Hobart McKinley Fiscus, Jr.
Private Hobart McKinley Fiscus, Jr. served with Charlie Company, First Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal on 13 January 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 334421
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
September 19, 1922
in Chehalis, WA
Parents
Hobart McKinley Fiscus, Sr.
Genevieve Sophrona (Harper) Fiscus
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
November 22, 1940
at Portland, OR
Home Of Record
10120 NW St. Helens Road
Portland, OR
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Hobart Fiscus Sr.
Military Specialty
—
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
In the first weeks of 1943, American troops began preparations for what they hoped would be the last drive against Japanese forces on Guadalcanal. The 25th Infantry Division kicked off a major offensive on 10 January, with the 8th Marines scheduled to join in three days later.
At 0545 on 13 January, C/1/8th Marines started their advance to the west. They hit their first resistance within ten minutes: a Japanese machine gun firing from a position called the Cat’s Ear. The company quickly overran the emplacement, but lost Platoon Sergeant Harold F. Drain to an enemy bullet. Unfortunately, this encounter would set the tone for the rest of the morning. More machine guns along the Cat’s Ear opened fire, and soon all three First Battalion companies were busily engaged in trying to knock them out. The most stubborn resistance was in front of Charlie Company, and the regiment’s operations log notes several requests for engineers and TNT to blast a path through. The emplacement finally fell after hours of effort, but the company ran into “a couple more MGs” almost at once, and the grind continued.
Private Hobart Fiscus Junior, the son of a World War I Marine, was shot in the left chest during the attack on this emplacement and died of his wounds at about 1100 hours.
Burial Information or Disposition
Fiscus was reportedly buried in the field at coordinates (69.7-199) on the standard Map 104 of Guadalcanal’s north coast, not far from the spot where Platoon Sergeant Drain fell. Drain’s grave was found in 1945; he was identified by his dog tags and reburied in the Army-Navy-Marine Corps cemetery. Fiscus was not as fortunate; his burial site has never been located.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, Hobart & Genevieve Fiscus.
Another son, Stanley J. Fiscus USMC, was killed in action at Saipan on 8 July 1944.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of Fiscus’ field burial, on the outskirts of Honiara.
