Daniel Russell Crull
PFC Daniel R. Crull served with Charlie Company, First Battalion, 26th Marines.
He was killed action at Iwo Jima on 23 February 1945.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 889370
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by DPAA
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
May 28, 1925
in Pitcher, OK
Parents
Roland Henry Crull
Susie (Mitchell) Crull
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
September 17, 1943
at Kansas City, MO
Home Of Record
Galena, KS
Next Of Kin
Parents, Roland & Susie Crull
Military Specialty
Automatic Rifleman
(MOS 746)
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart (Iwo Jima)
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On the night of 22-23 February 1945, the First Battalion 27 Marines held a section of the O-1 line near Iwo Jima’s western coast. Charlie Company occupied TA 181G, a maze of fortifications and emplacements that the Japanese were keen to recapture.
PFC Daniel Crull was manning a foxhole on the front lines when two Japanese soldiers charged his position. A comrade later reported that Crull was killed by enemy bayonets, and the heavy mortar barrage that followed made recovering his body impossible. Several hours later, BLT 1-27 was relieved and sent back to a reserve area, leaving Crull’s remains behind.
Crull was briefly considered as missing in action, but eyewitness testimony confirmed his death. No further details are known.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; identifiable remains not recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
The Crulls lived on Rural Route #2 outside of Galena, Kansas
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of C/1/27 on 23 February 1945
