Today, the DPAA announced that Cpl. Quentin Weldon McCall, of Union Church, Mississippi has been accounted for. Read their press release here.
Quentin was born in Union Church on 13 August 1920, the seventh of nine children born to James and Effie McCall. He spent most of his childhood in Jefferson County and was a formidable force on the high school football team, once running a “spectacular” 45-yard touchdown to shut out his rivals at Woodrow Wilson High.
On 7 May 1942, McCall enlisted in the Marine Corps at the Jackson, Mississippi recruiting station. He was sent to MCRD San Diego for boot camp, and upon completion of his initial training was assigned to Item Company, 6th Marines. He saw combat on Guadalcanal, and for his performance in action received a promotion to Private First Class. A second stripe quickly followed, and Corporal McCall began his ascent up the NCO ladder.
He would get no farther. On 23 November 1943, Quentin McCall was killed in action during the closing phases of the battle of Tarawa, and buried in a mass grave with other members of his regiment. The following year, Effie McCall penned an epitaph for her son:
Your last parting wish we would like to have heard,
Effie McCall, published in the Clarion Ledger newspaper, 23 November 1944.
And breathed in your ear our last parting words.
Only those who have lost are able to tell
The pain in the heart at not saying farewell.
Time may heal the brokenhearted,
Years may make the wound less sore.
But it cannot fill the longing
For the loved one gone before.
Who shall say the grief is lessened,
Though the smile may hide the tears.
Memories keep the wound still open,
Despite the passing of the years.
In 2019, History Flight expedition uncovered “Row D” and brought the remains back to the United States for laboratory analysis. Of approximately thirty remains recovered, Quentin McCall is the sixth to be identified.
Welcome home, Corporal McCall. Semper Fi.
We are actively seeking information for Cpl. McCall’s profile page.
Are you a family member or former comrade of this Marine? Do you have stories or photos to share? Please contact MissingMarines and help us tell his story.
That poem hits home.
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