​Private John Junior Critchfield 827018 KIA

​Private John Junior Critchfield 827018 KIA USMC. Born 15 October 1925 in Imperial, Nebraska. Attended schools in Kit Carson County and joined the Marine Corps on 10 April 1944 at the age of 18. Trained at Camps Elliott and Pendleton, California, served overseas with Company D, 2nd Battalion 28th Regiment, 5th, Marine Division. He was with the first wave of Marines to land on Iwo Jima, and took part in the capture of Mt. Suribachi. Killed in action on Iwo Jima 10 March 1945 at the age of 19. Posthumously awarded the Purple Heart (PHM) for his supreme sacrifice, he also earned the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) and the (PTO) Medal. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. John W. Critchfield of Burlington. He was the brother of Sergeant Jack L. Critchfield, Corporal Max G. Critchfield, and Private First Class George W. Critchfield.

 

Source:

1- THE FIGHTING MEN OF Colorado – Asiatic-Pacific Theater World War Two – 1948

2- US Headstone and Interment records for US Military.