Paul Stanton Treitel

"Bottle"

Marine Corps Regular | Service Number O-6471

Born

April 7, 1916
in Woonsocket, RI

Parents

Herbert Woog Treitel (d. 1938)
Selma Martha (Michel) Treitel
later Mrs. Selma Wexler

School

Commerce High School
Naval Academy Preparatory Class
US Naval Academy, Annapolis (1940)

Pre-War Employment

Professional Marine

Entered Service

June 6, 1940
at Annapolis, MD

Joined First Battalion

October 3, 1944
from HQ, Third Battalion, 23rd Marines

Left First Battalion

March 9, 1945
to Headquarters, Fourth Marine Division

Left Service

June 5, 1962
Retired

Home Address and Next of Kin

105 Greenwood Avenue, Wyncote, PA – address of wife, Mrs. Dorothy Helen (Newton) Treitel

Service & Campaigns

Before joining battalion

Commissioned as second lieutenant on 6 June 1940, after graduation from the US Naval Academy, Annapolis. Further instruction at the Basic School, Philadelphia Navy Yard, through early 1941. Joined Company A, Training Center, MCB Quantico as company commander on 8 April 1941, and held that role through late summer 1942. Transferred to Schools Battalion, Training Camp New River, as a captain; appointed headquarters company commander in October 1942.

In summer of 1943, transferred to Camp Pendleton, CA, to join the Third Battalion, 24th Marines, as battalion executive officer. Served also as skipper of M/3/24th Marines and HQ/3/24th Marines while training at Camp Pendleton.

Participated in the battles of Roi-Namur (Major, commanding HQ/3/24); Saipan (Major, battalion executive officer through 19 June; took over as battalion commander), and Tinian (Major, commanding BLT 3-24). Slightly wounded in action at Saipan on 16 June 1944; awarded Purple Heart.

Transferred to First Battalion, 24th Marines as battalion commander on 3 October 1944.

Iwo Jima

Outfit: HQ/1/24th Marines
Rank: Major
MOS: Battalion commander
Important Events:
March 9, 1945 – relieved of duty and transferred to Headquarters Company, Fourth Marine Division. Battalion command passed to Lt. Col. Austin R. Brunelli.

Campaign Narrative

After leaving battalion

Served in various staff roles with Headquarters Battalion, Fourth Marine Division at Camp Maui through the end of the war.

In 1946, joined the staff of Commander Amphibious Force, Atlantic Fleet aboard USS Taconic, through July 1948. Recruiting duty out of Grand Rapids, Michigan through the end of 1949; promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Further service at Camp Lejeune; Naval Base Norfolk, VA; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL; Quantico, VA; and with the 7th Fleet out of San Francisco. Last appears on available muster rolls in October 1958, with the 2nd Marines out of Camp Lejeune.

Further service details unknown. Retired on 5 June 1963, after 22 years of active duty.

Individual Decorations

Medal
Purple Heart

Campaign
Saipan (June 16, 1944)

Citation

By the time we assaulted Iwo, I had been made a major and was the 1st Battalion’s operational officer. The battalion’s commander was an Annapolis graduate named Major Paul Treitel. He was a career man and naturally resented the fact that he hadn’t been made lieutenant colonel, the rank his job called for. Regular officers were always more concerned about their rank than reserve officers. After all, they meant to wear the green uniforms when the rest of us became civilians.

Around March 8.... Lieutenant Colonel [Austin] Brunelli took over command of our battalion; he had been the regiment’s executive officer. I can’t remember if Paul Treitel was wounded or just used up. Treitel had been in command for sixteen days and very few battalion commanders lasted through the whole campaign.