Gerald L. Kyes – formerly Corporal Kyes, C/1/24 – passed away on April 26, 2016, just three days after his ninetieth birthday.
“Kyser” was born and raised in Skowhegan, Maine, and dropped out of high school to enlist in the Marines at the age of seventeen. He joined Charlie Company in September 1944 as a replacement rifleman, and was one of only a handful to survive the battle of Iwo Jima unwounded. Following his discharge from the Corps in 1946, Mr. Kyes returned to Skowhegan to finish high school. He would spend most of his life in Maine as the proprietor of a market and a small motel, eventually marrying (his wife, Violet, was a former Navy nurse) and raising a family.
His obituary is available online via Gleeson–Ryan Funeral Home. Thanks to Karen Hofmockel, Gerald’s daughter, for the news.
Semper Fi, Marine.