World War II Honoree

Tyrone Power

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Cincinnati, Ohio

Honored By

Joe Arsena

IN AUGUST 1942, HE ENLISTED IN THE MARINE CORPS. HE ATTENDED BOOT CAMP AT MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO AND THEN ATTENDED OFFICER'S CANDIDATE SCHOOL AT MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, WHERE HE WAS COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT ON JUNE 2, 1943. BECAUSE HE HAD ALREADY LOGGED 180 SOLO HOURS AS A PILOT PRIOR TO ENLISTING IN THE MARINE CORPS HE WAS ABLE TO GO THROUGH A SHORT, INTENSE FLIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM AT NAVAL AIR STATION CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS, WHERE HE EARNED HIS WINGS AND WAS PROMOTED TO FIRST LIEUTENANT. ARRIVED AT MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA IN JULY, 1944 AND WAS ASSIGNED TO VMR-352 AS AN R5C COPILOT. THE SQUADRON MOVED TO MARINE CORPS AIR STATION EL TORO IN CALIFORNIA IN OCTOBER 1944. HE WAS REASSIGNED TO VMR-353 AND JOINED THEM ON KWAJALEIN IN FEBRUARY 1945. HE FLEW CARGO AND WOUNDED MARINES DURING THE BATTLE OF IWO JIMA AND THE BATTLE OF OKINAWA. HE RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES IN NOVEMBER 1945 AND HE WAS RELEASED FROM ACTIVE DUTY IN JANUARY 1946.