World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Leonard Roy Corbin
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
Merced, California
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
RANK: CORPORAL. JAPANESE PRISONER OF WAR FOR 29 MONTHS. SERVED WITH U.S. MARINES, I COMPANY, 3RD BATTALION, 4TH MARINE REGIMENT ON THE ISLAND OF CORREGIDOR ‘THE ROCK’, LOCATED ACROSS THE BAY FROM MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. HE WAS CAPTURED MAY 6, 1942 WHEN GENERAL WAINWRIGHT WAS FORCED TO SURRENDER CORREGIDOR TO THE JAPANESE INVADING FORCES. HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE MAINLAND BY BARGE AND INTERNED AT AN UNKNOWN PRISONER OF WAR CAMP. ON OCTOBER 11, 1944 HE BOARDED THE JAPANESE ‘HELL SHIP’, THE ARISAN MARU DESTINED FOR JAPAN WHICH WAS TORPEDOED AND SUNK BY A U.S. NAVY SUBMARINE OCTOBER 24, 1944. HE WAS REPORTED BURIED AT SEA AND IS MEMORIALIZED AT THE MANILA AMERICAN CEMETERY, FORT BONIFACIO, MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART MEDAL. HIS REGIMENT WAS AWARDED A PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION WITH 1 OAK LEAF CLUSTER AND THE PHILIPPINE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION AGAINST THE JAPANESE ARMED FORCES.