MAURICE O. "MO" DARSEY

World War II Interview


By: Kimsey M. "Mac" Fowler

Typed By: Jimmie B. Fowler



Donald Darsey

Son of: Maurice Olin "M.O." Darsey,

Deceased June 13, 1993

2005 Buckeye Road

Dublin, GA 31021



Donald and his wife, JoAnn reported for Maurice Olin Darsey who passed away June 13, 1993. All the information is from their memories, scrapbooks, pictures, newspaper article by Bo Whaley on May 28, 1990 and other memorabilia left by Mr. M.O.



The best that I can remember and from what he told me that he had a good time in the service. He joined the Marines in 1935 after graduating from Buckhorn High School, near Dexter, GA. His first assignment was in Peking, China. Daddy has several pictures during this time showing Chinese people being executed and tortured. He returned to the United States in 1939 and served at the Charleston and Norfolk Navy Yards and reported to New River, North Carolina in 1940. Daddy was in Hawaii and was pulled out from Pearl Harbor the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor.



In May 1942, he and the 1st Marine Division was sent to New Zealand.

It was in New Zealand that the 1st Marine Division really came together. They knew what they had to do.



On August 7, 1942 Daddy went ashore on Guadalcanal to fight the Japanese. Daddy was in the first wave that went ashore, 1st Platoon, Co K, 3rd BN 5th Marine Regiment. They expected resistance immediately from the Japanese, but it didn't happen until fifteen days later. During this time they slept in foxholes.



On August 22, Daddy saw his first of many days of combat on Guadalcanal. On the first day, he saw over a dozen of his best buddies get killed. The fighting lasted four months until December 1942.



Most all his outfit was wiped out. They then went to Australia and stayed there a year training. In December 1943 Daddy went to New Guinea for jungle training. His outfit then moved to New Britain to engage the Japanese. They suffered many casualties and then moved on to the Russell Islands, then back to Guadalcanal. Daddy left some good buddies dead on New Britain. His next battle was the Island Pelilu in September 1944.



Fighting was furious on Pelilu. Daddy was wounded the first day of fighting here. It was near sundown and they were in a shell hole for protection. The radio operator reported that a Japanese tank was running over Marines in the shell holes and killing them. Daddy said they needed ammunition for their bazooka, which he was attempting to get when he was shot by a machine gun bullet. It hit his right hand and stomach ripping off his first two fingers and injured his stomach. He was taken back to a first aid station where he was given a pain killer and then to a hospital ship for surgery. When they were preparing Daddy for surgery, they removed a pin from his shirt pocket. The bullet that wounded Daddy had shot the pin into. This was real close to his heart. Following surgery, he was flown to Guadalcanal and put on a ship for the United States. He landed in California in October 1944. Daddy then went to the San Deigo Hospital for treatment and was given a medical discharge. He arrived home in April 1945.



Jo Ann shared that Mr. Moe had told her that his mother, Maggie Lee Fennell Darsey had prayed for him night and day. He often said that is what kept him going.



I, Kimsey M. "Mac" Fowler remember when I moved to Dublin in 1962 Mr. Darsey was one of the first people I met. He was a joy to be around. Later in the late 70's and 80's I would visit the Rotary Club in Wrightsville, GA where Mr. Darsey was a member.

When Mr. Darsey walked in for the meeting, the whole meeting perked up, he had a way of making people feel good. My wife, Jimmie knew him as being an influential leader in the Laurens County Farm Bureau and the local Gideon Chapter.



Daddy was fire chief at the Dublin V. A. Center for twenty-four years before retiring in 1970.



Jo Ann recalled these two stories. Mr. Moe got hungry for some doughnuts. He found some flour and sugar but no cooking oil. He mixed up the flour and sugar and fried them in axle grease. He said they were real good, but a little bit green!



She continued, he was at another location and was attempting to crawl over a fence, but fell off and was punctured by a sharp object. His buddies wrapped the injury and he had to keep going without medical attention. This left a deep scar in his body, but he survived.



The medals that Daddy received were:

The Bronze Star

The Presidential Citation

Purple Heart

Good Conduct Medal

Asiatic Medal



Other items of interest that Daddy left were:

A large scrapbook with many pictures

Bo Whaley's article from The Dublin Courier Herald on May 28, 1990



Mr. Darsey's parents were C. B. Darsey and Maggie Lee Fennell Darsey.



Mr. M. O. Darsey was married on April 3, 1947 to Glenn Holmes

Darsey daughter of Marvin Lanier Holmes and Biankie Horton Holmes. They had two sons, Donald David Darsey, Sr. and James Lee Darsey.



Donald is married to JoAnn Fordham Darsey. They have one daughter Juliann and one son Donald David, Jr.



James is married to Linda Walker Darsey, they have three children, Jamie, Carrie, and Merry Beth. Their grandchildren are Micah and Kyrie.



Mrs. Glenn Darsey died July 14, 1992. Mr. M. O. died June 13, 1993. Both are buried in the North View Cemetery, Dublin, GA.