World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Reid C. Chamberlain
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
El Cajon, California
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
Rank: Sergeant. On April 5, 1939, he was inducted into the United States Marine Corps from California. His boot camp training took place with the Second 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 as a Squad Leader with the Third Marine Division in the Western Pacific Theater of Operations, assigned to Alpha Company, First Battalion and Twenty-First Marine Regiment. 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. Reported missing in action, lost at sea Thursday, March 1, 1945. His name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the Honolulu National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, ‘Punchbowl’ Hawaii. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.