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NAME Daniel George Weinbrecht |
NICKNAME Bud |
SERVICE NUMBER 406161 |
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| UNIT Company L Third Battalion 6th Marines |
HOME OF RECORD 1144 South Senate Avenue Indianapolis Indiana |
NEXT OF KIN Father, Mr. Daniel Weinbrecht Sr. |
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| DATE OF BIRTH November 26, 1921 |
ENTERED SERVICE June 10, 1942 |
DATE OF LOSS January 22, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Guadalcanal |
CASUALTY TYPE Killed In Action |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS On 22 January 1943, the Third Battalion 6th Marines tried to force its way across Guadalcanal’s Mamara River. A Japanese rear guard put up a stubborn resistance which stalled the Marine advance for several hours and inflicted several casualties. Private Daniel “Bud” Weinbrecht was attempting to aid a stricken buddy when a Japanese sniper took his life. He was buried in the field the following day; although the location was noted (“Overlay of 1MAW Photo #24, Coordinates 67.20-201.55”) the grave could not be found after the war. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Private |
STATUS OF REMAINS Buried in the field; not recovered. |
MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery |
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Biography:
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Dear Sir
I’m glad you wrote inquiring about Dan because it settled a question which I’ve been thinking about for a long time. As Dan was the best buddy I ever had, I should have written about what a swell guy he was and then I thought maybe the letter would make you feel worse about it.
You have all the reason in the world to be proud of Dan. He died a REAL HERO. A Jap sniper shot him while he was saving the life of another marine. It all happened on Guadalcanal, Jan. 23 [sic] as we were advancing over a grassy knoll. Jap machine guns and snipers opened up on us. Many of our men got hit and the rest of us laid low and returned their fire. We were in this trap for four hours and the hot sun was getting the best of us.
The men were passing out with the heat and had to be carried out to the shade or be left to die. The boy next to Dan couldn’t stand it any longer and passed out. Dan knew what would happen if he was left lying in the sun. He stopped firing and started to drag him to safety. In doing so, he exposed himself to a sniper and was shot. He didn’t suffer a bit – he died instantly.
Danny was liked by everyone. The day he was killed his corporal cried. I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed him. I knew him since the day we left Indianapolis. He was my buddy in boot camp and we always went out together on liberty. We planned on what we were going to do when we got back. He wanted to marry Virginia more than anything else. There never was a marine as true to a girl as he was. It must have been a great shock to you when you got the news, but I’m sure you’re very proud of him!
Pvt. Henry Szewczyk, L/3/6
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