The Marine, the Man, My Dad

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Charlie, a country boy from Kansas volunteered to serve his country in a time of national emergency. Only one day after his nineteenth birthday, he enlisted into the USMC (United States Marine Corps) on December 8, 1942. He became a corporal, assigned to the Fourteenth Regiment (direct support artillery), Second Battalion, Fourth Division F. Battery, Fox Company. He and his Fourteenth Regiment fought in the famous Fourth Marine Division-a newly created amphibious landing assault fighting force during WWII in the Central Pacific Theater. They fought in the South Pacific against the Imperial Japanese Military. The Fourth Division was made up of the marine's Twenty-Third, Twenty-Fourth, and Twenty-Fifth Regiments, along with the Fourteenth Regiment (artillery support). In Charlie's marine records, it shows the following: muster date (April 1943), Battery F. Second Battalion, Fourteenth Marine, Twenty-Fourth Marine (reinforced) Camp Pendleton. The First, Second, and Third Battalions were the direct support battalions of the Twenty-Fourth Regiment. In combat, Charlie's Fourteenth Regiment, F. Battery was assigned to a single, specific rifle regiment. Keep the Twenty-Fourth Regiment in mind as you read on. Charlie's Fourteenth Regiment, Second Battalion would be the Twenty-Fourth Marine's direct artillery support. The Fourth Division was known as the Magnificent Bastards, second to none. They became the fighting fourth. Their home base during the war was on the Island of Maui, Hawaii. This home base for the Fourth Division became known as Camp Maui. These brave marines became known and loved by the locals. They were soon called the Maui Marines, home only to the marine's Fourth Division. My dad fought in the Kwajalein Atolls on Roi-Namur, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima in the South Pacific. These marines fought successfully against the Japanese, but not without a devastating number of loss from the original Fourth Division. This man Charlie, along with Geraldine, adopted me when I was about nine months old. I am the youngest and proudest daughter of the most loving and caring couple I had the privilege to call Dad and Mom. I have the deepest appreciation and admiration for both these special people. My devotion to their memory goes beyond measure. As an orphan in a Kansas orphanage at one time, I assure you the person that said, "Blood is thicker than water, " wasn't adopted. I say, "Water is just as thick as blood." This kind of love with an open heart runs deep into the very core of one's soul. These gathered stories were recalled to the best of my family's and my memories. There are stories of interest that I think will captivate you while reading. I hope you enjoy this collection of stories during WWII and get a little sense of the marine and the incredible man who was my dad.