Thomas Franklin Lewis, Jr.
Corporal Thomas F. “Tommy” Lewis, Jr., served with Dog Company, First Battalion, 8th Marines.
He was killed in action at Guadalcanal on 25 November 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Regular
Service Number 293184
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
August 13, 1922
in Hot Springs, AR
Parents
Thomas Franklin Lewis, Sr.
Lena (Douglas) Lewis
Education
Dumas High School (1939)
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
August 26, 1940
at Oklahoma City, OK
Home Of Record
Dumas, AR
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Thomas F. Lewis Sr.
Military Specialty
—
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 25 November 1942, the First Battalion, 8th Marines held defensive positions along a ridge west of Guadalcanal’s Matanikau River. Frontal assaults over the previous days had failed to crack the powerful Japanese line, and Marine and Army units were limited to sending out combat patrols to knock out the more troublesome enemy emplacements. Machine gun positions were especially hard to eliminate, and the battalion suffered 27 casualties during the day’s operations.
Dog Company reported five casualties on 25 November, all caused by shrapnel. Four men were wounded while the fifth, Corporal Thomas Lewis, was killed. His Marine Corps casualty card notes that he died at approximately 1500 hours, but provides no further details.
Burial Information or Disposition
Lewis was reportedly buried in the field at coordinates (68.9-200.05) on the standard Map 104 of Guadalcanal’s north coast. The 8th Marines reported a Japanese mortar position in that area; Lewis may have been part of a combat patrol attempting to take out this weapon, but there are no eyewitness reports to confirm this theory.
Memorials
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Thomas Lewis Sr.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of Lewis’ field grave, now part of Honiara.
