Robert William Vail, Jr.
"Bobby"
Marine Corps Reserve | Service Number 487966
August 30, 1923
in Worcester, MA
Robert William Vail, Sr.
Alice Gertrude (Houston) Vail
St. Peter’s High School
John Bath & Company
November 18, 1942
at Boston, MA
September 8, 1943
from Rifle Range Detachment, Quantico
June 17, 1944
Killed in action on Saipan
June 17, 1944
Killed in action
27 Bauer Street, Worcester, MA – address of parents, Robert & Alice Vail
Service & Campaigns
Boot camp at Parris Island with Fifth Recruit Battalion. Outposted to Rifle Range Detachment, Parris Island, as student coach in January 1943. On 9 April 1943, transferred to Rifle Range Detachment, Quantico; duty as small arms instructor through August 1943.
Joined Able Company, First Battalion, 24th Marines at Camp Pendleton, CA on 8 September 1943.
Outfit: A/1/24th Marines
Rank: Private First Class
MOS: 745 (Rifleman)
Outfit: A/1/24th Marines
Rank: Private First Class
MOS: 745 (Rifleman)
Important Events:
June 17, 1944 – killed in action (traumatic amputation, leg) by a grenade thrown by Japanese infiltrator.
June 22, 1944 – buried in Plot 3, Row 5, Grave 522, Fourth Marine Division Cemetery
Individual Decorations
Medal
Purple Heart
Campaign
Saipan (June 17, 1944)
Citation
—
And so along about midnight, here comes a Jap up, and he was silhouetted against the sky. [When] they used hand grenades, they hit them against their helmet or something before they would throw them. This guy was maybe twenty yards from me; I had a BAR, I could have easily knocked him off. He hit his grenade on his helmet and tossed it in our general direction. And I heard it go off. Then he left.
A few minutes later, I heard them calling for a corpsman. As luck would have it, it landed right in a foxhole. One of my very best friends. His name was Bob Vail. Blew his leg off. The corpsman put ponchos over it so the light wouldn’t show and worked on him all night, but he died in the morning.
I had it in my power to take the guy out [but] we had orders [not to fire]. You follow orders, regardless. And that has always been a hard thing to live down.
I just bought a post card that this man sent on 11/29/1942 (from Parris Island,SC, basic training) on ebay. If any next of kin would like it, contact me at
rubicon762@aol.com. You can have it for what I paid.