Laurence Schies Siddall

PFC Laurence S. Siddall served with HQ Company, Second Battalion, 27th Marines.
He was reported missing in action at Iwo Jima on 19 February 1945.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 550819
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
DPAA has not publicized this information
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
November 27, 1925
at Gary, IN
Parents
William Parks Siddall
Genevieve Anna (Schies) Siddall
Education
Valparaiso High School (ex-1945)
Occupation & Employer
High school student
Service Life
Entered Service
August 17, 1943
at Indianapolis, IN
Home Of Record
811 Nelson Street
Valparaiso, IN
Next Of Kin
Parents, William & Genevieve Siddall
Military Specialty
Mortarman
(MOS 607)
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart (Iwo Jima)
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Laurence Siddall enlisted in the summer of 1943 and, after completing boot camp, was selected for Raider training. He spent several weeks at the Raider Battalion Training Center at Camp Pendleton – but in January 1944, all Raider units were officially disbanded. Scores of proto-Raiders were reassigned to the newly formed 27th Marine Regiment; Siddall joined the Second Battalion and, after a few different roles in different companies, became an ammo carrier in the 81mm mortar platoon.
On 19 February 1945, members of the 81mm and communications platoons boarded their assigned tractor (an LVT(4) of the 11th Amphibian Tractor Battalion) and rumbled down the LST ramp into the sea. They were scheduled to land in the fifth wave – seventeen minutes after the first – and, as support troops, expected a slightly easier time than the rifle companies. Instead, the preceding waves had been enveloped in smoke and flame. The men from HQ/2/27 could plainly see what lay ahead on Beach Red 1.
Japanese artillery started targeting the approaching LVTs. Most of their shells fell harmlessly into the water – but one scored a direct hit on the HQ/2/27 tractor. The LVT sank quickly, and nearby boats picked up a few survivors. Eight men – including PFC Siddall – were never seen again.
All Marines aboard the LVT were initially reported as missing in action, then declared dead as of 20 February 1946.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains lost at sea. A 1948 Graves Registration Service review of the case stated “it is presumed that [he] was killed and carried out into [the] sea by the undertow which prevails in the water surrounding Iwo Jima.”
Next Of Kin Address
Address of parents, William & Genevieve Siddall
Location Of Loss
The LVT was hit approximately 400 yards from Beach Red One.