Research Articles.
Examining specific aspects and stories of the First Battalion, 24th Marines during World War II.These articles take a closer look at the mysteries and mythologies surrounding the individuals, actions, and histories of 1/24, with a particular focus on photographs taken during the war.
look for info on father. saipan and tinyan 4th division bar purple heart gold star. 1926’2005. any historical information would be a blessinng. lover the Corp and died loving the corp.
Thank you so much for this. I stumbled across it searching the net. A wonderful tribute to a brave bunch of Marines. Semper Fi.
Thank you for the kind words, Jim.
Hello, My name is Jim and my neighbor was in 1st Batallion 8th Marines during the war. He is 94 years old and still in decent health. I am constantly researching his unit and I have hit a wall. I was wondering if you would be able to provide me with any research such as rosters, muster rolls and whatever you can find. I would greatly appreciate any help you would be willing to provide!!!
Thank You and God Bless,
Jim
Jim, I realize this posting is over two years old but if you want to know more about 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division in WWII you might want to visit the TWS (Togetherweserved) Marines web-site. I am one of the Memorial Profile Team that is memorializing all of the Fallen Marines of WWII and I am a unit historian for almost all of the WWII units and I would be pleased to offer my assistance in fulfilling your interest in learning about 1/8.
My uncle was Kye Harris in Co C 1st battalion 24th Marines. They have a story on him,
Thanks for all the info .The family is so proud of him and all these Marines !
Kye was 17 at that time and joined when he was15 .
PFC Kye Harris was my dad. Our bedtime stories were of his Marine buddies and battles. I would love any other info this site has on him. He was WIA on Iwo Jima. Great site here.
Hello, thanks for pulling this together. My father, Chester L McCoy Sr. was in the 24th marines during WWII . I will review the photos with him to see if they bring back memories. He’s still active and relatively sharp at 95. Hopefully he will be with me for a few more years. I can be reached at mccoyqara@yahoo.com.
Did the 24th Marines train at Camp Maui in Hawaii (their web site: https://nszipline.com/camp-maui-history/) after leaving Camp Pendleton before going to Saipan?
My father was in the 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division on Saipan when he got a serious spinal injury.
I do the web site for the Camp Tarawa (http://www.camptarawamcl.com/index.html)Marine Corps League.
I’ve been really enjoying your web site and look forward to the upcoming additions.
Aloha & Semper Fi,
Paul Prosise
Hi Paul,
The 24th Marines were based at Camp Maui, along with the rest of the 4th Marine Division, starting in February 1944 (upon return from the Marshall Islands campaign) through the end of the war. They went directly from California to the Marshall Islands (a small rear echelon contingent did not participate in the battle but oversaw the movement of camp from Pendleton to Maui). They trained there in preparation for Saipan-Tinian, for Iwo Jima, and for the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands.
It was quite primitive when they first arrived (I have some quite colorful comments in letters from the time) but by the end of the war they rather liked it – another letter says “the Marines finally got the hang of the rest camp concept” or words to that effect.
I’m planning a few pages on the battalion’s time in training and in camps, to include Camp Maui. Have been in touch with the folks at North Shore Zipline (most of those interviews on their page were sourced from my site) and they’ve got some great information. Hope I can get out to visit some day!
Glad you’re enjoying the site, and thanks for the kind words.
Geoffrey