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NAME Edwin Marston Schmitt |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER O-7075 |
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| UNIT VMF-121 Pilot |
HOME OF RECORD 3505 Copley Road Baltimore, MD |
NEXT OF KIN Wife, Mrs. Audrey L. Schmitt |
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| DATE OF BIRTH April 15, 1919 at Washington, DC |
ENTERED SERVICE October 15, 1940 (enlisted) September 15, 1941 (commissioned) |
DATE OF LOSS June 12, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Russell Islands |
CASUALTY TYPE Killed In Action |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS Captain Edwin Schmitt was a pilot assigned to VMF-121, a Marine fighter squadron based on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. On 12 June 1943, VMF-121 scrambled two divisions of aircraft to intercept a group of Japanese planes approaching the Russell Islands. Seven Marines made contact with several dozen Zeros, and shot down several in a short, sharp fight. All VMF-121 flyers returned except for Captain Schmitt. One officer reported seeing a Corsair down in the water; he thought the downed pilot was rescued, but could not be sure. This was supposed to be Edwin Schmitt, but he never returned to military control. Schmitt was reported as killed in action during the mission and was posthumously promoted to the rank of major. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Captain posthumous Major |
STATUS OF REMAINS Lost at sea |
MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery |
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Biography:
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