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Casualty Info
Home Town Springfield
Last Address Rt. 2 Springfield
Casualty Date Feb 19, 1945
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Unknown, Not Reported
Location Japan
Conflict World War II
Location of Interment Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial - Honolulu, Hawaii
This ribbon will display Multiple Award devices automatically based on the total number of awards listed.
Details Behind Award
THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION to Assault Troops of the Fifth Amphibious Corps, Reinforced United States Fleet Marine Force for service as set forth in the following CITATION: "For extraordinary heroism in action during the seizure of enemy Japanese-held Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, February 19 to 28, 1945. Landing against resistance which rapidly increased in fury as the Japanese pounded the beaches with artillery, rocket and mortar fire, the Assault Troops of the FIFTH Amphibious Corps inched ahead through shifting black volcanic sands, over heavily mined terrain, toward a garrison of jagged cliffs, pillboxes and blockhouses commanding all approaches. Often driven back with terrific losses in fierce hand-to-hand combat, the Assault Troops repeatedly hurled back the enemy's counterattacks to regain and hold lost positions, and continued the unrelenting drive to high ground and Motoyama Airfield No.1, captured by the end of the second day. By their individual acts of heroism and their unfailing teamwork, these gallant officers and men fought against their own battle-fatigue and shock to advance in the face of the enemy's fanatical resistance; they charged each strongpoint, one by one, blasting out the hidden Japanese troops or sealing them in; within four days they had occupied the southern part of Motoyama Airfield No. 2; simultaneously they stormed the steep slopes of Mount Suribachi to raise the United States Flag; and they seized the strongly defended hills to silence guns commanding the beaches and insure the conquest of Iwo Jima, a vital inner defense of the Japanese Empire." For the President, John L. Sullivan Secretary of the Navy
