Charles Barton Wood
PFC Charles B. Wood served with King Company, Third Battalion, 2nd Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on 21 October 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 340763
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
November 17, 1920
at Little Rock, AR
Parents*
William Barton Wood
Jewell Dean (Larimore) Wood
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
* For some reason, Charles does not appear in William and Jewell's household on census records. Other sources confirm him as a member of their family.
Service Life
Entered Service
January 12, 1942
at Houston, TX
Home Of Record
5000 Asher Avenue
Little Rock, AR
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. William B. Wood
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.
King Company suffered lost more Marines killed in this single incident than in the rest of the Guadalcanal campaign combined. One of the dead was PFC Charles B. Wood, a twenty-one-year-old from Little Rock, Arkansas. Wood had the misfortune to be right in the path of one of the bombs; the explosion completely destroyed his body, and no remains could be found for burial.
Burial Information or Disposition
No remains were recovered from the bivouac.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. William B. Wood
Location Of Loss
Wood was encamped in the vicinity of Lunga Point, Guadalcanal.
