Howard Simmons (rear, second from right in Photo #1) was nicknamed “Inky” due to the rapidly growing, thick beard stubble that he seemed unable to keep shaved clean. He was among the first men in the unit to be commended in action, during the Guadalcanal campaign (see Photo #2). He served as platoon sergeant for the 2nd Platoon, which eventually came to be known as “Roy’s Raiders.” He received another commendation for action on Hill 260, when he dragged and carryed wounded men to safety. He and Patrick Farino scrounged materials on Bougainville to build a wooden shack to live in, and even attempted to tap into military electricity to power it (see the shack in Photo #3). During the offensive on Bougainville in October, he made headline news back home for leading an attack which killed a “Jap a Second,” though in reality the 30 enemy soldiers he reportedly killed in 30 minutes actually translated to one per minute. In early 1945 he received a temporary furlough to return home, and afterwards returned to Company G. He returned to the 2nd Platoon, but found himself in an awkward position, now serving under 2nd Lieutenant Jack Morton, a former enlisted man who had received a battlefield commission and had previously been under Technical Sergeant Simmons. Simmons survived the war but died young, in 1964.