"SELMA -- The Marine fire team struggled to reach the top of a ridge overlooking a dirt road where Japanese troops were marching down below, unaware of what was going on just above them. Seconds later, the Marines had their machine gun mounted and calibrated. Then they opened up. The Japanese responded in kind. The battle was on. Rifles and automatic weapons, hand grenades and .45-caliber pistols found their targets. The dead and dying were everywhere. The machine gun crew kept firing until an enemy mortar sailed toward it, exploding at the emplacement where the Marines had dug in the best they could in the rocky ridge." World War II veteran deserves Purple Heart | montgomeryadvertiser.com | Montgomery Advertiser