World War II Honoree

Cameron Craig 'Cam' Funk

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Spivey, Kansas

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

ENLISTED IN MILITARY SERVICE, ON DECEMBER 31, 1941, AT AGE 18, SOME THREE WEEKS AFTER THE JAPANESE SURPRISE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII ON DECEMBER 7, 1941. TRAINED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER IN KANSAS CITY AND SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. SERVED IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER IN COMBAT AS AN ARTILLERY OBSERVER, DIRECTING FIRE FROM HIS UNIT'S HOWITZERS. PARTICIPATED IN SIX SHIP-TO-SHORE LANDINGS ON ISLANDS HELD BY JAPANESE FORCES OR TO PREVENT THEIR SEIZURE BY THE ENEMY. LANDINGS INCLUDED GUADALCANAL AND TULAGI IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS IN AUGUST, 1942; TARAWA ATOLL IN THE GILBERT ISLANDS IN NOVEMBER, 1943; SAIPAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS IN JUNE, 1944; GUAM, A U.S. TERRITORY IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS IN JULY, 1944; AND IWO JIMA IN THE BONIN ISLANDS ARCHIPELAGO IN FEBRUARY, 1945. MARINE COMBAT UNITS THAT TOOK PART IN FIVE LANDINGS WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ROTATED OUT OF THE COMBAT ZONE, BUT HIS UNIT WAS RETAINED. THE MEN THEREAFTER DUBBED THEIR UNIT THE 'FORGOTTEN BATTALION'. IN THE SUMMER OF 1942, WHILE HUNKERED DOWN ON A TINY ISLAND ACROSS THE BAY FROM GUADALCANAL, HE WITNESSED PIVOTAL SEA ENGAGEMENTS BETWEEN ALLIED AND JAPANESE NAVAL FORCES. HE SAW SHELLS FROM SHIPS ARCHING ACROSS THE SKY, SEEMINGLY VERY SLOWLY, BY DAY; AND AT NIGHT SAW SHIPS FIRING AT EACH OTHER, EXPLODING AFTER BEING HIT AND LIGHTING UP THE AREA. IN HIS ROLE AS A FORWARD OBSERVER, HE HAD A FRONT-ROW SEAT FOR COMBAT OPERATIONS INCLUDING AT IWO JIMA. THERE, HE WITNESSED THE RAISING OF AN AMERICAN FLAG ATOP MOUNT SURIBACHI ON FEBRUARY 23, 1945. WHETHER IT WAS THE FIRST OR SECOND FLAG IS NOT CLEAR BUT IT DEFINITELY HAD A POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE MORALE OF THE TROOPS FIGHTING THERE. ON SAIPAN, HE WITNESSED JAPANESE HUMAN WAVE SUICIDE ATTACKS THAT DESPERATELY ATTEMPTED TO OVERWHELM AND OVERRUN MARINE POSITIONS. ON GUADALCANAL, HE BECAME AWARE OF THE TREACHERY OF A JAPANESE FORCE THAT SENT WORD OF THEIR WILLINGNESS TO SURRENDER, AND WHEN THE AMERICAN PARTY OF SOLDIERS AND MEDICS WENT FORWARD TO TAKE THEIR SURRENDER, AMBUSHED THEM. ONLY ONE MADE IT BACK ALIVE. AFTER THAT, HIS UNIT NEVER TOOK ANOTHER JAPANESE PRISONER. AWARDED THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT ON IWO JIMA, NAVY PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION, NAVY UNIT COMMENDATION, MARINE CORPS GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED ON DECEMBER 31, 1945 AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.