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| Lt John Creel served with the 2nd Marine Division on Saipan https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34873918/john-benjamin-creel https://world-war-2.wikia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Saipan |
John was born April 15, 1919 in Louisiana. His parents Clill and Gerusha were also born in Louisiana. His father was a farmer. John had three older brothers, two older sisters, two younger brothers, and three younger sisters. In 1940, John had completed high school and was living at home with his parents in Winn, Louisiana.
He enlisted in the US Marine Corps in September 1940 and after completing training in San Diego was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He married the former Helen Jasch and their son John Benjamin Creel Jr. was born in May 1942.
Lt. Creel served in the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division. The 2nd MD was activated in San Diego in February 1941 and commenced combat operations in the Guadalcanal Campaign in August 1942. Lt. Creel went overseas in December 1943 and likely joined the 2nd MD as a replacement after the bloody Battle of Tarawa. The 2nd MD next participated in the Battle of Saipan in the Marianas Islands, beginning with an amphibious landing on 15 June 1944. To oppose the landing, the defending Japanese forces employed barbed wire, artillery, machine gun emplacements, and trenches to maximize the American casualties. However, by nightfall, the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions had established a beachhead on the island.
The nicknames given by the Americans to the features of the island - "Hell's Pocket", "Purple Heart Ridge", and "Death Valley" - indicate the severity of the fighting over the next several weeks. The Japanese, though cutoff from resupply, were determined to fight to the last man, and used the many caves in the volcanic landscape to delay the attackers by hiding during the day and making sorties at night. Lt. Creel was killed in action on 2 July 1944, just seven days before Saipan was officially secured. The victory was the most costly for the US to that point in the Pacific War: out of 71,000 who landed, 2,949 were killed and 10,464 wounded.
John Benjamin Creel is buried in Union Cemetery in Joyce, Louisiana. His wife Helen passed away in 2009. His son John B. Creel Jr. also served in the USMC and completed two tours in Vietnam, rose to the rank of Colonel, and passed away in 2001.
Thank you Lt. Creel for your sacrifice. Let's Earn It for John.
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This profile was written by Bob Fuerst. "I’m a NASA engineer, B-17 Flying Fortress enthusiast, and amateur genealogist so this kind of research is an ideal outlet for me. But more than anything, it’s a way to express my sincere appreciation for The Greatest Generation and the sacrifices that they made, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They should never be forgotten and I’m grateful to Don for allowing me to play a small part in honoring them."
Last year on this date I profiled B-17 flight engineer Gerald Craven. You can read about Gerald here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
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