Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: midnight Target on August 12, 2007, 08:52:49 PM
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My Father-in-law served in the Marine corps in WW2. While visiting him last week I got his unit information. Where would I look for information regarding his unit or surviving membrs?
Here is a Wikipedia snip.. John went with the 1st wave at Bougainville, was wounded on Guam, missed Iwo Jima.
2nd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Division - World War II
The battalion remained disbanded until April 1942. Five months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the unit was activated as part of the 2nd Marine Division. Their headquarters was at Camp Elliot in San Diego, California, where it underwent intensive amphibious training. Before being reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division, the unit was assigned to Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet. The Regiment was sent to Guadalcanal on July 1943 to relieve the 1st Marine Division. 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines participated in the Bougainville campaign of the Solomon Islands in the latter part of 1943. On July 21, 1944, 2/9 participated in the invasion of Guam. The Japanese forces staged seven counterattacks; however the Marines prevailed despite the fact that they suffered over 50% casualties. It was during this initial battle that one Marine, Captain Louis H. Wilson Jr., (who would in the future become a Commandant of the Marine Corps) earned the Medal of Honor. [1] [2]
The 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines were part of the reserve forces for the Battle of Iwo Jima and were committed to the action five days after D-Day. Among the Marines who distinguished themselves on Iwo Jima was Private Wilson D. Watson who was awarded the Medal of Honor. After the island was secured, the unit was sent back to Guam where they underwent training for a possible invasion of the Japanese mainland. The invasion never occurred since hostilities between Japan and the United States came to an end. The 2nd Battalion, 9th Marines was sent to Camp Pendleton where, in December 1945, it was once again disbanded.[3]
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Guppy is the man for the Aviation side of things, I imagine that if you PMed him, he could point you in the right direction.
-Sik
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http://www.archives.gov/
Try here for a start.
Frodo