DOB/DOD: July 11, 1925 (Taftville, CT) – February 25, 1945; 19 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: 40 South B Street, Taftville
ENLISTMENT: October 14, 1943, in Springfield, Massachusetts
SERVICE NUMBER: 906793
UNIT: Company A, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0745, Rifleman
FAMILY: Born to Gustave (1902-1967) and Octavie Lussier Phaneuf (1904-1983) [both born in Canada]. Oldest of two children. One brother, Raymond (1934-2006). 1 Worked at Ponemah Mills in Taftville prior to the service. 2
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in the Fall of 1943. Infantry training followed at Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina, in early 1944. Transferred to the 5th Replacement Draft, San Diego, California, in the Summer of 1944. His assignment was to the 4th Marine Division, 25th Marines, 1st Battalion from the Fall of 1944 through the Battle of Iwo Jima. 5 Received multiple wounds and died aboard the USS Solace. His remains were transferred to Saipan, Marianas Islands. 3 PFC Phaneuf, PFC James Dermody of West Haven, Corporal James Duffy, Corporal John Moscoe of New Haven, PFC David Phaneuf of Taftville, and Private Richard Wilkinson Jr. of Waterbury, Connecticut, were all in the same company. All were killed in action on separate days between February 19 and March 12, 1945.
Photo contributed by Mark David Phaneuf. Left to right are brother Raymond G. Phaneuf, father, Gustave Phaneuf, mother, Octavie Phaneuf, and David G. Phaneuf.
Photo contributed by Mary Ingelsby-Phaneuf.
Photos of his father and mother were contributed by Mary Ingelsby-Phaneuf.
From FindAGrave.com: Graduated from Sacred Heart School and worked at Ponemah Mill. Enlisted October 27, 1943. Completed basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. Training at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The only trip home was a 72-hour pass on Mother’s Day in 1944. Two months in San Diego and shipped to the Pacific theater in August 1944. Died aboard the USS Solace (AH-5) from wounds received from mortar fire. Interred in Grave #1124 4th Marine Division Cemetery, Saipan. Reinterred in Section F Grave 511 National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Territory of Hawaii. Posthumously awarded Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation ribbon bar with star, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WWII Victory Medal. 2
Initially buried in 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Saipan, Grave #1124. At his mother’s request, his remains were repatriated and buried on March 18, 1949, 4 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), 2177 Puowaina Dr, Honolulu, Hawaii; Section F, Site 511. Photo from Ancestry.com 2, 3
1 – 1940 census https://www.ancestry.com/cs/1940-census
2 – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3789073/david-gustave-phaneuf
3 – USMC Casualty Report received via FOIA request
5 – USMC Muster Rolls: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1089/