Victor,

Great article, and well deserved praise for the PS by Lt Hoffman.  The first battle he refers to was the Battle of the Points, where Gen Hoffa lost a whole Japanese Battalion, 900 + soldiers, for no gain whatsoever.  I think this is where the famous saying,  "OK Joe, we are here now & you can fall back" started.  When the Scouts arrived on the scene of battle and relieved the "airmen without planes, sailors without ships who had been "pushed into" infantry companies.  "OK Joe, we are hear now!!"  Correct me if I am wrong, but I think this saying, attibuted to the Scouts, was used when the Scouts relieved the "Provisional Infantry Battalions".

This does not take away any of the brave fighting of these sailors without ships or airmen without airplanes, but when the enemy was identified and his numbers ascetained, help was needed and the Scouts were called in.  "OK Joe, was the greeting the PS gave the soldiers they were relieving.

Tom McGeeney