World War II Honoree

Charles W. Ball

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Dowagiac, Michigan

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Private First Class. On December 8, 1942, he was inducted into the United States Marine Corps from Michigan. His boot camp training took place with the Seventh 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 Rifleman with the Fifth Marine Division in the Western Pacific Theater of Operations, assigned to Alpha Company, First Battalion and Twenty-Sixth 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. Killed in Action Friday, March 16, 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 Riverside Cemetery in Dowagiac, Michigan. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.