World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Charles H. Watkins, Jr.
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
Dalton, Massachusetts
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
Rank: Private. Served as a Rifleman with the Third Marine Division in the South Pacific Theater of Operations, assigned to India Company, Third Battalion and Twenty-First Regiment. His division participated in the Battle of Bougainville (Battle Dates: November 1, 1943–August 21, 1945), Solomon Islands Campaign Code Name: Operation Cherry Blossom. Reported missing in action, lost at sea Wednesday, November 17 1943 during combat operations against the Imperial Japanese forces. His name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the American Cemetery at Fort William-McKinley in Manila, Philippine Islands. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.