Lt. Max A. Jeter Biography-1
Lt. Max A. Jeter -- 1943 Alprosa Watch
Commander, Naval Combat Demolition Unit 26
Landed on Utah Beach D-Day, June 6, 1944
​
US Navy Lt. Max Jeter (1916–1979) was the leader of Naval Combat Demolition Unit (NCDU) 26, which landed on Utah Beach at dawn on D-Day (June 6, 1944) prior to the main troop landing.
​
Their responsibility was to clear the beach of obstructions like steel posts topped with explosives and other defenses before amphibious assaults. At Utah Beach, 700 yards of beach was cleared in two hours and another 900 yards by the afternoon.
​
Between the NCDUs at Omaha and Utah beaches, a total of 37 men were killed and 71 wounded, a casualty rate of 52%, making D-Day the bloodiest single day in the history of Naval Special Warfare.​
​
The NCDUs at Omaha Beach were later awarded a Presidential Unit Citation; the men at Utah Beach were recipients of the only Navy Unit Commendation awarded for actions on that day.
​
Max enlisted in the Navy in early 1943, and was stationed at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Base in Fort Pierce, FL. Lieutenant Jeter was put in charge of one the thirty original NCDUs, famously named “Jeeter’s Skeeters”. ​​​
​
Max purchased a waterproof Alprosa brand wristwatch and hand-engraved his name, “Max A Jeter” on the case back. I presume that he wore this watch on D-Day.
​
Max Jeter's watch returned to his son Kimball - June 2025
Pvt. Paul R. Thomer Biography-1
Paul Thomer's Watch Returned to His Family - Sept 2023
​
On Sept 9, 2023, Pvt. Thomer’s watch was returned to his daughter Deborah and her four siblings, exactly 80 years after Paul purchased it. They will treasure it as a tangible memory of their courageous Dad. Semper Fi.
Pvt. Paul Thomer -- 1942 Guadalcanal Marine & His Watch
​
Private Paul R. Thomer (1923–1992) fought at Guadalcanal as a member of the famed 1st Marine Division. Paul was from Pittsburgh PA, and enlisted in the Marines in January 1942.
​
The 1st Marine Division sailed from San Francisco in June, and landed on the island of Guadalcanal on Aug 7, 1942. This was the first major US amphibious landing of World War II. The invasion ignited a ferocious struggle with Japanese forces, marked by seven major naval battles, numerous clashes ashore, and almost continuous air combat through December 1942.
​
The fighting at Guadalcanal took a terrible toll; the 1st Division suffered 650 killed in action and 1,278 wounded, with a further 8,580 contracting malaria and other diseases. As one Marine recalled, ”the Division suffered 100% casualties, with the dead, wounded, and those sick from malaria, dengue fever, jungle rot, malnutrition and combat fatigue… “.
​
Battle-weary and in poor health following the Guadalcanal campaign, the men of the First Marine Division were shipped to Melbourne Australia for nine months recuperation in January 1943. “They were greeted with warm hospitality; these 15,000 young American men found a home away from home”.
​
On Feb 10, 1943, Paul Thome purchased a steel-cased wristwatch from a local Melbourne jewelry store, and had it engraved “Paul R. Thomer ~ U.S.M.C. ~ 343824 ~ Australia ~ 2-10-43”.
​
The 1st Division returned to combat in the South Pacific in October 1943, leading the December offensive at Cape Gloucester, New Britain. “The action they found there has been described as the toughest man has ever endured.” In July 1944, the 1st Division returned to the US for stateside duty. Paul was honorably discharged in 1945.
​
In 1954, Paul married Frances Mary LaRoche in Pittsburgh; in 1962, they moved to California. Paul and Frances had five children – two sons and three daughters. Paul died on February 16, 1992, and is buried with Frances in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, CA.
​