NAME Edward Marion Spear |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER 314346 |
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UNIT Company E Second Battalion 8th Marines |
HOME OF RECORD 427 Bates Street, St. Louis, MO |
NEXT OF KIN Guardian, Mr. Felix Zeller |
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DATE OF BIRTH July 14, 1922 |
ENTERED SERVICE August 4, 1941 |
DATE OF LOSS November 21, 1942 |
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REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Guadalcanal |
CASUALTY TYPE Killed In Action |
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CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS PFC Edward M. Spear served with Company E, 8th Marines, during the Guadalcanal campaign. On 21 November 1942, the Second Battalion, 8th Marines was instructed to send E Company forward to fill a gap in the lines between two Army battalions – 2/182 and 3/164. “The time and space factors involved in moving troops cross country through jungle and over stiff terrain were greatly misjudged,” stated the 8th Marines’ report, noting that the trip of a few hundred yards took nearly three and a half hours. At some point during this maneuver, PFC Spear was killed in action. His remains were buried in the field, but the spot could not be located by later search parties. |
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INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Private First Class |
STATUS OF REMAINS Buried in the field, vicinity of (69.3-199.3), North Coast Guadalcanal |
MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery |
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