Kilo Company 3rd Bn, 5th Marines - Rex Benson

I have been doing some WWII genealogical research on family members and I recently got my great uncles (My granddad's brother) record book from the archives. Born in Braggadocio, Missouri, but joined at Sacramento, California.

He joined 5 Nov 1941 and served until 2 Oct 1945. He started out in Sea School and was stationed as part of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Yorktown (CV-5) and was there for the Battle of Midway, per an entry in his record book by T.N. Peters, Captain USMC. After he got back to Portsmouth, he requested to transferred to a 'Raider Battalion'. He got his request and was attached to Kilo Company 3/5. He fought with them from May 1943 until he was discharged in 1945 after the battle in Okinawa. He received Purple Hearts for wounds in the Palau Islands (most likely Peleliu) and Okinawa. He also received the American Defense Medal with one Star and the Asiatic Pacific Medal with five stars. He did not get a Good Conduct Medal due to an unauthorized 'vacation' he took at Camp Balcome, Victoria, Australia.

I do have copies of several Battalion Special Orders (Enlisted Promotion) for numerous members of 3/5 as well as a Wounded in Action Casualty report 25-45, Okinawa Shima. If anyone researching this period/location needs a copy of them, please let me know.

At some point, I plan on putting all this info on line for Rex and my granddad.

The single most amazing part of reading his record book is seeing where he had been and where he had fought. All Marines are taught this history and we try and retain it, I had no idea that I had family that had taken part in it.

Sadly Rex passed away in 1995 and is interred at the Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside CA.

I am trying to determine what Unit Awards he may have gotten both while aboard the USS Yorktown at Midway but with Kilo Co 3/5.

If anyone has any info on the Unit Awards, please let me know.

I will post all this same info on my granddad if I can get anything from the archives (have been told about the 1973 fire), have been pursuing other avenues for getting his info.

 

I recently found out that Rex rated two Presidential Unit Citations the Battles of Peleliu and Okinawa while serving as part of 1st Marine Division.

Slowly but surely, it will all come together. Just looking for anything for the USS Yorktown (CV-5) during the Battle of Midway.

 

Lou,

Thanks for the info... I went and checked it out. I think that USS Yorktown (CV-5) only got a 'Battle Star' for Asiatic Campaign Medal for the Battle of Midway.

Thanks again.

Jeff

 

I would just like to add that I was using Kilo for K company from my time in the Marine Corps. Mr Sterling Mace told me that they referred to it as King Company. Thanks for the correction Mr Mace.

Mr Mace also told me that he thought that Rex was in 2nd Platoon, whereas Mr Mace was in 3rd Platoon.

Thanks for your assistance...