World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Rene Arthur Gagnon
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
Manchester, New Hampshire
Honored By
Friends of American Heroes
ON MAY 6, 1943, HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE AND SENT TO MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA. FROM PARRIS ISLAND, HE WAS PROMOTED TO PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ON JULY 16, 1943, AND TRANSFERRED TO THE MARINE GUARD COMPANY AT CHARLESTON NAVY YARD IN SOUTH CAROLINA. HE REMAINED THERE FOR EIGHT MONTHS AND THEN JOINED THE MILITARY POLICE COMPANY OF THE 5TH MARINE DIVISION AT CAMP PENDLETON, OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA. FOUR DAYS LATER, ON APRIL 8, 1944, HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO COMPANY E, 2ND BATTALION, 28TH MARINE REGIMENT. AFTER TRAINING AT CAMP PENDLETON AND IN HAWAII, HE LANDED WITH HIS UNIT ON IWO JIMA ON FEBRUARY 19, 1945. FOUR DAYS LATER HE PARTICIPATED IN THE FLAG RAISING ON MOUNT SURIBACHI. AFTER IWO JIMA WAS SECURED, HE WAS ORDERED TO WASHINGTON, D.C., ARRIVING ON APRIL 7, AND WAS ASSIGNED TO TEMPORARY DUTY WITH THE FINANCE DIVISION, U.S. TREASURY DEPARTMENT FOR APPEARANCES IN CONNECTION WITH THE SEVENTH WAR BOND DRIVE. HE FINISHED THE TOUR ON JULY 5, 1945 AND WAS ORDERED TO SAN DIEGO FOR FURTHER TRANSFER OVERSEAS. BY SEPTEMBER, HE WAS ON HIS WAY OVERSEAS AGAIN, THIS TIME WITH THE 80TH REPLACEMENT DRAFT. ON NOVEMBER 7, 1945, HE ARRIVED AT TSINGTAO, CHINA, WHERE HE JOINED COMPANY E, 2ND BATTALION, 29TH MARINES, 6TH MARINE DIVISION. HE LATER SERVED WITH THE 3RD BATTALION OF THE SAME REGIMENT. ON DUTY WITH THE U.S. OCCUPATION FORCES IN CHINA FOR NEARLY FIVE MONTHS, HE BOARDED SHIP AT TSINGTAO AT THE END OF MARCH 1946, AND SAILED FOR SAN DIEGO, ARRIVING ON APRIL 20. WITH NINE DAYS SHORT OF THREE YEARS' SERVICE IN THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE, OF WHICH 14 MONTHS WAS SPENT OVERSEAS, HE WAS PROMOTED TO CORPORAL AND DISCHARGED ON APRIL 27, 1946. HIS AWARDS AND DECORATIONS AT THE TIME OF HIS DISCHARGE FROM THE MARINES WERE THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION WITH ONE STAR (FOR IWO JIMA), COMBAT ACTION RIBBON, CHINA SERVICE MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH ONE STAR (FOR IWO JIMA), AND THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL.