scottplen Posted November 20, 2009 Share #1 Posted November 20, 2009 Assistant Cook(believe one rank above Pvt) Christ N Hennum USMCR Killed in Assault on Iwo Jima V.I. as member Of Hq. Co. 3rd Battalion 28th Marines 5th Marine Div. Killed by GSW to the lower body and shell fragments to the head and face by organized enemy resistance(japanese forces) 3rd battalion was to cut of Mt. Surabachi after taking airfield He was born May 5 1910 from Norwegian Parents worked at Sears and robucks Co as for 14 yrs Married to Lynda Hennum He was Quailified on the M1 Carbine He was Postumously awarded the Purple Heart, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal ,Marine Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon with Star For Assault Troops of 5th ampibious Corps,Reinforced Service on Iwo Jima Volcanic Island and the WWII Victory medal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted November 20, 2009 Author Share #2 Posted November 20, 2009 more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted November 20, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted November 20, 2009 more pics Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted November 20, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted November 20, 2009 more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhcoleterracina Posted November 20, 2009 Share #5 Posted November 20, 2009 Very Very Nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Baker Posted November 20, 2009 Share #6 Posted November 20, 2009 Nice........ When you're picking up nice pieces like this I can only imagine you'll be wanting to get rid of those nasty armored items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobgee Posted November 20, 2009 Share #7 Posted November 20, 2009 Nice find. Unusual USMC rank. Born in 1910, he was nearly 33 years old when he died at Iwo. Wonder if he was a draftee? Congrats......Semper Fi.....Bobgee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted November 20, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted November 20, 2009 according to some of the research He enlisted dec 21 1943 at Omaha Ne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted November 20, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted November 20, 2009 Nice find. Unusual USMC rank. Born in 1910, he was nearly 33 years old when he gied at Iwo. Wonder if he was a draftee? Congrats......Semper Fi.....Bobgee Does anyone Know about this rank? I was told its kind of like a specilist type rank equvilent to pvt? Found a lot of Assistant cooks KIA on Iwo ?Was told by an Old Marine alot of them were sent in as replacements most were riflemen and machinegunners? I think Ack rank was only used from 1920s -1940s anybody have some info? He was an enlistee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriegsmodell Posted November 20, 2009 Share #10 Posted November 20, 2009 Very nice Scott. Thanks for sharing ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicjoy1945 Posted November 20, 2009 Share #11 Posted November 20, 2009 Nice !! Very unusual rank too !! But...always remember...a marine is a rifleman first !! :thumbsup: He just happened to cook too !! Vic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted November 21, 2009 Author Share #12 Posted November 21, 2009 Nice !! Very unusual rank too !! But...always remember...a marine is a rifleman first !! :thumbsup: He just happened to cook too !! Vic Thanks Guys for some reason these simple Pousthumous Purple hearts speak to me. The regular guy like the Private the Assistant cook /Rifleman who was 33 yrs old just show what a great generation they really were ! In records/ research states he was in the USMC prior and Discharged and instead of staying at his safe Sears and Robucks job for $50 week He Enlisted in the USMCR and assigned to active duty dec 21 1944 ,promoted PFC 28 june 1944 and assistant cook 21 nov. 1944 and lost his life in the service of his country 19 February 1945 during operations on Iwo Jima ! I wonder if he enlisted because he thought the war was passing him by ? If so he sure caught up with it! In my opinion just a brave Devil Dog !!! May he rest in Peace! sorry i get a bit sappy ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted December 7, 2009 Author Share #13 Posted December 7, 2009 his grave from www.findagrave.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Barickman Posted December 14, 2009 Share #14 Posted December 14, 2009 Great medal :thumbsup: I remember when I owned that set. Very nice Iwo KIA. Kurt Barickman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted February 19, 2010 Author Share #15 Posted February 19, 2010 In honor of the anniversary of battle and his death ! I just want to say THANKS and rest in peace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicjoy1945 Posted February 19, 2010 Share #16 Posted February 19, 2010 Thanks Guys for some reason these simple Pousthumous Purple hearts speak to me. The regular guy like the Private the Assistant cook /Rifleman who was 33 yrs old just show what a great generation they really were ! In records/ research states he was in the USMC prior and Discharged and instead of staying at his safe Sears and Robucks job for $50 week He Enlisted in the USMCR and assigned to active duty dec 21 1944 ,promoted PFC 28 june 1944 and assistant cook 21 nov. 1944 and lost his life in the service of his country 19 February 1945 during operations on Iwo Jima ! I wonder if he enlisted because he thought the war was passing him by ? If so he sure caught up with it! In my opinion just a brave Devil Dog !!! May he rest in Peace! sorry i get a bit sappy ! I hear ya Scott !! Although not a re-enlistment like your Marine, I have a posthumous SSM/PH grouping to an Army SFC who was into his 40s when he was killed-in-action during the very early stages of the Vietnam War while serving with the 1st Division. I'm sure he was viewed as "the old man" by his young grunts much like your Marine !! Thanks for bumping this thread in honor of the 56th Anniveerssary of the Battle of Iwo Jima. Vic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wileycat Posted April 29, 2010 Share #17 Posted April 29, 2010 I know this is an old thread, but I found it while doing a search on ACK and Marines in World War II. My estranged grandfather was in the Pacific I think from about 1942 and maybe four years after that? Not sure. I obtained a copy of his discharge papers a while back and can't seem to find then again. It was interesting to learn he was an assistant cook. I have a photo of him in uniform with a couple of service decorations and have a photo of dead Japanese soldiers on a beach somewhere and a another of a base camp on an island. I was just wondering how a person got picked to be a cook? Would they have started out at that from the beginning? Would they have been in any combat potentially? He was also a rifleman, of course. It sounds like nowhere was safe to be in the Pacific and it must not have been an easy job to be a cook with the food shortages at times. He also contracted malaria. When I find the papers, I am assuming I will find out what division he served in so I could figure out where he was in the war. Thanks for any ideas. I can't find much online about this rank. Catherine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted April 29, 2010 Author Share #18 Posted April 29, 2010 From what i could figure out ACK was a speciality i Think it was equeal or right below a corpral I was told by an old marine you were a Rifleman 1st no matter what ! And you only needed so many cooks ! This guy was in the Assualt wave on feb 19 1945 ! also told most asst. cooks were asst. machinegunners and asst flameflowers !! but not 100% sure if anyone know let us know !!! :think: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicjoy1945 Posted April 29, 2010 Share #19 Posted April 29, 2010 From what i could figure out ACK was a speciality i Think it was equeal or right below a corpral I was told by an old marine you were a Rifleman 1st no matter what ! And you only needed so many cooks ! This guy was in the Assualt wave on feb 19 1945 ! also told most asst. cooks were asst. machinegunners and asst flameflowers !! but not 100% sure if anyone know let us know !!! :think: Hey !! Yup !! In fact there's a scene in The Pacific where the mortarmen are told by the CO that just because their specialty is mortars doesn't mean that they don't have to pick up a rifle and go on patrols. Again, you're always a riflemen first. My Dad was an NCO in charge of 3 anti-aircraft guns but when there were no enemy planes to shoot at they pulled duty as infantry when need be and certainly in big battles like Cassino. In fact, he was trained as a sapper as well so he could wire and destroy his guns if they were in a precarious situation. Vic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted February 18, 2013 Author Share #20 Posted February 18, 2013 I do not own this heart ! but need to honor him on his day of sacrifice !!! RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share #21 Posted February 19, 2014 Btt in memory Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katieony Posted February 20, 2014 Share #22 Posted February 20, 2014 A very fitting tribute! Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted February 19, 2015 Author Share #23 Posted February 19, 2015 Btt RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottplen Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share #24 Posted February 20, 2018 Btt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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