John William Donahoe
PFC John W. Donahoe served with Item Company, Third Battalion, 6th Marines.
He was killed in action at Saipan on 15 June 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 460299
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
This case is under ACTIVE PURSUIT by the DPAA
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 2, 1922
in Brighton, MA
Parents
William John Donahoe
Nora Josephine (Horan) Donahoe (d. 1927)
Education
Details unknown
Occupation & Employer
Pratt & Whitney Aircraft
Service Life
Entered Service
November 5, 1942
at Springfield, MA
Home Of Record
271 North Beacon Street
Brighton, MA
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. William J. Donahoe
Military Specialty
Rifleman
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
John Donahoe enlisted in the Marine Corps from Springfield, Massachusetts, on 5 November 1942. After completing boot camp at Parris Island, he deployed overseas with a replacement draft and joined Item Company, Third Battalion, 6th Marines in New Zealand during the summer of 1943. Donahoe saw his first combat as a rifleman in the battle of Tarawa in November of that year.
On 15 June 1944, PFC Donahoe’s battalion led the attack on Saipan’s Red Beach 1. “As the assault waves started over the reef, it seemed to explode,” records A Brief History of the 6th Marines. “Well registered artillery and mortar shells from hidden and camouflaged enemy guns turned the barrier into an inferno of fire, thunder, and water cascades. The LVTs moved relentlessly on, leaving many of their numbers either broached or destroyed.” The Third Battalion, 6th Marines, suffered heavy casualties but managed to secure their beachhead and tie in with friendly forces before nightfall.
PFC Donahoe was one of those who fell during the landing operation. He was simply listed as “killed in action,” with no further information about his cause of death or possible burial.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; identifiable remains not recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. William Donahoe.
Location Of Loss
Donahoe was last seen in the vicinity of Saipan’s Red Beach landing zone.
