This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Jean Nolan Krygelski-Family
to remember
Marine Maj Michael Earl Nolan.
If you knew or served with this Marine and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Attended school in Tucson, Arizona -- Safford Elementary, Roskruge Junior High, and Tucson High School.
Graduated from Tucson High School on May 27, 1932.
Served in Arizona National Guard, 158th Infantry Regiment Medical Detachment, 1928-1933. Ranked Private, Private First Class, Specialist Fourth Class, and Sergeant.
Lettered in varsity football at Tucson High School in 1930 and 1931. Played tackle and guard. Nicknamed "Tarzan." Selected to Conference All-Star, All-Southern Arizona, All-Arizona, and Yuma Sentinel All-State Teams.
Lettered in varsity track and field at THS in 1929, 1930, and 1931. Won medals and set records at Greenway Track and Field Day, Southern Arizona Conference, Southwestern Regional, and Arizona State Meets. Named high-point man in five meets.
Attended the University of Arizona, 1932-1936.
Lettered in varsity football at University of Arizona -- 1933, 1934, and 1936. Played offensive and defensive tackle. Nicknamed "King Kong." Often named Outstanding Player on the Field. Selected to All-Border Conference -- 1933, 1934, and 1936, Arizona Daily Star All-Border Conference, Arizona Wildcat All-Border Conference, and Phoenix Gazette All-Border Conference Teams.
Named to Associated Press All-America Football Team -- Honorable Mention, 1936, the first player from Arizona to be selected.
Named to Liberty magazine All-Players All-America Team, 1936.
Lettered in varsity track and field at U of A, 1934. Competed in shot put, discus, javelin, and high jump. Won medals and set records at Greenway Track and Field Day, Border Conference Track and Field Meet, and Arizona-San Diego State Dual Meet. One javelin record stood for 32 years. Named Outstanding Athlete and High-Point AAU Athlete.
Scored first place in shot put and second in discus at Peruvian national track and field meet in 1957, at the age of 46.
Competed on U of A boxing squad, 1933-1935. Won Southwestern Amateur Athletic Union heavyweight boxing championships, 1934 and 1936, and U of A Intramural championship, 1935-1936.
Won U of A Intramural heavyweight wrestling championship. 1935-1936.
Won Arizona Golden Gloves heavyweight boxing championship by first-round knockout, 1937.
Played professional football with NFL Chicago Cardinals, 1937-1938, the first player from U of A to go pro. Again played right tackle on offense and left tackle on defense. Named All-Pro Honorable Mention, 1937.
Worked as a sparring partner in Livermore, California, for boxer Max Baer, one-time Heavyweight Champion of the World.
Boxed professionally through 1940, including bouts in Arizona, Nevada, Texas, California, and Oregon. Dubbed "Arizona's Heavyweight Sensation - 47." Managed by Frank Paccassi.
Elected to Tucson High School Athletic Hall of Fame, 1996; University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, 1996; Pima County Sports Hall of Fame, 1998; All-Time Arizona Honor Grid Team, 1949; All-Time Rocky Mountain-Southwest Football Team, 1969; Modern All-Stars U of A Football Team, 1969; All-Time University of Arizona 11 Best Players, 1985; Top 50 UA Football Players of All Time, 2013.
Enlisted in United States Marine Corps January 16, 1941. Served in active duty through January 22, 1946, rising from Private to Captain during the war with military specialties of Infantry Officer and Amphibian Truck Officer, and retiring a Major.
Nicknamed "Big Mike," "Iron Mike," and "Saddle Up Mike."
Entered boot camp -- 3rd Platoon, 3rd Recruit Battalion, Marine Corps Base, San Diego California.
3/15-6/20/41 -- Served in Base Service Company, Base Service Battalion, Marine Corps Base, San Diego, California.
5/14/41 -- Promoted to Private First Class.
6/20/41 -- Joined Fleet Marine Force, then 2nd Marine Brigade, FMF, 2nd Defense Battalion, Battery H, Machine Gun Group.
1/21/42 -- Deployed to American Samoa, Wartime Expeditionary Force.
2/4/42 -- Promoted to Corporal. Served as Rifle Squad Leader.
4/1/42 -- Joined 8th Defense Battalion, Special Weapons Group.
5/27/42 -- Participated in the Landing and Occupation of Wallis Island.
Received a temporary transfer to 1st Marine Division (Reinforced) for Solomon Islands Guadalcanal-Tulagi Invasion.
8/12/42 -- Commissioned a Second Lieutenant on the battlefield at Guadalcanal.
9/20/42-1/31/44 -- Volunteered for and served with 3rd Marine Raider Battalion.
9/20/42 -- Joined Company D, 2nd Platoon, Rifle Platoon Leader.
12/31/42 -- Promoted to Lieutenant, Company Officer.
2/21-3/21/43 -- Participated in Landing and Occupation of Pavuvu, Russell Group.
4/1/43 -- Designated to 1st Marine Raider Regiment in the Field, Company D, Company Officer.
5/1/43 -- Assigned to Company M, Company Officer.
7/15/43 -- Assigned to Company K, Company Officer.
9/1/43 -- Designated to 2nd Marine Raider Regiment in the Field, Company K, Company Officer.
11/1/43-1/12/44 -- Participated in Assault on Puruata Island, Seizure and Occupation of Bougainville, including Battle for Piva Trail.
1943 -- Awarded Silver Star, Purple Heart.
1/26/44 -- Designated to lst Marine Raider Regiment in the Field, Company K, Company Officer.
1/31/44 -- Promoted to Captain.
2/1/44 -- Designated to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company K, Commanding Officer.
3/20-4/11/44 -- Participated in Occupation and Defense of Emirau, Mussau Islands.
6/16/44 -- Joined 5th Marine Division, 27th Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company G, Commanding Officer.
9/14/44 -- Joined 5th Division, 27th Regiment, Headquarters & Service Company, Weapons Company, Commanding Officer.
10/25/44 -- Joined 5th Division, 5th Motor Transport Battalion, 5th Amphibian Truck Company, Commanding Officer.
2/19-3/22/45 -- Commanded the battalion-sized 5th Amphibian Truck Company in the Assault and Capture of Iwo Jima, Volcanic Islands.
1945 -- Awarded Purple Heart.
9/23-10/25/45 -- Participated in Occupation of Japan, Landing at Sasebo, Kyushu.
11/9/45 -- Joined Headquarters Battalion, Headquarters Company, Department of Pacific, San Francisco, California.
Served 44 months of foreign and sea service.
Wounded in battle multiple times, including gunshot wound to the leg, shrapnel in the shoulder, injuries to both hands, and hearing problems due to a nearby exploding mortar.
Served postwar in Reserve and Ready Reserve. First assigned to General Service Unit, 11th Marine Corps Reserve District, and then to 12th Marine Corps Reserve & Recruitment District, with military occupational specialties of Amphibian Truck Officer, Infantry Officer and, finally, Engineer Officer.
Completed active duty Cold Weather Training, January 11-23, 1952.
On June 24, 1952, named Executive Officer, 3rd Supply Company, Tucson Reserve, and served as member of Volunteer Training Unit (Guided Missile).
Attained rank of Major on June 28, 1952.
Became a member of the Retired Reserve on July 1, 1963, and retired from USMC on January 1, 1971.
On November 20, 1998, inducted into Marine Corps Mustang Association, honoring officers rising from the enlisted ranks.
During 1930s and 1940s, employed as construction worker, heavy equipment operator, and foreman in residential and commercial building, Larmour Construction Company; special patrolman, Tucson Police Department; welder, steel structural designer, and superintendent, Austad Welding/Steel & Construction Company; firefighter and driver, Tucson Fire Department, 1946-1951. Held contractor's license in cast stone, ornamental plaster, concrete, and cement.
Returned to the University of Arizona in 1951, and earned Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering on May 25, 1955.
Employed as engineer, Isbell Construction Company, Silverbell mining project, Arizona, 1955-1957; engineer, Utah Construction Company, Toquepala copper mine, Peru, 1957-1958; forest engineer, United States Forest Service, Coronado National Forest, 1959-1975, in charge of engineering design, construction, and maintenance in the 1,875,000-acre forest.
After retirement from USFS, wrote seven novels.
Married Nellie Ahee, June 12, 1946. The couple had one daughter, three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Other Comments:
The family is grateful to Corporal Roger Rape for creating a Military Service Page on Together We Served in 2011, to remember Major Michael Earl Nolan.
Grabbing the Brass Ring & An Extraordinary Life, a novel written by Michael Earl Nolan, plus the compiled biography of his life, was published by Starsys Publishing Company in 2014.
Additional manuscripts are "Catanma," "Richard Carver," "In Memory Of," "Rule or Serve," "Last of the Line," and "The Specialist."
Western Pacific Campaign (1944-45)/Battle of Iwo Jima
From Month/Year
February / 1945
To Month/Year
March / 1945
Description The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945), or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States Armed Forces fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese Empire. The American invasion had the goal of capturing the entire island, including its three airfields (including South Field and Central Field), to provide a staging area for attacks on the Japanese main islands. This five-week battle comprised some of the fiercest and bloodiest fighting of the War in the Pacific of World War II.
After the heavy losses incurred in the battle, the strategic value of the island became controversial. It was useless to the U.S. Army as a staging base and useless to the U.S. Navy as a fleet base. However, Navy SEABEES rebuilt the landing strips, which were used as emergency landing strips for USAAF B-29s.
The Imperial Japanese Army positions on the island were heavily fortified, with a dense network of bunkers, hidden artillery positions, and 18 km (11 mi) of underground tunnels. The Americans on the ground were supported by extensive naval artillery and complete air supremacy over Iwo Jima from the beginning of the battle by U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviators.
Iwo Jima was the only battle by the U.S. Marine Corps in which the Japanese combat deaths were thrice those of the Americans throughout the battle. Of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima at the beginning of the battle, only 216 were taken prisoner, some of whom were captured because they had been knocked unconscious or otherwise disabled. The majority of the remainder were killed in action, although it has been estimated that as many as 3,000 continued to resist within the various cave systems for many days afterwards, eventually succumbing to their injuries or surrendering weeks later.
Despite the bloody fighting and severe casualties on both sides, the Japanese defeat was assured from the start. Overwhelming American superiority in arms and numbers as well as complete control of air power — coupled with the impossibility of Japanese retreat or reinforcement — permitted no plausible circumstance in which the Americans could have lost the battle.
The battle was immortalized by Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the raising of the U.S. flag on top of the 166 m (545 ft) Mount Suribachi by five U.S. Marines and one U.S. Navy battlefield Hospital Corpsman. The photograph records the second flag-raising on the mountain, both of which took place on the fifth day of the 35-day battle. Rosenthal's photograph promptly became an indelible icon — of that battle, of that war in the Pacific, and of the Marine Corps itself — and has been widely reproduced.
