David George Ruby

David Ruby enlisted in the Marine Corps hoping to become a paratrooper. After boot camp, he earned his jump wings at Camp Lejeune and was assigned duty with the Fourth Parachute Battalion in San Diego. This was a short-lived assignment, however – all Parachute units were disbanded in January 1944, and most members were sent to the newly formed Fifth Marine Division. Ruby became a BARman in A/1/26th Marines; Iwo Jima was his first combat action.

After landing at Iwo on 19 February 1945, BLT 1-26 took position as the leftmost unit of the Marine line cutting across the island. The flat terrain allowed for substantial gains measured in yards, but resulted in “severe casualties due to the fact that we were attacking in open terrain along low ground, where we were under complete enemy observation.” On 21 February alone, the battalion advanced nearly 1,000 yards, but lost Marines almost every step of the way. One of those killed was PFC Ruby, who suffered “wounds, multiple, extreme” – probably the result of shellfire, though the exact cause was not reported. His DPAA profile notes that “heavy mortar fire prevented the immediate recovery of PFC Ruby’s body.”

An administrative error recorded Ruby as “missing in action,” and his family was duly notified in April 1945. A correction to “killed in action” was issued the following month.