Melvin Pinkerton was one of the “plank owners” – original members–of Company D, 24th Marines. He fought in the battle of Roi-Namur as a machine gunner, but when the spring of 1944 brought about the dissolving of his company, Pinkerton was reassigned to the rear echelon. He spent the next year and a half at Camp Maui, serving as a carpenter for the battalion’s headquarters. Sergeant Pinkerton was hospitalized in July, 1945, and transferred back to the States; he was back in his native Pennsylvania when the war ended.
Below are some of the items that Melvin Pinkerton carried with him through his sojourn in the Pacific. All of these artifacts are provided through the generosity of collector and historian Eric Wisbith.
