying the Dixie Cross pattern battle flag of the defeated Confederate military during World War II was nowhere near as weird or "controversial" as some might view U.S. service personal displaying it today.
Around the time World War II came about, the Dixie Cross was already enjoying a renewed popularity as a regional symbol of Southern identity and individuality. When the war began, the U.S. military sometimes used war propaganda to appeal to the martial spirit of Southerners to join up and fight. Many of the Southern-born men who fought in World War II were themselves proudly descended from Confederate soldiers and veterans.
Southerners have long been among the most willing to volunteer to serve in America's military from the Continental Army of the Revolutionary War (and yes as British Provincials too) to serving as both Confederate and Union soldiers in the War Between The States, and in all wars afterwards as U.S. military personal right up to the current-day War on Terror in Afghanistan.
Although it was never an official banner and not specifically authorized by the U.S. government or armed services at the time, the Dixie Cross found its way onto battlefields in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific during America's four years in the conflict. The banner was painted on military vehicles, such as the artwork on bomber planes, and flown from tanks and jeeps. Individual Southern-born soldiers carried them with them as reminders of their home.
U.S. servicemen carried the Dixie Cross with them in their helmets, in their pockets, or displayed them with their personal affects during the war. The Dixie Cross was there for most of the major actions of the war until the final liberation of Europe from Nazi fascism and the liberation of the Pacific from Japanese imperialism.
In Europe, a company made up primarily of Alabama born U.S. Army soldiers flew the flag as a symbol of their unit when Nazi Waffen SS soldiers surrendered to them. The flag flew on an American tank of the U.S. 12th Armored Division when the unit helped liberate the Nazi's concentration camps at Dachau in Western Germany. When the Allies secured military victory over Germany, a tank officer carried that same flag into occupied Berlin.
In the Pacific, Marine Colonel William O. Brice of South Carolina flew the flag as his base in the Solomon Islands. One of the 26 United States Navy's Cleveland-class light cruisers, the USS Columbia (CL-56) flew the Dixie Cross flag as a battle insignia during the entire South Pacific war. This was done to pay tribute to the ship's namesake, Columbia, the capital city of the State of South Carolina. At the end of the Pacific war, as the USS Mississippi (BB-41) steamed into Tokyo Bay to be present at the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945, it too was flying the Confederate battle flag.
These are just a few examples out of possibly a hundred others, if not more. Many of these proud Southern men and boys died and were wounded in the defense of the United States.
Knowing these details its absurd that modern-day Neo-Nazi groups could be taken seriously in their wrongful display of this flag for their own sordid and hateful cause. That any so-called informed, free-thinking individual still takes such attempts at co-opting the Dixie Cross seriously in the 21st century speaks unhappy volumes about the success of the propaganda of racial division.
But that's an argument for another time.
Captain Dusenbury joined the 1st Marine Division in 1944 then under the command of then Colonel Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller, a native of Virginia and a life member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Shortly thereafter Dusenbury was wounded fighting at the Battle for Peleliu, one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. Marine Corps history, during the Mariana and Palau Campaign (Operation Forager).
The 1st Marines under Puller's command lost 1,749 out of approximately 3,000 men during the fighting on Peleliu. They would later lose just about as many men (1,655) fighting on Okinawa.
It is alleged that Captain Dusenbury first publicly displayed his Dixie Cross banner on Peleliu, much to the approval of the Marines of A Company, many of whom were also Southern-born and regarded the battle flag in a positive light.
Dusenbury was awarded the Silver Star and his first Purple Heart for his gallantry and leadership in Peleliu. His official Silver Star Citation reads:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Julian D. Dusenbury (MCSN: 0-10785), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer, Company A, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu Island, Palau Group, 15 and 16 September 1944. Gallantly leading his troops in the assault of the enemy-held beachhead on D-Day, Captain Dusenbury braved the concentrated enemy fire to direct his men in repulsing two enemy tank counterattacks, thereby destroying several tanks. Under intense artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire, he led his assault company across fourteen hundred yards of open airfield and, although severely wounded by shell fragments after reaching his objective at the far side of the airfield, continued to direct his troops in driving the Japanese from strongly fortified positions until he was ordered by the Battalion Commander to return to the rear for treatment. By his aggressive fighting spirit and inspiring leadership under fire, Captain Dusenbury contributed materially to the success of his battalion and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. General Orders: Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Pacific: Serial 00436. [1]
As the captain of Company A, 1st Marine Division, Captain Dusenbury had the honor of briefly hosting famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle on Okinawa for a brief time before his unfortunate death on April 18th. He is mentioned in Pyle's book, The Last Chapter (1949) published after his death. In the book, Dusenbury is described as a bold leader, brave in combat, exceptional with command, and yet easygoing with his men who adored their "skipper". He preferred the company of his noncoms to many of his fellow officers. After the war, 1st Sergeant Martin "Birddog" Clayton of Dusenbury's company remarked: "it was hard not to like Julian, as a C.O. or as a friend."
Dusenbury was wounded twice on Okinawa. The first time was on June 18th. Despite being wounded, the South Carolinian would not leave his men and continued to fight with them.
After two months of fighting the Japanese, the 6th U.S. Marine Regiment and the
U.S. Army’s 7th Division were moving south, nearing Shuri Castle. The 6th
Marines were commanded by Major General Pedro A. del Valle. Following a hard
fight at Dakeshi Town, del Valle’s Marines engaged in a bloody battle at
Wana Draw, which stretched 800 yards and was covered by
Japanese guns from its 400-yard entrance to its narrow exit. The exit
provided the key to Shuri Castle. The Japanese were holed up in caves
the entire length of the gully, and had to be cleared out in brutal man-to-man
combat.
While the Marines battled through the mud and blood up the draw, the Army’s 77th U.S. "Statue of Liberty" Division was approaching Shuri from the east. To the west, the 6th Marines were pushing into the capital city of Naha. Faced with this overwhelming force, Japanese General Ushijima’s army retreated to the south and ultimately their final stand.
On the morning of Tuesday, May 29, 1945, A Company, Red Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, commanded by Captain Julius Dusenbury, approached to within 800 yards of Shuri Castle. This is an amazing feat in itself as Dusenbury's company had been cut off from the the battalion the day before, was surrounded, and practically out of ammo. The night prior to the assault on Shuri Julian reportedly crawled through mud, over bodies, and sneaked past Japanese sentries 9 times to drag back boxes of ammunition through enemy lines to his men.
Shuri Castle had been shelled by the battleship USS Mississippi for three days before this advance. Due to this, the 32nd Army withdrew to the south. The castle lay within the zone of the 77th Infantry Division, however, General Ushijima’s rear guard had stalled the 77th’s advance, and only frantic efforts by the commander and staff of the 77th Infantry Division prevented an American airstrike and artillery bombardment which would have resulted in many casualties due to friendly fire.
Impatient, General del Valle radioed the 5th Marine Regiment and ordered Captain Dusenberg to "take that damned place if you can. I’ll make the explanations." Dusenbury reportedly radioed back, "Will do!" Dusenbury’s
Marine company stormed the stone fortress, quickly dispatching a detachment of
Japanese soldiers who had remained behind.
With the fall of Shuri Castle, the Imperial Japanese Army headquarters, victory on the island was assured and with victory on Okinawa the end of ground combat in WW II was at hand.
It was during the wiping up process that Captain Dusenbury was shot in the back by a Japanese sniper, severing part of his spine and destroying his spleen, putting him in a wheelchair for the remaining thirty years of his life.
Throughout the entire campaign, Dusenbury carried the Dixie Cross with him tucked inside the suspension webbing of his military issue M1 Helmet. After the now twice wounded captain was evacuated, his men found the battle flag inside his helmet.
At the time there was no U.S. flag available to raise above the ruins to signal their victory, so to show both their capture of the castle (what remained of it) as well as their love and respect for their "skipper" -- and because it was
quite simply the only American flag in their possession -- the men of Company A hoisted the Dixie Cross above the ruins signaling that the castle had fallen.
While many of the Marines of Company A -- particularly those from the American South -- cheered the flag, others had serious objections.
Major General Andrew Bruce the commanding general of the 77th Division, protested to the 10th Army command, objecting because originally his Army troops were supposed to take the castle and not the Marines. General del Valle also protested the presence of the Dixie Cross, but General Buckner only mildly chided del Valle, saying, "How can I be sore at him? My father fought under that flag!"
Eventually the grumbling of the other officers and their insistence that the national colors should fly over the former Japanese headquarters caused Buckner to reluctantly have the battle flag lowered once a suitable U.S. Flag could be found.
Captain Dusenbury's Dixie Cross only flew on the ruins of Shuri Castle for two days when it was formally lowered on Thursday, May 31, 1945 and replaced with the U.S. Flag by the commander of the 3rd Batallion, Lieuntenant Colonel Richard P. Ross Jr. Dusenbury's flag was presented to Gen. Buckner as a souvenir.
Tragically, just days before Okinawa fell, General Buckner was killed by an enemy shell on Monday, June 18, 1945, on Mezido Ridge while observing a Marine attack. Buckner became the highest ranking U.S. officer killed in war to date. He is buried in a family plot at Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky next to his father, the Confederate general and former Kentucky governor.
The final whereabouts of Captain Dusenbury's Dixie Cross banner remains unknown to this day.
Although Captain Julian Dusenbury was put in for the Medal of Honor for his actions on Okinawa, he instead received the Navy Cross. Though some speculate that this was due to the display of the Confederate battle flag, it was more likely that it was downgraded due to the fact that there were already three Medals of Honor awarded to men from the 1st Division for actions during the battle. The Navy Cross was still a pretty high honor to get, as well as a second Purple Heart.
The citation for his Navy Cross reads:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Captain Julian D. Dusenbury (MCSN: )-10785), United States Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of Company A, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 7 May 1945. During an assault against strongly fortified enemy positions which threatened the advance of the entire front, Captain Dusenbury repeatedly braved intense hostile fire to ensure the success of his company’s advance. When one of the platoon commanders was seriously wounded during a critical phase of the assault, he reorganized the platoon and, in the face of intensified enemy fire, led it in continuing the attack. Fearlessly moving among his entire company front to coordinate the advance of the troops with supporting tanks, he personally directed the fire of the tanks in destroying several Japanese strong points. Although painfully wounded during the initial stages of the advance, he refused to be evacuated and continued to direct the attack until Japanese resistance was broken and the positions overrun. By his initiative and indomitable fighting spirit, Captain Dusenbury served as an inspiration to his men, and his leadership throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. [2]
Though he was attributed with the raising of the Dixie Cross over the ruins of Shuri Castle -- an event for which he was not even present -- and denied the Medal of Honor, according to his grandson, Mr. Stuart Moore, he reportedly went to his grave never regretting being denied the nation's highest military honor saying he instead preferred being known for flying the noble banner of the American Southland.
After a long recovery, he returned to his home in Florence in 1946, and retired as a Major. He also received Clemson’s Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
Dusenbury had to spend the rest of his days in a wheelchair but remained active, both as a farmer and as a South Carolina legislator. He served in the SC State House of Representatives from 1948-1950 and 1952-1954. He then served with a number of civic, veterans, and political organizations.
On Friday, January 30, 1976 he died of complications of his long-endured injury. Major Julian D. Dusenbury is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Florence, SC.
The Julian Delano Dusenbury Presidential Scholarship ($1500) at Clemson is given annually in his memory. Marine Corps League Detachment 410 in Florence is named in his memory.
[1] & [2] https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/scroll/julian-delano-dusenbury/
The strategic importance of Okinawa was that it provided a fleet anchorage, troop staging areas, and airfields in close proximity to Japan. After a long campaign of island hopping, the Allies were planning to use Kadena Air Base on the large island of Okinawa as a base for the proposed Operation Downfall, the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands, 340 miles away.
The Imperial Japanese 32nd Army forces on Okinawa commanded by Lieutenant General Mitsuru Ushijima had set up its headquarters underground beneath the historic Shuri Castle and by early 1945 had established complex lines of defense and communications in the regions around Shuri, and across the southern part of the island as a whole.
Opposing the Japanese forces on the ground were the invading U.S. forces of the newly formed 10th United States Army, a rare combination of divisions from both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., the son of former Confederate General Simon B. Buckner. The 10th was composed of the XXIV (24th) Corps, made up of veteran Army units including the 7th, 27th, 77th, and 96th Infantry divisions, and the III Amphibious Corps, with three battle-hardened Marine 1st, 2nd, and 6th Divisions.
The invading Americans were surprised to find virtually no resistance as they stormed the beaches on Easter (Sunday, April 1, 1945). They soon discovered that the Japanese Imperial Army and Navy had literally gone underground having spent a year forcing Okinawan slaves to dig their underground defenses. It required 82 days of some of the most brutal combat in the Pacific Theater to defeat the Japanese.
At about twenty minutes after seven in the morning of Friday, May 25th, as the final part of the Okinawa campaign began, the American battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) shelled the historic palace for three days prior to its capture by U.S. Marines in a murderous onslaught with her 5 and 14-inch guns that set the structure ablaze and virtually pounded the historic castle into rubble.
Due to this, the 32nd Japanese Army retreated southward and the United States Marines secured the castle. On Tuesday, May 29th, Major General Pedro del Valle, commanding the 1st Marine Division, ordered Captain Julian D. Dusenbury of Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines to capture the castle.
The capture of the Japanese headquarters and subsequent raising of an American flag over the ruins represented both strategic and psychological blows for the enemy forces and was a milestone in the campaign -- much like the famous raising of the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima only a few months before.
However, unlike the famous event on Iwo Jima, the red, white, and blue American banner that was first raised over the remains of Shuri Castle was not the (then) 48 Star U.S. flag, but rather the Confederate battle flag (Dixie Cross).
So, how on earth did this happen?
Well folks, there is a very interesting story behind this little historical event and it begins right here in this writer's home state of South Carolina in December of 1941 with one proudly Southern-born young man -- Major Julian D. Dusenbury.
 |
| Julian D. Dusenbury of Florence, South Carolina as a R.O.T.C. cadet at Clemson University prior to World War II. Photo courtesy of Clemson University archives. |
He was serving as the Executive Officer (XO) of cadets when the rest of the country learned of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941. Upon learning of the attack, Dusenbury led a group of students in a patriotic demonstration on the lawn of the university president’s house to proclaim that they would leave school to enlist.
The college's president convinced them to stay as he knew the war would be long and that America would need fine officers from Clemson. Julian was one of only two cadets not to join the army and instead was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in 1942 and later promoted to the rank of Captain and served in the Pacific Theater campaigns as a company commander in the 1st Marine Division from 1944 - 1945.
Military service was nothing new in Julian Dusenbury's family history. His grandfather, James Elkanah Dusenbury, a former Confederate veteran, served in Company A, 26th South Carolina Infantry Regiment during the War Between the States 1861 - 1865. His great-great grandfather, Cornelius Benjamin Dusenbury, served with the South Carolina militia under Brigadier General Francis "Swamp Fox" Marion during the American Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign against the British in 1780 - 1781.
Before he left to go fight in the Pacific Theater, the local members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) in Florence gifted the departing Dusenbury the Dixie Cross pattern battle flag that he would carry with him in his regulation Marine M1 Helmet throughout his service between 1943 - 1945 as a reminder of home and family.
 |
| U.S. Navy poster using the image of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to encourage young men from Virginia to join up for service, circa 1942. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy. |
Around the time World War II came about, the Dixie Cross was already enjoying a renewed popularity as a regional symbol of Southern identity and individuality. When the war began, the U.S. military sometimes used war propaganda to appeal to the martial spirit of Southerners to join up and fight. Many of the Southern-born men who fought in World War II were themselves proudly descended from Confederate soldiers and veterans.
Southerners have long been among the most willing to volunteer to serve in America's military from the Continental Army of the Revolutionary War (and yes as British Provincials too) to serving as both Confederate and Union soldiers in the War Between The States, and in all wars afterwards as U.S. military personal right up to the current-day War on Terror in Afghanistan.
 |
| Captain John D. "Studd" Felming of Columbia, Tennessee waving the Dixie Cross banner from the window of his B-29 Super Fortress as he prepares to take off on a bombing run in 1945. Photo courtesy of the National Department of Archives |
U.S. servicemen carried the Dixie Cross with them in their helmets, in their pockets, or displayed them with their personal affects during the war. The Dixie Cross was there for most of the major actions of the war until the final liberation of Europe from Nazi fascism and the liberation of the Pacific from Japanese imperialism.
In Europe, a company made up primarily of Alabama born U.S. Army soldiers flew the flag as a symbol of their unit when Nazi Waffen SS soldiers surrendered to them. The flag flew on an American tank of the U.S. 12th Armored Division when the unit helped liberate the Nazi's concentration camps at Dachau in Western Germany. When the Allies secured military victory over Germany, a tank officer carried that same flag into occupied Berlin.
In the Pacific, Marine Colonel William O. Brice of South Carolina flew the flag as his base in the Solomon Islands. One of the 26 United States Navy's Cleveland-class light cruisers, the USS Columbia (CL-56) flew the Dixie Cross flag as a battle insignia during the entire South Pacific war. This was done to pay tribute to the ship's namesake, Columbia, the capital city of the State of South Carolina. At the end of the Pacific war, as the USS Mississippi (BB-41) steamed into Tokyo Bay to be present at the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945, it too was flying the Confederate battle flag.
 | |
| Lt. General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, the most highly decorated Marine in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps, the only Marine to receive five Navy Crosses, and the most highly regarded legend in the annals of a military organization was a life member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. |
Knowing these details its absurd that modern-day Neo-Nazi groups could be taken seriously in their wrongful display of this flag for their own sordid and hateful cause. That any so-called informed, free-thinking individual still takes such attempts at co-opting the Dixie Cross seriously in the 21st century speaks unhappy volumes about the success of the propaganda of racial division.
But that's an argument for another time.
Captain Dusenbury joined the 1st Marine Division in 1944 then under the command of then Colonel Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller, a native of Virginia and a life member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Shortly thereafter Dusenbury was wounded fighting at the Battle for Peleliu, one of the bloodiest battles in U.S. Marine Corps history, during the Mariana and Palau Campaign (Operation Forager).
The 1st Marines under Puller's command lost 1,749 out of approximately 3,000 men during the fighting on Peleliu. They would later lose just about as many men (1,655) fighting on Okinawa.
It is alleged that Captain Dusenbury first publicly displayed his Dixie Cross banner on Peleliu, much to the approval of the Marines of A Company, many of whom were also Southern-born and regarded the battle flag in a positive light.
Dusenbury was awarded the Silver Star and his first Purple Heart for his gallantry and leadership in Peleliu. His official Silver Star Citation reads:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Captain Julian D. Dusenbury (MCSN: 0-10785), United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as Commanding Officer, Company A, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Peleliu Island, Palau Group, 15 and 16 September 1944. Gallantly leading his troops in the assault of the enemy-held beachhead on D-Day, Captain Dusenbury braved the concentrated enemy fire to direct his men in repulsing two enemy tank counterattacks, thereby destroying several tanks. Under intense artillery, mortar and machine-gun fire, he led his assault company across fourteen hundred yards of open airfield and, although severely wounded by shell fragments after reaching his objective at the far side of the airfield, continued to direct his troops in driving the Japanese from strongly fortified positions until he was ordered by the Battalion Commander to return to the rear for treatment. By his aggressive fighting spirit and inspiring leadership under fire, Captain Dusenbury contributed materially to the success of his battalion and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. General Orders: Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force Pacific: Serial 00436. [1]
As the captain of Company A, 1st Marine Division, Captain Dusenbury had the honor of briefly hosting famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle on Okinawa for a brief time before his unfortunate death on April 18th. He is mentioned in Pyle's book, The Last Chapter (1949) published after his death. In the book, Dusenbury is described as a bold leader, brave in combat, exceptional with command, and yet easygoing with his men who adored their "skipper". He preferred the company of his noncoms to many of his fellow officers. After the war, 1st Sergeant Martin "Birddog" Clayton of Dusenbury's company remarked: "it was hard not to like Julian, as a C.O. or as a friend."
Dusenbury was wounded twice on Okinawa. The first time was on June 18th. Despite being wounded, the South Carolinian would not leave his men and continued to fight with them.
 |
| U.S. Marines on Okinawa holding a captured Japanese yosegaki hinomaru (Good Luck Flag). These flags were given to individual Japanese soldiers by their friends and family with written messages as reminders of home. Southern boys were not the only men in the war to carry personal banners not officially authorized by their government. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps |
While the Marines battled through the mud and blood up the draw, the Army’s 77th U.S. "Statue of Liberty" Division was approaching Shuri from the east. To the west, the 6th Marines were pushing into the capital city of Naha. Faced with this overwhelming force, Japanese General Ushijima’s army retreated to the south and ultimately their final stand.
On the morning of Tuesday, May 29, 1945, A Company, Red Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, commanded by Captain Julius Dusenbury, approached to within 800 yards of Shuri Castle. This is an amazing feat in itself as Dusenbury's company had been cut off from the the battalion the day before, was surrounded, and practically out of ammo. The night prior to the assault on Shuri Julian reportedly crawled through mud, over bodies, and sneaked past Japanese sentries 9 times to drag back boxes of ammunition through enemy lines to his men.
Shuri Castle had been shelled by the battleship USS Mississippi for three days before this advance. Due to this, the 32nd Army withdrew to the south. The castle lay within the zone of the 77th Infantry Division, however, General Ushijima’s rear guard had stalled the 77th’s advance, and only frantic efforts by the commander and staff of the 77th Infantry Division prevented an American airstrike and artillery bombardment which would have resulted in many casualties due to friendly fire.
 |
| U.S. Marines hunting a Japanese sniper at Shuri Castle during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945. The sniper was responsible for wounding Captain Dusenbury. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps |
With the fall of Shuri Castle, the Imperial Japanese Army headquarters, victory on the island was assured and with victory on Okinawa the end of ground combat in WW II was at hand.
It was during the wiping up process that Captain Dusenbury was shot in the back by a Japanese sniper, severing part of his spine and destroying his spleen, putting him in a wheelchair for the remaining thirty years of his life.
Throughout the entire campaign, Dusenbury carried the Dixie Cross with him tucked inside the suspension webbing of his military issue M1 Helmet. After the now twice wounded captain was evacuated, his men found the battle flag inside his helmet.
 |
| The last photo of Lieutenant General Simon Buckner Jr. taken before his death on June 18, 1945, on Mezido Ridge observing the final attack of U.S. forces against the remaining Japanese holdouts. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps |
While many of the Marines of Company A -- particularly those from the American South -- cheered the flag, others had serious objections.
Major General Andrew Bruce the commanding general of the 77th Division, protested to the 10th Army command, objecting because originally his Army troops were supposed to take the castle and not the Marines. General del Valle also protested the presence of the Dixie Cross, but General Buckner only mildly chided del Valle, saying, "How can I be sore at him? My father fought under that flag!"
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| Lt. Col. Richard P. Ross Jr., commander of 3rd Battalion, 1st U.S. Marines raising the 48 Star Old Glory at the remains of Shuri Castle. Unfortunately no photo exists of the original Dixie Cross flying over the ruins. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Marine Corps. |
Captain Dusenbury's Dixie Cross only flew on the ruins of Shuri Castle for two days when it was formally lowered on Thursday, May 31, 1945 and replaced with the U.S. Flag by the commander of the 3rd Batallion, Lieuntenant Colonel Richard P. Ross Jr. Dusenbury's flag was presented to Gen. Buckner as a souvenir.
Tragically, just days before Okinawa fell, General Buckner was killed by an enemy shell on Monday, June 18, 1945, on Mezido Ridge while observing a Marine attack. Buckner became the highest ranking U.S. officer killed in war to date. He is buried in a family plot at Frankfort Cemetery in Frankfort, Kentucky next to his father, the Confederate general and former Kentucky governor.
The final whereabouts of Captain Dusenbury's Dixie Cross banner remains unknown to this day.
Although Captain Julian Dusenbury was put in for the Medal of Honor for his actions on Okinawa, he instead received the Navy Cross. Though some speculate that this was due to the display of the Confederate battle flag, it was more likely that it was downgraded due to the fact that there were already three Medals of Honor awarded to men from the 1st Division for actions during the battle. The Navy Cross was still a pretty high honor to get, as well as a second Purple Heart.
The citation for his Navy Cross reads:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Captain Julian D. Dusenbury (MCSN: )-10785), United States Marine Corps (Reserve), for extraordinary heroism as Commanding Officer of Company A, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, FIRST Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 7 May 1945. During an assault against strongly fortified enemy positions which threatened the advance of the entire front, Captain Dusenbury repeatedly braved intense hostile fire to ensure the success of his company’s advance. When one of the platoon commanders was seriously wounded during a critical phase of the assault, he reorganized the platoon and, in the face of intensified enemy fire, led it in continuing the attack. Fearlessly moving among his entire company front to coordinate the advance of the troops with supporting tanks, he personally directed the fire of the tanks in destroying several Japanese strong points. Although painfully wounded during the initial stages of the advance, he refused to be evacuated and continued to direct the attack until Japanese resistance was broken and the positions overrun. By his initiative and indomitable fighting spirit, Captain Dusenbury served as an inspiration to his men, and his leadership throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. [2]
Though he was attributed with the raising of the Dixie Cross over the ruins of Shuri Castle -- an event for which he was not even present -- and denied the Medal of Honor, according to his grandson, Mr. Stuart Moore, he reportedly went to his grave never regretting being denied the nation's highest military honor saying he instead preferred being known for flying the noble banner of the American Southland.
After a long recovery, he returned to his home in Florence in 1946, and retired as a Major. He also received Clemson’s Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
Dusenbury had to spend the rest of his days in a wheelchair but remained active, both as a farmer and as a South Carolina legislator. He served in the SC State House of Representatives from 1948-1950 and 1952-1954. He then served with a number of civic, veterans, and political organizations.
On Friday, January 30, 1976 he died of complications of his long-endured injury. Major Julian D. Dusenbury is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Florence, SC.
The Julian Delano Dusenbury Presidential Scholarship ($1500) at Clemson is given annually in his memory. Marine Corps League Detachment 410 in Florence is named in his memory.
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