World War II Honoree

James Forsyth Bailey

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Detroit, Michigan

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private First Class. On September 10, 1942, he was inducted into the United States Marine Corps from Michigan. His Boot Camp Training to place with the First Recruit Battalion, Training Regiment; Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California. Later he completed his Marine Combat Training at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, California. Served in Company-C as a Rifleman, First Battalion, Twenty-Eighth Marine Regiment, and a subordinate unit of the Fifth Marine ‘the Spearhead/Fighting Fifth’ Division in the Western Pacific Theater of Operations. His division participated in the amphibious assault against the Imperial Japanese Army and Naval forces on the Volcanic Island of Iwo Jima (Battle Dates: February 19-March 26, 1945) Code Name: Operation Detachment. Killed in Action Thursday, March 8, 1945 and buried in the Fifth Marine Division battlefield cemetery on Iwo. After the cessation of hostilities with Japan, the family of this Marine received his remains for burial. He was laid to rest at the White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery in Troy, Michigan. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.