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NAME Nathaniel Stone Clifford |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER O-4406 |
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| UNIT Headquarters Marine Air Group 21 Executive Officer |
HOME OF RECORD 1517 Ynez Place Coronado, CA |
NEXT OF KIN Wife, Mrs. Jeanette H. Clifford |
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| DATE OF BIRTH August 3, 1906 at Milton, MA |
ENTERED SERVICE July 9, 1928 (USMC Reserve) June 8, 1929 (commissioned) |
DATE OF LOSS August 5, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Russell Islands / Pavuvu |
CASUALTY TYPE Non-Battle Death |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel S. Clifford was a Marine Corps aviator. A long-serving reservist, he was called to active duty in December 1940, and by the summer of 1943 was the executive officer of Marine Air Group 21 (MAG-21). He was a well-known figure in the group, especially after he personally rescued a downed pilot from Japanese waters. On 5 August 1943, Clifford met with Lieutenant William S. Devereaux, the intelligence officer of PT Squadron 10. Clifford had a notion for improving recognition between pilots and PT boats; that evening, he and Devereaux went aloft in a spare Dauntless scout bomber (SBD-4 #06735) to conduct some experiments. Just after 2000 hours, Clifford released a parachute flare. The canopy tangled in the bomber’s tail. Clifford lost control of the SBD, which crashed at sea four miles from Cape Marsh, Pavuvu. Both pilot and passenger were killed in the accident; neither man’s body was recovered. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS* Legion of Merit, Commendation Ribbon, Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Lieutenant Colonel |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not Recovered |
MEMORIALS West Virginia National Cemetery Manila American Cemetery |
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Biography:
Contact the webmaster for more information about this Marine.
Note: LtCol. Clifford’s headstone at West Virginia National Cemetery claims he was awarded the Navy Cross and Silver Star. However, no citation has been found for these decorations.
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