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Clifford Max Ruth

Private Clifford M. Ruth served with King Company, Third Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was reported missing after his evacuation from Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 23 October 1942.

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Branch

Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 335672

Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

Current Status

Remains Not Recovered

Pursuit Category

The DPAA has not publicized this information.

Capsule History

Pre-War Life

Birth

May 27, 1921
at Corning, CA

Parents

Clifford William Ruth
Elva Lois (Kottmeier) Ruth
later Mrs. Lois E. Dodge

Education

Nevada City High School

Occupation & Employer

Grocery clerk

Service Life

Entered Service

December 18, 1941
at San Francisco, CA

Home Of Record

Nevada City, CA

Next Of Kin

Mother, Mrs. Lois Dodge

Military Specialty

Campaigns Served

Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal

Individual Decorations

Purple Heart

Additional Service Details

Loss And Burial

Circumstances Of Loss

After several days of holding defensive positions at the Lunga perimeter – and a few more attacking the Japanese across the Lunga River – the Third Battalion, 2nd Marines was pleased to revert to Division reserve. However, this proved to be a mixed blessing as the rear area was more frequently subjected to bombing and shelling attacks. On 17 October, five Marines were injured by errant bombs intended for the airfield.

Four days later, 3/2 marched to a new bivouac site just north of the First Marine Division command post. They were just settling in when the noon air raid droned overhead. Six bombs fell on the battalion, killing eleven men and wounding more than forty.

Record of Events, Second Marines (Reinforced), October 1942.

The bombing was especially bad for King Company, which suffered more casualties in this single event than the rest of the Guadalcanal campaign combined. One of the wounded was Private Clifford “Max” Ruth of California. Ruth was brought to the Division field hospital suffering from multiple shrapnel wounds and severe shock; the next day, he was evacuated from the island.

For reasons unknown, no details of Ruth’s whereabouts after evacuation were recorded. He was reported as missing in action as of 23 October 1942, and ultimately declared dead on 3 March 1944.

Burial Information or Disposition

On 24 October 1942, burial parties at Espiritu Santo interred several men in the island’s military cemetery. Among them were Field Cook George Buntley, who died of battle wounds suffered on Guadalcanal, and Private Hollis Williams, killed in a grenade training accident. Between Buntley and Williams lay “Unidentified X-13.”

X-13 died of intracranial injuries on 23 October. He had no means of identification on his person, and was evidently unable to give his own name. Fingerprints were taken in triplicate prior to burial, but each copy was smudged beyond usefulness. This man was eventually reinterred on Guadalcanal as X-190, and finally shipped to the Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for examination. Technicians noted physical details, charted teeth, and recorded missing pieces – noting damage to the skull, and missing limbs below the knees. X-190 could not be matched with any unresolved cases from Espiritu Santo, and was buried in Honolulu as an unknown.

Comparing the vital characteristics of X-190 with Clifford Ruth suggests that they may be a match. Distinctive dental work, similar height and weight, and dates of death all paint a promising picture. It is possible that Ruth’s “multiple shrapnel wounds” included the loss of his legs and damage to his head that left him moribund or unable to speak, and that he died of his wounds while en route to Espiritu Santo. Without any clues to his identity, graves registration had little choice but to bury him as an unknown.

Officially, however, Clifford Ruth is still unaccounted for.

Next Of Kin Address

Address of mother, Mrs. Lois E. Dodge.

Location Of Loss

Ruth was encamped in the vicinity of Lunga Point, Guadalcanal.

Related Profiles

Non-recovered from the bivouac bombing of 21 October 1942.
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