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Iwo Jima Corpsman Silver Star Recipient - H&S Co, 28th Marines


Sabre117
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Pharmacist's Mate First Class Harold L. Bonar
HQ and Service Company, 28th Marines, 5th MarDiv
Born on 26 May 1919 out of Mountsville, West Virginia, to Harold DeWaine and Ethel Mae Bonar, Harold Lee Bonar was employed with the Triangle Conduit and Cable Company, an electrical wire and cable manufacturer out of New Brunswick, NJ, almost immediately out of high school. With many young men in his age group electing to enlist into the service, Bonar decided to leave his job at the plant and enlist into the United States Navy in February 1942, hoping for a job as a Gunner's Mate.
However, the Navy had bigger plans for this sailor and sent Bonar to the Field Medical Service School at Camp Lejeune, NC, in the Spring of 1944, where he fell in as a member of Baker Company. With the completion of his initial and advanced medical training, Bonar was attached to the Headquarters & Service Company of the 28th Marine Regiment to the newly-formed 5th Marine Division and trained with them extensively at Camp Tarawa in Hawaii.
After a series of additional training, Bonar and the rest of the division were loaded up into their transport ships in January of 1945, bound for the heavily fortified island of Iwo Jima. With the assault in full swing, the first portions of the 28th Regiment landed at Green Beach in the early morning of 19 February 1945, Bonar included. When the unit began to sustain heavy casualties, Bonar was called upon to serve as a Corpsman with an anti-tank unit moving up the beach.
When he made it up the slope, he noticed that there were six wounded Marines laying helplessly in a ditch that was pinned down by concentrated enemy fire. Although fully aware of this great danger, Bonar ran across open terrain in front of the lines and managed to reached their foxhole, where he successfully treated the wounds of the six Marines. While treating these Marines, he was hit by shrapnel in the small of the back, but continued to treat the men until they were evacuated and then he received treatment for his own wound in the safety of allied lines, where he was later pulled offshore. For his great personal courage and aggressive determination in the line of duty, “Doc” Bonar was awarded the Silver Star, the U.S. Armed Forces’ third-highest award for gallantry under fire, in an overseas ceremony on 08 July 1945.
With the surrender of the Japanese in September 1945, the Navy began out-processing many of its sailors, in which Bonar was discharged as a Pharmacist's Mate First Class in October of 1945. It was in 1946 that he met and married the former Beatrice Selma Baker of Marshall, West Virginia. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Bedford, Ohio, where they raised three children and Harold worked as a Supervisor for the Pesco Products Division in the same town. However, Beatrice would become deathly ill and eventually passed away on 15 October 1989, with Harold passing from a heart ailment on 24 May 2009 at the age of 89. They are both interred in Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City, Arizona.35861439_2055848087790530_80250275594208

 

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A very nice write up and beautiful tunic. Any idea where the medals are? Thanks for sharing, I love the Corpsman stories. Kevin

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Raidercollector

Great uniform, You rarely see these come up. And he earned a SS for his life saving duties to boot, And I agree this sub form has been lacking for a while. No one.posts marine uniforms anymore, But this one makes up for it. And I know Mes posts . And a few other members.

 

 

Nick

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Fantastic corpsman uniform to a brave sailor doesnt get any better.thanks for sharing and I agree the uniform section has been lacking lately Mark

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Kurt Barickman

Very nice; I too love Pharmacist Mates attached to USMC field divisions but they are hard to find. Much less to valor awardees. Great set up and thanks for sharing.

Kurt

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Lucky 7th Armored

Amazing write up as usual and an even more amazing uniform!! Thank you for sharing!

 

 

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