Charles Jack Kimmel
Second Lieutenant Charles J. Kimmel served with Item Company, Third Battalion, 5th Marines.
He was killed in action near Point Cruz, Guadalcanal, on 2 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number O-8786
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered.
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
July 2, 1918
at Rushsylvania, OH
Parents
Charles Garfield Kimmel
Ella (Kear) Kimmel
Education
Rushsylvania High School
Kemper Military Academy
Ohio State University (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Commercial Credit Corporation
Service Life
Entered Service
March 26, 1941 (US Army)
October 29, 1941 (enlisted)
January 31, 1942 (officer)
Home Of Record
Rushsylvania, OH
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Charles G. Kimmel
Military Specialty
Platoon Leader
Primary Unit
I/3/5th Marines
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands / Guadalcanal
Individual Decorations
Navy Cross
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
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Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
The “November Offensive” push to the west of Guadalcanal’s Matanikau River began badly for the 5th Marines. On 1 November, determined Japanese troops in well-fortified positions near Point Cruz slowed, then stopped 1/5th Marines with heavy casualties. A heavily-armed bivouac near the base of the Point offered the most resistance; plans for 2 November required the First and Third Battalions to hold the enemy in place, while the Second Battalion maneuvered to get behind the bivouac and cut off reinforcement or retreat.
Item and King Companies of 3/5 were positioned near the base of Point Cruz – where they had a ringside seat to further misery being inflicted on their buddies in First Battalion. “The temperature started shooting up toward 100 degrees,” recalled Jim McEnerey of K/3/5, “and a lot of guys in the First Battalion were still stuck in the open where that coconut grove used to be…. Not only were they frying out there in the blistering sun with hardly any place to take cover, but one of those Jap 75(mm guns) started zeroing in on them again.”
Lieutenant Charles J. Kimmel of I Company was crouched in the middle of a bunch of Marines from I and K Companies and staring down into the coconut grove, when he jumped up all of a sudden and yelled: "Those guys [in First Battalion] are getting murdered by that 75 out there. We got to give 'em some relief. Who wants to help me knock out that damn gun?" The first man to step forward was Corporal Weldon DeLong, a husky Marine just under six feet tall... "Sure," he said. "Let's hit 'em!".... Dozens of guys in K and I companies started jumping up and hollering, "Me too! Me too!" Captain [Erskine] Wells, the CO of I Company, was there too. He jammed his fist in the air to show his approval.
"Okay, fix bayonets!" Kimmel said. "And when I say 'Charge,' just run at the bastards like your pants are on fire." A few seconds later, close to a hundred Marines formed up in a ragged line. Then they yelled like a bunch of lunatics and took off like crazy toward that Jap-held ditch forty or fifty yards away.
This event – “the only authenticated US bayonet charge of the operation,” according to historian John Zimmerman – cracked the Japanese line. Most of the defenders died at their posts, while a few tried to swim to safety or fled west along the coast. Some reached a fortified ravine, while others ran into the muzzles of the Second Battalion. The momentum carried Item and King companies some 1,500 yards beyond Point Cruz and closed the circle on the remaining Japanese soldiers.
Lieutenant Kimmel led the first wave of the charge, and was rushing a Japanese gun emplacement when an exploding grenade hit him in the chest. He was awarded a posthumous Navy Cross for exceptional valor, and a promotion to First Lieutenant which took effect on the day of his death.
Burial Information or Disposition
Charles Kimmel’s body was buried somewhere in the vicinity of Point Cruz: “locally” or “in the area” according to primary documents. American forces pulled out shortly after the fight, leaving the ground in Japanese hands once more. Any marker that stood over Kimmel’s grave was either deliberately destroyed, or obliterated by future battles around Point Cruz.
Kimmel was declared non-recoverable in 1949.
Memorials
Manila American Cemetery and Memorial
Rushsylvania Cemetery, Rushsylvania, Ohio
The USS Charles J. Kimmel (DE-594) was named in his honor
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Charles & Ella Kimmel.
Location Of Loss
Kimmel was killed in action near Point Cruz, Guadalcanal.
Hello I’m wondering if Charles J Kimmel Grave was ever discovered or is he part of the missing 5th marines division who’s grave was never discovered. I’m currently writing an article in his local newspaper for the 80th year of his passing. Any information is appreciated.
I should say I’m trying to get it put in the local newspaper. Thank you for your time!