DOB/DOD: April 7, 1926 (East Granby, CT) – March 11, 1945; 18 years old MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried LOCAL ADDRESS: 44 Florence Street, East Hartford ENLISTMENT: June 28, 1943, in Springfield, Massachusetts SERVICE NUMBER: 547726 UNIT: Headquarters & Service Battery, 2nd Battalion, 13th Marines, 5th Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0345, Truck Driver
FAMILY: Born to Edward E. (1898-?) and Gertrude Krist Roberts (1903-1968), both born in Russia. Siblings are Leon (1928-2001), Doris (1930-2008), Ronald (1932-2001), and Patricia Roberts Sieber (1934-2020). 1
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in late 1943. Infantry training at Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina, in early 1944. Assigned to the 5th Marine Division, 13th Marines, 2nd Battalion, beginning in the Summer of 1944. 4 Died at Marine Camp Naval Air Station #24, Hilo, Hawaii, as a result of acute alcohol poisoning. 2
From the Connecticut Military Portrait Collection, Connecticut State Library, Identifier: PG570; used with permission
Photo contributed by Lynn Plack, niece of PFC Roberts.
Initially interred in the US Army Homelani Cemetery at Hilo, Hawaii. At his mother’s request, he was repatriated and buried on February 7, 1949, 3 to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), 2177 Puowaina Dr, Honolulu, Hawaii; Section B, Site 616. 2 Photo from Ancestry.com.
DOB/DOD: December 13, 1917 (New Haven, CT) – February 24, 1945; 27 years old MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried LOCAL ADDRESS: 56 Woodward Avenue, New Haven ENLISTMENT: July 14, 1942, in Springfield, Massachusetts SERVICE NUMBER: 403813 UNIT: Company E, 2nd Battalion, 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0737, Fire Team Leader
FAMILY: Parents John P. (1872-1942) and Albina F. Riordan (1884-1979). Both parents were born in Ireland. Joseph was the second youngest of 4 children. John (1904-1977), Mary Riordan Sullivan (1909-1990), and Katharyn “Kae” Riordan Barrett (1921-2011). 1 Worked at International Harvester Co. in West Haven prior to the service. 2 Completed 2 years of college.
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in the Summer of 1942. Worked as a clerk in the Sergeant Major’s Office at Quantico, Virginia, from the fall of 1942 to the Spring of 1943. In October 1943, assigned to the 31st Replacement Battalion, Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina. His final assignment to the 3rd Marine Division, 21st Marines, 2nd Battalion, Company E, came in January 1944. Wounded in action in the Summer of 1944. 3 His cause of death is unknown. PFC John Budway from Bristol, Connecticut, was in the same company and died 10 days after Corporal Riordan. Wounded in action at Guam on July 26, 1944. Returned to duty on July 29, 1944.
Photos contributed by Sharon Tracey.
Honored on the WWII Roll of Honor Marker, 183 Townsend Avenue, New Haven, Connecticut. 3Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
Initially buried in the 3rd Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, Row 10, Grave 236. At his mother’s request, his remains were repatriated and buried in 1948 in St. Lawrence Cemetery, 280 Derby Avenue, West Haven, Connecticut;St. Christopher Avenue, Section R, Lot 36 ½, Grave #4. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
DOB/DOD: March 11, 1916 (Brooklyn, NY) – February 25, 1945; 28 years old MARITAL STATUS: Married to Estelle “Stella” Srokowski Richick (1918-2022) on October 28, 1939, in Marblehead, Ohio. Estelle remarried Paul Adykoski in 1947. LOCAL ADDRESS: 308 Windsor Avenue, Hartford ENLISTMENT: April 11, 1944, in Hartford, Connecticut SERVICE NUMBER: 962785 UNIT: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0604, Machine Gun Crewman
FAMILY: Born to John (1889-1966), born in Austria, and Pauline Kataryuk Richick (1893-1960). John was born in Austria, and Pauline was born in Hungary. Three sisters, Magdalene “Maggie” Richick Twarek (1925-2006), Anna Richick Turinsky (1928-2004), and half-sister Lena Richick Batcha (1919-2001). 1 Worked for Vincent Srokowski as a painter prior to the service (possibly related to his wife Estelle; same last name). 3
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in the Spring of 1944. Transferred to the 5th Replacement Draft in the Summer of 1944. Assigned to the 4th Marine Division, 25th Marines, 2nd Battalion from the Fall of 1944 through the Battle of Iwo Jima. 5 Died due to trauma to his left arm. 4 PFC Richick and Private Francis Carlson of Waterbury were in the same company. They died 16 days apart.
Honored on the Gold Star Casualties of World War II Marker, 281 Broad St., Windsor, Connecticut. Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
From The Peninsular News, Marblehead, OH, January 14, 1949
The body of Private First Class Steve Richick arrived in Port Clinton on Wednesday from the Pacific area and will be brought to the home of his parents in Marblehead on Friday, and friends may call. Services will be held Sunday at 2 o’clock in St. Mary’s Greek Catholic Church, the Reverend George Simchack officiating. The military services will be conducted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and by the American Legion. The son of Mr. and Mrs. John Richick, Steve was born in Brooklyn, New York, and came with his family to Marblehead when he was three years of age. He attended the local schools and went into the service of his country in April 1944. On April 11, 1944, he went to Parris Island, South Carolina, with Platoon 239 of the 13th Battalion. He returned to his home in Wilson, Connecticut, on furlough for one week and then was sent to Camp Lejeune at Tent City, New River, North Carolina, on June 8 with Company B, Platoon 20, 67th Replacement Battalion. On July 21, he was transferred to the Marine barracks in San Diego, California, with Company B, Platoon 20, and was sent overseas on August 26 with the 4th Marine Division in a Machine Gunner’s outfit in 1944. He lost his life on Iwo Jima on February 25, 1945. His body arrived on January 12, in charge of Sergeant Walter Ford of New Orleans. Surviving is his widow, Estelle of Wilson, Connecticut; his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Richick, Marblehead; and three sisters, Mrs. Joseph Batcha, Mrs. Coleman Turinsky, and Magdalene Richick, all of Marblehead.
Initially buried in 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, Plot 1, Row 17, Grave 814. His wife, Estelle, deferred to PFC Richick’s father for final disposition. At his father’s request, his remains were repatriated and buried on January 18, 1949, in St. Mary’s Greek Catholic Cemetery, 101 East Main Street, Marblehead, Ohio; plot number unknown. 4 Photo from FindAGrave.com. 2
DOB/DOD: November 21, 1925 (Bridgeport, CT) – March 10, 1945; 19 years old MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried LOCAL ADDRESS: 182 Dover Street, Bridgeport ENLISTMENT: February 14, 1944, in Springfield, Massachusetts SERVICE NUMBER: 943843 UNIT: Company E, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0521, Basic Marine
FAMILY: Born to John (1903-1998) and Giovanna “Jennie” Zingo Porco (1905-1972), both born in Italy. Jennie was born in Cascenza Province, Italy. One brother, Joseph (1928-1989). 1 Worked at General Electric Company in Bridgeport prior to the service. 2
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in the Spring of 1944. Transferred to the 5th Replacement Draft, San Diego, California, in the Summer of 19044. His final assignment was to the 4th Marine Division, 25th Marines, 2nd Battalion in late 1944. 4 Died from wounds to the chest. 3 Private Porco was in the same company as PFC Paul Cushman of Bridgeport, Corporal John McGlew of Meriden, and PFC Vincenzo Murrone of Bridgeport. They died on different days between February 19 and March 15, 1945.
Initially buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima in Plot 1, Row 32, Grave 1565. At his mother’s request, his remains were repatriated in 1948 and buried in St. Michael’s Cemetery, 2205 Stratford Avenue, Stratford, Connecticut; Section 11, Lot 308D, Grave 1. 3Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
PFC Frank Souza Jr., also killed in action on February 24, 1945, in the Battle of Iwo Jima, is buried just one plot away from Private Porco. Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
DOB/DOD: August 11, 1916 (Brockton, MA) – February 19, 1945; 28 years old MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried LOCAL ADDRESS: 55 Whitney Avenue, New Haven. The house is no longer there. ENLISTMENT: June 5, 1942, in Springfield, Massachusetts SERVICE NUMBER: 403613 UNIT: Weapons Company, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0345, Truck Driver; and 0610, Antitank Gun Crewman NOTE: His first name is spelled differently in some places as “Stuart.” The Massachusetts Birth Index has the first name as Stewart. Last name is spelled differently in some places as “Philips.” Phillips with two Ls is the correct spelling; however, his Marine Corps records have just one L.
FAMILY: Born to John E. (1883-1939) and Elizabeth Carmichael Phillips (1890-1932). Elizabeth was born in Belfast, Ireland. Stewart was just 16 years old when his mother passed of pernicious anemia. Oldest of three children. Siblings are Frederick E. (1918-1973) and Joan E. Phillips Davidson (1921-2005). 1 Worked for Stuart John Phillips as a hat maker prior to the service. 3
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in the Summer of 1942. Assigned to the 32nd Marines (Reinforced) at Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina, then the 23rd Marines and 25th Marines (Reinforced), Regimental Weapons Companies through the Battle of Iwo Jima. He was charged with AWOL for being missing from December 30, 1942, through January 4, 1943. 5 Died of multiple shrapnel wounds. Participated in action at Roi-Namur, Marshall Islands, Saipan, Marianas, Tinian, Marianas Islands, and Iwo Jima. Awarded the Purple Heart Medal. 4
Phillips Hat Shop, New Haven, CT; 1938 2
Initially buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, Plot 1, Row 8, Grave 390. At his brother Frederick’s request, his remains were repatriated and buried on June 17, 1948, in Arlington National Cemetery, 1 Memorial Drive, Arlington, Virginia; Section 12, Grave 4688. 4Photo by Jeff DeWitt
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
DOB/DOD: May 5, 1926 (Rochester, MA) – March 9, 1945; 18 years old MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried LOCAL ADDRESS: 212 Ashley Street, Hartford. The home is no longer there. The address is now a parking lot for St. Francis Hospital. ENLISTMENT: June 1, 1943, in Columbia, South Carolina, at 17 years old SERVICE NUMBER: 496698 UNIT: Company E, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0522, Guard; and 0746, Automatic Rifleman
FAMILY: Born to Albert (1897-1949) and Mary Glavin Pennington (1897-1974). The third oldest of 4 children. Three brothers, Albert Jr. (1919-1996), Robert (1921-1979), and Gerald (1933-2004). 1
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in the Summer of 1943. Assigned to the Marine Barracks, Boston Navy Yard from the Fall of 1943 through the Spring of 1944 as a Guard. Transferred to the 17th Replacement Draft and trained at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California, in the Fall of 1944. His last assignment was with the 4th Marine Division, 23rd Marines, 2nd Battalion. 3 Died from gunshot wounds to the chest and arm. 2
Contributed by Bill Pennington
From The Hartford Times, unknown date, contributed by his nephew, Bill Pennington.
PFC Donald L. Pennington To Receive Final Honors
Final funeral rites for Private First Class Donald L. Pennington, 18, formerly of the advertising department of the Hartford Times, who was killed in action on Iwo Jima, March 9, 1945, will be held Thursday. Services will be at 8:30 a.m. from the Ahern Funeral Home, 180 Farmington Avenue, with a solemn requiem Mass at St. Joseph’s Cathedral at 9. Burial will be in Soldier’s Field, Wilson. Friends may call at the funeral home after 4 p.m. Wednesday. PFC Pennington, son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert W. Pennington, formerly of 212 Ashley Street, Harford, and now of Tariffville, was born in Rochester, Massachusetts May 5, 1928, and attended St. Joseph’s School. He was enlisted in the Marine Corps on June 2, 1943, and completed his boot training at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was a member of a Marine Corps guard unit at the Boston Navy Yard until his request for active duty was granted. He was rated an expert rifleman with the automatic rifle and other small arms types. He leaves his parents, three brothers, Albert W. Jr. of Hartford, Robert E. of Collinsville, and Gerald F. Pennington of Tariffville.
Initially buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, Plot 1, Row 29, Grave 1431. 2 At his mother’s request, his remains were repatriated and buried on January 20, 1949, in Northwood Cemetery, 81 Matianuck Avenue, Windsor, Connecticut; Section AA, Lot 62. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
Private Evleth and PFC Pennington are buried next to each other. The headstones for all four who died in the Battle of Iwo Jima and are buried in Northwood Cemetery are near each other.
DOB/DOD: October 11, 1925 (New Britain, CT) – February 24, 1945; 19 years old MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried LOCAL ADDRESS: 495 South Main Street, New Britain ENLISTMENT: November 11, 1943, in Springfield, Massachusetts SERVICE NUMBER: 906971 UNIT: Battery G, 3rd Battalion, 14th Marines, 4th Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0514, Radar Operator (Designated Equipment – Communication), and 0767, Radio–Telephone Operator
FAMILY: Born to Nickolas (1897-1973) [born in Italy and served in the Army in WWI] and Antonetta Fallo Palumbo (1906-1995). Frank was the youngest of their two sons. One brother, Anthony (1924-2005). 1 Worked at Wuckert and Lake Clothing Store in New Britain prior to the service. 2
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in early 1944. Assigned to the Training Center, Signal Battalion, Company C, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In the summer of 1944, assigned to the 65th Replacement Battalion, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Then it was to the West Coast in October with the Provisional Signal Company, Pacific, and finally, in January 1945, the 4th Marine Division, 14th Marines, 3rd Battalion. 4 Died from multiple shrapnel wounds. 3
New Britain High School yearbook; Class of 1943. Material contributed by Sonia Herrera, Library Assistant, New Britain High School
From the Connecticut Military Portrait Collection, Connecticut State Library, Identifier: PG570; used with permission
From the New Britain Herald dated March 17, 1945; contributed by Danielle from the New Britain Public Library, Local History Room, 20 High Street, New Britain, Connecticut.
KILLED ON IWO JIMA
Private First Class Frank W. Palumbo, 19, son of Mr. and Mrs. Nicola Palumbo of 495 South Main Street, was killed in action on February 24 while serving with the United States Marines in the battle for Iwo Jima. He enlisted in November 1943 and went overseas in August 1944.
Honored on the New Britain Veterans Memorial at the corner of Main and West Main Street, 27 West Main Street, New Britain. Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
Initially buried in 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, Plot 1, Row 5, Grave 232. At his mother’s request, his remains were repatriated in 1948 and buried in St. Mary’s Cemetery, 1152 Stanley Street, New Britain, Connecticut; Section M5, Lot 111, Grave #3. 3Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
DOB/DOD: September 28, 1920 (East Hartford, CT) – February 22, 1945; 24 years old MARITAL STATUS: Married Dorothy Bailey (1923-2019) on December 18, 1943, in Middletown, CT LOCAL ADDRESS: b589 Main Street, East Hartford ENLISTMENT: October 6, 1943, in Quantico, Virginia SERVICE NUMBER: O-31036 UNIT: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 21st Marines, 3rd Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 1542, Infantry Platoon Leader
FAMILY: Born to Robert D. Olmsted (1884-1967) and Scotland-born Jemima Christie Olmstead (1889-1967. Roger was their only child. 1, 2
CIRCUMSTANCES: In January of 1943 was assigned to the 3rd Reserve District, Platoon Leaders Unit, New York City. Boot camp followed in July 1943. Assigned to the Thirty-Fifth Candidates Class, Company I, Quantico, Virginia, then the Headquarters Battalion, First Casual Company, Camp Lejeune, New River, North Carolina. In July 1944, assigned to the 61st Replacement Battalion, Pacific. In January 1945, he was assigned to the 3rd Marine Division, 21st Marines, 2nd Battalion. 4 Died of a gunshot wound to the head. 3
East Hartford High School Class of ’39 yearbook. All photos were contributed by Kristine P. Emond, Library Media Specialist at East Hartford High School.
University of Connecticut Class of 1943 (photo and caption in 1942 yearbook)
1943 UConn football team
1943 UConn track team
Standing, second from right
Attended the University of Connecticut, Class of 1943. He was the captain of the track team and set two school records in the hammer throw. He set the indoor hammer throw record of 46 feet during the 1942-43 indoor season against Amherst College. It is unknown how long that record was held. He set the outdoor hammer throw record in 1943 of 138 feet, eight inches in a meet vs. Mass. State (UMass) and WPI. It appears that the record held until 1953. Record information courtesy of Mike Enright, UConn.
From The Hartford Courant November 2, 1944
Marine Credits War Dog with Saving 12-Man Unit
Marine Second Lieutenant Roger W. Olmsted of 1589 Main Street, East Hartford, credits Rocky, a Doberman Pinscher war dog, with saving the lives of members of a 12-man Marine patrol on Guam, according to a dispatch from the Pacific area. The patrol, under Lieutenant Olmsted’s command, was resting at the edge of a jungle clearing when the dog began to growl. Alerted, the Marines discovered five Haps, armed with grenades less than 10 feet away, and killed them all, suffering no casualties themselves. Lieutenant Olmsted is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Olmsted and the husband of Mrs. Dorothy B. Olmsted. He is a graduate of East Hartford High School and the University of Connecticut, where he was active in track and football. The East Hartford officer entered active duty upon his graduation from college in 1943 and has been overseas since June 18.
From The Hartford Courant January 9, 1949
The body of Lieutenant Roger Wolcott Olmsted, of the Marine Corps, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Olmsted of 1589 Main Street, East Hartford, will arrive in Hartford on Monday. Lieutenant Olmsted was killed in action during the invasion of Iwo Jima on February 21, 1945. He was an officer in the 21st Regiment, Third Marine Corps Division, the first regiment to land on the island. More than half of his company were casualties in the landing. Lieutenant Olmsted enlisted in the Marines in 1942 and was allowed to complete his senior year at the University of Connecticut. In June 1943, he was sent to Parris Island for basic training, which was completed at Quantico, Virginia, where he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart Medal and was the holder of the Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, and the Expert Rifleman’s Medal. He was born in East Hartford on September 28, 1920, and graduated from East Hartford High School in 1939. He was a member of the high school football and track teams. He entered the University of Connecticut in 1939, where he was a member of the varsity track and football teams. He was the Captain of the track team in 1943. He leaves, besides his parents, his wife, the former Dorothy Bailey of Middletown, now Mrs. Henry Drinkwater of Dallas, Texas. Services will be held Tuesday at the Newkirk and Whitney Funeral Home, 921 Main Street, East Hartford. Burial with military honors will be in Center Cemetery, East Hartford. Friends may call at the funeral home after 4 p.m. on Monday. Members of the East Hartford Veterans Committee will post a guard of honor at the funeral home from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday.
Initially buried in 3rd Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, Row 2, Grave 28. At his family’s request, his remains were repatriated and buried on January 8, 1949, in Center Cemetery, 928 Main Street, East Hartford, Connecticut; Section BH, Lot 114. 3Photo by Jeff DeWitt.
East Hartford had a Lieutenant Roger Wolcott Olmsted Day on February 23, 2021
DOB/DOD: June 21, 1925 (Manhattan, NY) – February 28, 1945; 19 years old MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried LOCAL ADDRESS: Rural Free Delivery (RFD) 2, Southbury ENLISTMENT: July 21, 1942, in Springfield, Massachusetts, at 17 years old SERVICE NUMBER: 422369 UNIT: Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0604, Machine Gun Crewman
FAMILY: Born to Harry (1887-1977) and Edyth Palmer Buchan O’Donovan (1892-?). Siblings Thomas (1912-2003), Richard (1914-2000), Patricia (1918-1919), and Joseph (1919-1996). 1 Stephen was studying for the priesthood before he was killed in the service. 3
CIRCUMSTANCES: Parris Island for boot camp in the Summer of 1942. Then, the 23rd Marines (Reinforced), Company D, Camp Lejeune, until late 1943. His final unit was 23rd Marines, 1st Battalion, Headquarters Company, then Company B. 5 Died from shell fragment wounds to the left thigh and leg. 4
Photo contributed by Maureen Ahret.
From an unknown newspaper in 1945. Contributed by Maureen Ehret.
ROBERT O’DONOVAN WAS KILLED IN ACTION ON IWO JIMA FEBRUARY 25
Private First Class Stephen Robert O’Donovan of Quaker Farms, United States Marine, was killed in action on Iwo Jima on February 25th, according to word received here by Mr. and Mrs. Ben Salveson, with whom he made his home for ten years prior to his entering the service two years ago. Private First Class O’Donovan trained at New River, North Carolina, and saw action at Saipan, Tinian, and Guam before going into Iwo Jima with the Fourth Marine Division, which was the first to hit the coast of the rugged volcanic stronghold of the Japs. He volunteered for the Marines while still in Seymour High School. He was a member of Christ Episcopal Church and was, for years, a teacher in Sunday School. He was President of the Young People’s Society of Oxford, and his name was entered as a postulant for holy orders in the Episcopal Church as he planned to begin studies for the ministry after the war. One brother, Joseph Douglas O’Donovan, serves with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific war theater.
From The New York Age May 31, 1947
Memorial Day and The Great Task By Reverend William C. Kernan
The words that best bespeak the meaning of Memorial Day were spoken by Abraham Lincoln in his address at Gettysburg. He knew that the living could best honor the dead by completing the work that they had begun – by dedicating themselves “to the great task remaining before us.” On this Memorial Day, the great task still remains before us. The task of moving forward together to build an American mighty in justice and charity – the task of holding before the peoples of other lands an example to which they may aspire – the task of making this nation strong by overcoming racial, religious, and class prejudice which divides and weakens it. Harry O’Donovan must have had this in mind when he recently wrote a letter to the Reverend Joseph Rabun. Mr. O’Donovan is the Secretary of the Marine Corps Fathers’ Association. The Reverend Mr. Rabun is a Baptist minister in Georgia who was himself a chaplain in the Marine Corps during the war and who introduced and sponsored the strong resolution denouncing racial and religious prejudice passed by the Georgia Baptist Convention last year. Mr. O’Donovan wrote, “I am writing this much-belated letter to you in order to state that as a Roman Catholic Gold Star father of a U.S. Marine, I thank God that there is a God-fearing clergyman who is brave enough to come out flat-footed against the Jew-baiters. It would be an honor to meet you and say to you that you would not detract from any Jew, but rather, you would commend them for the magnificent role they played in helping to win the past war. I know that the disparagement of our Jewish-American brothers has caused you the deepest concern for the safety of our American ideals. “Today the sun rises and sets upon the grave of my youngest son, Private First Class Stephen R. O’Donovan, and in the same hole in the ground lies the body of Abe Levin, whose youthful feet felt the same pavements of the lower part of New York, the East Side, so dear the heart of another great American, Al Smith. Here are two teenage kids. They died fighting side by side with the shadow of Mount Suribachi in order that a grand fellow like you could carry on the fight against intolerance and bigotry. It is my wish that my dead son, Stephen, who had aspirations for the priesthood when he shoved off for Iwo Jima, could have known you and felt your strong American handclasp. You and he had much in common. In finishing this epistle, his father sends you an old Irish wish, “May God Bless Your Hands.” That’s what is going on in America today. The O’Donovans, and the Rabuns, and the Levins – the Catholics, and the Protestants, and the Jews – marching shoulder to shoulder to preserve and improve American democracy. That’s the way to honor our heroic dead. That’s the way to complete the great task before us.
Initially buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima, Plot 1, Row 20, Grave 952. 4 At his father’s request, his remains were repatriated and buried on February 24, 1949, 6 in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), 2177 Puowaina Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii; section N, plot 1581. Photo from FindAGrave.com. 2
