World War II Honoree

Owen Childers

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

Relationship

Relationship Not Determined

HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE MUSKOGEE (CREEK) INDIAN NATION, ENTERED MILITARY SERVICE WITH THE MARINE CORPS, AND INITIALLY COMPLETED ‘BOOT CAMP’ AND OTHER TRAINING IN THE AMERICAN THEATER. HE WAS THEN DEPLOYED OVERSEAS TO THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER AND ASSIGNED AS A RIFLEMAN TO THE 2ND MARINE 'THE SILENT SECOND' DIVISION, IN PREPARATION FOR THE CAPTURE AND OCCUPATION OF THE ISLAND OF SAIPAN AND THE NEIGHBORING ISLAND OF TINIAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS. SAIPAN WAS A SUBSTANTIAL ISLAND AND A MAJOR JAPANESE ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER WITH SOME 32, 000 DEFENDERS, A LARGE CIVILIAN POPULATION, WITH WELL-BUILT FORTIFICATIONS AND CAVES. PRE-INVASION NAVAL AND AVIATION BOMBARDMENTS TOOK PLACE BUT THE DAMAGE TO JAPANESE FORCES WAS SLIGHT, ALTHOUGH JAPANESE AIRFIELDS WERE ATTACKED AND THEIR LAND-BASED AIRCRAFT DESTROYED. INVASION LANDINGS BEGAN ON JUNE 15, 1944. THE 2ND DIVISION WAS PART OF 5TH AMPHIBIOUS CORPS AND MET WITH DEVASTATING ENEMY FIRE DURING LANDINGS AND ONCE ASHORE. BY THE END OF THE DAY, SOME 10% OF MARINE ASSAULT FORCES HAD ALREADY BECOME CASUALTIES AND ONLY ONE HALF OF THE BEACHHEAD WAS TAKEN. ON THE MORNING OF JUNE 17, 1944, THE LANDING GROUNDS WERE SECURE IN AMERICAN HANDS, AND A KEY JAPANESE AIRFIELD WAS TAKEN THE FOLLOWING DAY. ENEMY FORCES WITHDREW INTO THE HILLY CENTRAL AREA AND INTO THE JUNGLE-CLAD MOUNT TAPOTCHAU AREA. JAPANESE 'BANZAI' SUICIDE ATTACKS AND SOME HAND-TO-HAND FIGHTING TOOK PLACE DURING HOSTILITIES AS POCKETS OF RESISTANCE WERE ELIMINATED. AT THE END, JAPANESE SOLDIERS AND CIVILIANS THREW CHILDREN OFF THE CLIFF AT MARPI POINT ON THE NORTH PART OF THE ISLAND AND THEN JUMPED AFTER THEM TO COMMIT SUICIDE. OF THE 3,426 AMERICANS KILLED AND SOME 13, 099 WOUNDED, 78% WERE MARINES. THE 2ND MARINE DIVISION OCCUPIED SAIPAN UNTIL JULY 24, 1944. THE SUBSEQUENT CAPTURE AND OCCUPATION OF TINIAN BY THE 2ND DIVISION LASTED FROM JULY 24TH TO AUGUST 10, 1944. THE DIVISION TOOK PART IN THE ASSAULT AND OCCUPATION OF OKINAWA GUNTO (FLOATING RESERVE) FROM APRIL 1-10, 1945. HIS DIVISION DEPLOYED TO NAGASAKI, JAPAN DURING SEPTEMBER, 1945. THE DIVISION SERVED WITH OCCUPATION FORCES IN JAPAN BEGINNING SEPTEMBER, 1945, ARRIVING SOME 25 DAYS AFTER THE ATOMIC BOMBING OF NAGASAKI, AND REMAINED UNTIL JUNE, 1946. HIS DIVISION RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES TO CAMP PENDLETON, ADJACENT TO OCEANSIDE, CALIFORNIA IN JULY, 1946. AWARDED THE COMBAT ACTION RIBBON, PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION BY HIS DIVISION AT TARAWA ATOLL FROM NOVEMBER 20-24, 1943, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND NAVY OCCUPATION SERVICE MEDAL WITH ‘ASIA’ CLASP. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN.