World War II Honoree

James W. Beecher

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Baxley, Georgia

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: CORPORAL. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS OCTOBER 15, 1940 AND COMPLETED HIS BASIC COMBAT TRAINING AT THE MARINE RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA. SERVED IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS ASSIGNED TO BRAVO COMPANY, SECOND MARINE RAIDER BATTALION, NICKNAMED ‘CARLSON’S RAIDERS’, AMPHIBIOUS CORPS, PACIFIC FLEET. ON AUGUST 17-18, 1942, A FORCE OF 221 MARINES, WHO WERE ABOARD TWO SUBMARINES, THE USS ARGONAUT AND USS NAUTILUS, PARTICIPATED IN THE AMPHIBIOUS COMMANDO RAID ON THE JAPANESE HELD BUTARITARI ISLAND, WHICH WAS KNOWN BY AMERICAN FORCES AS ‘MAKIN ATOLL’ LOCATED IN THE GILBERT ISLANDS. KILLED IN COMBAT DURING THE RAID MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 1942 AND REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1943. HE IS MEMORIALIZED IN THE TABLETS OF THE MISSING, HONOLULU NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC, ‘PUNCHBOWL’ HAWAII AND THE GUADALCANAL MEMORIAL. DECORATION AND CITATION: PURPLE HEART. THIS MARINE, AN AMERICAN PATRIOT, WAS AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART FOR HIS SUPREME SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.