Our Dad The Hero

Dad never talked about his service in World War II, which he entered in 1942, as a very young 18 year old Marine right out of high school.  But I've been able to find out a little info about his military service:

Dad had enrolled in the premed program at UW (the ONLY time I will ever mention the Huskies without adding an insult)  but enlisted with the Seattle Platoon of Marines in November 1942.  His unit was the 1060th Platoon, and served with the Fourth Marine Division in the South Pacific.  Here's a link to a history of the 4th Marine Division's role in World War II; they were quite a unit, participating in 4 major amphibious assaults and winning 2 presidential citations in just one year.  He served for 3 years in the Marine Corps.

Dad was awarded the Presidential Citation and the Purple Heart for wounds received in the Battle of Saipan: "For the Americans, the victory was the most costly to date in the Pacific War. 2,949 Americans were killed and 10,364 wounded, out of 71,000 who landed."   Dad also saw action earlier in the war, in the Marshall Islands.


Dad attended UC Berkeley as a "V-12 student" (a program designed to grant bachelor's degrees to future officers in the Navy and Marine Corps).


And further proof that our Dad was a solid citizen:

His Boy Scouts certification as a "Star Scout" (2 ranks below Eagle)


Yay, Our Dad!