World War II Honoree

Lawrence F. Winkel

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Cherokee, Iowa

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: PRIVATE. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS MAY 22, 1942 AND PARTICIPATED IN BASIC COMBAT TRAINING AT THE MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. ON JULY 18, 1942 HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING SQUADRON TWENTY-THREE, NAVAL AIR STATION AT SAN DIEGO WHERE HE RECEIVED AERIAL GUNNERY TRAINING. DEPLOYED TO THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS, WHERE HE EXPERIENCED COMBAT AS A TURRET GUNNER IN THE TBF-1 AVENGER FIGHTER-BOMBER. SERVED WITH THE MARINE SCOUT BOMBING SQUADRON, ONE HUNDRED THIRTY-ONE ‘VMSB-131’ MARINE AIR GROUP-THREE, FIRST MARINE AIR WING BASED AT HENDERSON FIELD, GUADALCANAL, SOLOMON ISLANDS. ON THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 1943 HE WAS REPORTED MISSING, AFTER PARTICIPATING IN A COMBAT MISSION ON THE KAHILI AIRFIELD LOCATED ON BOUGAINVILLE ISLAND, SOLOMON ISLANDS. HE WAS REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA MONDAY, APRIL 9, 1945 AND MEMORIALIZED IN THE TABLETS OF THE MISSING AT THE MANILA AMERICAN CEMETERY AND MEMORIAL, LOCATED AT FORT BONIFACIO, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. HE IS ALSO MEMORIALIZED AT THE GUADALCANAL AMERICAN MEMORIAL LOCATED ON SKYLINE DRIVE OVERLOOKING THE TOWN OF HONIARA, GUADALCANAL. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: AIR MEDAL AND PURPLE HEART. THE AIR MEDAL WAS AWARDED TO THE AVIATOR FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT. THIS MARINE, AN AMERICAN PATRIOT, WAS ALSO AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART FOR HIS ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.