Henry Niles Woods

Marine Corps Regular | Service Number 325911

Born

October 19, 1924
in Sturgis, KY

Parents

Cherby Woods
Mary (Clark) Woods

School

Details unknown

Pre-War Employment

Truck driver
Family wholesale fruit business

Entered Service

October 28, 1941
at Louisville, KY

Joined First Battalion

November 21, 1942
from Receiving Station, Philadelphia, PA

Left First Battalion

June 19, 1944
Killed in action at Saipan

Left Service

June 19, 1944
Killed in action

Home Address and Next of Kin

Little Schaefer Road, Evansville, IN – home of parents, Cherby & Mary Woods

Service & Campaigns

Before joining battalion

Boot camp at Parris Island with Fourth Recruit Battalion. Outposted to Marine Barracks, Navy Yard, Philadelphia for duty with Guard Company and Marine Detachment, Receiving Station.

Transferred to Able Company, First Separate Battalion (Reinforced) at New River, NC, on 21 November 1942.

Roi-Namur

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

Campaign Narrative

Saipan

Outfit: A/1/24th Marines
Rank: Private First Class
MOS: 504 (Ammunition Carrier)
Important Events:
June 19, 1944 – killed in action (gunshot wound, head) while on combat patrol seeking Japanese machine gun.
Buried Plot 1, Row 2, Grave 64, Army Cemetery #1

Campaign Narrative

Individual Decorations

Medal
Purple Heart

Campaign
Saipan (June 19, 1944)

Citation
—

A Japanese machine gun was firing. His field of fire was over the top of us, yet he had to be taken care of before we started our northern drive. The C.O. picked three of us to scout his position. We located where he was from in a heavily wooded area. We started back to our company with the recommendation to bring in a tank or an airplane. In the meantime, another Japanese had a machine gun to our left, and we were about 30 yards from our company, when he opened fire on us. The Marines on the left and right of me were killed. I was in the center and fell to the ground. I was able to crawl out of the machine gun range to get medics, but it was too late.