Born: August 11, 1896
Died: November, 1971
Campaigns Served: Namur
Highest Rank Attained: Platoon Sergeant
Decorations:
Charles Ckaminsky emigrated to the United States in 1919. He settled in Boston, listing his occupation as a rubber worker.
In April of 1921, Ckaminsky joined the Marine Corps. He attended boot camp at Parris Island, and evidently excelled at the rigorous training as he was promoted to corporal after only two months.
Corporal Ckaminsky was transferred to the Second Provisional Brigade, then stationed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He spent the rest of 1921 and all of 1922 in the Caribbean, before being reassigned to the Anti-Aircraft company of the 10th Marine Regiment, in Quantico, VA.
Ckaminsky traveled around the United States, serving with detachments in New York City and the Puget Sound Navy Yard in Bremerton, Washington. By 1928, he had transferred overseas, and was serving with the 26th Company of the 4th Regiment, then in Shanghai, China.
This overseas duty appealed to Ckaminsky, and he stayed with the regiment through 1930. He was briefly transferred to the Casual Company at Mare Island, but by 1931 had returned to Peiping, China, with the Marine detachment of the American Legation.
Ckaminsky ran afoul of his superiors in December, 1931, and after being convicted of some offense, was busted to Private First Class. In the peacetime Marines, ratings were not easy to regain. He was also assigned to duty as a military policeman with the Headquarters company of the 4th Marines.
Charles Ckaminsky remained in China for the next five years, staying with the MPs and eventually regaining his corporal stripes. He returned to the Marine Barracks at Puget Sound Navy Yard, where he was promoted to sergeant of the guard company.
By 1939, Ckaminsky had returned to China, this time with Company F of the Fourth Marines. He was stationed in Shanghai through the end of 1940.
In 1943, the newly minted Platoon Sergeant Ckaminsky was with Able Company as their "police sergeant." Known alternately as "Ski" or "The Mole," the salty old-timer would handle tasks around the base, and when plied with a beer or two would regale his younger comrades with stories of his time in China.
"Ski" was a true old-time Marine, and could be inflexible on certain points. When Able Company arrived at Camp Pendleton and were assigned to their new barracks, Ski scrounged around and produced a large pile of rocks. To their surprise - and dismay - the company learned that Ski expected the rocks to be neatly whitewashed and placed around the barracks, as per regulations. The rocks were to be kept clean and orderly - and to their chagrin, Able Company noticed they were the only ones in the regiment to have that particular duty.
Ski went overseas and participated in the battle of Namur, but at the age of 49 he was unable to keep up with active duty. He transferred out of the battalion in the spring of 1944.
Charles Ckaminsky returned to his adopted state of Massachusetts, where he died in 1971.
"Company Police Sergeant Cominsky [sic] - a Russian marine with 26 years of straight service! 12 in China where he lived like a king, with a chauffeur and three White Russian concubines and knew Uncle Paul."
- Phil Wood