World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Ilario Garcia
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
San Diego, California
Honored By
Pearl Thomas
At 17 he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and was assigned to 2nd Battalion, Company F, 26th Regiment, 5th Marine Division. After training at Camp Tarawa, the 26th Regiment boarded USS Hocking (APA-121) sailing from Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok Marshall Islands, Saipan, and finally Iwo Jima. Arriving on February 19, 1945, they boarded landing crafts and landed at code Red Beach of Iwo Jima. After several days of fighting, Company F launched an attack for Hill 362 on March 3rd. The battalion reported 152 casualties on the day and he was among the Marines killed in action.