DOB/DOD: May 15, 1919 (Stamford, CT) – February 19, 1945; 25 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: 68 Selleck Street, Stamford
ENLISTMENT: May 16, 1941, in New York City
SERVICE NUMBER: 309257
UNIT: Battery A, 1st Battalion, 14th Marines, 4th Marine Division
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0737, Fire Team Leader; and 0761, Scout–Sniper
STATUS: MISSING IN ACTION
FAMILY: Born to George Sr. (1878-1957) and Lena Roth (1880-1935), both born in Hungary. George was an only child. 1 His mother died when he was 16 years old. He worked at Conde Nast in Greenwich before the service. 3
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp and sea school in the Summer of 1941 at Parris Island, South Carolina, and the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia. Assigned to the USS Philadelphia. Had a temporary detail to the USS Yorktown as the Admiral’s Orderly in October 1941. In April 1944, reassigned to the 59th Replacement Battalion, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Infantry Training at Camp Lejeune followed in the Fall of 1944. In July 1944, reassigned to the 65th Replacement Battalion, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Reassigned again to the 17th Replacement Draft, Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California, in October 1944. His final assignment was to the 4th Marine Division, 14th Marines, 1st Battalion in January 1945. 6 Died aboard the USS Mellette (APA-156) of shell fragment wounds to the chest. Buried at sea; latitude 24 degrees, 49 minutes north; longitude 141 degrees, 34 minutes east. 4
From The Stamford Advocate, March 5, 1945; contributed by Ellen Sullivan, Senior Reader Services Librarian, The Ferguson Library, One Public Library Plaza, Stamford
The war casualty list today contained the names of two Stamford soldiers killed in action, another missing in action, and a third wounded in action.
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Corporal George Roth, USMC, 60 Selleck Street, was killed in action in the Pacific on February 19, the War Department informed his father, George Roth. Corporal Roth is believed to have been among the first Marine casualties in the Battle for Iwo Jima. A veteran of the invasion of Sicily, Corporal Roth was on sea duty for two years and then returned to the United States. He was an instructor at Parris Island, South Carolina, and attended sniper school before leaving for overseas the last time. He enlisted in the Marines on May 16, 1941, at which time he was employed at Conde Nast Publications.
Memorialized on the Stamford Veterans Memorial, 138 Atlantic Street, Stamford, Connecticut. Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
Memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial, Courts of the Missing, Court 4, 2177 Puowaina Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii. Photo from ABMC.gov. 2,5
1 – 1940 census https://www.ancestry.com/cs/1940-census
2 – https://findagrave.com
3 – https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2238
4 – USMC Casualty Report received via FOIA request
5 – https://abmc.gov
6 – USMC Muster Rolls: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1089/