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NAME Donald James Coffey |
NICKNAME Don |
SERVICE NUMBER 353706 |
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UNIT Company A 1st Raider Battalion (Edson’s Raiders) |
HOME OF RECORD 730 Westmoreland Avenue, Lansing, MI |
NEXT OF KIN Mother, Mrs. Juanita Coffey |
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DATE OF BIRTH August 27, 1919 |
ENTERED SERVICE January 7, 1942 |
DATE OF LOSS September 14, 1942 |
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REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Guadalcanal |
CASUALTY TYPE Killed In Action |
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CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS PFC Donald J. Coffey served with Company A, 1st Raider Battalion, during the campaign for Guadalcanal and the battle of Edson’s Ridge. On 13 September 1942, Captain John Antonelli’s led a combat patrol to investigate Raider positions that had been overrun the night before. They found the area occupied by a large force of Japanese troops and, after a brief firefight, disengaged and withdrew back to Bloody Ridge. PFC Coffey was covering the retreat when he was shot down; “dead before he hit the jungle floor,” in the words of a fellow Raider. He was the only casualty of the patrol. Don Coffey’s body, if it was later recovered, was never identified. He was reported dead as of 14 September 1942. |
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INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Private First Class |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered |
MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery |
Biography:
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