27 Facts About Dave Severance

Dave Elliott Severance was a United States Marine Corps colonel.

Dave Severance was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on February 4,1919.

Dave Severance was raised in Greeley, Colorado before briefly attending college at the University of Washington.

When he ran out of money for school, Dave Severance enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Dave Severance was then assigned to the 8th Marine Regiment in San Diego before attending Paramarine training in July 1941.

In 1943, Dave Severance was deployed to the Pacific Theater with the Paramarines, and by November, his unit was taking part in the Bougainville campaign.

At Bougainville, Dave Severance proved himself in battle by leading his cut off platoon out of a Japanese ambush with minimal casualties.

At approximately 09:55 on February 19,1945, Dave Severance led Easy Company ashore with the twelfth wave at Green Beach One during the battle of Iwo Jima.

When Severance told Colonel Harry B Liversedge that his company was not ready to move out off the beach because his 2nd Platoon was missing, Liversedge threatened Severance with a court martial if he did not find his missing platoon in the next five minutes.

Dave Severance led Easy Company off the beach under heavy fire and played a role in helping to cut Mount Suribachi off from the rest of the island before the day was over.

Dave Severance was unable to have his location marked with flares as the bombs continued to fall closer to his position, and he radioed to Colonel Liversedge to stop the bombing.

The planes were called off and Dave Severance spent the rest of the day preparing for the assault up Mount Suribachi.

Dave Severance decided to send his 3rd Platoon up the mountain, along with 12 Marines from his Weapons Platoon.

Dave Severance later admitted that he thought he was sending the platoon up Suribachi to certain death.

Johnson then ordered Dave Severance to have his Marines lay a telephone wire up to the top of Suribachi.

Dave Severance ordered four Marines from 2nd Platoon, Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporal Harlon Block, and Private First Classes Ira Hayes and Franklin Sousley to reel a telephone wire up the mountain from the battalion command post.

Dave Severance then sent his runner, Private First Class Rene Gagnon, to the battalion command post to obtain radio batteries for Schrier.

Dave Severance continued leading Easy Company in the battle after the flag raising, advancing over the northeast end of the island.

Dave Severance then held the ridge with his Marines despite a heavy barrage of enemy fire.

Dave Severance ignored the requests as his company was still fighting the battle.

Shortly after Sousley was killed, Dave Severance learned that his wife had given birth to a stillborn baby.

Dave Severance was never wounded during the battle, and he was the only Easy Company officer to walk off the line once the battle concluded.

Dave Severance began training a new company in preparation of the invasion of Japan, but then the war ended.

Dave Severance served during the Vietnam War before retiring from the Marines with the rank of colonel in May 1968.

Dave Severance had recommended John Bradley for the Navy Cross for his actions at Iwo Jima.

Dave Severance died on August 2,2021, at his home in La Jolla.

Dave Severance is featured in the 2006 movie Flags of Our Fathers.