World War II Honoree

James Glen Cleckler

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Weslaco, Texas

Honored By

G. H. King

Entered service February 18, 1943 at San Antonio, Texas. Completed boot camp in Platoon 154 at San Diego Marine Recruit Depot in California. Shipped to Honolulu aboard the USS Taylor, a WWI troop transport, and awaited assignment at Tent City, Pearl Harbor. Assigned to 1st Defense Battalion, 5th Amphibious Corps and shipped to Palmyra Atoll for about nine months. Returned to Pearl Harbor and then sailed to Marshall Islands on a LST to set up a radar station on Majuro Atoll. Returned to Pearl Harbor and assigned to A Battery (a 75mm pack howitzer unit), 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Boarded transport ship on December 18th and remained aboard for almost two months until landing at Iwo Jima on D-Day+1 (February 20, 1945). After Iwo Jima campaign, returned to base in Maui, then to San Francisco and on to San Diego. Thirty days leave was followed by assignment to Military Police at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Texas. Had orders to return overseas when Japanese surrendered. Discharged December 1945 at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, Texas at rank of private first class. Awarded the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with two bronze stars.