World War II Honoree

Ernest Zolton Nevidjon

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

East Norwalk, Connecticut

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Technical Sergeant. Inducted into the United States Marine Corps December 15, 1942 at Hartford, Connecticut, completing basic training with the Fourth Recruit Battalion Recruit Depot; Marine Barracks Parris Island, South Carolina. Upon his graduation from boot camp, he was designate to attend the Flight Aviation Training Program. He served as a PBJ-1 Bomber crewmember, and based at the Moret Airfield, Zamboanga Mindanao Island, Philippines Location: Southwest Pacific Theater of Operations. Assigned to the Marine Bomber Squadron Six-Eleven ‘VMB-611’, Marine Air Group-Thirty Two, First Marine Aircraft Wing. During his participation in the Battle of Mindanao, he was killed in action Wednesday, May 2, 1945 when his bomber was shot-down by Japanese Anti-Aircraft ground fire. The aircraft with eight crewmembers on board crashed in the vicinity of Davao City, Mindanao Island. At the conclusion of the battle, his Brothers-in-Arms buried him near the crash site. In the post-war era, personnel from a Graves Registration Company disinterred his remains, and were laid to rest in the United States Armed Forces Cemetery Location: Leyte #1, Philippine Islands. This Marines’ family requested that he be buried with Military Honors at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery Lemay, Missouri with interment November 7, 1949. This American Patriot received the following decorations posthumously: Air Medal and the Purple Heart. The Air Medal was awarded to the Sergeant for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight, and the Purple Heart for his ultimate sacrifice.