Article Comments - DAVE TABER

The Marines on Guadalcanal
DAVE TABER, 1st Raider Battalion
Dave Taber was one of "Horse Collar" Smith's communicators who fought bravely among Sweeney's men. Six of the seven men were casualties that night.

We were on top of the ridge near the command post. Major Bailey came up and made an eloquent speech. He said something like this: "All you fellows have buddies and friends that have been wounded and killed, and it will all be in vain if we lose the airfield. Now let's get out, hold the line, and save the airfield. If we lose the airfield, we're going to lose the island." That was about the gist of it. It was quite dramatic and got everybody moving. I thought to myself it was almost like something out of a movie. I like this a lot, if it had been myself out there and people that I had been in combat with and had grown to know and like a lot I would feel very inspired to go out and do what had to be done in order to avenge those people and make what they did for their country worth while. I also like how this man said that this was like a quote from a movie; exactly what I was thinking when I was reading it, is, this would make a great line in a war movie. -Alexandra Butler 3/30/09 10:52 AM
I was with a close friend of mine, Ike Arnold. (Ike's name was really Herman Arnold, but I called him Ike.) We each had five or six grenades. We went out. I'm not sure what happened, but somehow we got separated from some of the other guys. I probably would have been freaking out had I been separated from the rest of my men with limited communication, as well. -Alexandra Butler 3/30/09 10:55 AMIn fact we were a little too extended, I guess. When the Japs attacked, we were throwing grenades. There was a lot of shooting going on, a lot of action: rifle fire, grenades moving so fast. It has to be extremely hard when things are happening very rapidly, especially when you have been separated from the rest of your men, I think I would have been throwing grenades left and right (probably like they were) to make sure that I was safe. -Alexandra Butler 3/30/09 10:57 AMAnyway, we were throwing grenades down the ridge, and then all the sudden Ike talked to me. [Choking up, Taber said, "I'd rather not go through this," but then continued.] He called me Tabe. He said very calmly, "Tabe, I've been hit." I turned to him. He was off to my side a little, and I said, "Where?" He said, "In the throat." He no more than said that, and he was dead. This has to be so terrible, I don't know if it would make me weak and want to stop, or if it would make me stronger and want to go out and avenge what happened to my friend. I think it may all depend upon a persons age; in my opinion, the younger people would get extremely angry first and not even think about what to do next. While, on the other hand, older people would feel sad, and a little angry as well, but would think logically and not let their emotions control them. -Alexandra Butler 3/30/09 10:59 AMHe must have been hit in the jugular vein or an artery. Blood just gushed out. I had my arm underneath him, across his back, and I lowered him down to the ground. [crying] There's nothing you could do. He was a very good friend of mine. I looked around, and I was all by myself. This has to be such a horrid moment. One second you are slightly comforted by your friend so at least you aren't completely alone, and the next second you are alone and your friend and fellow American is lying dead beside you on the ground. -Alexandra Butler 3/30/09 11:03 AM
I thought to myself that I better get back and make contact with the others. I didn't know whether to crawl back or walk back because there was danger both ways. We'd been told what to do in these cases. I acted without even thinking. I would think that 'acting without thinking' would be a very common thing; soldiers are in complete shock and just do what their gut instincts says, instead of thinking about it. However, they don't have much time anyway, to think a lot, so that may be a good thing. -Alexandra Butler 3/30/09 11:05 AMI decided to stay on my feet. It was pitch dark. I was walking a little bit, and all the sudden I heard something behind me and along comes a grenade right through the air and the fuse is burning! Before I knew what I was doing, I fell on my face away from it. Very gut instinct, as well as what soldiers are trained to do. I would most likely just drop because I would be so scared already. -Alexandra Butler 3/30/09 11:07 AMAs I was going down, I turned to see where the grenade was falling; it fell in between my feet. I had sharpnel between my feet and legs. I was a little stunned but got up. I was in shock, and nothing was bothering me. I'm walking along slowly and heard a Japanese voice behind me and he was talking to me. He must have thought I was a Jap going up in front of him. I had a .03 rifle and I swung around and shot, and he dropped as I kept on going. You have to be calm (as calm as you can be) and think quickly, as well as not feel emotion towards anything at the time. You need to view it as simply your job, as well as your life of theirs. -Alexandra Butler 3/30/09 11:09 AMI finally got back [to the CP], and one of the first people I ran into was Horse Collar Smith, who was wounded.