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CHARLAND, George E. (b. 1924)

Oral Histories

OH 1291

His experiences with the 3rd Marine Defense Battalion during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; his experiences with the 2nd Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, at Guadalcanal, 1942; his experiences with E Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, at Tarawa, 1943; his experiences with the 4th Marine Division at Saipan and Tinian, 1944, and Iwo Jima, 1945. Childhood on the Ottawa-Ojibwa Nation Reservation in northern Minnesota; life on the road as a teenage hobo; decision to join the Marine Corps, 1940; activities during and in the aftermath of the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor; combat at Bloody Ridge on Guadalcanal; battle wound at Tarawa and evacuation to Hawaii; banzai attacks and civilian suicides on Saipan; battle wound at Iwo Jima and evacuation to U.S.; medical discharge in April, 1945.