Charles Polk Lassiter, Jr.

Lieutenant Charles Lassiter joined VMF-222 in late 1943, as the squadron retrained and reequipped for its third combat tour in the South Pacific. “Huckleberry’s” first combat missions were flown in the northern Solomons, striking the Japanese bases around Rabaul.

On 12 February 1944, twelve “Flying Deuces” – including Lassiter in F4U-1 #F4U-1 17798 – took off from Piva to provide “low cover” for a strike on Lakunai Airfield. The massive American air armada included 72 fighters, 69 dive bombers, and 24 TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, and wreaked havoc on the Japanese field. Intense anti-aircraft fire claimed one Marine aircraft (1Lt. Joyce M. Sanders of VMSB-241), but the vast majority escaped without serious damage.

Huckleberry Lassiter was last seen over Simpson Harbor. He had followed the bombers into their attack run and formed up on his section leader while weaving to evade enemy fire. When he failed to land at Piva, he was posted as missing in action.

A bomber pilot reported seeing “an unidentified F4U, smoking badly… about to make a water landing in Simpson Harbor.” This was probably Lassiter’s plane, but no eyewitnesses could confirm the fact. Nothing more was heard from Lieutenant Lassiter; h e was ultimately declared dead on 17 January 1946.