World War II Honoree

James Patrick Griffin

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Esmond, Rhode Island

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Corporal. Inducted into the United States Marine Corps August 31, 1940 from Rhode Island, with recruit training assigned to the First Recruit Battalion Training Regiment; Marine Corps Base Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon his graduation from basic training, he was designated to attend the Marine Corps Aviation Flight Training Program. Later transferred to the Jacksonville Naval Air Station Florida, and assigned to the Eight Aviation Training Squadron. After completing airborne Gunnery Training and Radio schooling, he served as a Gunner/Radioman in the SBD-2 Dauntless Dive Bomber Location: Southwestern Pacific Theater of Operations, Solomon Islands. His unit was based at Henderson Airfield on Guadalcanal Island and assigned to Marine Bombing Squadron-241, VMSB-241 AKA: The Sons of Satan, Marine Air Group-22, and Marine Second Air Wing. Reported missing in action, lost at sea February 12, 1944 when his aircraft was struck by Anti-Aircraft fire, fired from an Imperial Japanese Destroyer, during a bombing mission over Rabaul New Britain, Papua New Guinea. His name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Location: Fort Bonifacio, Manila, Philippine Islands. Later his missing in action status ultimately, to read killed in action February 13, 1945. This American Patriot was award the Purple Heart, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.