This nineteen year old Marine is Robert J. St. Pierre, of 352 College Avenue, Bronx, New York.
St. Pierre was inducted into the Marine Corps on October 4, 1943. He probably possessed some musical talent, as he was selected to attend Field Music School after completing boot camp at Parris Island, but repeated hospital stays kept him from his studies; St. Pierre “washed out” after several months, and was instead assigned to a replacement draft as an ordinary rifleman.
In the winter of 1944, Private St. Pierre was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 24th Marines. He was with the company for only a few weeks before going into combat on Iwo Jima; he endured the D-Day landing and two days of fierce fighting. On February 22, 1945, his company was tasked with advancing across a stretch of open ground; a Japanese mortar barrage caught them in the open, causing nearly twenty casualties in minutes. Of those hit, two were killed – and one of those was Robert St. Pierre.
Six days later, St. Pierre was buried in Grave 364 of the Fourth Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima. He would lie there until 1948, when his remains were returned to his native New York. Today, he lies buried in Long Island National Cemetery, Farmingdale.
When the news or Robert’s death reached his family, Louis St. Pierre sent his surviving son, Louis Jr, outside to play Taps on the bugle every night in honor of their fallen Marine.
With Memorial Day approaching, one hopes that Robert St. Pierre, who hoped to be a bugler himself, will get to hear Taps played in his memory one more time.
The photograph and anecdotal information in this entry were provided by Robert’s nephew, Craig St. Peter.