OT- FM 1/C Vernon L. Castle USMC - fun question

[Jim Tarleton]

Marine Corporal Harold R. Hazelwood received the Navy Cross the same day in the same action. Gotcha!

Jim

[Long Island]

Atta Boy Jim,

"Shortly before midnight on 7 December, a pair of Japanese destroyers began shelling Midway to neutralize the aircraft base there. A salvo directed against Sand Island struck the power plant, which served as the CP of the 6th Def. Bat., greviously wounding First Lt. George H. Cannon. He remained at his post until the other Marines wounded by the same shell could be cared for and his communication specialist. Cpl. Harold Hazelwood, had put the battalion switchboard back into action."
God bless them all.
Bob

[Jim Tarleton]

So many brave men died in that war, as did in countless others. I often wonder if the gene pool was severely diminished by the two big wars, particularly the 1st World War.

To stay at your post, knowing you are dying, is a situation I would prefer not to have to encounter. I think brave warriors continue to expose themselves to greater and greater levels of risk in combat until they are finally killed, while their compatriots at home complain incessantly about the deprivations they must endure to keep the brave in conflict; and the leaders of the world become even more bold in their innocuous demands of their foes that steadily increase the level of danger the brave must suffer.

The 1903 Springfield rifle was a magnificent tool used by those brave warriors to enforce those innocuous demands mostly by men too cowardly to risk their own lives. There were exceptions - TR, Bush Sr., Kennedy, Hitler, and damn few others in the past century. I often wonder who held my 1903's, and how they fared.

Semper Fi,
Jim

[RCS]

Neil Iovino died a few months ago, born in Chicago in 1919 joined the USMC in 1940 and went to China with the 4th Marines. They were in Bataan when the Japs started the attack. Neil Iovino became the first 4th Marine casualty on Bataan. He told me that he was sent to Bilibid Prison where an American doctor operated on him. He was a POW in Cabanatuan until rescured by the 6th Ranger Battalion in 1945. He told me that he went back to Bataan in 1979.

Type in Neil Iovino USMC for more information

[Long Island]

God Bless Neil Iovino USMC, he had his hell on earth.

I did google Mr Iovino and came up with the Rescue Roster of Cabanatuan, 30 Jan 1945. I like to check Marine service numbers because my Dad was USMC 1940-46. I came across SgtMaj Kelly John B. 84607 4th Marines 1Bn HQ. Quite an old salt, his service # is 20k lower than all the Marines he was with and prewar USMC was not that large of an organization. Wonder how old he was at Bataan.
Thank You for remembering Mr Iovino.
Bob

[Jim Tarleton]

SgtMaj Kelly has an interesting SN, since during WWI the Marine SN's were into 6-digits.

Ironman Lee was taken prisoner with the China Marines and spent the entire war in a Japanese prison camp. Ironman Lee joined the Marines during WWI. He earned 3-Navy Crosses if my memory serves me correctly (after WWI). He later died of old age at home in Virginia. Ironman Lee was later astounded to discover he had gone from Lt to Colonel while in POW camp (promotion in rank and pay every two years).

Those guys were tough old birds.

Jim

[Griff Murphey]

To most people around Fort Worth, Vernon Castle is remembered as the famous British pilot (Croix de Guerre awardee for aerial combat) Captain Vernon Castle, who was killed here while serving as an instructor pilot in WW-I. He was also a famous dancer, prewar (invented the "Castle Walk" with his wife, Irene) and silent screen star. Because he was a war hero as well as a "hollywood" type he was greatly admired here, and his funeral was the largest ever given in Fort Worth, even today. A movie of his life starring Fred Astair premiered here in the 1930's (crummy movie, left out flying except for minor references and nothing about his combat time).

My question is, did someone name Vernon L. after the RFC Captain Castle? Castle died in 1918 and could not have fathered Vernon L. USMC. Perhaps the dad of the Marine served as RFC or USAS (after about 8 months under British/Canadian administration the three fields here transitioned to US control but continued training Brits, Canucks, and U.S. Army side-by-side til the Armistice) at Fort Worth.

[Long Island]

Ironman Lee was quite a Marine. Great story put up by Dick Culver about some of his exploits.
In one of Col Lee's bio's it stated his Navy Cross had a Silver Star in it which noted that was his second award. What would be used to denote his third Navy Cross and how was Col Pullers five Navy Crosses shown.

[Griff Murphey]

Vernon was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, by the way.

[Griff Murphey]

Trivia, to be sure, but very likely related..