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Ahrens born on November 4, 1919 in Dayton, Kentucky enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on February 3, 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio Ahrens landed with his unit from at Tulagi, Guadalcanal, British Solomon Islands, in the second assault wave on August 7, 1942. That evening, Company “A” took positions for the night west of a cricket ground on the island, as part of the defensive line extending along the ridge. The Japanese later launched a fierce nocturnal counterattack, the enemy concentrated their efforts on Company “A” During the savage battle that ensued, Ahrens, in a security detachment assigned the task of protecting the Raiders’ right flank, single handedly engaged a group of Japanese in hand-to-hand combat. He killed at least two Japanese (including the attacking unit’s senior officer) and aided materially in stopping their infiltration.