John Edward Barrett
PFC John E. Barrett served with George Company, Second Battalion, 23rd Marines.
He was reported missing in action at Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 564971
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under Active Pursuit by DPAA
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
April 12, 1926
at Dorchester, MA
Parents
Patrick Francis Barrett
Bridget M. (Hanly) Barrett
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
March 20, 1944
at Boston, MA
Home Of Record
30 Semont Street
Dorchester, MA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Patrick F. Barrett
Military Specialty
Automatic Rifleman (MOS 746)
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart (Iwo)
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 19 February 1945, the Second Battalion, 23rd Marines – including PFC John Barrett in George Company – landed on an Iwo Jima beach codenamed Yellow 2. Within minutes, Japanese mortar rounds began landing among the Marines packed on the beach, and small-arms fire rattled as they tried to advance. A pair of large blockhouses took a heavy toll on 2/23 as they attempted to move towards their objective at Motoyama Airfield.
The LVT carrying PFC Barrett’s squad seems to have drifted to the right, touching land on Beach Blue 1. PFC John J. Mahoney saw Barrett exit the landing craft and take cover behind a nearby revetment. As PFC Raleigh G. Mann passed Barrett’s position, “the revetment took a direct shell hit, and Barrett was no longer to be seen.”
No identifiable trace of John Barrett was ever found, and he was ultimately declared dead on 20 February 1946.
Burial Information or Disposition
Unknown; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Patrick Barrett
Location Of Loss
Barrett was last seen in the vicinity of Beach Blue 1, Iwo Jima.
