World War II Honoree

Charles R. Perry

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

La Grange, North Carolina

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Sergeant. Inducted into the United States Marine Corps October 6, 1941 and received his Basic Combat Infantry Training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. After completing his infantry training, he volunteered for Jump Training at the New River Parachute Training School in North Carolina and graduated as a Marine Paratrooper ‘ParaMarine’. Deployed to England after his training and assigned to a Marine Detachment in the London American Embassy, where he served as an Agent for the Office of Strategic Services ‘OSS’. On Tuesday, August 1, 1944, he died in the Line of Duty when his parachute malfunctioned while exiting his aircraft during a Paradrop mission behind German lines in support of the French Resistance forces. His death occurred in the Haute Savoie region and buried with full Military Honors in the Luynes battlefield cemetery located in the Aix-en-Province of France. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, his remains were transferred to the Rhone American Cemetery located at Draguignan (Var), France. Decorations and Citations: Silver Star, Purple Heart, Marine Combat Action Ribbon, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal, Silver Special Forces Jump Wings and the Expert Rifleman Badge. Foreign Decorations: French Order National de la Legion d’honneur Medal and the French Croix de Guerre Medal. The Purple Heart, awarded to this American Patriot posthumously, who so gallantly gave his life for his country.