Stories by Others About the Sixth Division, the Marines, and World War II
Searching for My Dad's Buddies: Corporal Grant E. Soper
by Bob McGowan
My Dad was a squad leader in the 3rd Platoon, H/3/29. All my life I heard about my Dad's men who were killed on Okinawa, most of them on May 14, 1945 in one costly assault on a little hill of to the left of Sugar Loaf. Like most Marines, my Dad spoke of them by their last name only: Soper, Martin, Laney, Pallo, and so forth. As far back as I can remember, I knew that my Dad's best buddy was Corporal Soper. I knew that they shared a fox hole and that Soper was killed on the same day my Dad and most of their platoon were killed or wounded. I knew that when my Dad scrounged "Ten and One" C-rations from the Army that eleven rations spread among the 13 Marines left two guys hungry, my Dad and Soper. That made a big impression on me as a kid. A Marine feeds his men first, and his buddy would rather go hungry with him than eat in front of him.
After my Dad died in 1999 I started trying to locate his buddy. I saw from the Honor Roll in the History of the Sixth Marine Division that his full name was Grant Elmer Soper. I searched online and found a Grant Soper that was born in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1923. I wrote the local library, and they sent me a copy of an article and a picture that was published after his parents were notified of his death. I registered Grant in the Registry of the WWII Memorial, and shortly after that I was contacted by Pat Soper, Grant's niece. She told me that Grant was one of four boys, three of whom fought in WWII, including Pat's father, Roy. I arranged to meet Pat and her husband, Jim Zeleniak, to tell them what I knew of Grant and what happened on 5/14/45. After my Dad was gravely wounded, he gave Grant command of the squad, which was down to three men. Before Dad crawled into a tomb and passed out, the last thing he saw was Grant and PFC Josephus Judge going over the top of the hill. They never came back.
Pat told me where Grant was buried, and later that year I made my way to Poughkeepsie to pay my respects. As I drove past the rivers and streams of the Mid-Hudson Valley, I thought of how my Dad would have loved to visit Grant after the war to hunt and fish and have a beer or two. The cemetery was beautiful. The staff drew me a map to Grant's grave, and I headed over there. From a distance I could see the name SOPER carved in a large headstone with a big Eagle, Globe and Anchor. I affixed one of the small 6th MARDIV emblems at the base, saluted, and then I called Pat. I can't remember what we said, but I think we both cried. I know I did. As I was standing there, two Mallard ducks went flying past, haulin' ass. It reminded me of two Marines, going hell bent for leather; now you see them, now they're gone.
final resting place of Corporal Grant E. Soper
This is from the WWII Memorial Registry:.
Grant E. Soper U.S. Marine Corps Poughkeepsie, NY
ENLISTED ON 12/9/43. TRAINED AT PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA AND PUERTO RICO. STATIONED AT WASHINGTON D.C. FOR SIX MONTHS BEFORE JOINING THE SIXTH MARINE DIVISION. SERVED IN THE 1ST SQUAD, 5RD PLATOON, H COMPANY, 3RD BATTALION, 29TH MARINE REGIMENT. KILLED IN ACTION ON 5/14/45, WHILE PARTICIPATING IN THE ASSAULT ON SUGAR LOAF HILL.
My original entry also included "He was my Dad's best friend," but they edited that out for some reason; I have no idea why. But I'm here to tell you that it was the truth.
Sixth Marine Division