World War II Honoree

William John Zimmer

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Buffalo, New York

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Second Lieutenant. Inducted into the United States Marine Corps March 5, 1942 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with recruit training assigned to the Fifth Recruit Battalion Training Regiment; Marine Corps Base Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon his graduation from Boot Camp, he was transferred to Camp Geiger, North Carolina for combat training. Commissioned a Second Lieutenant in April of 1944 upon his graduation from the Officer Candidate School ‘OCS’ at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Served as a Platoon Leader assigned to Alpha Company, First Battalion, Ninth Marine Regiment and Third Marine Division Location: Western Pacific Theater of Operations. His division participated in the amphibious assault on the Volcanic Island of Iwo Jima (Battle Dates: February 19-March 26, 1945) Code Name: Operation Detachment. On March 10, 1945, he was killed in action during combat operations against the Imperial Japanese forces, with burial in the Third Marine Division battlefield cemetery on Iwo. Succeeding hostilities with Japan, the family of this Marine requested that he be buried with Military Honors at Arlington Cemetery Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.