William Joseph Henry

In the invasion of Iwo Jima, the Fourth Marine Division was charged with landing on and securing the Yellow and Blue Beaches – the right of the Marine line, anchoring on the Quarry. The First and Third Battalions formed the assault wave, and ran into a “buzz saw” of Japanese fire, suffering heavy casualties in the first three hours ashore. The Second Battalion, waiting offshore in reserve, was sent ashore early to help fill a widening gap and launch an attack against enemy positions on high ground north of the Quarry. Fox and George Companies led the way and reached their objective by 1745 hours, but left dozens of casualties on the sand as they went.

Corporal William J. Henry, a nineteen-year-old machine gun squad leader, was making his third combat landing. He already wore the Purple Heart; a shell fragment clipped his right shoulder on Saipan,  and he was evacuated within hours of landing. Henry recovered quickly and rejoined his company, but his luck ran out on Iwo Jima. Bullets from a Japanese machine gun caught Henry in the chest, inflicting mortal wounds. His comrades bandaged him as best they could, but could not save his life.