U.S. Navy Pharmacist's Mate 1st Class Francis Pierce: The Doc Who Got His Medal

Sometimes, it takes years to receive a Medal of Honor. There is a lot on the internet and in books about Navy Pharmacist’s Mate First Class (Corpsman) Francis J. Pierce, so I will not go into his biography too much since those who are interested can find information about him, unlike the others I have been profiling. However, I was shocked when researching him that his personnel file in the National Archives in St. Louis has hardly been looked at since World War II. The following information, to my knowledge, has never been seen by the public about this brave Navy Corpsman, who we Marines lovingly always refer to as “Docs.” In fact, every Marine with whom I have discussed Corpsmen, including myself, absolutely revere these individuals.

When it comes to the men considered for the Medal of Honor for actions on Iwo Jima, Peirce was one of the lucky ones who was actually awarded, but he had to wait three years to receive his medal while the bureaucracy debated his case. Of all the MOHs this study explored from Iwo Jima, Pierce was one of the bravest men throughout World War II I have studied. At times I astonished as I read his case compared to the others. His commander, U.S. Navy Lt. James D. Carter wrote, “I have never seen before, nor do I ever hope to see again, such a display of courage and devotion to duty.” Pierce defied death to rescue countless lives, kill Japanese and point out enemy positions to attacking forces.

Reading the 12 detailed witness statements collected for his MOH recommendation, one stands in awe with what this man did: “He deliberately exposed himself in open terrain to enemy fire in order to distract the enemies’ attention from the casualties and litter bearers. They describe his actions as ‘suicidal.’”

Think about this—he stood up in the middle of one of the most murderous battlefields Americans have ever fought in so his fellow Marines could locate the hidden firing positions the Japanese were using to kill his boys. And besides offering himself as the bait for his guys, he also rescued as many as he could from that very battlefield. One Marine described Pierce as running around in the middle of the combat zone and suddenly appearing “in the distance down the road carrying a wounded man on his back. Because of his burden he was unable to run. Enemy bullets passed on all sides of him. Finally, he fell to his knees after having traversed about 200 yards, and we went to his aid.” After Pierce turned over this wounded man to his officer, Lieutenant Carter and the stretcher bearers, he “told me that there was one patient left and that he had to get him out before the snipers killed him. I told him it would be suicide to attempt to rescue the man and ordered Pierce to return to the aid station. All this time we were being fired upon….Without warning, Pierce suddenly jumped up and dashed toward the remaining casualty [ignoring his commander’s command]… about 15 minutes later he came struggling down the road carrying the last wounded man on his back” with bullets turning up earth around him. Had he not ignored his commander and left this Marine there, the wounded man would have died.

Later, Pierce “volunteered to lead [a] patrol to the snipers as he knew their exact location” and the Marines eliminated the threat. “On numerous occasions he volunteered to rescue men under intense enemy fire when company commanders ventured the suggestion that rescue was not to be attempted until things quieted down...He was completely fearless.” Lieutenant Carter observed his corpsman firsthand and wrote up a three-page, first-person narrative. Men serving with Pierce wrote:

“As we were carrying three…wounded out Pierce stood up to draw the Jap fire his way, and at the same time he was firing back to cover up. Pierce spotted and shot one Jap [who] was not over 20 to 30 yards from us. It wasn’t long before we ran out of ammunition, and then [Pierce] started giving first aid to the other two wounded, while the Japs were still firing upon him. Having treated the men properly, Pierce proceeded to carry the two men out of fire and into safety… It is my belief…that men as brave and courageous as Pierce are rare...”

This statement, coming from USMC Pvt. Paul J. Neuman who served the entire 36 days on Iwo, spoke volumes for Pierce. USMC Capt. Walter Ridlon described Pierce as an “invaluable aid to my command” who always knew where different units were located. Although seriously wounded, Pierce refused to remove himself. “He volunteered to lead more men with demolitions back to the area and neutralize the position [they had just attacked]. Because of the seriousness of his wounds this request had to be refused.”

USMC PFC Francis S. Brown wrote:

“[Pierce] showed utmost courage, and bravery [throughout] the campaign...I have seen [him] go into places pinned down by machinegun fire and mortar and administer first aid to casualties then carry…many of them to safety on his back when stretcher bearers were [unavailable]. He was an inspiration…to all of us on the front lines because we knew that we had a Corpsman on the job [who] would never let us down….I have seen this Corpsman be on the go from sunrise to sunset tending and evacuating wounded.”

USMC Pvt. Stanley H. Nuttall wrote:

“I was with Pierce for 22 days on Iwo…and I have seen things done by him that I would never do…Twice I have witnessed Pierce carry a casualty in his arms where the terrain was too rough for more than one man to carry anyone. The first time I witnessed the incident a mortar shell exploded about 20 feet from him with the concussion almost knocked him down but he still continued without fear.”

Pierce had countless testimonies giving detailed corroborative first-hand evidence for his deeds. He never bragged or was the source of information for his acts.

Pierce was seemingly everywhere tending to wounded Marines under all circumstances. Initially, his MOH recommendation was downgraded to a Navy Cross. Pierce was also given a Silver Star, breaking up his actions into two acts, but at least keeping the acts separate. Eventually, the Navy Awards and Decorations Board reviewed Pierce’s case, put his awards together and upgraded them into a single decoration: a Medal of Honor. On 26 June 1948, three years after his deeds on Iwo Jima, Pierce stood before Truman and received his medal.

At the same time Pierce’s Navy Cross case was reconsidered and upgraded, another Navy Cross recipient was also being reconsidered: USMC Capt. Walter J. Ridlon from the 4th MarDiv and Pierce’s direct commander in the field. On 21 February on Iwo, when his platoon leaders and NCO’s were wounded trying to take a position, Ridlon moved forward and attacked two bunkers alone. While doing so, he ordered a flamethrower to flame one bunker while he held the defenders of both bunkers at bay with grenades and rifle fire. While the flamethrower sprayed fire into the bunker, he was put out of action, but the enemy position was destroyed. Ridlon continued the attack on the next bunker and was “painfully wounded.” Even so, he continued fighting and neutralized the second bunker. He then commanded his company to join him as he pushed forward and overtook the enemy area his men had just attacked. Many Marines were so impressed with Ridlon, that in 1947 they reinitiated a review process to get him the Medal of Honor.

In the review for this upgrade from a Navy Cross to a MOH, Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal believed Ridlon’s case for a “Medal of Honor appears to be the proper award.” However, the Pacific Fleet Admiral Louis E. Denfeld and his board decided to keep it a Navy Cross. So unlike Pierce, Ridlon did not receive the upgrade and his Navy Cross remained in force.

Pierce is the only Medal of Honor from Iwo Jima that happened years after the battle. Although countless men were later reviewed and people pushed hard for their upgrades like with Captain Ridlon, Pierce is the one and only serviceman from Iwo who got the highest decoration this nation can bestow on a man for bravery after a second review. Maybe the reason this was successful stemmed from his case combining two awards to make one, and thus, not openly declaring that the previous decision by his chain of command was wrong. When a pure upgrade happens, it can be seen as an obvious declaration about previous commanders—and flag officers don’t like admitting they were wrong.

In the end, Pierce is a shining example why Marines throughout time love and kill for their Corpsmen. Often, a Corpsman is the most protected and popular guy in a Marine Corps platoon, not an easy position to obtain among Jarheads, but the type of service these men render us during combat, as shown by Pierce, has created a tradition in the Corps that values Navy Corpsmen in a manner that borders on hero worship—even before the hero has even done a thing.

For more about the forgotten heroes of Iwo Jima, visit bryanmarkrigg.com.