World War II Honoree

Henry B. Nielsen

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Racine, Wisconsin

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Corporal. Inducted into the United States Marine Corps October 27, 1941 with induction at Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He completed basic training with the Second Recruit Battalion Recruit Depot; Marine Corps Base San Diego, California. Upon his graduation from recruit training, he was designated to attend the Marine Corps Aviation Flight Training Program. He served abroad the PB4Y-1 ‘Liberator’ Patrol Bomber, assigned to the Marine Photographic Squadron VMD-154, Marine Aircraft Group-15, an element of the First Marine Aircraft Wing. His unit was based at the Espiritu Santo Naval Base Location: Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Islands South Pacific Theater of Operations. Sunday, February 7, 1943 he was reported missing in action, lost at sea when the Pilot took off from Espiritu Santo for the first leg of a photographic mission to Truk Island. The aircraft on take-off just barely cleared the coastline, before it plunged into the sea 600 yards offshore of the airstrip. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at Honolulu Memorial Location: Honolulu, Hawaii. In his Memory and Honor, a cenotaph memorial has been placed at the Graceland Cemetery Racine, Wisconsin. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his Heroism and ultimate sacrifice.