Louis Andrew Copes
PFC Louis A. Copes served with Easy Company, Second Battalion, 25th Marines.
He was killed in action at Ennubirr (Allen Island), Kwajalein atoll, on 31 January 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 505683
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
November 20, 1922
at Waterbury, CT
as Luigi Copes
Parents
Eduardo “Edward” Copes, Sr.
Theresa Copes (d. 1929)
stepmother Francesca Copes (d. 1944)
Education
Leavenworth High School (1941)
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
December 9, 1942
at Springfield, MA
Home Of Record
1 Wilton Street
Waterbury, CT
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Edward Copes, Sr.
Military Specialty
Ammunition Carrier (504)
Primary Unit
25th Marines (E/2)
Campaigns Served
Marshall Islands / North Kwajalein
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 31 January 1944, the 25th Marines staged a series of amphibious landings on small islands in northern Kwajalein. These operations secured artillery positions for the 14th Marines and marked the first combat operations of the Fourth Marine Division. Easy Company, under Captain Donald K. Ellis, was assigned to capture Ennubirr (codenamed Allen Island) in the early afternoon.
Heavy seas plagued the operation all day; tractors capsized in the surf while going ashore, or swamped in deep water while moving to their objective. An LVT(2) carrying troops of Easy Company met such a fate, and was shipping water fast when another vessel came alongside to take off the Marines. This was a tricky maneuver, and it appears that PFC Louis Copes lost his footing or otherwise fell overboard while transferring from the sinking LVT to the rescue vessel. As an ammunition carrier, he was probably weighted down with heavy boxes that pulled him under; he never resurfaced, and was reported as drowned.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Edward Copes.
Location Of Loss
PFC Copes drowned offshore of Ennubirr, Kwajalein atoll.
