Skip to content

Carl Joseph Willenborg

Marine Corps Regular | Service Number 815877
Born

March 8, 1924
in Dyersville, IA

Parents

Bernard B. “Ben” Willenborg
Amalia M. “Molly” (Gerken) Willenborg

School

Independence High School (1942)
Independence Junior College (1 year)

Pre-War Employment

Family farm

Entered Service

January 14, 1943
at Des Moines, IA

Joined First Battalion

August 26, 1943
from Camp Elliott, CA

Left First Battalion

June 15, 1944
Killed in action at Saipan

Left Service

June 15, 1944
Killed in action

Home Address and Next of Kin

Rural Route 1, Independence, IA – home of parents, Ben & Molly Willenborg

Service & Campaigns
Before joining battalion

Enlisted 14 January 1943 at Des Moines, Iowa. Boot camp at MCRD San Diego with Eleventh Recruit Battalion; infantry training at Camp Elliott, California through August 1943.

Joined Able Company, First Battalion, 24th Marines at Camp Pendleton, California, 26 August 1943.

Roi-Namur

Outfit: A/1/24th Marines
Rank: Private First Class
MOS: 745 (Rifleman)

Campaign Narrative

Saipan

Outfit: A/1/24th Marines
Rank: Corporal
MOS: 653 (Squad/Fire Team Leader)
– Additional duty as Boat Guide, First Platoon, A/1/24
Important Events: 
June 15, 1944 – killed in action (shrapnel wounds, body); exact circumstances unknown.
June 25, 1944 – buried Plot 3, Row 7, Grave 602, Fourth Marine Division Cemetery.

Campaign Narrative

Individual Decorations

Medal
Purple Heart

Campaign
Saipan (June 15, 1944)

Citation

Gallery

1 thought on “Carl J. Willenborg”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome aboard! If you're looking for www.1stbattalion24thmarines.com – you're in the right place.

We're still working to get all the content from the old site to the new server, so if you can't find what you're looking for, it's probably in the queue. Check out the "NEWS" tab for the latest updates.

Thanks,
Geoffrey

X