World War II Honoree
Killed In Action
Marvin William Bender
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
Warren Center, Pennsylvania
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
Rank: Master Sergeant. He was inducted into the United States Marine Corps September 16, 1942 at New York City, New York, with recruit training at the Marine Barracks Parris Island, South Carolina. After his graduation from boot camp, he was selected to attend the Flight Aviation Training Program. And with any additional training, he was assigned to the Marine Bomber Squadron “Devil-Dogs” Six-Twelve ‘VMB-612’, Marine Air Group-Sixty-One, Third Marine Aircraft Wing. The air echelon arrived on Saipan Island in October of 1944, and based at Kagman Airfield Location: Northwestern Pacific Theater of Operations. On Monday, February 12, 1945, while flying aboard a PBJ-1JD Bomber as and Aerial Observer/Gunner, his aircraft was reported as Missing-in-Action, lost at Sea, after departing Saipan on a Rocket Mission. The aerial combat mission was against an Armada of Imperial Japanese Warships en-route to Iwo Jima. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at Honolulu Memorial Location: Honolulu, Hawaii. His Missing-in-Action status was amended to read Killed-in-Action Wednesday, February 13, 1946. In his Memory and Honor, a cenotaph memorial has been placed at the Orwell Valley Cemetery, located at Rome, Pennsylvania. This American Patriot received the following Decorations posthumously: Air Medal and the Purple Heart. The Air Medal was awarded to this Marine for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight, and the Purple Heart for his Heroism and ultimate sacrifice.