After a year of looking I finally have managed to locate a original 5th Marine Division service coat. This jacket is named to a Marine who enlisted in 1937 and was a truck driver through his entire career and later was attached to the 5th Marine Division as a Truck Driver and an Officer Mess cook. If he was attached to the Division he must have went to Iwo but I won't know for sure until I get his service record.Update 11/12 I did receive this Marines paperwork and unfortunately some of his pages were missing. It has him leaving San Diego then the next entry has him leaving Japan! There is a lot of missing paperwork with this one. According to the Rosters he is listed in the 5th Truck Transport Battalion in January and April entries and the battalion was stationed at Iwo through February but nothing definitive. Even more odd is that he disappears off ancestry, other than his single census info from the 1930's he's USMC rosters is the only information listed on any database. It's like he only lived for the corp!
maybe you should try the other branches of the armed forces i heard some marine getting injured on iwo later joined the air force
ReplyDeleteYes, one Marine in particular Pfc Lee Dortsch, C 1/26 was WIA in The Battle Of Iwo Jima and was later discharged from the USMC for his injuries. He was later able to join the Air Force fighter pilot where he in the Viet Nam War.
ReplyDeleteI only collect WWII USMC, but the exception is local Vets. I found a WWII OD transitional Ike jacket with Air Force rank on the sleeves and have sent out for the records, I should have something shortly.
Thank you for your comment!
Leonardo