The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, marked the United States’ entry into World War II, but the American military had been preparing for war long beforehand.
The Marine Corps had begun forming defense battalions in late 1939, and in March 1941 the 7th Defense Battalion arrived in American Samoa, becoming the first Fleet Marine Force to operate in the South Pacific.
Facing manpower shortages and other challenges, the unit was granted the authority to form a reserve battalion of native Samoans, and on July 1, 1941, the 1st Samoan Battalion was activated.
“Known unofficially as the ‘Barefoot Marines,’ their unique dress uniform consisted of a khaki wraparound sarong-like cloth called a Lava-Lava,” according to the National Museum of the Marine Corps. “A small red felt shield patch, with an embroidered gold Marine Corps emblem was sewn to the lower end of the garment as well as the Marine’s rank chevrons. Enlisted men wore M1923 cartridge belts on their waist to pair with their M1903 Springfield rifles. A simple white undershirt and a khaki summer service garrison cap (with red piping and red patch) completed the tropical uniform. No shoes were worn.”
The lack of footwear was not unique to the new Marine battalion. Navy Cmdr. Benjamin Franklin Tilley, American Samoa’s first acting governor, established a local defense force in 1900 known as the Fita-Fita Guard. The native Samoans of Fita-Fita, who were placed under the Navy Reserve, also did not wear any shoes.
