A duck named Sergeant Sea Wash participated in four amphibious landings in the Pacific theater during World War II, including the Battle of Tarawa.
Posted by Bodhi Garrison, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 68%
Sources establish that a duck named Siwash (rendered 'Sea Wash' or 'Seawash' in some coverage) was given the rank of sergeant, served with the 2nd Marine Division, and took part in the Battle of Tarawa, where it survived.
What was said
… So obviously this dude's like. The Marines are like, yeah, we'll take that duck. E4. E3, Lance Corporal. Somewhere right around there, right? And he's like, I got this pet D. Duck. Now, obviously, he brings it with him, okay? He brings this duck with him. This duck participates in four amphibious landings in the Pacific. Holy. Including the amphibious landing of Tarawa, which is, like, one of the deadliest battles in the Pacific of World War II. The duck survived. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. He ends up getting the rank of Sergeant. Sergeant Sea Wash is his name. This duck, okay, Makes it, goes through multiple amphibious landings, apparently. I swear to God, like, I have the sources. I have the time, news articles, and the drawings. …
What we found
Supports. The Marine Corps Times article reports that a duck won in a raffle in New Zealand was given the rank of sergeant and was aboard for the November 20, 1943 Tarawa assault, where it acted heroically.[4]
Supports. The official Marines.mil video describes a duck-mascot Marine landing at Tarawa on November 20, 1943, corroborating the Tarawa participation.[5]
Supports. A transcript-based video names the duck 'Sergeant Seawash' and says it served through Tinian and Saipan after Tarawa, supporting the name variant and additional landings, though its credibility is low.[6]
Context. The sources do not explicitly state the number 'four' for amphibious landings; they name Tarawa, Tinian and Saipan, which is consistent with but does not confirm the count.[4][6]
Context. Several listed sources (PolitiFact listing, Snopes tag page, Full Fact homepage) are unrelated to the duck and provide no directional evidence.[1][2][3]
Sources
6 sources: 3 fact-checkers, 3 not rated
- 1Latest Fact-Checks On TheSeattleTribune.compolitifact.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 2World War II Articles | Page 2snopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 3Full Factfullfact.org · fact-checker · cited for: context
- 4The Marine who was a duck (yes, an actual duck)marinecorpstimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 5Sgt. Siwash | The Mighty Devil Duck - Marines.milmarines.mil · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Sergeant Siwash was no ordinary soldier. She was a duck who loved warm beer and hated roosters.youtube.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post