Barney Zinkevich
PFC Barney Zinkevich served with Charlie Company, 1st Marine Raider Battalion.
He was killed in action at the battle of Enogai, New Georgia, on 9 July 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 403959
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 23, 1916
at Inkerman, PA
Parents
Peter Zinkevich (d. pre-1940)
Victoria (Petrakonis) Zinkevich
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Allentown State Hospital
Service Life
Entered Service
May 21, 1942
at Philadelphia, PA
Home Of Record
Columbia, SC
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Victoria Zinkevich
Military Specialty
Raider
Primary Unit
C/1st Raider Battalion
Campaigns Served
New Georgia
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
Zinkevich served four years in the US Army before joining the Marine Corps.
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
PFC Barney Zinkevich served with Company C, 1st Raider Battalion, during the New Georgia campaign. He landed at Rice Anchorage on 5 July 1943 and participated in a grueling march through thick swamps and across swift rivers. When the Raiders reached the Dragons Peninsula and closed in on their objectives – Enogai and Bairoko – Japanese resistance grew more serious, and several minor but vicious skirmishes in the jungle cost lives on both sides. Making matters worse, the Raiders were poorly supplied: ammunition was limited, and rations ran out a few days into the operation. The only way out was to capture their targets.
On 9 July 1943, Captain John “Black Jack” Salmon’s Charlie Company led the Raiders on the march to Enogai Harbor. As they paused to get their bearings about 750 yards from their objective, a pair of Japanese machine guns opened fire, trapping the Marines in a pocket. “All hell broke loose up front,” commented Raider Marlin Groft (Co. B). “C Company had blundered into a prepared killing field of Nambu machine gun nests aided by snipers cleverly concealed in the surrounding trees. C Company’s lead platoon took heavy losses.” The firefight raged for more than two hours, and only petered out as dusk fell.
PFC Zinkevich was one of eight Charlie Company Raiders killed in action; he suffered a fractured skull and probably died instantly.
Burial Information or Disposition
After the battle, Zinkevich was buried “150 yards south-by-southwest of Enogai Outpost, New Georgia Island.” According to casualty records, his body was moved to the New Georgia Military Cemetery in December, 1943, and US Military Cemetery #3, Finschaffen, in November 1945. In every move, the name “Zinkevich” was attached to the remains.
However, when undergoing processing for final burial, a “Major Discrepancy” was discovered with Zinkevich’s remains. The exact nature of the problem is not currently known, but it was significant enough to call the positive identification into question. On 2 July 1952, Barney Zinkevich was declared non-recoverable. The whereabouts of his remains is unknown.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Wartime address of mother, Mrs. Victoria Zinkevich
Location Of Loss
PFC Zinkevich was last seen alive near Enogai, Dragons Peninsula.
