DOB/DOD: November 15, 1924 (Stamford, CT) – March 3, 1945; 20 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: 61 Forest Lawn Avenue, Stamford
ENLISTMENT: November 9, 1943
SERVICE NUMBER: 556657
UNIT: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 26th Marines, 5th Marine Division
MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY: 0745, Rifleman
FAMILY: Born to William Joseph Sr. (1904-1958) and Regina Palmer White (1907-1979). Oldest of three children. Two sisters, Jane White Cline (1931-2009) and Patricia (1931-1985). 1
CIRCUMSTANCES: Boot camp at Parris Island, South Carolina, in late 1943 and early 1944. Transferred to the 5th Marine Division, 26th Marines, 2nd Battalion in the Spring of 1944 through the Battle of Iwo Jima. 3
Photo contributed by a nephew, Chris Cline.
Photos of the 5th Marine Division Cemetery on Iwo Jima and the headstone were contributed by Chris Cline, nephew of PFC White.
From the Stamford Advocate, April 6, 1945; contributed by Ellen Sullivan, Senior Reader Services Librarian, The Ferguson Library; Stamford, Connecticut.
Private First Class White, son of Mr. and Mrs. William J. White of 61 Forest Lawn Avenue, died of wounds received in action on Iwo Jima while serving with the 5th Division of the U.S. Marine Corps. His family has been notified. PFC White enlisted on November 15, 1943. He received his ‘boot’ training at Parris Island, South Carolina, where he was promoted to private first class. While at Camp Lejeune, he was selected for Paramarine School in California, which was later disbanded. After joining the Rangers, he was sent to the Pacific area in July of last year. He graduated from St. John’s School, attended Stamford High School, and was a member of the football team. He was also a member of the Varsity Club and St. John’s Boys Brigade. He also leaves two sisters, Misses Jane and Patricia White. A memorial Requiem Mass will be celebrated in St. John’s Catholic Church on Tuesday morning at 9.
Memorialized on the Stamford Veterans Memorial, 138 Atlantic Street, Stamford, Connecticut. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
Remains were repatriated and buried on April 17, 1948, in St. John’s Cemetery, 191 Hoyt Street, Darien, Connecticut; Block 53, Lot 37. Photos by Jeff DeWitt.
1 – 1940 census https://www.ancestry.com/cs/1940-census
2 – https://ancestry.com
3 – USMC Muster Rolls: https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1089/